How to Mount a Tactical Flashlight - A Step by Step Shotgun Guide

When I chose a home defense weapon I knew right away that I wanted a tactical shotgun. I went with a Mossberg 500 and then purchased a few add-ons to turn it into a tactical shotgun. One of which was a tactical flashlight.

Follow these step to mount a tactical flashlight to a shotgun:

• Remove any live ammunition from the gun and turn on the safety.
• Confirm a factory accessory rail and/or install an aftermarket Picatinny rail.
• Install the adaptor mount to the flashlight.
• Finally, install the light on the Picatinny rail of the gun.
• Optionally, install a pressure-mounted switch.

While this brief overview is helpful, let's dive into the details of mounting a tactical flashlight to a shotgun. For this 'how-to' I'm going to be using a Mossberg 500 shotgun and an STKR B.A.M.F.F. 10.0 tactical flashlight.

Pre-Project Checklist

Safety Check Your Gun

For any project involving a gun, the first step is a safety check to see if you are holding a loaded weapon. The status of the safety switch should also be your top priority. Before moving on to any of the other steps in this article, please make sure you know the loaded/unloaded status of your weapon. 

Take The Gun Back To Stock

If you have any add ons or extras already attached to the weapon, this might be a good time to take it back down to stock to really see all of your mounting options. This will free up any and all of the Picatinny rails so that you can plan out in your mind how the finished product will look.

Visualize The Final Project

This will give you the opportunity to try out each potential mounting scenario to find out your preferences (ie. left-mount, under-mount, etc.). It will also show you what is actually physically possible with your gun and light as far as combinations go because some spaces on the gun may not accommodate a tactical flashlight.

Strip Down Your Light

It's also important to remove anything extra that you can from your tactical flashlight. In the case of the B.A.M.F.F. tactical flashlight, you need to remove the supplied lanyard and unbolt the pocket clip (2ea 1.5mm hex) so that it's as streamlined as possible.

Now that you have mocked it up or visualized it in some way to get a good idea of where you want everything to go, it's time to mount the light.

Mounting a Tactical Flashlight to a Shotgun

Step 1

Unbolt and separate the adaptor into two halves. Using the 3mm hex or 'allen' wrench, back the four screws out that hold the two halves of the adaptor together. 

Step 2

Attach the metal adaptor to your flashlight. While holding one half of the adaptor in your hand, set the light down into it, and then lay the second half over top to complete the clamp. Reinsert the 4 hex screws to clamp the adaptor onto the flashlight. Make sure the light is exactly where you want concerning forward and backward and rotation. Then in a crisscross pattern, tighten each of the four screws down into place evenly.

If you already mocked up your gun and light in the visualization step earlier, then you will have a very good idea of where on the shaft of the tactical light you want the clamp installed.

Step 3

Attach the flashlight with Picatinny adaptor to the rail. The flashlight should now have what amounts to a small 'c-clamp' coming off of it. This little clamp also has a long bolt running long ways up the center of the clamp coming out the top removable part of the clamp and into a large thumbscrew. 

Start by hooking the bottom part of the c-clamp into your desired area of Picatinny rail. Now rotate the flashlight up into place while adjusting the thumbscrew to let the c-clamp open just enough to let the accessory rail into the clamp.

Step 4

Secure the flashlight in place. Using the thumbscrew, tighten the adaptor mount down into place. The thumbscrew on the B.A.M.F.F. also has two holes going through it perpendicular to the bolt direction. This allows you to slide your 3mm Allen wrench into these holes to use as a mini cheater bar to fully tighten the light and adaptor into place on the gun.

Step 5 - (Optional)

Attach the pressure switch to the shotgun. This step is optional because the pressure switch is really on an as-needed basis. This type of switch comes in handy if you need a solution for engaging the flashlight without moving your hands from their natural positions on the weapon.

On a shotgun or rifle, you have an arm extended out holding up the barrel and one on the grip trigger handle. Either of these two places would make a good mounting spot. You could mount it near your fingers out on the forend or you could find a spot just above the trigger to be able to sneak a finger up to.

I marked this step as optional because it will not always make sense to use the pressure switch. After installing the B.A.M.F.F. on the left side of my shotgun, I quickly could tell that with just a small amount of adjustment I would be able to reach the standard cap switch with ease. With my left hand out on the fore-end of the shotgun, I can release my left thumb and push the switch on the back of the light with ease.

How to Use a Tactical Shotgun

So if you followed the directions in the first half of this article then we can officially say that we have one Bad Azz MoFo Tactical Shotgun. Now we should probably make sure we know how to do more than just hold it and store it in the box.

In a scenario where you believe someone has broken into your house and you have close access to your tactical shotgun, you have many variables of what you could choose to do.

• Intimidating Noises

One of the reasons I like the shotgun for a home defense weapon is the idea that you can communicate just how serious you are by racking the magazine back and forth once. Hearing that oh so recognizable "chick-chick" of a shotgun could be all it takes to change the direction of a situation.

• Disorienting Lights

With my trusty B.A.M.F.F. 10.0 mounted out there on the barrel, I now have not only a way for me to see my surroundings, but also a tool to disorient and temporarily blind someone. If the same dark scenario above you can use the cover of darkness to move around and then blast them in the face with a thousand lumens to get them off guard.

• Blunt Force Trauma

If you find yourself up against an unarmed thief or you have the upper hand, you have the option to just literally hit them with your shotgun. A lot of tactical accessories including the B.A.M.F.F. tactical flashlight have a very rough and serrated feel to the end for just this type of defense. 

• Actually Pulling the Trigger

We've thrown out a bunch of hypothetical situations to try and exhaust all of the ideas you could act on before pulling the trigger of a gun with the intention of killing someone. 

To get good at using your shotgun so that you are prepared for an event that would require it, you need to put in the practice time with it.

Check out this YouTube video to get not only a brief overview but sit in on an actual tactical shotgun class from Frankie at Raidon Tactics and learn things like:

• Holding the shotgun and your stance
• Your workspace
• 3 different methods of speed loading
• How to use a shotgun as a non-firing or melee weapon
• And plenty of tips and what-not-to-do's

 

If you have any questions or comments about this ‘intro to tactical shotgun’ video please visit it on YouTube and check the description for questions, answers, and contact info.

If you have any questions or comments about the B.A.M.F.F. 10.0 tactical flashlight by STKR Concepts then please feel free to leave them below.

STKR Concepts is not responsible for any damages that come from following this article.  It is a general guide.  These general instructions may not apply to all guns, makes or models.  Always follow the guidelines and instructions given by the gun manufacturer as a default.   Always make sure you check the gun to see if it’s loaded and just practice extreme responsibility. It is a weapon and can take someone’s life, that’s how important it is that you respect that power and follow all safety procedures. You can find the specific safety guidelines in the manual for your shotgun.