Looking for a good ar15 flashlight mount. I have a magpul mid length m-lok forend. Maybe not top of the line, but a good one.

OK, the M-lok affects the type of rail you attach. Mag-Pul sells rail sections in various lengths, ~ 2 inch works with most lights and doesn't really affect usable fore end length much.

GG&G makes a couple different flashlight mounts that would attach to the rail. One mount is for lights with 1" diameter (metal body), the other is slightly over 1" for plastic body lights like the Surefire G2 series. Either were around $20.

There are also weapon lights that have the mount integral with the light like the Streamlight TLR series.

Due to the expense of the tape type switches, I've learned to avoid them. I have one light with that type of switch and while it lasted a long time, replacing it was $70.

This is a slippery slope. Most lights don't state their diameter, at least so you can understand it. And most mounts are for 1" lights.

I have found the best solution (for me), is to use the streamlight pro tac 2 or HLX rail mount light with an Arisaka scout mount. This gives you a very secure mount, and it is very close to the rail. You can get the mount in either keymod or mlok and the light will mount to either of these. The light is available from 800 to 1000 lumens and works great for my use.

Good luck with your search.

Rick

OK as already stated MLok helps.

Once you have a rail section the sky real is the limit.

I like this Streamlight because it comes with several options right out of the box.
Brightest Tactical Gun Light | ProTac(R) Rail Mount HL-X

I went with a Streamlight TLR-1s which uses a 1913 rail mount. It's small and easy to operate. I can operate it with either hand. It's plenty bright for any real use. Brighter is not always better.

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I believe 2 of the latest products for long throws are the Acebeam K70 that retails for about $190. Plenty of lumens and shoots a beam roughly 1300 meters. The Thrunite Tn42 has a beam distance of about 1500 meters and retails for about $200. Because of the size of the heads on both of these , about 2/1/2 " mounting on an AR may or may not be an issue. Either of these lights will give you plenty of throw. The Trunite Tn 40 is also a possibility and will give you a bit more flood than the Tn 42 but also a very nice light. If the 3 I mentioned are a bit heady the Nitecore MH40GT is a nice light for a bit less money and has 1000 lumens and a throw of about 800 meters. Perhaps one of the seniors can chime in about the mounting aspects.

The first question to ask is why you want an AR-15 flashlight mount in the first place.

It disturbs balance of the weapon.

White light destroys your night vision.

Look to other ways of acquiring/illuminating your target.

Lots of different mounts out there that will work. On the cheap, I have used a spare 1 inch scope ring to attaché a flashlight to a picatinny / weaver type section of rail. It works.

Larry

I buy $20 flashlights for mounting on my guns. Get one with a CREE bulb and a 18650 type battery and you will have all the light you need. You can get flashlights that are adjustable focus (spot or flood) or you can get them fixed as flood lights. The lights are bright enough that unless you're hunting hogs at night a flood light will work just fine. There are countless mounts for these lights either for a rail or in the case of a shotgun to mount to a barrel. The vast majority of them work with 1" flashlights and there are a lot of that size flashlights around. Like you will need a rail adapter for your setup. They are much more common and much cheaper to use since there are many mounts that go on a rail.

I've used setups like this on 12 ga. shotguns for quite a while. They are plenty durable in my experience. If I was going to a war zone in the jungle I might think differently but I find the cheap ones to be plenty good enough. They have never failed me yet.

I don't use the momentary switches that either mount with adhesive or inside grips designed for them. You might surprise your target using a switch that comes on only when you push a remote button but in my experience it takes a while for your eyes to adjust to the light when you turn it on. I'd rather turn it on and leave it on. Just don't carry it where your position will be given away. These lights will blind anything you point them at anyway.

I like 45 degree offset mounts for flashlights so they are out of the way. I use a vertical grip so balance issues are pretty much moot. You have enough leverage to keep the gun level with a vertical grip.

Others will want an expensive light for this kind of job. I don't believe it is needed. Maybe 6 or 7 years ago it was needed but flashlights have come a long way and the price has dropped considerably for a quality light. I've bought both flashlights and mounts from Amazon with no problems at all.

I have the cantalever M-lock light mount with a streamlight polytec light. I bought mine as a complete package. The rear activation allows a good grip and easy activation with a simple adjustment of my thumb.....Streamlight PolyTac LED Flashlight with Magpul M-LOK Cantilever Light Mount and V-Block Rings

You can buy the mount and rings from magpul and the light on Amazon in black or brown...

Polytac light...

M-LOK(R) Cantilever Rail/Light Mount, Polymer

Light Mount V-Block and Rings

I used the Magpul cantilever mount with an Inforce light on my Mid MOE M-Lok. It's a nice setup for me.

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This is what I went with.. accommodates cylindrical flashlights from 0.7 to 1.05 inches in diameter.

ZFH1500 - Elzetta Tactical Lighting

#1 it doesn’t matter how balanced the weapon is if you can’t identify your target
#2 you don’t need night vision if you have a white light source
#3 a high quality white light on a quality Mount is thousands of dollars less expensive and far easier to train to use than the night vision I assume you must be referring to

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Arisaka Defense 45deg mlok scout mount with a streamlight Protac Railmount HL-X (1000 lumen) light. The light and mount can be picked up for less than $150. It’s what I use it’s robust it works. The mount is made to work with the surefire scout series of lights which although pricey are some of the best made.

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I'm assuming he wants a light mounted to his gun so that he can properly use it for home defense. EVERY gun that is used for home defense, should absolutely have a white light mounted to it, if there is a way to mount a light. If its fairly modern, and the aftermarket has made abundant ways to mount a light, then in my professional opinion, you should take the time to research what is available, and then mount a quality light on your gun.

