Flashlights attached to a shoulder-mounted weapon or used in conjunction with a handgun must be powerful. Recently surging forward in this area is Insight Technology. Their M3 Tactical Illuminator weighs only 3.3 ounces with batteries and measures but 3.4 inches in length and about 1.5 inches in height and width. Yet, using a tungsten halogen, xenon- filled bulb, the unit delivers an amazing 80-90 lumens of white light. Originally introduced with an interface only for handguns, the M3 Tactical Illuminator is an excellent illumination alternative for shoulder-mounted weaponry. Designing mounts for the M3 was a demanding challenge as they had to be every bit as compact and lightweight as the M3 itself. Our M3 Tactical Illuminator mounting rails are machined from 6061 T6 aircraft grade aluminum alloy using modern CNC machinery. They are all hard-coat anodized matte black to mil spec. The mounting rail for the M16/AR-15 series of rifles can be easily installed by the operator with basic hand tools or purchased from us already installed on a new set of standard M16A2 or M4 hand guards. If operator installed, we recommend that the rail be attached to the hand guard in a location where both the momentary-on (rotate counter-clockwise) and constant-on (rotate clockwise) switch assembly can be reached by the thumb of the support hand. For a right-handed operator, this will usually be on the front of the top hand guard just to the right of the centerline.