Lights & Laser Sights

P

Philo

New member
I will be installing a YHM triple mount to the front sight of my M4 carbine. I want to add a flashlight and laser sight to the mount. Please bear in mind that I like the stock CAR handguard and I don't want to replace it with a quad rail. I also don't want a foregrip.

There are so many choices for lasers and flashlights. Prices are all over the place, quality issues abound, and the more I search for viable options, the more confused I get. Last thing I want to do is spend a lot of money and end up with a piece of crap or something that is difficult to activate.

Any recommendations?
 
If you really want the extra weight and think there is a need, buy quality once.

A little research will easily show that a $200+ Crimson Trace will be better than a $35 NCStar. Same with lights.
 
I recommend getting an Elzetta mount for a flashlight. It attaches to the front sight post and puts the light right below the barrel.

Lasers have no use and are just heavy and a waste of cash. I learned the expensive way about that.
 
lasers are good for handguns, where they make it WAY easier to "snap" onto the target.

if you are going to put on a tube stock or plan to shoot from the hip a lot, they can be useful. allows you to see where you are aiming without having to shoulder the weapon.

on the other hand, since you sound like you will be leaving your normal stock+handguard, i would avoid the expense. good lasers are not cheap, and cheap lasers are not good. if you get a decent laser, you will be disappointed from a cost/usefulness standpoint. if you get a cheap laser, you will be frustrated. constantly. not only will it not be useful, it will never work like you intend it to.

plus, aiming down the irons or using a red dot on a rifle negates any need for a laser (again, assuming you dont plan to fire unshouldered). you can just as quickly "snap" onto the target with a rifle.

as for the flashlight, the main purpose is the stun effect. if all you can see is 450 lumens of LED power, its hard to shoot back. with that in mind, again, you will want to go spendy. i have found that you can get more for less in some instances, but not for cheap. For instance, when i compared a surefire with some other brand in store, i found that the other brand (whose name escapes me at the moment) was easier to activate and brighter. it was also less expensive. It was not, however, cheap. the prices were $220 for the surefire and $160 for the other one. Needless to say, I bought the off-brand.

in any case, before you buy any lights/lasers, consider why you are buying them. Is the gun going to be a home defense weapon? a light might come in handy for blinding a BG as you come around a corner. does the weapon have a stock that you intend to make full use of? then the need for the laser is mostly negated.

if you do decide you need the light/laser, stick with well known brands, or at least buy something you can test yourself in-store. if you decide that for your purposes, they are more of a gimmick, then by all means, get a $40 laser and have some fun at the range seeing how accurately you can shoot from the hip =]
 
Thanks, guys. My intent is to be able to use the carbine for home defense. I don't want to shoulder the weapon and use the iron sights.
 
sounds like you want a laser then.

i have three pieces of advice: first, (as previously stated) go with a well known name, or at least don't go cheap.

second, go green, not red.

why? because green is perceived to be brighter by the human eye. so, you will be able to see where your laser dot is much more easily. of course, green lasers are much more expensive than red for the same level of laser. this is due to the fact that direct green laser diodes don't actually exist at the low power level.

but i digress.

i have a green viridian laser/light combo on my sig 226. no complaints. it has functioned exactly as it is supposed to. very bright, easy to see, and it has different functions (low power, high power, flashing).

as far as my recommendations go for the rifle, i have heard good things about sightmark. work well and are very reasonably priced (at least, compared to, say, viridian). there is a green one on optics planet for $100.

which i suppose leads me to my final piece of advice: optics planet is great, but being able to hold, feel, and most importantly, see the laser is important. check the local shops. you could do research in some local stores and then pick up what you want online for 30% less cash. or, support a local business and pay a little extra there. plus, you would get your toy immediately :D
 
For a light, Surefire. The more lumens the better, they are expensive, and the batteries aren't cheap unless you buy in bulk. Consider using those batteries to power other devices and reduce the cost of a special situation.

A leaf switch to operate the light is needed, lights need to be off as much as on.

Same for the laser. At that point, a handstop to reliably position the support hand where you can consistently access the controls will help.

Both lights and handstop will add a pound to the muzzle weight of any AR. It will slow down getting on target, even from the hip. Not shooting from the shoulder won't help access the controls or grip at the front, and puts the firing hand at a less than optimum angle. The stock won't be any use and practice necessary to keep it out of the way.

Point being, handguns equipped with lights and lasers are the preferred choice for building defense. They offer more manueverability, hold close in grappling situations, and operate with one hand. They can be carried on the person during most of the time, covering the bulk of the time you won't be carrying an AR slicing the corners while doing the laundry.
 
I don't want to shoulder the weapon and use the iron sights.
Click to expand...

Is there some particular reason you don't want to shoulder the carbine or use a non-active sighting device? I'm having a difficult time understanding why you would want a carbine; but not want to use several of the advantages it offers over a pistol (stability, better sight radius) while retaining the disadvantages (stock/size)?

If you are going to be doing a laser and light combo, one issue that you need to check is that the dot is bright enough to be seen on a target illuminated by the light you are using. Lights and sighting devices don't always play well together so you want to make sure whatever combo you ultimately use complements each other.
 
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