6:00 light mounting?

[Armati]

Anyone care to offer pros and cons?

In general I have been pretty happy with the 11:00 mount. But, I am trying to slim down my gun's profile. I am thinking about mounting an Insight 3X in the 6:00. Any thoughts?

[dtibbals]

Big advantage to the 6 o'clock position is if your shooting from cover the light is always going to be usable. If your light is at 9 o'clock and you are shooting from a right side your light is behind cover and visa versa for a 3 o'clock from the left side. very bottom or very top are the most ideal.

[theJanitor]

if you're thinking about the 6:00, give the 12:00 a try. you'll have a smaller signature, you'll have more unobstructed light, and you'll be less prone to damage the light as well.

[Failure2Stop]

I posted this on Bushmasterfanboy's thread a little bit ago-

There are a lot of good options for mounted lights- way better than my first use which was a mag-light and few zip-ties or duct tape.

Initially I was enamored by the SF 900 series, to the extent that I believed that 6 o'clock had to be the best solution for mounted lights (why else would SF, the illumination gods, put the light there?). I now believe that somewhere between 10 and 2 o'clock is the best placement for me and my use. What about you and yours? No idea. You will have to play around with it to figure it out. Then again, I might experiment with something and completely change my mind in a few months (it has happened before).

Being a primarily right-handed shooter I find 3 o'clock to be an impediment during room entry as the #1 in certain circumstances. I have seen more than one person become involuntarily stationary in the doorway due to light placement, I don't want to be that guy. It is less of an issue at 9 o'clock, but sometimes I need to switch shoulders, and might wind up with a mirror-image issue, so 9 o'clock is out for me as well. There are also issues with back-splash from cover with both the 3 and 9 position, as well as the 6, since the top of the gun is rolled out from cover, not the bottom, which means that more of the shooter needs to be exposed to fully clear the 6 o'clock light from cover. Sure, you can keep the gun vertical for most cover, but think about unconventional positions like the roll-over prone.

A 12 o'clock mount is out of the question for me at the present time, which leaves me with 10:30ish. I am not too worried about actuation with the right hand as I prefer to maintain a normal grip on the carbine and just switch shoulders. The only time I am concerned with left-hand use is in the event of the right side being disabled, in which case light placement is moot.

To that end the VLTOR offset is the best I have used, and I have used a bunch of them. Not perfect, but close. I could happily go without the thumb-screws since I tool tighten and loc-tite them to the rail. I have at least one hand-held on me, my armor, or my bed stand at all times- the light can stay on the gun permanently as far as I am concerned.

I recommend something simple and easy initially. The X300 at 12 would be good for me if I wasn't stuck with a fixed conventional FSB. I think that a G2 in a VLTOR or VTAC is a very sound initial starting point, with lots of room for upgrade if the arrangement works for you. There is very little that the G2 won't do for you for in realistic HD situations. Worried about shock isolation? Wait until you actually break the bulb, then buy the shock isolation parts. While bulbs do break from forces other than the fearsome 5.56 recoil, they are not all that common in non-hard use applications. For the price of them, buy 2 G2s in case you break one in training and while you wait for the new shock-isolated head.

At least that's my perspective.

[sonrider657]

I use an Elzetta FSB 6:00 o'clock mount for the following reasons:
It keeps the handguards free and uncluttered.
It does not add any width to the carbine and it still fits in the original case.
It does not limit or block forward vision.
It is truly ambidextrous.
With the Thumb Screw, I can remove/install the light in seconds without tools.
It only costs 30 bucks.

[bgoode]

I just installed Daniel Defence rails on my LMT today thanks to Grant! I also received an X300 that slid no probem at the 6:00. Ill live with that for now I think. Simple, keeps profile slim and can be removed in a snap.

[SoDak]

I use a 6 o'clock mount partially out of preference and due to me being too poor to afford a railed handguard( until the MOE hanguards come out I'm using a rail bolted onto the factory handguard). I've found the 6 o'clock position beneficial for my use since it keeps the gun slim which may make the gun handier getting it in or out of a truck. I also think that since I use my gun for critter control, the light bing a six o'clock may be a little more convenient when shooting from odd positions An example would be a few weeks ago when I had to dispatch some skunks that were in a small culvert. The gun I was using had a light at about 3 o'clock and that worked ok, but this did put the light on the ground and I could see the possibility of the light beam being obstructed by ground clutter. The 6 o'clock position shoudln't have that problem. I have to admit though that putting the light at 12 o'clock does sound like a good idea. Finally, I will say that I don't have enough knowledge/experience in regards to light setups to say definitively that the 6 o'clock position is better than other positions.

[SoDak]

Hey sonrider657, how has the elzetta mount been working out? Have you ever had troubles with the light shifting during firing?

[sonrider657]

Hey sonrider657, how has the elzetta mount been working out? Have you ever had troubles with the light shifting during firing?

It works great. I have shot hundreds of rounds with no problems whatsoever.
Just tighten the thumb screw by hand and the light stays put.