PDA

View Full Version : Prepare yourselves for...



Stephen_H
01-11-08, 13:10
...the Hilliard Technique:D

I've think we've all figured out by now that the 12 o'clock is the optimum spot to mount a tactical light. It is not always feasible to do so because of real estate issues and often the light gets put at some other position around the clock. Well, while setting up my trunk gun with a light I was trying to figure out the best spot to put it on a 14.5" M4 style rifle (actually an LWRC M6A1 in 6.8mm) where there is not a good spot at the 12 o'clock. I looked at some options to mount the light ahead of the FSB and came up short.

What I decided to try was mounting the light behind the FSB on the top rail and see what happened. I was surprised to find that it worked extremely well on several levels. Much like a variable power scope has no trouble seeing "through" the FSB, the light had no trouble flowing around the post to light the target with only a dark blur caused by the FSB. Another benefit is that the front sight post and protective wings become clearly visibly and very easy to pick up even without a tritium dot (target illuminated + front sight illuminated = good thing). The height of the light prevents the light from splashing off the FSB itself (well, it doesn't prevent it, it prevents your eyes from seeing it) and it does not obstruct the sight picture any more than looking through a red dot optic. I can easily engage the rocker switch by wrapping my non-dominant thumb around the foreend.

I haven't had a chance to see if the light degrades severely past FISHing distance, but as it stands right now it works exceptionally well out to 25 meters or so. I look forward to vetting the technique in an upcoming low-light class and see if it works as well on the range as it does aorund my house and property.

YMMV

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v342/stephen_101st/Gear/DSC00979.jpg

Hootiewho
01-11-08, 13:20
What would probably work well is if one of the light manufacturers made a light like the X300, except have the battery compartment/switch mount on the rail, then have an extended bezel neck that has a slot milled out for the front site it's self, then the bezel would be on the front of the front site post. Similar to the Knights rail that mounts on and has a slot so that you can use the standard front site post, but has rail ahead of the front site. The wires to the light could be run through either side of the milled out portion. That would acheive getting the light at 12, no front site blocking it and cut out the weight of any additional mount.

markm
01-11-08, 13:28
What would probably work well is if one of the light manufacturers made a light like the X300, except have the battery compartment/switch mount on the rail, then have an extended bezel neck that has a slot milled out for the front site it's self, then the bezel would be on the front of the front site post. Similar to the Knights rail that mounts on and has a slot so that you can use the standard front site post, but has rail ahead of the front site. The wires to the light could be run through either side of the milled out portion. That would acheive getting the light at 12, no front site blocking it and cut out the weight of any additional mount.

I've been trying to come up with this exact design. But the problem is that there are so many different hand guards and rail systems deployed, that you'd have to have 87 different models.

If it were 10 years ago, this would be a simple replacement of the m4 top hand guard.... bury the batteries close to the barrel with a heat shield, and I'd be in business with a low profile solution.

You also have rifle rack compatibility issues with patrol cars and such... So any design I could think of would have a narrow customer pool. For guys like me who run basic set ups, I could come up with a good design. But I'm part of a dying breed.

Hootiewho
01-11-08, 13:36
I was just thinking about a light looking the exact same as the one Stephen posted, with the battery compartment mounted on the rail, just like above, but have two aluminum rails that straddle the front site base and go to bezel. Take an nominal meassurement of exsisting rail systems so that you know what the lenght of the slot should be to work on all rails that meet up the FSB as pictured.

Really and truely, if someone played with it a bit, an adaptor could be made for a light like the M3, M6, or even the Scout light, so that it screwed on in place of the original bezel and had a slotted out spacer to straddle the front site, then ahead of the FSB, have a male threaded contact, for the original bezel to be screwed back on to.

Sell it as an accessory or replacement part.

markm
01-11-08, 13:51
Yep. I thought about the M3 too. It's a natural fit up there. But I was wanting something a little more robust. I use an M3 right now, but it doesn't strike me as being able to handle a lot of abuse.

My desire was to have the batteries burried in close to the barrel with a heatshield to keep the profile on the handguard really low.

I wanted to make it a unit that actually roll caged the light up front and force impact shock back onto the delta ring instead of the actual light getting smacked... on the other hand, I wanted the unit to be easily serviceable in the field.. for battery and light changing etc.

Stephen_H
01-11-08, 13:56
The benefit of this technique is that it illuminates the front sight and the target. Not a big deal for a gun equipped with a red dot sight, but very beneficial to a gun with irons only as this one is.

Stephen

markm
01-11-08, 14:04
I had an instructor who ran his light back of the FSB for this reason. It was still at the 10 or 2 o'clock postion, but it illuminated the sight.

I've found that the splash back from my light back lights the FSB from my perspective and accomplishes the same thing.... at least at short ranges.

I suppose you want one or the other. I'll be interested to see how you like it after class.

Erick Gelhaus
01-11-08, 14:09
Stephan-
Interesting, look forward to hearing more feedback on this.

... but ... why, oh, why did you name it after yourself? :p

Stephen_H
01-11-08, 14:14
Stephan-
Interesting, look forward to hearing more feedback on this.

... but ... why, oh, why did you name it after yourself? :p

...because I don't really expect (read: hope) for that name to stick;) I was kind of poking fun at the fact that every light technique has a name attached to it. Why is that?

Once we get to page two we can decide on an acronym that will work for it:D

markm
01-11-08, 14:25
I was kind of poking fun at the fact that every light technique has a name attached to it. Why is that?


It's pretentious B.S. that makes firearms schools lots of money!

Sam
01-11-08, 14:39
For guns with Aimpoints, will the light obstruct the lower third of the view through the Aimpoint? What about EOTech's users?

Stephen_H
01-11-08, 14:44
For guns with Aimpoints, will the light obstruct the lower third of the view through the Aimpoint? What about EOTech's users?

It's hardly noticeable. Maybe the lower 1/5th.

I don't have an EOTech to check, but it should be similar assuming the sights fall in the lower 1/3 (with Larue riser).

Stephen

Hawkeye
01-11-08, 15:43
Interestingly curious idea....

Eric Rice
01-11-08, 15:45
Shame on you, Bro, for stealing the Colonel's ideas... :D

Stephen_H
01-11-08, 15:50
Shame on you, Bro, for stealing the Colonel's ideas... :D

...the secret recipe?

:D

Stephen

Stephen_H
03-11-08, 12:59
Admittedly, this is probably a much better solution to mounting a light at 12 o'clock with a front sight post; CAA X3

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v342/stephen_101st/Gear/LWRCM6A1.jpg

markm
03-11-08, 13:07
Actually your original idea does have some merit. I accidentally ran across some research that remined me of this thread.

You see, early physicists did similar experiments to prove that light behaved like a wave as opposed to a stream of particles. The reason the FSB doesn't block out a chunk of light with cut and dry shadow is because light behaves like a wave.

See. You're a physics professor, and didn't even know it! :D

rob_s
03-11-08, 13:41
I stuck my X300 on the Ultimak top rail and noticed that it didn't cause any noticeable loss of light downrange than if the FSB wasn't there. The problem I had was that it obstructs the Aimpoint Micro, although with both eyes open that's a non-issue as well. The H-1 starts to act like an OEG.

lindertw
03-15-08, 14:35
Stephen_ATS,

any chance you can post a pic - dark room with the M3 light on? I'm curious what shadow is cast and how bright the light is on the front of the sight base (i.e. is it distracting?).

thanks