Once you commit to the purchase of an AR 15 light, get only the most durable, highest quality equipment you can find. A weapon-mounted tactical light is the type of shooting accessory the reliability and operability of which you trust with the safety of life and limb. What you choose and where and how you mount it will make a significant difference in confident handling, target acquisition, and positive ID.
Do You Need an AR-15 Light?
If you think of tactical flashlights as falling solely under the domain of law enforcement, military, and paramilitary personnel, it’s time to readdress that sentiment.
The basic, driving principle behind the reason that these groups use tactical rifle lights and pistol lights boils down to preparation. These responders need to be prepared, at all times, for as many reasonable conceivable situational obstacles as possible.
For example, night operations require the use of weapon-mounted lights, for obvious reasons. These individuals could still be called upon to breach and clear a room in the middle of the day – and you guessed right if you thought that a building’s interior could be pitch black, even at high noon in the tropics.
There is a saying that what you can’t see can still kill you, and it happens to be true. You can still argue that you need the same rail space for some other shooting accessory – but being prepared accepts no compromises. Find space on your platform for an AR 15 light.
9 O’clock Mounting
Mounting at the 9 o’clock position, which is the “inside” of the rifle to right-handed shooters, offers some significant benefits. For one, it keeps the overall width of the platform lower, since the inside of the gun will be turned away from environmental obstacles. This gives a slight advantage when rounding corners, passing tight spaces, and navigating brush or dense, close country.
3 O’clock Mounting
However, despite the fact that 9 o’clock positioning slims down your rifle’s overall width and helps protect the light from environmental obstacles, 3 o’clock mounting is not without merit.
This positioning, which to right-handed shooters puts the AR 15 light on the “outside” of the gun, does widen the overall profile of the rifle but has a different advantage – it helps to keep the light away from any of your loose gear, webbing, or straps, especially when the rifle is not shouldered and held close to the body. Having the light on the outside makes it easier to maneuver and helps prevent tangles.
How Far Forward to Mount an AR 15 Light?
Whichever positioning you choose for the mounting of your WML, it’s important to make sure that it’s mounted in a location where you’ll easily be able to activate it, without shifting the support or handling of your rifle, even if you’re wearing gloves or in the dark.
It is also advisable not to mount the light too far forward as vented gas at the muzzle can not only damage the light but can also cause an accumulation of carbon fouling that will counteract the focus and efficiency of the lens. Generally speaking, just a bit behind the muzzle, but far enough forward for you to easily and comfortably activate, is ideal.
Visit Cloud Defensive
You may have heard that anywhere from 400 lumens to 800 lumens is adequate in a WML, but it’s not just about lumens – it’s also about candela, which focuses the light from the emitter in a serviceable beam, allowing for greater visibility at extended ranges.
The Cloud Defense OWL, for example, is rated at well in excess of 1000 lumens, as are the Cloud Defensive REIN and REIN Micro – but these are also all rated in excess of 55,000 candela as well. That is, they are not just brighter, they are better focused, for faster target acquisition and positive ID.
To learn more about these AR 15 lights, visit Cloud Defensive online at CloudDefensive.com or contact their customer service team at [email protected].
