Mounting Lamps to Scopes. Good or bad idea?

Vegeta

I was thinking of mounting a lamp on the scope of my rifle for some night time action. Does anyone know can this harm/damage the scope???

I've seen a few people here with it done so I am just looking for some info on it

cold_filter

why don't you buy some NVG's and use an infrared targeter?

Vegeta

cold_filter wrote:

why don't you buy some NVG's and use an infrared targeter?

I'd love a NV scope rather than goggles but I think they are a) illegal and b) very very expensive

Umiq88

and sucks most things under €1000 will let you shoot up to 150yards max and cant be used in daytime.

Theres at least 3 people on the forum i know of have lightforces mounted on their scopes theres a S&B and another with a nightforce. I doubt these people would use them if they thought they'd do damage or continue to use them. From what ive heard lightforce 140 would be the best combo of range and size and good to 250 which will let you see the target clearly can prob shine for eyes out to 400.

maglite

you can use NV scopes during the dAY the cap cover has a small hole in it which lets enought light through

not illegal but you need a permit simular to that of a moderator

Rovi

Apart from the mechanics of actually mounting a lamp on a scope, which I'm sure are well sorted out and of no cause for concern, I'm somewhat uncomfortable with the whole notion of having a firearm pointed in the same direction as the lamp at all times while the operator is 'looking around'.
Loaded or unloaded, safety on or off, is of little comfort and is utterly unknown if it's me or someone/something of value to me that's swept by the light.

Where does 'Never point a firearm at anything you're not willing to shoot' come into all of this?

Is it not the same sort of thing as using a mounted riflescope as a monocular?
I know I don't want that being done to me or mine.

This gets debated regularly on U.S. forums, where people can legally have home and personal defence weapons and the subject of weapon mounted lights comes up.

johngalway

Vegeta, what calibre are you going to be shooting with and what range? I've got a Lightforce 140 lamp mounted on my Nightforce scope. If I could do it over again I'd get a Lightforce 170 with a dimmer switch and a bigger battery than my (poxy) 14ah, but you live and learn. I use my set up after foxes at night. I find that the 140 won't reach out far enough for my liking to identify the fox at longer ranges, (to whom it concerns... please note I said identify not shoot at).

As for scope damage there are two things I'd say to you. First being don't get out the power tools to tighten the lamp bracket to the scope with and second if you're that uncomfortable with the possibility of your scope getting marked perhaps get some material to place between the scope and lamp bracket which would take any marks out of the question. Honestly I don't know if my scope is marked or not from the lamp bracket as I've not taken it off the scope since first putting it on!

On nightvision, a gun mounted nightvision scope needs to be licenced as far as I am aware, while handheld or goggles are ok as they come AFAIK (standing by to be corrected on the goggles bit of that). But you're right on the expensive bit for the good ones!

Trojan911

Vegeta wrote:

I was thinking of mounting a lamp on the scope of my rifle for some night time action. Does anyone know can this harm/damage the scope???

Vegeta,

The only thing I would warn against as well is try not to bang the lamp while attached to the scope. I did it once and had to re-zero.


TJ911...

jimbo 22

Bought lightforce 140 two weeks ago

Once i opened the box i found that the mounting bracket was oversize for my 3x9x50 Hawke Scope.

I didnt want to waste time so i made my own nylon bushing in A lathe to bridge the gap... So rember to check it Fits your scope B4 you buy unless u have a lathe at your disposal!!!!

You ll also have to cut the fag lighter attachement which is a bit annoying - god dame lazy ozzies - squeese two push on connections to fit your battery.

Performance wise excellent lamp one of best ive used.

not v.user friendly tho the bracket mounting system sucks especially if u intend on attaching and detaching it. Its next to impossible to do it in the dark especially if theres a fox starring at you :mad:

Being the shooting freak that i am i already re designed my own one week later!!!


I wont say how it works intelect property and all the rest... basically i came up with a system that in the dark you can mount and dismount the lamp with ease and also use it for general purposes...

attached is a photorealistic render i done in Cinema 4d

Any comments always welcome:D

Happy Hunting

Jimbo

Vegeta

Rovi wrote:

Where does 'Never point a firearm at anything you're not willing to shoot' come into all of this?

To clear this up a bit, before I'd ever go lamping i'd scout out the fields in daylight. The land I hunt on I know pretty well but i'd still have to ensure that no livestock have been moved onto it or anything like that

johngalway

Took the Lightforce bracket off my Nightforce last night, no marks at all Put it on sometime in november I think.

Vegeta

johngalway wrote:

Took the Lightforce bracket off my Nightforce last night, no marks at all Put it on sometime in november I think.

I wouldn't be too worried about marking the scope as its not the most expensive *cough Bushnell cough*, its damage to the functionality of the scope. The Lightforce look pretty heavy and I was afraid it'd crimp the scope tube or something like that

So if they are safe and when treated with care don't damage the scope, what would people suggest brand wise? Lightforce is being thrown around quite a bit, the 170 model is it??

spideog7

Does that not take up alot of room in the Gun safe ??

Vegeta

spideog7 wrote:

Does that not take up alot of room in the Gun safe ??

if I put on a lamp it wont fit

does anyone have any suggestions for a large safe that fits a rifle with a lamp, 2 air rifles and 2 shotguns. I think i'll start a thread on this actually

johngalway

I really could be missing something bloody obvious here, so excuse me if I am, but eh why not just slide the lamp off the rifle before putting the rifle into the safe?!

Vegeta

johngalway wrote:

I really could be missing something bloody obvious here, so excuse me if I am, but eh why not just slide the lamp off the rifle before putting the rifle into the safe?!

some of them screw on don't they, i would have thought putting it on and taking it off over and over to be worse than just leaving it on there.

I suppose when I clean the rifle when I get home I could take it off.

I could do with a bigger gun safe anyway though as it is getting very tricky to put all the guns in and out. My last shotgun was a beautiful side by side but my brother scratched the sh1te out of the stock taking it out of the safe one day.

johngalway

I was talking about Lightforce scope mounted lamps Excuse me (again) if I'm saying the obvious here but there's a small bracket that is fixed to the scope. On that bracket there's a rail, this rail corresponds to the underside of the scope mounted lamps. So you can slide the lamp on and off as often as you like

Hezz700

Vegeta wrote:

does anyone have any suggestions for a large safe that fits a rifle with a lamp, 2 air rifles and 2 shotguns.

dunno if they still stocking them but, Woodies DIY were selling excellent safes with storage for 12 guns for 300quid. they have a keycode panel and 2 key locks and i think with 8 or 10 locking points on the door.

Vegeta

Hezz700 wrote:

dunno if they still stocking them but, Woodies DIY were selling excellent safes with storage for 12 guns for 300quid. they have a keycode panel and 2 key locks and i think with 8 or 10 locking points on the door.

that would be very decent if I could get one. I'll see if they have a web site