How close can a light be to a brake?

JonJonM

JonJonM

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I need some advice. I want to put a light on my AR. (streamlight portal or surefire Scout). I plan on using one of the offset keypad scout mounts like the Arisaka or something similar. Problem is I'm afraid how close I can put it to my brake. I have the hand guard covering most of the barrel except the brake and i'm not too sure where the light would sit. Looking at my set up with the VG6 Epsilon and a VG6 Cage device do you think it will destroy the light? or will it just get dirty very quickly?

Any advice appreciated thanks

d0jddzC.jpg
 
If it were me, I'd probably try mounting it where you can access the button with either your thumb or index finger. Probably just ahead of the vertical grip to call it safe. Most good lights can take a beating but the lens will get carboned up from the muzzle blast.
 
You can mount it as close as you like, and if it's a quality light it should hold up for a reasonable amount of time. That being said you'll beat and burn off any finish it has.

For instance, I had a Surefire 6px mounted in a noveske 1" light mount and for that to fit how my hand required, I had the bezel mounted at 2-3 o'clock (muzzle pointing at you) with it right above first a PA AFAB and then a Surefire warcomp.
Light got blasted pretty good, and the bezel definitely has shown its wear but the light still functions perfectly.
That being said, its not ideal as it will kill your equipment sooner and as such, I run my m600's further back now.

"Barrel shadow" is a BS myth and not remotely a problem.
 
I put glass filters on my lights if they are close to the muzzle, to protect them from carbon build up. They still function perfectly (albeit green or blue tint) and can be removed easily for cleaning, or for white light if needed.


I've also seen Buttler Creek pop-open scope covers used, but the plastic lens pits allot faster, and cannot be cleaned. Effective to protect the head glass, but not as usable or durable.
 
FoxAlpha said:
You can mount it as close as you like, and if it's a quality light it should hold up for a reasonable amount of time. That being said you'll beat and burn off any finish it has.

For instance, I had a Surefire 6px mounted in a noveske 1" light mount and for that to fit how my hand required, I had the bezel mounted at 2-3 o'clock (muzzle pointing at you) with it right above first a PA AFAB and then a Surefire warcomp.
Light got blasted pretty good, and the bezel definitely has shown its wear but the light still functions perfectly.
That being said, its not ideal as it will kill your equipment sooner and as such, I run my m600's further back now.

"Barrel shadow" is a BS myth and not remotely a problem.
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Thanks yeah i hope to get it as close to the handguard as possible. Hopefully I can set it up to clear the brake
 
Rub some chapstick on the lens of the light to catch the carbon and soot. When done shooting, wipe off the dirty chapstick and reapply. Lens will stay clean.
 
20180506_223057_zpsznw0fdzo.jpg


Put it right up there. Any reputable brand will just collect carbon and keep working.

I've got a Surefire M620V mounted with the bezel right behind the brake. No issues, just wipe off the lens at the end of the day.
 
lerch641 said:
20180506_223057_zpsznw0fdzo.jpg


Put it right up there. Any reputable brand will just collect carbon and keep working.

I've got a Surefire M620V mounted with the bezel right behind the brake. No issues, just wipe off the lens at the end of the day.
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Awesome thanks yeah that look pretty close to the brake. I am hoping a Streamlight will be able to manage that. I suppose if it dies it might be covered under warranty.
 
Innavedaw said:
Rub some chapstick on the lens of the light to catch the carbon and soot. When done shooting, wipe off the dirty chapstick and reapply. Lens will stay clean.
Click to expand...
Great tip thanks I hadn't thought of that but sounds like it would work, I have also heard people using toothpaste to clean it after
 
@OP I run all my lights right up next to my muzzle:
image.php


I've had various brakes and comps on this gun and others with lights in the same place. Granted, I've only ever used Surefire lights because they're about as durable as you'll find.

FoxAlpha said:
You can mount it as close as you like, and if it's a quality light it should hold up for a reasonable amount of time. That being said you'll beat and burn off any finish it has.

For instance, I had a Surefire 6px mounted in a noveske 1" light mount and for that to fit how my hand required, I had the bezel mounted at 2-3 o'clock (muzzle pointing at you) with it right above first a PA AFAB and then a Surefire warcomp.
Light got blasted pretty good, and the bezel definitely has shown its wear but the light still functions perfectly.
That being said, its not ideal as it will kill your equipment sooner and as such, I run my m600's further back now.

