by Rich Grassi A number of companies have come up in the field of tactical illumination since the mid-1990s. At that time, a company with which I had no experience - Insight Technology - made the UTL - Universal Tactical Light - for a gun with which I got a few weeks experience, the HK USP. A game-changer, the UTL gave the pistol-armed SWAT operator or patrol officer a light on the gun. You can be "at ready," gun in hand, with some illumination as you interact with doors, stair rails, suspects and "noncombatants." At the time, this particular force multiplier was useful only to those using the HK.

This is the Insight Tech WL1AA on the S&W SD9 pistol. The "quick release" is the vertical lever directly behind the model number marking.

Since, guns with "universal" rails and M1913 rails have proliferated, as have the lights and light suppliers. Much has changed; there's more illumination, longer run-times, LED use where we had incandescent before, switching refinements, durability, the addition of aiming lasers. The list goes on. One thing that hasn't changed has been power source. Enter the Insight Technology WL1-AA. We have a light, we have a visible aiming laser. Weighing in at around 3 ½ ounces, it's around 3.6 inches long, 1.4 inches wide and 1.7 inches high. You get around 90 minutes of continuous "on" time - a long time on a gunlight -at around 150 peak lumens. There's a recoil lug for the "universal" rails and the M1913 rail. The Picatinny comes installed on the light. The aiming laser is obviously adjustable for elevation and windage. Yawning? So what's new? Two things. One, this light mounts with a "rail grabber." With the slide locked back on an empty gun, flip the quick release lever up on the left side of the light. Angle the light onto the rails aligning the loose right rail first, lifting the light to the dustcover and flipping the lever back down into the locked position.

The light and laser are plenty bright.

That's all it takes. With an unloaded gun, flip the quick release lever up and remove your light. It's that simple. As for batteries, they can be picked up nearly anywhere. This gunlight/laser takes AA batteries. They don't have a shelf life of ten years, nor do they cost as much as cells with a long shelf life, but they're accessible nearly anywhere, 24 hours a day. That can be important if we didn't plan. Use 1.5v lithium batteries if you can get them - and you can, nearly everywhere. The WL1-AA will run on alkaline cells too. There is a mode switch aft of the laser module. The unit can be switched off, on laser, on light and on light & laser. There are two toggle switches on the rear of the unit. Push either side up and you get "constant on." Down is "momentary." If you push down twice in rapid succession, you get momentary strobe. Pushing up twice quickly gives you constant on in strobe mode. The L-3/Insight Technology WL1-AA is a light, handy addition to the sidearm. Remember, a light on the gun isn't a light; it's a gun. Remember muzzle discipline. Use a regular flashlight just for looking. A weapon light should be used for identifying the threat we are shooting. For more information, contact http://www.insighttechgear.com/products-aa.htm.