I am thinking more of having a long distance illumination capability. I have around 8 acres and I would like to have the ability to monitor a situation at a long distance. What is the practicality of mounting something longer range on an AR or is it best just to carry it seperate?

Maybe the Surefire M3 turbo or equivalent???  

If you duck tape this beauty from Harbor Freight on the bottom of your handguards you get a high powered light and a high speed VFG all for $25

www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=47119

Surefire M500B (500 lumens!)

Ray

this and a roll of duct tape

I have the M971....This sucker is bright! It throws some serious sun shine in my woods at night

Sean

Quoted: www.surefire.com/surefire/content/beast_large.jpg this and a roll of duct tape

+100000   I want one

With a SureFire M3 or M4 and a 250+ lumen lamp assembly and an optic you can engage human sized targets easily at 400 yards.

With the M4 you get an extra batter and a 350 & 500 lumen lamp option.

I was making fairly fast head shots at 300 yards with my M24 once I knew where the target
was.  Without sufficient levels of ambient light, you will not be able to ID what is in their hand or have facial recognition much past 150-200 yds.

See: strategosforum.com/phpBBx/viewtopic.php?t=4104
This light was mounted directly over my optic.

Here are few pics on bolt guns:

SureFire M4 on my M24 – Arms Mount


Laser Devices 6-Volt on my M24 – Arms Mount


My SureFire M4 on NYPD Sniper Rifle – SF Mount



Handheld or offset options:

If you want to have some serious reach out there and see capability consider a McCulloch HID X990 light.  We call it the “God Light” in our low light sniper course.  
Literally turns night into day at ranges you can expect to touch somebody with your AR.

Just Google: ” McCulloch HID X990”

A lower cost, lower capability option has already been tabled, that is the K-Wart/Wall-Mart portable/rechargeable spot lights.  They work really well

You guys aren't even close.

That is funny.

The only issue I have is, it might make magazine changes a little more difficult once mounted on the rifle...Other than that it seems like a viable option...

You've heard of Nightforce Optics, check out the other side of their business - Lightforce - They build some really bad*ss lighting systems that mount up to your rifle. Makes a Surefire look like a candle.... Well maybe not the Beast, but any weapon mount by anyone else pales by comparison.

Quoted: You guys aren't even close. www.geocities.com/bobz299/mylight.jpg

Now that's it! Just imagine if you could get an IR lens big enough to cover this. All you would have to do is aim this at someone for a few seconds and ....poof...spontanous human combustion.

--John