"Barrel shadow" is a BS myth and not remotely a problem.
Click to expand...
Barrel shadow isn't a BS myth at all. I question how much you've actually shot with a light in a darkened environment if you think it is. Depending on how bad the shadow is, and how sensitive to peripheral distraction the shooter is, it may or may not be a problem. That doesn't make it a myth.

I've had several Surefire scout lights mounted beside muzzles and uncleaned for 3k-5k rounds before any kind of cleaning was done to the bezel of the light. Obviously the lens should be cleaned after every shoot, but that's easy. Not a single bezel had any finish wear off. You get a lot of carbon buildup on the outside, but it pretty much all comes right off with a solid cleaning. Watch this for some idea of what I'm talking about, though I've had lights get far worse than this and still clean up fine.
 
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Xero said:
Barrel shadow isn't a BS myth at all. I question how much you've actually shot with a light in a darkened environment if you think it is. Depending on how bad the shadow is, and how sensitive to peripheral distraction the shooter is, it may or may not be a problem. That doesn't make it a myth.
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Okay, allow me to rephrase then as my statement was a little over zealous I'll admit.
Within my applications I've never noticed barrel shadow to be any substantiated cause for concern. Myth? Okay no not quite, but still not worth running a weapon light directly atop of a muzzle device thats going to cause unnecessary wear and tear on your equipment. I say this from the perspective of modern rifles, ones in which on average are running rail systems of similar length to their respective barrel lengths, not the old M4's of previous years in which you often had 7" of rail space and 6+ inches of barrel forward.

I suppose to conclude my point using your provided photo, mounting your light 1-2 slots back is going to have a minimal effect on barrel shadow while preventing excessive wear and tear on an expensive piece of equipment.


rgGAFuS.jpg


The aforementioned 6px, after less than 250-500 rounds before it was replaced with an m600 and relocated.
1/4"-1/2" isn't worth the price of a new Surefire for my application but then again I'm not running a 3k peq15 either.
 
Xero said:
@OP I run all my lights right up next to my muzzle:


I've had various brakes and comps on this gun and others with lights in the same place. Granted, I've only ever used Surefire lights because they're about as durable as you'll find.
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Hey thanks for that video it really gives me a good idea of how strong they can be, I also really like the idea of using a bit of tape if needed to help cover it before heavy use. Keeping in mind what you said about light placement, shadow, etc I will have to wait until I get my whole set up and experiment with different placements of the light. Atlas I know that if the best spot happens to be close to the muzzle it won't be a total disaster. Now i just need to think about what amount of lumens is best but I suppose thats another topic all together

Thanks

Jon
 
FoxAlpha said:
Okay, allow me to rephrase then as my statement was a little over zealous I'll admit.
Within my applications I've never noticed barrel shadow to be any substantiated cause for concern. Myth? Okay no not quite, but still not worth running a weapon light directly atop of a muzzle device thats going to cause unnecessary wear and tear on your equipment. I say this from the perspective of modern rifles, ones in which on average are running rail systems of similar length to their respective barrel lengths, not the old M4's of previous years in which you often had 7" of rail space and 6+ inches of barrel forward.

I suppose to conclude my point using your provided photo, mounting your light 1-2 slots back is going to have a minimal effect on barrel shadow while preventing excessive wear and tear on an expensive piece of equipment.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that picture I guess if I get a Streetlight it would probably not be as durable as a Surefire. I will have to experiment with placement trying to keep it away from the brake but also avoiding any other issues like interfering with hand placement the shadow etc. I appreciate everyones advice

Thank you
 
JonJonM said:
Thanks for that picture I guess if I get a Streetlight it would probably not be as durable as a Surefire. I will have to experiment with placement trying to keep it away from the brake but also avoiding any other issues like interfering with hand placement the shadow etc. I appreciate everyones advice

Thank you
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I have a Streamlight on my duty pistol...No issues so far. For my rifles, I have a surefire M620 and a Fenix TK15. Both have stood up fine over many hours of use and many thousands of rounds.

I think any of these 3 brands will hold up fine for your application.
 
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