Best Tactical Light Mount To Eliminate Barrel Shadow On Shotgun?

[MrBot]

I plan on attaching a weapon light to my 12 gauge Mosssberg 500 field grade sg with a 28" bbl for in-home self-defense. (It may not be the perfect sg for the purpose but it's gonna have to do. I've shot exclusively the 500 for fifty-six yrs so I'm comfortable with it. And I don't wanna buy nor familiarize myself with another gun.) My initial thought was to attach something like the Streamlight 69901 Mag Tube Mount (a polymer mount with an integrated pic rail; $25) & add something like the Streamlight 69110, 300-Lumen Weapon Mounted Light that fits nice & neat on the rail. But with the light that close to the bbl is bbl shadow gonna be a big enough issue that it will seriously compromise the set-up? Alternately, I could go with the GG&G Mossberg 500 Flashlight Mount (manganese phosphate steel & aluminum hard coat anodized) & add something like the Monstrum Tactical 1" Offset Pic Rail Mount (6061 Aircraft Grade Aluminum) for a flashlight. I'd assume this would put the light further from the bbl, possibly eliminating any chance of a shadow.

[Shadow9mm]

First off, you should be looking at a new barrel. you can get a 18.5in cylinder bore for around $150 that will be a LOT more functional around the house and swapping barrels is pretty quick and easy.

You want the light as far forwards as possible without passing the muzzle. A 1in offset or spacing the light away from the gun is not going to even come close to solving your problem. You are going to have shadow, using an offset will only change the angle of the shadow a little.

Yes, the streamlight mount and light would be a good choice. I have one of the TLR-1s on a handgun and it has been an excellent light.

[ballardw]

Two lights on opposite sides of the barrel perhaps. Added bonus might have some redundancy when batteries die and still have one light for a while.

[MrBot]

Originally Posted by Shadow9mm

First off, you should be looking at a new barrel. you can get a 18.5in cylinder bore for around $150 that will be a LOT more functional around the house and swapping barrels is pretty quick and easy.

You want the light as far forwards as possible without passing the muzzle. A 1in offset or spacing the light away from the gun is not going to even come close to solving your problem. You are going to have shadow, using an offset will only change the angle of the shadow a little.

Yes, the streamlight mount and light would be a good choice. I have one of the TLR-1s on a handgun and it has been an excellent light.

18.5" bbl; Streamlight 69110, TLR-1, 300-Lumen Light; and metal magazine mount pic rail (did not go with the Streamlight model); all on the way! Thanx for heading me in the right direction. That shorter bbl will make that big-ol' 12 feel a lot less like holding a fence post.

[Shadow9mm]

Good deal! I think you will be very happy with the setup! I have 2 mossberg 500s, a 28in bird gun and a 18.5in, the 18.5in is significantly better indoors. And the tlr1 is a great light.

[MrBot]

Originally Posted by Shadow9mm

Good deal! I think you will be very happy with the setup! I have 2 mossberg 500s, a 28in bird gun and a 18.5in, the 18.5in is significantly better indoors. And the tlr1 is a great light.

I hear ya. .. picked up my 1st 500 @ age 14 from K-Mart. $69.95 plus tax. .. gentleman's gauge (16), the perfect diameter so they say to properly pattern 1oz of shot. Full choke. Did well on high-flying dove & pheasant over open field. Not as well as my buddy back in the day shooting his Browning auto but that's another story. THE DUDE WAS BETTER THAN ANY OF US @ EVERYITHING! Sold the 16 to a collector then bought the 12 & 20. Only model sg to pass Mil-spec so I've read. And American-made. I like it.

[ZEBRARANGER]

I also have the 500 combo with the 28" & 18.5" barrel, strictly used as an HD shotgun with the short barrel. I had a Streamlight TLR 2 laser/light combo on it, but it was an older model TLR -2 with only 150 lumens light. I recently changed it out with an 800 lumen rechargeable LED light from Cabelas. I attached it with a spare scope ring that I had laying in a box of spare parts and it does its job well.

[MrBot]

The Streamlight is due for delivery tomorrow. I will admit I'm not hugely into the shooting sports. .. put in about a week or so--will end up being @ least twice that this year--each winter messing with my guns. .. haven't fired a gun in 3-yrs. .. plan on doing a buncha shooting, however, this yr. But I will admit I am having a bit o' buyer's remorse over the Streamlight. .. pride myself on buying American when possible & unfortunately every time--myself this x included--we sportsmen buy these foreign-made products (China) we are shooting ourselves in the foot. There are American-made products out there that will do the job just fine & yet--again, myself included--we don't even patronize them. You get on the 'net & you'll find reviews of all these Chinese-made gun products by guys calling themselves a "veteran" or even "a disabled veteran" & I'm thinking, "Were these guys in a coma the entire x they were in the military? Do they KNOW or even CARE who our enemies are"? Dad & many of my uncles were in WWII (both of my dad's brothers & my mother) & they ALL made it a point to buy American for THE REST OF THEIR LIVES. They THOUGHT about their purchases. They thought about what they were for & what they were against. They never would have supported a regime that still worships a brutal murderer--his picture is everywhere in public over there to this very day--(what are the estimates on Chairman Mao? .. slaughtered something like 100 mil of his own people!) Too many of us today have taken our eye off the ball. .. may send the da_n thing back & buy a Surefire.

