Lightforce spotlights - usefulness of clip-on filters ?

[boong]

I usually spotlight for foxes, rabbits etc using the normal WHITE beam as I consider it to be generally brighter and clearer than that produced with a clip-on RED filter. Are there any worthwhile advantages of using a clip-on RED filter compared to the normal white beam ? For example, in reality, is the RED beam LESS VISIBLE to such game ? Sincere thanks for any positive feedback.

[wesdabeersat]

im pretty sure it doesnt startle them asmuch as a white light. i think the green lense does the same sort of thing?

[Gigitt]

Last month I only just bought a Red Lightforce 170 cover and ghetto fitted it with electrical tape to my 30 year old rectangular light.

The Red lens is pretty fantastic.

It cost me $20 at St Mary's Indoor Rifle range.

You will find it harder to hunt with it as all you see is red... Red trees, red bush, red ground, red rocks lol. You will have to retrain your eyes to pickup game amoungst all the red.

BUT... you will be able to spot animals much much closer as they do not spook and take off.

I most cases the rabbits I have spotted just creep away and not run, quite a few have come towards the light!

I have also whistled in a fox from 300m away and got it to ~20m It was my first fox plopped by whistleing and I was pretty excited as to how close the fox came. If I did not use the red lens cover - the fox would have taken off when 1st spotted at 300m and the .22 aint that good at that range!

What you will find is that your distance visible light will be maxed out to 25-40m BUT you still will be able to pick out Fox eyes 300m+. I spot rabbits eyes out to 100m but have gotten as close as 5m. Most rabbits have been plopped at about 20-25m.

You will also find that you can use the Red Light more often when just walking around and this will not spook animals that will normally see a white light flashing about in the distance and run away without you even seeing them.

$20 is a cheap investment and it has made my spot lighting more enjoyable with the .22lr.

[boong]

Thanks for your reply Gigitt regarding the red filter. I certainly agree that the RED filter noticeably limits the beam's effective range so I'll just have to trial it a bit more. The old Brno rimfire is hard to beat. I've got a 1956 Model 2. In mentioning St Marys Indoor Rifle Range I figure you must live 'out west' somewhere - I'm at Penrith. With regard your following post - "I'm using an old rectangular handheld that is about 25 years old. My Dad and Grandfather made converted it to have a rifle barrel clamp back then and I am currently still using it today. I have a set of Lightforce 170 on my car, and was wanting to convert one for rifle use... but not scope adapter is sold separately!"

Check out the Horsley Park Gunshop (Phone 02 96201313) as they sell a metal dove tailed attachment which slips onto an inverted single scope mount (buy a second hand mount separately) - a special square headed screw threads into the base of the spot light's handle. It's then secured in a special slot on the attachment by one allan head screw, which also adjusts the angle of the light. From recollection, the attachment is sourced from Springvale in Queensland. In short, a very simple and effective method of mounting a spot light to a rifle scope. Cost - about $30

[bigjedd]

Guys the red spotlight filter creates an infared beam which foxes rabbits etc cannot detect.

My brother and I were spotlighting rabbits one night and spotted a fox upwind from us we swapped over to the red filter and watched to see what would happen . The fox being upwind couldnt smell us and just kept walking towards us as if we was not there. eventually we shot the fox at around ten yards from us with a shotgun.

we have done the same thing but called them in with a fox whistle and it works just fine.

[len]

Before you could buy the red filters I would buy red cellophane and tape it over my powa beam spotlight and the it would not startle foxes and rabbits that previously would bolt when you put a normal spotlight on them.

So it worked for me

I now also have a 240 with a clip on red filter and it works the same

Cheers

Len

[Maxx]

If your after fox's, get a red filter.

I have had mine for a years and as long as you have the power to drive the light you should not lose too much distance out of it. The eyes will show from a very long way away. The fox's just cannot see the light. I was sitting on a rise and we watched this fox come right up to us with the light on him the whole time. We were just amazed and it is the sort of thing you really need to see to believe, but its true.

Rabbits on the other hand, I find they are a mixed bag, some with sit there and others will scamper straight away. I have not heard about the effectiveness of the orange or green filters though.

[boong]

bigjedd/len/maxx - thanks for your positive feedback regarding the usefullness of red clip-on filters when spotlighting for rabbits and foxes. I'll now go and buy one for my vehicle mounted Lightforce SL240 Blitz, and further field test the scope mounted Lightforce SL170 Striker on my old Browning B78 (powered by a 12 Volt 18 Amp Sealed Lead Acid battery, carried in a small back pack). Hopefully the reduced beam depth will be more than compensated by the fact that the red beam is 'invisible' to such ferals. Happy hunting.

[len]

Just as a matter of interest Lightforce spots come with either a vertical filament or horizontal filament globe - only found out about this by accident

I have the vertical filament globe in my spotlight and my mate has the horizontal filament in his spot and the difference in range is heaps

My spot has at least another 50% range over his spot

If you need to by a new globe for your lightforce spotlight go to a lamp replacement place - look in the yellow pages

The globes that are used in spotlights are the same as used in overhead projectors - the lamp shops will be able to match your globe for replacement

They will charge you about a 1/4 of what you would pay at a gun shop etc

I was in a gun shop and asked about a spare globe for my spot and the shop owner had a few for sale and I made a note of the brand and part # on the globe box.

