One of the lessons I learned at the Front Sight rifle course I took a few months ago is that I can't shoot my M1 worth a hoot at night. I simply can't get enough light through the sights to see a target unless there's some extra light source being used. That spurred me to figure out how to affix a Surefire to the rifle in such a way that it would be easily and quickly removeable and still secure (y'know, something better than duct-taping it to the stock).
Ever since I got my first rifle with a bayonet lug, I've thought that it would be rather elegant to mount a light on a bayonet handle. It would be secure, detachable, and a heck of a lot cheaper than buying a zillion-dollar specialty foreend. This is especially true with an M1, because there are no specialty flashlight foreends for them (what, don't all the swoopy operators use M1s?).
So I bought a Surefire G2, pressure pad attachment, and old bayonet (total cost roughly $75). I lopped the blade off, padded the light with some soft rubber tubing, and hose-clamped the light to the bayonet handle. Poof, an M1 light! I haven't test-fired it yet, but itt's performing great in dry practice. The light beam aligns very well with the barrel, and it seems pretty robust.
Ever since I got my first rifle with a bayonet lug, I've thought that it would be rather elegant to mount a light on a bayonet handle. It would be secure, detachable, and a heck of a lot cheaper than buying a zillion-dollar specialty foreend. This is especially true with an M1, because there are no specialty flashlight foreends for them (what, don't all the swoopy operators use M1s?).
So I bought a Surefire G2, pressure pad attachment, and old bayonet (total cost roughly $75). I lopped the blade off, padded the light with some soft rubber tubing, and hose-clamped the light to the bayonet handle. Poof, an M1 light! I haven't test-fired it yet, but itt's performing great in dry practice. The light beam aligns very well with the barrel, and it seems pretty robust.