Shotgun mounted light needed. DIY suggestions?

Wasn't sure where to post this, but was hoping some of you who are more knowledgeable on all that creates light, would take a look at this new light Cabelas has put their brand name on, and give me some feedback.

I've been looking for the perfect gun light, and this new design seems to come closer to what I was looking for, as far as output/batery life/size/weight, BUT...

1. They need to make the mount more flexible. This one includes a plastic "clip" to mount it on a 1" or 30mm scope tube. This might be ok for some, but I can't use a light on a rifle while hunting in my state. I CAN however, use a shotgun, although I wouldn't put a scope on a shotgun when shooting lead shot. The light needs to (at a minumum) include a way to mount it on a picatinny (weaver) rail. It should also include a non-marring "clamp" system to attach it to the underside of a 12ga shotgun barrel or somethign even larger.

2. For $120, it sounds bright (500 lumens), but lacks some of the various features that make most LED flashlights so flexible nowdays. It doesn't have any brightness adjustments, or lower power modes to save the batteries.

3. It runs on (4) CR-132 batteries, which I understand can interchange with nonchargeables, but for the size of the thing, it looks like they might as well have used 4-8 AA's, and it would have been cool if it could use 14500's.

I've thought about figuring out a way to mount a TK40 on my guns, as it looks like a nice balance of size vs output, but wanted to run this by you guys on here first. The TK40 sounds like it may have a longer throw than some other LED lights. I'll have to rig some kind of red gel filter on a flashlight, but that would be fine with me. Do you guys know of some other ~600 lumen or higher lights that are around the same size as the TK40, and have features I mentioned above? Looking for suggestions on a solution for scanning the horizon for eyes, while night hunting with a shotgun, and not having to hold the light. I want to see eyes at 400 yards and positively ID a Coyote vs far dog at 200 yards. A little 120 lumen flashlight in one of the many gun mounts available isn't going to cut it.

Thanks for reading all that!

BabaOriley said:

I've thought about figuring out a way to mount a TK40 on my guns, as it looks like a nice balance of size vs output, but wanted to run this by you guys on here first. The TK40 sounds like it may have a longer throw than some other LED lights. I'll have to rig some kind of red gel filter on a flashlight, but that would be fine with me. Do you guys know of some other ~600 lumen or higher lights that are around the same size as the TK40, and have features I mentioned above? Looking for suggestions on a solution for scanning the horizon for eyes, while night hunting with a shotgun, and not having to hold the light. I want to see eyes at 400 yards and positively ID a Coyote vs far dog at 200 yards. A little 120 lumen flashlight in one of the many gun mounts available isn't going to cut it.

Click to expand...

Dont confuse lumens with lux. Lumens is the sum of total light output whilst Lux is the intensity of the brightest part of the beam, the hotspot. A light bulb may produce 1500 lumens but it isnt going to throw very far

the Tk40 puts out a lot of light but isnt considered to be the brightest thrower. The Dereelight DBS or Tiablo A10 would be more suitable and a lot easier to mount to a firearm. To ID pest animals at long distance I like to use an aspherical lens type of light such as the Tiablo A9, I have one fitted with a red Cree emitter (no need for a filter) and much brighter

cheers

BabaOriley said:

Looking for suggestions on a solution for scanning the horizon for eyes, while night hunting with a shotgun, and not having to hold the light. I want to see eyes at 400 yards and positively ID a Coyote vs far dog at 200 yards. A little 120 lumen flashlight in one of the many gun mounts available isn't going to cut it.

Click to expand...

I'm not entirely sure you could do this with one light. Something handheld size that can make a positive ID at two hundred is likely to have a very pointy beam close up at shotgun shooting range. I hunt foxes, cats and bunnies on foot with both a rifle and a shotgun (not usually at the same time though I did carry both one day) and find I need a much wider spread of light for the shotgun (being as it's almost always used for running shots) than I prefer for the rifle.

JaguarDave-in-Oz said:

...is likely to have a very pointy beam close up at shotgun shooting range.

Click to expand...

Good point. I guess some side spill would be important, and if the spot is too intense, at close range it could wash out the target. ?