A goggle search revealed that it was a overhead projector lamp and enquiries to a lamp replacement company provided the other details and I discovered the cheap price from them.

Thats how I got a spare globe for my spot

Cheers

Len

[Maxx]

Interesting news there Len..

[Weihrauchpower]

Guys the red spotlight filter creates an infared beam which foxes rabbits etc cannot detect.

My brother and I were spotlighting rabbits one night and spotted a fox upwind from us we swapped over to the red filter and watched to see what would happen . The fox being upwind couldnt smell us and just kept walking towards us as if we was not there. eventually we shot the fox at around ten yards from us with a shotgun.

we have done the same thing but called them in with a fox whistle and it works just fine.

A red filter causes the lamp to emit light from a certain part of the spectrum that isn't as easily seen by most animals. They can still see it but it becomes less threatening. It doesn't emit infrared (you need an infrared filter to do that) and infrared isn't visible to us either.

[boong]

Len, a very interesting observation - rather intriguing. Why do the vertically mounted globes apparently emit more light than the horizontal ? Thanks to your comparative globe replacement cost investigation I will certainly not purchase mine from a Gun Shop. That's what I like about such forums, people unselfishly sharing their collective knowledge etc for the benefit of all - keep it up ! Happy and safe hunting, Ross.

[Weihrauchpower]

Len, a very interesting observation - rather intriguing. Why do the vertically mounted globes apparently emit more light than the horizontal ? Thanks to your comparative globe replacement cost investigation I will certainly not purchase mine from a Gun Shop. That's what I like about such forums, people unselfishly sharing their collective knowledge etc for the benefit of all - keep it up ! Happy and safe hunting, Ross.

The vertical filaments intensify the the centre of the beam giving better range as less light is lost off to the sides.

A "vertical filament gives a circular spot whilst a horizontal filament gives a slightly oval spot", this is a quote from the lightforce catalogue.

[len]

Ive never seen a lightforce catalogue, I now wish that I had then I would have none about this difference years ago

Thanks for providing the info and explanation Weihrauchpower

Cheers

Len

[Gigitt]

Hi Boong... I not from out west but since that is were the gun shops are one must travel. I do shop at HPGS and I did look at the scope mount adapter thay have - but it does not suit the Lightforce as the mounting bolt causes interference.

I bought the 170 Red filter at St Mary's Gun Range as HPGS did not have one... and also St Mary's Gun range was cheaper

Light force globes come in 2 different fillament design:

Horizontal filament - HF (left to right) creates a wider beam

Vertical filament - VF (front to back or up and down) created a spot beam

they also have differnt candle power - so swapping to a differnet bulb might increase the beam brightness.

Just make sure you do not over power you spotlight with a higher wattage bulb - halogen bulb generate a lot of heat and can melt the reflector and covers.

I bought a 100W VF globe at AgQuip from Uralla Sporting goods for $10.

And I Picked also up a Scope Mount Lightforce 170 cheaper than HPGS so now I can put the other recatangluar barrel mount spotlight away for handheld use now.

Most shops sell Lightforce globes for $15-20.

I called into J R Turk Electrical wholsalers... they do not carry the globe in stock but can order them in ... $19.45 excluding GST :0

More Info on Lightforce lights can be dowload from here: http://www.lightforce.net.au/tech.html including Technical Spec on Bulbs.

Cheers.

[Rossi]

Has anyone out there had much sucess with clip on filters for feral cats? I shoot a few on one of the propertys that I go to but they seem to be spooked really easy and fly off into the scrub the only way to shoot them now is maglite and the shotty. Which is great fun to but it would be nice to use the 223 from some distance.

[Gigitt]

Ok just an update.

I have been going out every night now for the last week with the Lightforce 170 scope mount and red clip on filter fitted to either the 22lr or a 22 Hornet.

I bought an extra scope mount and switching between guns takes only seconds.

Adjusting the vertical beam height is quick and easy when swapping the spotlight to another gun.

Range of Red filtered light is ~400m (measured by Google earth) with no moon.

(it could be further, 400m is just max paddock clearing I have to the forest tree line).

Yes I can see the tree line clearly at that distance without scope.

Sheep are clearly visible through 3-9x42 Sightron scope or 8x56 Karls at this distance.

I have spotted foxes in the grass and followed them as they traversed the paddock ~350-400m away with the scope. I have whislted them in to ~40m and already knocked 2 over this week.

No matter how far the fox is you will see the eyes clearly even if you cannot see the gound so eyes will be spotted greater than 400m.

The more the moon shines the Red light range is reduced as it harder to see ground at that range, but this will not affect seeing eyes.

If think that even a 75W or even lesser 50W will be great for 50m bunny busting.

Really great range with 100W globe easy 350-400m.

100W I think is abit too bright close in - but it has not stopped them being knocked over.

Using the clip on filters has only one problem - Back glare.

There is back glare from the filters edge. It is not reflection but light emitting from the polycarbonate edge that faces backwards just like fibre optics. This light bleeding backwards will affect you night vision if you spotlight from the hip or under shoulder. I'm not going to take the red flter off so I have just used black electrical tape to cover the edge and problem solved. If you are going to use clip on filters only sometimes, even clear filter, you can paint the edge with black paint even paint up around the lip of the filter to reduce this back glare.

I will also stop game seeing you as you are now not lit up as a christmas tree!

Cheers

[Maxx]

Sounds like your sold on the red filter then!