The modern sporting and tactical rifle industry constantly sees an influx of accessories.  Some accessories are good….some are bad. Some accessories are brilliant in their design and function; some are poorly made and serve no function at all. One awesome accessory that recently hit the market is the PLM or Proctor Light Mount from Way of the Gun. The Proctor Light Mount is a low profile light mount that mates a Streamlight ProTac 1L to a MIL-STD-1913/Picatinny Rail.  The Proctor Light Mount is a collaboration between Way Of The Gun owner and US Army Special Forces veteran Frank Proctor and Unity Tactical.

Proctor Light Mount and Streamlight ProTac 1L. This is an extremely lightweight illumination solution for a carbine or rifle.

My main testing rifle with the Proctor Light Mount, Streamlight ProTac 1L and Bushnell TRS-25. The Bushnell TRS-25 has withstood over a year and half worth of abuse. The TRS-25 is on it’s second battery but it is still going strong.

Key Features of the Proctor Light Mount include:

• Made of DLC coated Stainless steel.
• Attaches to one MIL-STD-1913/Picatinny Rail.
• Will fit under some fold down front sights.
• Fits the Streamlight ProTac 1L, Streamlight ProTac 2L, Surefire E-Series and the Fenix P3D.

The Proctor Light Mount attaches to a Picatinny/MIL-STD-1913 rail with nylon tipped set screws. The necessary allen wrenches are included in the package. I used Locktite and torqued the screws to 20 inch/lbs. I experienced no movement during testing.

I received a test sample in early February and immediately installed the Proctor Light Mount on my main testing rifle. Since installing the Proctor Light Mount 5 months ago I made the following observations:

• You may have to remove your rail and accessories to properly mount the Proctor Light Mount.
• The Proctor Light Mount survived being aggressively ripped out of an Eberlestock X3 LoDrag pack several dozen times. My Eberlestock X3 LoDrag can be really hard on rifle accessories (This was seen when I tested the Lucid M7).
• The Proctor Light Mount survived several long rucks in the Eberlestock LoDrag.
• The rifle was (intentionally) dropped directly on the Streamlight ProTac 1L and both the Streamlight and the Proctor Light Mount survived.
• The Streamlight ProTac 1L survived being accidentally bumped on barricades during shooting drills.
• Does not occlude field of view, and is not visible through optics.
• Weighing several ounces, I did not notice the weight of the optic and the mount.
• Will the Proctor Light Mount fit brand “X”? The width of the ProTac 1L is .767 inches where the pocket clip interfaces with the light and .833 inches near the tail cap. I could tighten the WML down at either of these areas.

Proctor Light Mount, mounting instructions.

The Proctor Light Mount is designed to mount under certain flip up style front sights. Due to the size of my “old school” Magpul sights this was not possible. The Proctor Light Mount will fit under Troy flip up sights as well as the Magpul MBUS Pro metal sights. You can see from the picture how beat up my Streamlight ProTac 1L got from testing.

After extensive testing, I found the optimal position for the Streamlight ProTac 1L was mounted at the 1 o’clock position. This complemented my aggressive “C grip”. I had no problems engaging the pressure pad on the Streamlight ProTac 1L.

Switching shoulders, I can easily actuate the pressure switch with my right hand.

A note about the Streamlight ProTac 1L

I have been using the Streamlight ProTac 1L for several years. I have had absolutely no problems with the Streamlight ProTac 1L or with Streamlight products in general.

Key features of the ProTac 1L

• High setting is 180 lumens/3,800 candela and will run for 2 hours.
• Low setting is 12 lumens/1500 candela and will run for 24 hours.
• Strobe setting will run for 4 hours.
• Runs on one 3 Volt CR123A Battery.
• Features Streamlight’s Ten-Tap Programming. This enables an end user to program the light to run high beam only, low/high or high/strobe/low (high/strobe/low is the factory default).
• Anodized aluminum body.
•  IPX7 waterproof to 1 meter for 30 minutes. Impact resistant up to 2 meters.
•  Pocket clip that is removable.
•  The Streamlight ProTac 1L is 3.43 inches long and weighs 2 ounces.

Streamlight ProTac 1L compared to Surefire G2X. The Streamlight ProTac 1L puts out 180 lumens and uses only 1 CR123A battery. These little lights can be found for around $45 and make great gifts.

My two every day companions. Streamlight ProTac 1L and 5.11 Tarani C.U.B. Master folding Karambit. This is my baseline level of everyday carry.

Streamlight’s cold weather reliability was called into question in this article. Prior to fielding a flashlight I both submerge my lights in water and leave them in the freezer for several hours to test reliability. I primarily use Streamlight and Surefire products, and both accompany me on my backcountry fly fishing trips, hikes, and trips to the ranch. As previously mentioned I have never had a Streamlight or Surefire product fail on me. One of my shooting buddies had a Surefire tailcap/switch fail on a Surefire Aviator: I consider Surefire the gold standard in reliability, but even the best can fail. When I go to the ranch or the backcountry I carry a minimum of two flashlights with at least 150 lumens of output and extra Surefire CR123A batteries.  Long story short: buy gear from a company that stands by their products and be hard on gear during testing.

Inforce WML, Surefire G2X and Streamlight ProTac 1L. These lights have brand new Surefire CR123A batteries. This picture was taken right before they were all placed in my freezer.

Cold weather testing. Meat, frozen glow stick and flashlights. My freezer is set at well below zero degrees Fahrenheit. Why is there a glow stick in my freezer? You can stop the chemical reaction by freezing a glow stick. I tend to run at night. Prior to a run I take the glow stick out of the freezer, run it under hot water, give it a few shakes and go out the door. As soon as I get home I simply throw the glow stick back in the freezer.

Inforce WML, Surefire G2X and Streamlight ProTac 1L after 30 minutes in the freezer. The intensity does not appear to be diminished.

Fresh out of the freezer. Cold, frosty and still functional.

You know Frank Proctor is a K.A.T.N kind of a guy when the back of his business card can serve as a range card/ballistic table.

After 5 months of testing, the Proctor Light Mount is amazing. Initially I was concerned whether or not the mount would be strong enough for hard use, but the Proctor Light Mount held up under aggressive testing. It is interesting to note that Frank Proctor is now offering the Proctor Light Mount Version 2, a slightly “beefed-up” version of the original. At the time of writing this article, the original Light Mount might not be available for purchase, but the differences are minimal, save for a bit of extra steel on the new model. The Proctor Light Mount retails for $68.50, which is comparable to similar mounting solutions. Frank did mention in our email correspondence that a 1 inch version is in the works. If you are looking to streamline and lighten your rifle, I would seriously consider this product.