Pros/Cons of Different Light Locations?

[trinydex]

I assume your running standard hand guards? I realize it's not the most economical solution, but maybe a longer hand guard. Something with a front sight cutout if you don't want to go with a lopro gas block.

they make the mossie midnight mount for that

[BCmJUnKie]

Do you move after every round you fire? What if he's behind cover?

Uhhh. I certainly don't stay in an "Exact" position??? Wtf??

You have other options even if you are. Standing, kneeling,prone. You forget about those?

Tell me what situation that dictates you MUST stay in one place without so much as adjusting position and I will show you a dead shooter. I have been training with my light for years. Its not just an accessory that all the cool kids have. I actually use mine. In fact I have videos, behind cover, engaging up to 3 targets while employing a WPL.

Plenty of exhaust gasses with zero problems.

If youre gonna be a sissy and worry about losing your night vision or afterimage....shoot with sunglasses

[TehLlama]

I run 12:00 because I like being able to run a light as long as I have muzzle and optic line of sight (since the light is right in between there), and it lets me run a mirrored ambi setup with momentary switch hardware (X300, M300/X600 w/ just tailcap) for shooting in a variety of positions and over barriers, this works great for me. The offset 1:30 and 10:30 positions would make sense if I needed to run a tube light around a FSP, but the X300 lets me run the 12:00 setup really comfortably and still have the fixed front sight, so there's my answer on that.

If you're worried about heat affecting the function of a quality weaponlight, you'd need to be wearing fricking oven mitts before it's comfortable to drive that gun in the first place using a FF handguard, or any mounting solution that isn't somewhat mickey mouse. If you have some partly dead batteries and budget/curiosity to replace them, just leave the light on for 15 minutes - you'd be amazed how hot they get themselves without affecting function. For visibility, excess burnt powder is an issue, but in the time it takes for that to accumulate in the air to be noticeable, it's not exactly a directed or confined cloud of burnt gas, so light placement doesn't mitigate anything for that. Setting up a fighting gun on the assumption that you'll have good visibility and only be fighting in clean clear air is silly, and anybody with the luxury of clouding themselves in with a couple magazines of burnt powder should realize that's an inconvenience, not something to drive decision making.

The reason some instructors run the 6:00 light is to run a support hand forward grip and thumb-over placement and leave room for a laser system on a suppressed carbine that works best with that setup. It isn't necessary to run high end kit, but I prefer to (M300's); the smarter value setup for that is running the VTAC 3V L4 on an aftermarket mount as a poor man's scout light; mostly the SF Executive based lights can work with a 12:00 placed LDI DBAL-I2 and I can have all my electronic sighting aids mounted at 12:00 on the carbine and be maximally ambi with minimal snag risk on gear/vehicles/other junk.

The high dollar baller solution - C4 FSP12" handguard with a 12:00 TLR or X300. This setup rocks, works well from primary and support hand. Alternatively, free floated long handguard (11-13.5") and running the same approximate template (See LAV promo pics from BCM). The TLR works great on those, even in front of a DD Fixed Front sight.

[Inkslinger]

they make the mossie midnight mount for that

Will that allow him to mount it at 6:00?

[markm]

gases will cloud the general area around the gun no matter where you mount the light.

Exactly. The light would have to be mounted feet away from the gun to avoid this. Light switch operation ergo should be the primary driver on mounting location.

Barrel shadow and all that crap is ridiculous gun counter salesman levels of nonsense to worry about.

[Inkslinger]

Uhhh. I certainly don't stay in an "Exact" position??? Wtf??

You have other options even if you are. Standing, kneeling,prone. You forget about those?

Tell me what situation that dictates you MUST stay in one place without so much as adjusting position and I will show you a dead shooter. I have been training with my light for years. Its not just an accessory that all the cool kids have. I actually use mine. In fact I have videos, behind cover, engaging up to 3 targets while employing a WPL.

Plenty of exhaust gasses with zero problems.

If youre gonna be a sissy and worry about losing your night vision or afterimage....shoot with sunglasses

Disclaimer: I am not or never have been HSLD, nor have I portrayed myself as such.

With that said, the only flaws that I see in your response are as follows; 1) All of your experience has been in a training scenario. All of your "situation" have been predetermined by you.
2) Speaking with such certainty about a potentially life ending situation with countless variables completely discredits you. In my eyes at least.

[BCmJUnKie]

Disclaimer: I am not or never have been HSLD, nor have I portrayed myself as such.

With that said, the only flaws that I see in your response are as follows; 1) All of your experience has been in a training scenario. All of your "situation" have been predetermined by you.
2) Speaking with such certainty about a potentially life ending situation with countless variables completely discredits you. In my eyes at least.

Roger that

[Vegasshooter]

I have been running a WML on my DD MK18 for as long as I have had it (Surefire X300U). I run it at the 12 o'clock position for several reasons. 1) when shooting from behind cover it allows me to potentially expose less of myself as a target. If I can clear my muzzle from cover, I can use my light. If it is at the 11, or 3 o'clock position, I would be forced to expose more of myself to clear my light. 2)it is comfortable and 100% ambidextrous. 3) I can run my light as far out as I want, and mount my front sight behind it.

I truly believe everything with guns has its pluses and minuses. It's simply a matter of finding what has the most benefits and least restrictions for YOU.

I have never had my light fail because of heat induced issues. The 300U is a LED, so therefore it does not generate as much heat as the older incandescent lights do.

I have no experience with mounting at the 6 o'clock, but I can't see where it would make much difference good or bad. I guess it would be a "try and see" sort of deal. Lets you find out what works for you under stress.

[Koshinn]

I have been running a WML on my DD MK18 for as long as I have had it (Surefire X300U). I run it at the 12 o'clock position for several reasons. 1) when shooting from behind cover it allows me to potentially expose less of myself as a target. If I can clear my muzzle from cover, I can use my light. If it is at the 11, or 3 o'clock position, I would be forced to expose more of myself to clear my light. 2)it is comfortable and 100% ambidextrous. 3) I can run my light as far out as I want, and mount my front sight behind it.

I truly believe everything with guns has its pluses and minuses. It's simply a matter of finding what has the most benefits and least restrictions for YOU.

I have never had my light fail because of heat induced issues. The 300U is a LED, so therefore it does not generate as much heat as the older incandescent lights do.

I have no experience with mounting at the 6 o'clock, but I can't see where it would make much difference good or bad. I guess it would be a "try and see" sort of deal. Lets you find out what works for you under stress.

12 o'clock on a 9.5" rail?

I'd run at 12 o'clock on a 13" if I was using a red dot, but on a 9.5" it messes with my hand placement.

[signal4l]

The 6:00 position is not good if you need to use the light from a prone position. It lights up the ground more than the target

I have switched my light to a Mossie Midnight mount at the 12:00 position. I like it