There I said it. If you are using a gun that could readily mount a white light, without one, I would argue that you are doing it wrong. And I have lots of experience, hands on experience in this arena, to back that up.

Next to my bed currently is an AR15, and a M&P 2.0 9MM. And BOTH of them absolutely positively have a white light mounted on them. And I wouldn't have it any other way. And I will scream from the roof tops for anyone that is listening, to put a darn light on your home defense guns if possible.

So that's probably why he wants a light on his home defense guns. Coincidentally, all of the best trainers in the industry advise that its a good idea. And its also the smart and prudent thing to do.

I am very passionate about this, as you can probably tell. I have been there, done that, in the DARK, with an armed assailant, and to say it sucked not being able to see would be an understatement. A light allows your brain to see that is going on, so it can formulate a strategy. Without light, well, you are not able to see as well, and get incomplete data to the brain, which is never good.

I am MistWolf and I endorse this message.

With today's technology, there is no reason to not have a light on your house defense firearm.

Other than personal opinion, where do you get that as a "rule".

I can tell you believe what you are writing, but passion for a particular belief doesn't equate to effectiveness. As I previously posted, please provide something other an your passionate beliefs to support what you are posting, otherwise the OP will be left with two equally passionate posters telling him different things.

The bottom line is that after exposure to darkness, humans are subject to so-called "scotopic" vision in which only the "rod" cells in the eyes are responsive. The "cone" cells are not functional. Exposure to light from a particular spectrum (often red) is used to preserve functionality of both "rob" and "cone" cells in the eyes thereby producing the broadest function of the eyes.

What you suggest is to force the eyes back into "rod cell" vision alone. Alternatively, if the subject is entirely front-lighted with other than white light (install a wall switch near your bedroom door that illuminates the vulnerable areas of your home in red or blue light) then you, as the shooter, have the advantage.

It's my understanding that rod cells are in the center of the retina and are our primary line of sight tools. Cones are around the center and when you rely on them your aim is compromised. I've seen this make a difference as a coon hunter. If you're shooting a coon our of a tree it is very easy to miss because a different part of your retina is interpreting the data you're receiving. I've aimed at coons in trees and totally missed and that is something I would never do in the daylight. A coon is a fairly large animal and you don't want to make a head shot for dog training purposes. Missing something that big, when in the daylight I can hit a running squirrel, is a big shock. Adjustments must be made to compensate.

Because I have actual real world experience that tells me its better to have a light at night, to identify that the bad guy is indeed a bad guy, and to see whether or not he is armed, and to see what is going on.

And the amazing thing about having a light on your gun is, that should you need it, its already bolted to the gun, and you'll be quite happy its there. If you don't need it, then that's fine, don't turn it on. Plus, a light physically bolted to your gun is not likely to get lost. Hand held lights on your night stand can get knocked to the floor, the kids can play with them, the wife could use it and not return it; its rather possible that a hand held light that you think is there, is actually missing when you go to find it.

I don't know your experience and training level in "tactical" level environments, but I can deduce from your opinion, that you have minimal actual hands on tactical training, or night time training, or flashlight training.

I could take 100 recruits and run them through the most basic of night time shooting and decision making and 100 out of 100 would absolutely give you an after action report basically stating that the importance of a light is HUGE. Have them do a drill without a light, and they suck. Have them do the drill with light, they do pretty good. Your eyes are your most important intelligence gathering tool. If they cant see.....

I don't get why posting about the scientific aspect of night time eye sight is even close to relevant. Cones, rods, red light light, blue light.... Can you see the threat or not??!! That's all that matters. No one cares about cones, rods, or science stuff when a bad guy is walking down your hallway. In the dark, you cant see the bad guy, you cant see if he is armed. Are you advocating for the shooting of "shadows" that haven't been verified by your eyeballs to be actual threats? That's how daughters and wives get shot.

This should be such a no-brainer, the fact that I have to explain it to you is quite puzzling.

You cant see in the dark. Period. Your eyes don't work properly, in the dark, to gather all the information that you need. You can make assumptions that the person walking down your hallway is in fact a bad guy. Or it could be the friendly neighborhood police officer that is there to investigate an open front door, that was blow in by the wind, and no one answered when he knocked.

Having a bright light, and using it properly, gives you a clear tactical advantage. What do you think the bad guy is going to think when 1200 lumens of Surefire hits his eyeballs? Its going to cause him to look away, its going to disorient him, its going to mess up his OODA loop.

For the sake of conversation, I'd be interested to know how you plan to address a home defense situation at night, without a light? Bad guys have been knows to flip breakers and cut phone lines, so "turning the hall way light on" doesn't count. How are you going to respond effectively, without a good, solid flashlight at your disposal, especially if the bad guy kills your power first? You'll soon realize that depending on light switches for all of your tactical light, and not having a back up option, was perhaps foolish.

And old saying, one is none, and two is one, applies here. And of course, its better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.

Edit: I cant decide if you are anti-flashlight, or anti gun-mounted flashlight. If you keep a handheld light next to your gun for night time use, then that is fine, and will work for you. Me personally, all my home defense guns, all of them, have lights mounted to them. My Benelli M2 tactical in the closet has a Malkoff MD2 mounted to it. My Colt 6720 AR15 has a Surefire scout mounted to it. My M&P 2.0 has a Surefire X400. That's almost $1000 in flashlights - yes, I feel so strongly about having access to light, I spent almost $1000 equipping my home defense guns. I feel that strongly about it. AND I keep a handheld Surefire on my side of the bed, and a handheld Surefire on the wife's side of the bed, for back up or for general use like looking under the bed for the lost TV remote, which of course would be impractical and ill advised for a gun mounted light.