Prepare yourselves for...

**Stephen_H** · 01-11-08, 13:10

...the Hilliard Technique

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

**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

Originally Posted by Hootiewho

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?

**Stephen_H** · 01-11-08, 14:14

Originally Posted by Erick Gelhaus

Stephan-
Interesting, look forward to hearing more feedback on this.

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

...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