The placement of a weapon-mounted light on a rifle's handguard varies based on whether you're left or right-handed, as it needs to suit your dominant shooting hand.
This is crucial for effective target identification in low-light conditions, relevant to military, law enforcement, and civilian use. The key is to mount the light in a way that allows a firm grip on the handguard and easy activation of the light with one hand, without needing to adjust your grip.
This setup should be comfortable and functional for both your dominant and non-dominant hands. Ultimately, the best side for mounting the light is the one that feels most natural and effective for you.
Additionally, there are 5 things to consider:
- Ambidextrous control for support hand transition
- Light clearance & Cover
- Avoid casting shadows
- Make it snag-free
- Activation switch types
The techniques we suggest are not absolute, so free feel to adjust according to your needs.
Ambidextrous Weapon Light Setup
Tail Cap Activation Switch Users
This is the most common for people using their dominant support hand thumb to activation the light.
However...As soon as they transition, they can no longer reach the switch & grip the handguard the same way.
Remote Switch Users
The use of a remote pressure switch makes a weapon light ambidextrous even if you can't reach the tail cap switch.
It works the best when it is mounted on the 12 o'clock top rail, and it's at an optimized spot, so both left & right hand can grip it & fire the illumination devices regardless of which side it's mounted on.
The switch can also be mounted else where as long as the user can still grip the hand guard & activate the button.
It's important to tug in all wiring to avoid snag hazard & just keep the mounting rail space clean.
Please see the illustrations below:
This applies to guns with bunch of IR, Laser & white light devices mounted.
Light & Muzzle Clearances Matter
Don't accidently shoot the barricade!
For tactical shooters, the positioning of a light and muzzle clearance are crucial when navigating corners or entering rooms, especially considering the side you're approaching from. If your weapon light protrudes on the side that forces you to lean out further for adequate muzzle clearance, you risk exposing more of your body from cover.
A critical mistake to avoid is firing a round into a barricade the moment your light clears it, forgetting to ensure the muzzle has also cleared. This emphasizes the importance of strategic light placement and awareness of your weapon's orientation to maintain both safety and tactical
The better you understand your setup & limitations, the better you know what to fix your setup & know what product to buy.
Each set up has it's own advantages & disadvantages, which we will briefly describe with some visual illustrations below:
Left Mount
- Great for right handed shooter operating the tail cap switch
- Immediate light clearance getting around the corner from the LEFT
- Requires pushing the weapon further away around the cover to clear the light from the LEFT
- Bad for exposing body when getting around from the LEFT.
Right Mount
- Great for left handed shooter operating the tail cap switch
- Immediate light clearance getting around the corner from the RIGHT
- Requires pushing the weapon further away around the corner to clear the light from the RIGHT
- Bad for exposing body when getting around from the RIGHT.
Read More: Best Weapon Light For IWI X95
Top & Bottom Mount
- Great for LEFT & RIGHT side maneuvers
- Eliminate disadvantages from right & left mount
- Light beam & bore inline
- Size of the light can block iron sight & optic co-witness
Offset Angled Mount
- Just like LEFT & RIGHT mount, but closer to the center
- Minimized weapon lateral profile
Avoid Casting Shadows
The placement of your weapon light is critical because it can cast unwanted shadows, like those of the barrel and muzzle, potentially giving away your position in a tactical situation.
In force-on-force training, the consensus is to mount the light in such a way that the beam doesn't cast a shadow of the gun. A common practice is to position the light flush with the muzzle to eliminate shadow issues effectively.
However, be cautious if you're using a muzzle brake, as this can introduce a complication to the otherwise straightforward solution of aligning the light with the muzzle to avoid casting shadows.
For Muzzle Brake Users
A muzzle brake helps minimize recoil, but it can damage the light sitting so close to the blast, and it very quickly fogs up the lens.
If you don't enjoy cleaning your light, or don't enjoy muzzle blast, AND you want to protect your light from the blast, we highly recommend not using a muzzle brake for CQB related applications.
Make It Snag-Free!
Regardless of which side you choose for mounting your weapon light, it's essential to inspect your setup thoroughly to ensure there are no loose cables or protruding parts.
Snag hazards can be a real nuisance, catching on chest rigs, slings, tree branches, velcro straps, and other elements in your environment. They can lead to frustration and slow you down significantly.
Fortunately, most modern remote pressure switches are designed to be low profile, and you can use wire clips to secure cables tightly along the rail, preventing them from getting loose and reducing the risk of snags.
To smooth out your light mount even more... maybe consider buying some aftermarket weapon light mounts that super low profile without much of anything sticking out. (Mostly made for Scout light)
