Best weapon light placement?

[rhino]

I've run a 9-volt surefire while using a magwell hold and it works just fine. The light is long enough that it pretty much clears the rail, and it's bright enough that there's enough ambient light that it doesn't have to clear the rail.

That looks like a good set-up, but my raccoon-like thumb would never reach the switch. It might be do-able for me with a Viking Tactics mount, which would lower the light a bit. I may have to try it if I finally decide to ditch the vertical foregrip.

A side benefit of my "dual head beams" (at roughly 5 and 7 o'clock) is that if I'm shooting around cover, I can use the outboard light for that side without moving anything but my thumb position.

[abnk]

I have the same conundrum. My favorite place for my support hand is the magwell, but I realize that with a clickie cap--which I prefer to tape switch--I will need a VFG. As of now, my support hand goes on the VFG with my thumb on the left of the weapon (I'm a right-handed shooter), same as it would on the magwell. I can't decide whether I should change my support hand grip to where my thumb goes around the VFG and have the light at 3 o'clock or keep the same grip and mount the light at 9 o'clock, of which I am not very fond as it could snag on clothes or equipment.

I guess I will have to wait for another two weeks and ask for Mr. Rogers' opinion at BCSD, IN.

I did not vote, by the way.

Update: Conundrum solved.

Pat suggested shooting with a high thumb, which came very natural to me since it's not much different than the mag well. He also showed me one of his ARs where the light is a G2 on a VTAC mount positioned between 10 and 11 o'clock. Pat said that he had run it hard without any problems.

That was proof enough for me. I bought two mounts (in case I break one) from VTAC and received them two days later. Super fast shipping if you ask me. Last night, I finally had some time to play with them. I wanted the light to clear the FST and as a right handed shooter, it was going to be either between 10 and 11 o'clock or between six and nine o'clock. I found the latter to interfere with the move of the swivel and to be a bit awkward to manipulate with the thumb. The former worked much better, though having the light clear the FST cost me moving the VFG--which used to be at the rearmost rail--two or three rails forward. Not a major incovenience since I also shortened my stock by three positions. In this position, the light does not protrude to far to the left since it sort of fills that gap between the top and left rails and is the most natural for me to manipulate.

[thmpr]

3 o'clock feels comfortable for my setup.