Scope Mounted Lightforce

[Arminfarmin]

Hope i've posted this in the right section

 

Just looking for some advice on a gun lamp, I have decided to go for a scope mounted lightforce for my .22lr, just really looking to see whether a 140 or 170 would be best and is there much difference between the two? Also would a variable power one be better for the solo lamping missions?

 

Thanks

 

Gus

[Dekers]

If it's for a .22lr then the 140 is probably perfectly adequate, the 170 is Bigger and brighter though.....and yes 100% get the variable power unit!!

[albob]

i would get the 170 because if you move up the ladder to hmr or 223 etc,the extra range comes in handy and saves having to change the lamp later.

the dimmer will conserve the battery power and you will have control of the brightness and not light up everything around you like a floodlight football pitch.

amber filter is also a good thing to have.

al

[Arminfarmin]

Thanks for the advice, I think i'll go for the 170 scope mounted, save changing at a later date

 

Only other question for owners of the above; Is the variable part (dimmer) on the lamp itself as show on some of the hand held 170 pictures or does the scope mounted version use a in-line dimmer as with the switch?

 

Gus

[Evil Elvis]

Ive never needed the dimmer, I have a belt with 2 batteries in and have never run them both out even on 7-8 hour sessions. I also use a red filter the whole time and only take it off if im not 100% whose eyes im looking at! The filter naturally cuts down the amount of light burt will still light up eyes way way beyond a .22lr range.

 

amber filter is also a good thing to have.

 

Why Amber?

[Dekers]

Thanks for the advice, I think i'll go for the 170 scope mounted, save changing at a later date

 

Only other question for owners of the above; Is the variable part (dimmer) on the lamp itself as show on some of the hand held 170 pictures or does the scope mounted version use a in-line dimmer as with the switch?

 

Gus

 

 

It's in line!!...and VERY worth having, even though it puts the price up!!

 

Not all about saving the battery life, a 170 without a dimmer switch is bright, very rarely any need to light up the county and scare the neighbours and wildlife for miles around!!

[albob]

Ive never needed the dimmer, I have a belt with 2 batteries in and have never run them both out even on 7-8 hour sessions. I also use a red filter the whole time and only take it off if im not 100% whose eyes im looking at! The filter naturally cuts down the amount of light burt will still light up eyes way way beyond a .22lr range.

 

 

 

Why Amber?

 

 

you answered you own question really..you have to take off the filter to be able to id your quarry,not so with the amber one,as the light is not reduced as badly as the red filter.

as i use the 170 for air rifle and 22lr and up to 223,then the dimmer comes in very useful.

why light a field up,when all you want to see is the target

 

al

Edited February 14, 2010 by albob

[Evil Elvis]

With the red filter on its very discreet, the only time i take my filter off is if i cant differentiate between a cat and a fox, Im colourblind so sometimes have trouble telling and id rather light up tjhe field than shoot someones tiddles!!! Ive not found Ive needed a dimmer, however if you get one built in it will save you the effort of adding one if you are in a situation where you find you need it.

[Arminfarmin]

Hmmm plenty of different views to think about

 

Thanks for all of the advice though I think ill stick with a 170 variable, and probably get a red filter and maybe another just so i can change every now and then. Im not sure how effective amber would be near mine as the people who control the vermin on the adjacent fields use an amber filter and I would of thought that after a while your quarry can get shy to it.

 

Thanks again

 

Gus

[albob]

With the red filter on its very discreet, the only time i take my filter off is if i cant differentiate between a cat and a fox, Im colourblind so sometimes have trouble telling and id rather light up tjhe field than shoot someones tiddles!!! Ive not found Ive needed a dimmer, however if you get one built in it will save you the effort of adding one if you are in a situation where you find you need it.

 

 

ah,the colouor blindness makes a big difference,as i have similar problem but,only slight im told.nothing wrong in lighting a field up to id something but,my reference is to lighting up a field to look for quarry and lamp shy foxes or rabbits can be a problem with this tactic.

 

al.

[wymberley]

i would get the 170 because if you move up the ladder to hmr or 223 etc,the extra range comes in handy and saves having to change the lamp later.

the dimmer will conserve the battery power and you will have control of the brightness and not light up everything around you like a floodlight football pitch.

amber filter is also a good thing to have.

al

Hi, All,

Is that right that a dimmer will conserve battery power? I've just tripped over some serious rabbit shooting. Done a daylight recce and the range is moderate for 22lr subs so don't need excessive light but the sessions are going to be lengthy so this could be handy. I was under the impression that these were straight-forward variable resistors which varied the lamp output but had no effcct on power consumption. Perhaps someone could put me straight.

Cheers

[albob]

Hi, All,

Is that right that a dimmer will conserve battery power? I've just tripped over some serious rabbit shooting. Done a daylight recce and the range is moderate for 22lr subs so don't need excessive light but the sessions are going to be lengthy so this could be handy. I was under the impression that these were straight-forward variable resistors which varied the lamp output but had no effcct on power consumption. Perhaps someone could put me straight.

