Long Range Flashlight

[Ian M]

Just got a Surefire Millennium M6 Magnum tactical flashlight. This sucker will shine farther than my .308 rounds will carry. Takes six lithium batteries and comes with two bulbs - I believe that the lower power bulb could be rated as "sort of blinding, because your eyes are on fire" and the hot one is definitely in the category best described as: "vision pretty well screwed - might as well get a white cane and a guide dog, eyes are making a bubbling sound...". That's at twenty feet, even worse if you hold it close to your face and look into it.

Built like a brick-shithouse this is an amazing light source. One slight concern is that it cost about the same as a good used rifle, and it eats batteries like Len's new Wolf is going to eat slow-burning powder.

Also got their new LED flashlight which will give fifty or so hours, only uses two batteries and costs like three or four boxes of .308 match ammo.

Interested to know if any of you guys have used Surefires on any hunting trips. They have a red filter that is supposed to show blood trails after dark - will be testing that in a month or two.

I have used Maglights on many trips but these Surefires are much brighter and extremely well made.

 

[Brent]

Ian,
My mother bought me a LED flashlight, 2 bulb type, not a Surefire but one that has been offered for a while on the radio. It still has the same batteries in it after two years! I use it as my backup light hunting and wheeling, you know, the one you can always count on and don't have to take ten pounds of batteries for. It is just a little dimmer than a normal flashlight, probably because it is more of a flood light not a spot type.

The Surefire sounds like a mini spotlight on steroids! I always thought they were just a quality flashlight marketed well. Do they make one that is rechargable from a wheeler, 12V?

Has it warmed up for you any lately? It's cooled off a "bit" here, were down in the teens at night right now. It warmed up to 35 for me to go shooting today! Had to stop and go give some kids a jumpstart, they left their radio on too long while they were playing football on the river bar. Just about ten shots later some more kids braved crossing the rotton ice over the creek and fell through in their Toyota. By the time I got them pulled out and got back to my bench it was too dark to shoot anymore. All in a day at the "range" over here.

Oh well, all good tight groups today though!

 

[Len Backus]

Brent

Are we going to have a party when your postings number hits 1K?

 

[Ian M]

Brent,
Not nice still, minus thirties overnight and with all the wind we have been getting the windchills sit in the minus forties during the day, or lower. Sure looking forward to some warm air, supposed to break mid-week. We are going to the range today anyhow. Our "cold bore shot" will not necessarily be the first one.

I have been reading about those LED flashlights, looks like they are the way to go. You are right, the light is much softer but it is still good for most use. Check out their website at www.surefire.com, there are some rechargeables but I did not look at what they are about.

 

[Guest]

If your ATV runs on a 12 V system, there are several Surefire systems that may be recharged by your atv.

Ian, I believe the filter for trailing blood used on the surefire flashlight systems actually has a blue lens. They are very handy for blood trailing at night, and especially useful to people that may be partially colorblind. It makes the blood spots look almost black. They also make a nice infrared filter if you're using night vision at close range, think less than 200 yards. There are much more powerful LED infrared illuminators, but few as convenient as having one powerful light that can do so many things with just a filter change.

 

[Ian M]

Sam,
Thanks on that, I got a blue, red and fuzzy white filter with this kit. Sure impressively built. Did you know that they are now marketing their own brand of batteries, brought the retail price down to 15 bucks for 12 batteries.
I also got a Sportsman and put the LED head on it, will compare the two types of heads for battery life and lighting performance.
Will have to find out if the blue filter will work with the LED head?