I have never hunted predators with a light, only by the light of the full moon. I'm trying to take from what I've read and figure out what light I want, and hopefully get it right the first time. What I was thinking on the long throw beam was to start out with overkill, that way when I put on a red filter it's just right.

What do guys think of that Cabelas light?

I'll be looking into those suggestions lightfrce2. Thanks

I have a Surefire forearm mount for my Mossberg 12 ga. It was more expensive than the gun!

I'm glad now to be able to upgrade it to an LED.

Meanwhile, my thoughts on this are:

How it activates is important. You don't want to have it on constantly if there is a burglar issue. The intuitive grip switch of the standard models is good. Beware of wires that can get snagged.

Bright is good. For blinding and disorienting. You don't want lots of fancy adustments, of have it unexpectedly stribing when you need to identify a target.

On the other hand, a tiny LED that lets you see in the dark with adapted eyes is proabbly good enough.

Don't plan to use a weapon-mounted flashlight as you would a normal flashlight. You are never to point your gun at soemthing you haven't already identified and are ready to shoot.

I'm wondering if the faster "instant" on time of an LED will provide an even more dazzling affect on an intruder than would the fraction of a second an incandescent takes to fully illuminate?

GJ bumping a two year old thread.

Genoan said:

I'm wondering if the faster "instant" on time of an LED will provide an even more dazzling affect on an intruder than would the fraction of a second an incandescent takes to fully illuminate?

Click to expand...

Most incans get to full bright faster than you can blink.

I'd rather duct tape a trustworthy light to my shotgun than pay 200$ for a light with a plastic mount.

Just my opinion. But I do not think a shotgun requires extreme throw for defensive use. If your using buck shot 20 yards or so is the maximum distance before spread makes errant pellets make liability an issue. Slugs can easily be used longer distance. For home defense anything from about 80 lumens up should work. I am planning on testing a Klarus XT2C with pressure switch on a home defense- patrol shotgun and see how it holds up.

madecov said:

Just my opinion. But I do not think a shotgun requires extreme throw for defensive use. If your using buck shot 20 yards or so is the maximum distance before spread makes errant pellets make liability an issue. Slugs can easily be used longer distance. For home defense anything from about 80 lumens up should work. I am planning on testing a Klarus XT2C with pressure switch on a home defense- patrol shotgun and see how it holds up.

Click to expand...

Did you ever mount the XT2C. I am planning to get a mount as well.

BFOSTER said:

Did you ever mount the XT2C. I am planning to get a mount as well.

Click to expand...

I put a few rounds of 00 and slugs down range. The light held up fine and there was no flickering. It's actually a good size for a shotgun and provides more than enough lite for home defense.

madecov said:

I put a few rounds of 00 and slugs down range. The light held up fine and there was no flickering. It's actually a good size for a shotgun and provides more than enough lite for home defense.

Click to expand...

Cool, I plan on mounting on mossy 500. But i have been told the diameter of the tube make a mount that fits well hard to find. I am pretty well confined to Internet ordering where i live, so trial and error of well fitting mounts could be a tiring process. SO what mount did you find?

madecov said:

I put a few rounds of 00 and slugs down range. The light held up fine and there was no flickering. It's actually a good size for a shotgun and provides more than enough lite for home defense.

Click to expand...

would it still hold up after shooting more than "a few rounds"?

It's a bit old, but check this out:

I have a newer one-piece Solarforce L2 with a 200 lumen Neoseikan Malkoff M60 clone drop-in mounted to my Remington 870 using a magazine extension brace to hold it onto the extended magazine. Works great. The light has a reverse-clicky: put your thumb on it, push forward to click, pull back on the slide and the light turns on as you rack the slide. Just make sure you don't hit the button again when you push forward on the slide or else it's lights out.

Depends on your definition of a few rounds
I put about 50 rounds of double aught and 20 rounds of slugs down range with the light. That does not mean it couldn't fail at number 51or 21. My TLR-1 has 235rounds through with it. It might fail at 236.
As for a mount, Brownells has the brand light mount technologies and they are a great light mount for shotguns. I have hundreds of rounds down range withis mount and it has never shifted ormovedunder recoil.