The weapon: Savage 340 Remington .222 (AKA critter killer)
The goal: Shoot them darn critters attacking the garden at night. And as a bonus, snag them coyotes as well. The kitty cat has held out fine for now but she's probably pushing her luck.
The kill zone: The garden is about 100 meters (trying to conform to international standards) from the house. Coyotes would normally be further and I would still like a fighting chance at them, however, within and around the garden is priority.
The budget: hmmm.... about $50 or maybe up to $60 (I won't feel bad pushing the limits of the budget)
So what exactly should I be looking for? (i.e. emitter type, reflector size that still mounts well on a rifle, impact durability). Since it's not a big caliber I imagine impact won't be as much of a factor. I'm not looking to pinch pennies on this setup but I'm still keeping it in the "budget" realm. I know I'll need a remote pressure switch and obviously single mode. So what do you guys recommend?
Just about anything works good. A 501B or A is a good choice with a Q5 for throw. Just make sure you have dual springs, driver and tail cap. Here is a great laser I have two and have sold a couple to friends. It is a 20mW but it's marked as a 5mW so no problems with customs.
So the reflector on a P60 with a Q5 will throw adequately at that distance?
Even a C8 type light with that reflector size would seem to work. Also, I would be using a scope and mounting on the bottom of the barrel so I don't see how I'd get reflection off the front sight. I was hoping a P60 would work because that would give me more options to get what I want and I also get to play more :) But I haven't experimented with throw oriented emitters (just larger reflectors) so I wouldn't know if the P60 would be adequate or advantageous.
I too have a Skyline 1 and it lacks with 18650s as it like 6v for full power. I even have modded an extra SL1 module with a XR-E green and am happier with the 501B green from DX (ad says K2 but are sent with xre) with an aspherical and a 1400ma driver for distance and max power.
I have an XRE R2 single mode on mine and it has plenty of throw with a P60 reflector out to 100 yards. It does not put out a wall of light like an XML but it lights up everything you see through the scope no problem. If you can find an R2 it is a little better than a Q5 I have no clue what a K2 is. Here is a couple drop ins an XPG with a bigger reflector is awesome if you have an offset mount to make it fit. DX has been extremely slow lately I would avoid them right now.
Well, porcupines are the main problem and the coyotes seem to leave them alone more than they do the rabbits and such. Killing coyotes isn't because they're a nuisance on the garden but rather the deer. He likes to attract all the deer he can to his property. Same with turkey's. He pretty much has a petting zoo now with wild turkey's, haha.
E1320,
What mount are you using and where did you buy it? I see you have a laser mounted under the barrel. Per bob's recommendation and your application I may have to look into that.
As far as mounting systems go I ordered one of everything when I first discovered DX. You really want the laser on the barrel or it won't be accurate at distance, but the recoil is bad for it. The laser I recommended has double spring floating mount so the laser floats in the horizontal plane on springs to absorb the recoil. Mounting the light as far away from the sights as possible makes the scope the perfect spot. I thought about switching them around and using a 504B on the barrel with a sharpened strike bezel but setting the laser at 100 yards took forever, so I don't want to mess with it. Blue Loctite is your friend here or Teflon tape on threads to keep them from loosening. The laser I recommended comes with the mount I am using.
OP reflector is not ideal for that kind of distance in fact if you are going to use a P-60 drop in you are going to want to adjust the reflector in or out to get the tightest beam and an aspherical lens is also a great help going for that kind of distance.
FYI: Coyotes are very robust animals and can be rabid, a bolt gun is not ideal for shooting them at night. Give yourself plenty of distance for a second shot and like Bob said a laser is not a bad idea. I saw a coyote take half a clip of .223 before going down so make sure you have a good kill zone shot before you commit.
Here is another mount I really like the great feature of this mount is if you have some scope mounts you can put them on different lights or lasers and then switch them easily.
Now I'm getting interested in the green. How well does it work for throw? I've never tried to light up anything with a green LED at a considerable distance.
I have never seen a robust coyote unless it is a coy-dog. A well placed shot with a bolt gun will easily take one down with one shot. I wouldn't even mind using my 17hmr for a head shot. If you are shooting anything larger then lets say a .22, one shot will most defiantly suffice. The .222 Remington is one hell of a round, we are talking about >3000 fps depending on bullet weight. I have thought about mounting my UF 980 on my 17hmr to handle the ground hogs and the ever encroaching Armadillos.
There was a pelt at the camp were my snowmobile club meets in the northern part of the state that came from a coyote weighing close to 120lbs, I guess this explains why.
"A study showed that of 100 coyotes collected in Maine, 22 had half or more wolf ancestry, and one was 89% wolf."
I think every state has there own problem with interbreeding. I never heard of a coy dog until you mentioned it but I did here they were breading with wolves. Which would explain the size difference in southern and western states.
I would love to see a 980L rifle mounted, it has the double springs so it would be perfect. I still prefer my 7.62 with at least a twenty shot clip for hunting coyotes at night.
I guess the inherent benefit of using a P60 light is you'll get the double springs. Do any of the C8 lights have a spring at the emitter end? That size of light (along with the 980L) seems to be the sweet spot for mounting on a rifle in terms of size capability and throw.
I might not be able to spend as much on the light now that I just HAVE to try the laser as well! :)
I can only speak about coyotes in TN because apparently I was wrong to think that they were all about the same through out the country. Anyhow if you see a 50-60lb coyote around my area you have seen a big coyote. They are scavengers for the most part so they don't always get the nutrition they need to be more than skin and bones.
If any of you have read my PT led posts, this is next. Ordered a TR1200 tube/no emitter & pigtail switch from MF and some 4200ma NiMH 18650 sized batteries last week for direct drive. Have an extra 50mm aspherical and red PT54. Have some copper just need to get the bits and measure focal length and machine to spec. Best guess is about 400(?) lumen. I’ll post pics when finished.
