{"id":1114,"date":"2023-05-28T20:12:41","date_gmt":"2023-05-28T20:12:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/?p=1114"},"modified":"2023-05-28T20:12:41","modified_gmt":"2023-05-28T20:12:41","slug":"where-should-i-mount-a-light-or-laser-on-my-ar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/?p=1114","title":{"rendered":"Where Should I Mount a Light or Laser on My AR?"},"content":{"rendered":"


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By Robert A. Sadowski<\/a><\/p>\n

S<\/span>ome of us grab an AR-15<\/span> when we hear a bump in the night. If we do, that AR better be equipped with a light or laser, or both, since bad people can use the darkness to hide and attack. A good tactical light can push darkness out of the creases and crannies of the landscape and architecture, helping you to identify a threat as well as stop it.<\/p>\n

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The question of where to mount a light or laser on an AR-15<\/span>, you must consider both your needs and shooting\u00a0style.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Where you mount a tactical light or laser is important because you need to be able to access the light quickly, with ease, and without additional movement. The unit should not obscure your field of view either. In fact the accessory should be as easy to use as iron sights or an optic. So where should a tactical light\/laser be mounted on an AR-15<\/span>? It depends on the type of handguard you have and whether you shoot left- or right-handed. Let\u2019s dive in and consider the details.<\/p>\n

12 O\u2019Clock Position<\/h2>\n

I\u2019m using a Crimson Trace Rail Master Pro CMR-301 laser\/light combo unit<\/a> and a SAINT Victor 5.56mm 16\u201d barrel carbine<\/a> in this example. This unit blasts darkness with a 1,000 lumen light and uses a green laser to pinpoint targets. It can attach to Picatinny rail or an M-Lok<\/span> handguard<\/a> and can be operated with pressure pad or tail-cap.<\/p>\n

\"mounting\n<\/picture>
With the unit attached at the 6 o\u2019clock position, the remote switch cable snakes under the handguard and attaches on the left-hand\u00a0side.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What I like about the unit is it is built with an aluminum housing and the battery is rechargeable. It also has two modes: momentary on and constant on. Remember, turning a tactical light off is just as important as turning it on. You don\u2019t want to be lighthouse beacon and draw fire or attention.<\/p>\n

\"light\n<\/picture>
The Springfield Armory SAINT line of rifles<\/a> offer various methods to attach a light or laser to the\u00a0gun.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Since this unit combines a laser and light, and it has a low profile, I think the best option is to mount the unit in the 12 o\u2019clock position on the handguard. I prefer the unit as far forward as possible. Since the unit is low-profile, it doesn\u2019t get in the way of my primary optic \u2014 a red dot. The unit also does not get in my line of sight, and it\u2019s designed to straddle the front sight so the light beam is to the left of it and the laser to the right.<\/p>\n

Turning Back the Clock?<\/h2>\n

Personally, I\u2019m not a fan of mounting a unit like the CMR-301 in the 6 o\u2019clock position since you may already have accessories on the bottom of the rail like a bi-pod, sling swivel or a vertical grip. The bottom side of your rail may also be used on a rest, and the light\/laser unit could take more of beating than it really needs to.<\/p>\n

\"pressure\n<\/picture>
The author likes the pad switch on the top of the rail since it makes it ambidextrous. Mounting the pad on the top also lends itself to the thumb-in-line grasp\u00a0technique.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

An alternative to mounting the unit on the top side of the rail is to mount either on the left side or right of the handguard depending on whether you are a right-handed or left-handed shooter. Right-handed shooters should mount the unit on the right side at the 3 o\u2019clock position, and left-handers should mount it to the left side of the handguard at the 9 o\u2019clock position.<\/p>\n

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Mounting the unit this way means the unit will not obstruct either your view or your peripheral vision. This set-up also won\u2019t block targets as you transition from left to right or right to left. I am a right-handed shooter, so I\u2019d mount the unit on the right side of the handguard and as far forward as I can so it\u2019s not in the way of my support hand.<\/p>\n

Under My Thumb<\/h2>\n

The next thing to consider is the location of the remote pressure switch. The easiest way to determine the mounting location for the on\/off button is to look at your support hand thumb and where it most naturally falls on the handguard when you are shooting. Do you cup the handguard in your support hand in the traditional shooting technique or use a bore-over or thumb-in-line grasp? Either way, your support hand thumb should operate the light\/laser no matter what technique you use to shoot your AR. The activation switch needs to work with your normal shooting technique.<\/p>\n

\"using\n<\/picture>
A white light can help you identify your target and accurately shoot the rifle. Practice on the range is key to efficient\u00a0use.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I like the thumb-in-line grasp, and I also prefer the switch to be ambidextrous. So, I place it in the 12 o\u2019clock position behind the unit. If I used the traditional hold method, I\u2019d mount the switch on the left side of the handguard in the 9 o\u2019clock position.<\/p>\n

If you have extra cable, use a couple of zip ties to keep them tight against the handguard. A loop hanging off the handguard could easily snag on gear or the environment you find other self in.<\/p>\n

Good to Go<\/h2>\n

With the laser\/light unit mounted to your AR-15<\/span>, the last step is to zero in the laser if you are running a combo unit and not just a light. The best time of day to zero a laser is in lower-light conditions since it\u2019s much easier to see the green dot, which is also most likely when the laser will be used anyway.<\/p>\n

\"where\n<\/picture>
Mounted in the 6 o\u2019clock position, the BUIS clears the unit and is easily\u00a0accessible.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Optimal sight-in distance is 25 yards, as any farther away and I think you should be using a primary optic. Lasers are best used as a close-range aiming device, and as a result they don\u2019t replace iron sights, red dots or rifle scopes.<\/p>\n

Adjusting a laser is a lot like adjusting a scope or red dot. Turn the laser on and aim at the target. Fire three rounds and observe where the hits are in relation to where you aimed the laser. The laser dot should follow the holes, so adjust the laser to where your group is. Take three more shots and you should be good to go.<\/p>\n

Now that your tactical light\/laser unit is mounted to your AR-15<\/span> you are ready to defend and defeat darkness.<\/p>\n

Editor\u2019s Note: Please be sure to check out The Armory Life Forum, where you can comment about our daily articles, as well as just talk guns and gear. Click the \u201cGo To Forum Thread\u201d link below to jump in!<\/em><\/p>\n

Join the Discussion<\/span><\/h5>\n

Go to forum thread<\/a><\/p>\n

Featured in this article<\/span><\/h5>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t556NATO<\/sup><\/span><\/span>
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SAINT\u00ae Victor<\/span><\/h3>\n


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\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span> \n\t\t\t\t\t\"Crimson\n<\/picture>\n <\/p>\n

Crimson Trace CMR-301 Rail Master Pro<\/span><\/h3>\n


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By Robert A. Sadowski Some of us grab an AR-15 when we hear a bump in the night. If we do, that AR better be equipped with a light or laser, or both, since bad people can use the darkness to hide and attack. A good tactical light can push darkness out of the creases […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1115,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1114","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1114","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1114"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1114\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1115"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1114"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1114"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1114"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}