I just got my first AR and plan on keeping it stock. The only exception that I am thinking of is a mini maglite. What is the best way to do this with a stock rifle? I never had anything like that in the army, so I don't know how I'd do it without attaching it to the barrel. Appreciate your help/suggestions.

How to mount a mini maglite?

you don't.


My humble suggestion is save up for at least a Surefire G2 and a barrel/FSB clamp...
Not the ideal solution, but the maglite will yield dissapointing results.

With Electrical tape....

What the holy fuck?

I didn't know the surefire G2 was so affordable. I'll probably go with that now. I am just trying to work with a very tight budget.

Save your money. The light output from a minimaglight is horrible.
To mount it cheaply and securely all you need is a scope ring and a light that will fit.

Quoted: I didn't know the surefire G2 was so affordable. I'll probably go with that now. I am just trying to work with a very tight budget.

Yes.
Very affordable.Be sure to get a Surefire Z32 shock isolated Bezel to go with that.
It upgrades the Nitrolon's bulb to withstand weapon recoil and is only about $20.

The throw/lumens of the Mini Mag when mounted to a weapon-or even used as intended
is just pathetic.

Check this thread on a cheap light at Wally world

Quoted: I didn't know the surefire G2 was so affordable.

I've bought 8 of them.

1 in the car
1 in the kitchen
1 in the bedroom
2 on weapons
1 for my Dad
1 for my brother
1 for my wife

I won't get started on the other Surefires...

I'll probably get flamed for saying this but I have a mini-mag on my gun and find it very useful.

I am not using it for LEO or tactical entry or anything that requires a zillion candle-power. I have a red lens on mine and it is opened up to full spread beam, I use it for walking through the woods at night so I don't step into cactus or trip over rocks.

Quoted: I'll probably get flamed for saying this but I have a mini-mag on my gun and find it very useful. I am not using ot for LEO or tactical entry or anything that requires a zillion candle-power. I have a red lens on mine and it is opened up to full spread beam, I use ot for walking through the woods at night so I don't step into cactus or trip over rocks. Just because a flashlight costs less than $500 does not mean it is useless or that the owner is a poser.

In that case I would have a LED light on my head and keep my hands free.
I use lights on my gun for home defensive purposes.
Positive ID of my target and stun the bastard a little. A minimag is not going to do that.

Yeah, nobody will be stunned by the maglite, that's for sure, maybe annoyed a bit tho.

For home defense I prefer a short 12ga. or .45ACP to the .223.

Quoted: Yeah, nobody will be stunned by the maglite, that's for sure, maybe annoyed a bit tho. For home defense I prefer a short 12ga. or .45ACP to the .223.

You have an appointment with the ammo oracle

Quoted: Quoted: Yeah, nobody will be stunned by the maglite, that's for sure, maybe annoyed a bit tho. For home defense I prefer a short 12ga. or .45ACP to the .223. You have an appointment with the ammo oracle

You beat me.

Quoted: You have an appointment with the ammo oracle

Interesting read, thanks!

I have to say though that it not only seems counterintuitive (the article even said it was) but also somewhat contradictory. I mean if the .223 is known to penetrate ballistic armor better than buckshot, handgun ammo and even SMG (handgun ammo from longer barrels), it does not penetrate sheetrock with as much residual energy as the former?

Gonna have to sleep on that one...has

Opinion: Generally high velocity rifle rounds fragment so readily that over-penetration in an urban (indoor) setting is LESS dangerous than with handgun or submachinegun rounds like 9mm, 10mm, .40S&W, etc.  5.56 FMJ rounds will do more penetrating than JHP and JSP rounds but still are generally safer for interior use- insofar as bystanders are concerned.

So .223 does pentrate more,  but it is the good kind of penetration not the bad kind?....uhhhh...okay...

Seriously guys, I KNOW I am  newbie here and am not in any position to argue with the experten. My experience is all anecdotal and unscientific, but I intend to switch one of my ARs to use the 7.62X39 since I have had head to head comparisons of it versus the .223 when fired at oak trees and feral pigs, The Ruskie stuff hits a lot harder from my experience. But the .223 puts even my .357 to shame on penetrating the skull of a pig or the trunk of that tree (in a different league altogether from the 9mm). I figured it has as much to do with the point as the foot/pounds though. My handloaded .357s are 125gr at about 1,600fps, but they have large exposed lead hollow points so they just don;t drill well.

7.62x39 FMJ sucks for terminal ballistics.  Qulity soft points will be more destructive but almsot no 7.62x39 user will use the expensive ammo.

Read the box of truth website and see what 5.56 does through sheetrock.  It does have some reduced penetration due to tumbling but it will leave a small non fragmenting wound through a wall.  This is the reduced wounding potential. 00 Buck will leave 9 .33 cal holes in you.

adding a mini0mag will do more damage than good...

please... open your wallet... and use some money to get you something that is worth it

Quoted: Positive ID of my target and stun the bastard a little. A minimag is not going to do that.

A mini maglight might stun an intruder……………….if the intruder knows anything about weapons himself. He’d at first be stunned by the homeowners stupidity!  

Some alternatives to the mini-mag light. Select a lumen that fits your need!
www.byastro.com/tutorials/ironwork/candelabra.html

No offense guys,  but there are some pretty neat modifications that can be done to the little old minimags to give them more power.  I have a couple modified to LED that are brighter than my KL3 and have better throw than my KL5 in a smaller but hotter package.

With a red filter, they can also make a nice navigation light for places that allow night time hunting.

Minimag light output really isn't good for much more than map reading and casual trail walking.  But, you CAN seriously improve the light output with an LED upgrade, Terralux TLE-5.  Here's a review from flashlightreviews.com:

http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/terralux_ministar2.htm

I could not believe how much of an improvement this was!  Super bright, and since it's LED it extends battery life to 7-8 hours.  Semi-regulated so the light stays bright for almost the entire life of the batteries (which are cheap AA's by the way).  While it's not quite tactical output, it made the minimag actually worth a crap.  Not necessarily a "recommendation" for minimag mounting but it's a hell of a lot better than a stock minimag.  Good luck.

Quoted: Save your money. The light output from a minimaglight is horrible.

Not only that, but the bulb will back out under recoil as there is nothing but friction holding it in place.

Quoted: Minimag light output really isn't good for much more than map reading and casual trail walking.  But, you CAN seriously improve the light output with an LED upgrade, Terralux TLE-5.  Here's a review from flashlightreviews.com:

Those are nice (I have them on several of my older Mini-mags - the new ones sport the Opalac upgrade), but they still are not in the same class as the G2.    Better than nothing to be sure - but if you're going to spend the $$ for the upgrade might as well get the G2.

Then you have to contend with how do you mount the smaller than standard mini-mag, and how do you activated it (and please don't tell me about those gunshow accessories - BTDT).

Quoted: Quoted: Save your money. The light output from a minimaglight is horrible. Not only that, but the bulb will back out under recoil as there is nothing but friction holding it in place.

excellent point

I find a great mount for the mini maglight is between my teeth.  Forms a rock solid mount as I search for lost items in the dark or working on my truck.  Its a good universal mount that can be used as an offset mount by moving it from one cheek to the other.