new moon tonight, and cloudy too!

I've been wanting to make an after-dark expedition to the local reservoir with a truck load of flashlights, and tonight seems perfect. No moon, no stars, just me and my M4 sporting an N62 lamp to conquer the night (and a box of SF 123's!). And the 9P/KT-2/MN16. And a Laser Devices LAS/TAC laser. Etc. Even luckier that the wife is out of town, so Beer and Smokes are on the supply manifest!

Watching blinded Armadillos run into Mesquite trees might seem tame to city folks, but here in West Tejas it's all we got after the sun goes down...

Paladin

Ah yes, great time to check all the lights. Have fun fellow Texan. Enjoy.




If wives would smoke and drink, life would be much more fun.......I think.

Wait for a cloudless, moonless night. clouds reflect more light back and you can actually see out in the woods fairly well on a cloudy night. Either way, have fun and post some beamshots!

Low clouds would have reflected too much light from city lights. Sometimes, lights aren't even needed as a result.

Looking back towards town a glow was visible, but when I shut off my headlights it was too dark to run around in the brush. Not coal mine dark, but close enough.

The P90 and P91 lamps work swell in town, and light up my yard past 25 yards without effort. But out in the big world, they seemed very impotent.

The 9P/KT-2/MN16 throws almost as well as the M4/N62 combo! Only when trying to observe 75 to 125 yards where the river began a bend was the M4 superior. At intermediate ranges around 50 to 75 yards, the hot spot illumination was almost identical, with the M4 having a greater expanse of side spill. Paradoxically, the 9P/KT-2/MN16's lesser side spill makes it easier to see what is IN the distant hot spot, due to less "back-splash" from objects between the light and target.

What surprised me was how well the M4 spotted parked vehicles in the dark. Turn signal and tail light reflectors show up at distances well past 300 yards. I shined my vehicle headlights on a distant structure, and determined the M4 to be MORE EFFECTIVE than the low beams, but not as effective as the high beams.

I need to pace off the length of the boat ramp parking lot. I'm guessing maybe 75 yards long. The 9P/KT-2/MN16 has a red filter that is highly overrated. When in place eye reflections from critters might be enhanced, but the human eye doesn't see worth a darn. Maybe 50 yards effective range with the filter in place.

No batteries blew up. No shutdowns occurred, but that was because 20 seconds holding an M4 while pushing the tailcap is plenty long to observe and identify potential targets. I regularly put 10 rounds down range in under a minute (on target too!), so a 20 second "window of opportunity" is enough time to observe and identify a target while calculating the shoot/no shoot decision.

No animals were blinded. A pair of "love birds" may have been concerned about being abducted by Aliens though, did I mention how well the M4 can spotlight distant vehicles. I had a great time at any rate, and will be making a more frequent "nuisance" of myself out there in the future...

Paladin

Your willing to dash through your CR123A stockpile for fun..jeez,

Money is no option to you...wheesh, I wish i had that kind of luxury...

Without putting some burn time and field use on these lights there would be no point in owning them. And getting out in the real world to determine their capabilities can be very illuminating.

Having compared the N62 and MN16 out there was a great lesson in diminishing returns, as at a certain point greater brightness increases the back splash from mist/dust in the air and nearby foilage to where your visibilty is not improved, but actually becomes worse. Well worth the price of 7 cells, which still measured 2.9 volts back at the house. N62 was still drawing 3.7 to 3.5 amps, the MN16 about 2.4 amps. Enough energy left for another foray tonight...

Paladin

Good point, all material will decompose over time anyway...Might as well runn them when conditions are ideal, its like starting up that vintage beetle of yours to exercise the engine a bit...

I think I have that condition at the moment...

Central florida, cloudy, high jet stream...but choked full of smoke by wildfires...
cough cough

Oh well...now or never
with only two lights the INOVA XO, and the SL Jr Lux...

thanks for the idea, ill be outside in awhile; it is currently 15 after 10 EST