Cheers

 

 

if you had a 10amp battery and bulbs were the same,one on full power and one on half power,the difference over hours can be a lot.i used to make a 7amp battery last a whole night rabbiting but,as for foxing it needs to be on more,so hence the move up in amp.if you can recognise eyes on low and turn up to the power that makes it easier to id your quarry,then the power used is less over hours and less chance of spooking.

 

mate used a cluson and it was like being on a floodlight pitch and on a small shoot that is shot a lot,they run for cover when it comes on recently,so i started to use the 170 with dimmer and we got a very good chance of getting rabbits that we normaly would not get,so it is as someone else stated,not just about making the battery last longer.

why use a beam that is 1 million candle power,when shooting at 70yrds.. ..great for foxes at long distance(or even rabbits if your inclined),waste if used at lower distance.

why not have a dimmer to do almost all ranges from 12ftlb to 243.. ..makes sense to me ,as that is what it gets used for and a tool for a purpose.

 

al

[Dekers]

Hi, All,

Is that right that a dimmer will conserve battery power? I've just tripped over some serious rabbit shooting. Done a daylight recce and the range is moderate for 22lr subs so don't need excessive light but the sessions are going to be lengthy so this could be handy. I was under the impression that these were straight-forward variable resistors which varied the lamp output but had no effcct on power consumption. Perhaps someone could put me straight.

Cheers

 

 

A number of variable rheostats (dimmers) simply waste power (often as heat) to produce a lower light output, the dimmers used by Deben and LF are more efficient and simply take less from the power supply (battery usually) but they are not 100% efficient and do waste some energy.

 

But, the simple answer to your question is yes, battery life will be improved through use of the factory dimmer units!!

[wymberley]

A number of variable rheostats (dimmers) simply waste power (often as heat) to produce a lower light output, the dimmers used by Deben and LF are more efficient and simply take less from the power supply (battery usually) but they are not 100% efficient and do waste some energy.

 

But, the simple answer to your question is yes, battery life will be improved through use of the factory dimmer units!!

Dekers, many thanks for your concise answer.

Cheers,

Phil

[fullbore]

i would get the 170 because if you move up the ladder to hmr or 223 etc,the extra range comes in handy and saves having to change the lamp later.

the dimmer will conserve the battery power and you will have control of the brightness and not light up everything around you like a floodlight football pitch.

amber filter is also a good thing to have.

al

 

 

The dimmer will NOT conserve the battery power, all it will do is make the light dimmer, hence the name dimmer not power reducer or battery conserver.

[albob]

The dimmer will NOT conserve the battery power, all it will do is make the light dimmer, hence the name dimmer not power reducer or battery conserver.

 

 

so dekkers is wrong then and my battery DOES last longer,as i have tried it on full beam from fully charged to dim and fully charged and if energy is wasted then the dimmer unit would get hot in my hand and as i use it a lot handheld it has never got warm in my hand and also the heatsink on the reg is not a sufficent size for great heat loss at full usage.

we all know nothing is 100% efficent but,100% loss is way to much by what you say.meaning your saying it willl not conserve at all.

 

al

[Dekers]

so dekkers is wrong then and my battery DOES last longer,as i have tried it on full beam from fully charged to dim and fully charged and if energy is wasted then the dimmer unit would get hot in my hand and as i use it a lot handheld it has never got warm in my hand and also the heatsink on the reg is not a sufficent size for great heat loss at full usage.

we all know nothing is 100% efficent but,100% loss is way to much by what you say.meaning your saying it willl not conserve at all.

 

al

 

 

The Deben and LF "dimmer" units are not simply variable resisters or rheostats, they are a whole bunch of electronics which is far more efficient and does take less power from the battery, as I said earlier it is obviously not 100% efficient and you do not get an equal and opposite increase in battery life, but it does extend battery life.

 

But also remember this is only one aspect of this unit, bulb life will be increased if turning on at lower light levels, (not such a shock to the filament), your night vision (eyes) will always remain better for not looking at bright light all the time, and you will not spook the wildlife and neighbours for miles around. Also useful for paunching in the field without blinding yourself and seeing your way through woodlands, pathways and overgrown areas, etc etc etc!!

 

Another area I have personally found it useful for is confusing quarry as to your distance away, dim it slowly and steadily as you approach and you can "sometimes" fool them into thinking you haven't moved, and get a closer shot!

 

So ..lots of benefits for a variable light output lamp unit!

 

ATB!!

Edited February 15, 2010 by Dekers

[SSS]

Definitely 170 and definitely VP.

What I will add though is a dimmer switch won't draw less power from the battery, a 12 volt light is a 12 volt light.

What a dimmer does do though is resists the circuit and stops the full 12 volts getting to the bulb. 12 volts leaves the battery as normal, but gets 'slowed down' (for want of a better word) inside the dimmer.

You can not regulate the voltage of a battery, you can however regulate the power getting to the bulb by means of resistors.

The battery will last longer because the bulb isn't consuming (for arguments sake) a full 100 watts.

Tin hat time?

[alexm]

I use a 170 with the dimmer. I find that the dimmer is very useful for finding sets of eyes without spooking their owner! You can scan the field on low power and it is enough to light up the eyes, you can then smoothly increase the power until you can make a positive ID without dazzling it.