[Shadow9mm]

I understand your sentiment, but i don't agree. America was founded, in part, on the principles of capitalism. As such, while I do make it a point to look at American made options, my main focus is on the quality of the product as well as value. May the best product win!

Streamlight is a reputable brand, and they make a quality product. It's not run of the mill chinese junk. They are trusted in Law enforcement, and I trust them as they are on my home defense weapons.

Surefire makes a good product, but not that much better that I can justify their price point. 3 times as much and more.

Its your money.

[Shadow9mm]

You get your light in? did you try it? what did you think?

[MrBot]

[QUOTE]I recently changed it out with an 800 lumen rechargeable LED light from Cabelas. I attached it with a spare scope ring that I had laying in a box of spare parts and it does its job well.
[QUOTE]

.. love it! .. hate not putting spare parts to use but love it when I can. I've a set of see-through rings off from a Winchester Model 70, 30-06. I sold the 70 to a guy in WY @ gunbroker a few yrs ago. .. been sitting in the gun cabinet ever since. .. looking @ a 2-7 rimfire Leupold scope for my Henry lever .22 magnum. If there's a way to mount those rings on that li'l rifle it'll get done, even if it's costlier & more of a bother than buying/installing the tip-off see-through rings. .. don't know why he's that way but he is. Maybe it's because he's owned 'em for something like 50-yrs & not giving them a role to play would feel like giving up on an old friend.

[MrBot]

You get your light in? did you try it? what did you think?

I got in the Surefire X300/1000-Lumen a couple of wks ago. The Streamlight has been stuck @ a USPS facility in Ohio. I got in the magazine mount pic rail for the 20 gauge/27" bbl & mounted the Surefire. Yes. There is a shadow @ 2 o'clock but I can't imagine it would be detrimental in a self defense use. .. don't think I'd notice the shadow. .. got in the magazine mount pic rail for the 12 today. It now has the new 18.5" bbl. .. switched the Surefire over to it. .. much less shadow than the 20. I think he's gonna be happy. .. will have to test it out a bit more but right off the top I think he's in a heckuva lot better shape than he was. I mean, what good is a weapon if you can't see what your aiming at. .. big improvement all the way around. Now he's gotta decide if he needs the 18.5" on the 20.

[Shadow9mm]

Having issues with our usps facility here in indianapolis too. Loading packages, packages getting into town, sent here, then re routed through other states. Had one come here, instead of going local for delivery, they bounced to to Illinois, back to indianapolis, up to Michigan, back to indianapolis, out to Ohio, bs k to indianapolis. Didn't think I was ever gonna get it. Priority mail, took 2 weeks to get here.

[MrBot]

Having issues with our usps facility here in Indianapolis too.

3-weeks, 2-days to receive the 12 ga mag mount pic rail. .. ordered it 3 13 & got it y'day.
Oh yeah--& if you don't feel comfortable answering it then that's fine--but I was in Greenwood Thursday. .. opinion on Milex Complete Auto Care/Mr Transmission & Hubler Pre-owned Automotive both on US 31 South? I guess I'm taking a chance of getting kicked off the forum for asking that but Hubler is trying to sell me a used truck & Milex did the Pre-purchase Inspection. I'm in 3 automotive forums asking questions on the Inspection Report so I should have some opinions on it by Tuesday, the day I'm supposed to sign for the truck. So like I say, ignore this question as it's off-topic if you choose. But when you mentioned Indi I had to ask.

[Shadow9mm]

Originally Posted by MrBot

3-weeks, 2-days to receive the 12 ga mag mount pic rail. .. ordered it 3 13 & got it y'day.
Oh yeah--& if you don't feel comfortable answering it then that's fine--but I was in Greenwood Thursday. .. opinion on Milex Complete Auto Care/Mr Transmission & Hubler Pre-owned Automotive both on US 31 South? I guess I'm taking a chance of getting kicked off the forum for asking that but Hubler is trying to sell me a used truck & Milex did the Pre-purchase Inspection. I'm in 3 automotive forums asking questions on the Inspection Report so I should have some opinions on it by Tuesday, the day I'm supposed to sign for the truck. So like I say, ignore this question as it's off-topic if you choose. But when you mentioned Indi I had to ask.

Never dealt with either so I cant say for sure. For the maintenance of my "firearms transportation vehicles" I will say that I have had fantastic service from Penske Chevrolet on 96th back when I had a Chevy.

But in general, if it seem too good to be true it probably is.