Bow-mounted light for bowfishing

[bowman15]

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h188/bowman55/Recurvewithlight.jpg?t=1176520978



Here's what I was telling Judd about; it's a tactical flashlight with a pressure switch. You can turn it on whenever you want just by pressing the switch with your thumb. I think it would be great for you bighead-hunters. You wouldn't need a spot light and you can turn the light on after you come to full-draw. I think the whole thing (I ordered a mount for it; the duct-tape was just a temporary-thing for pictures) will cost me lessthan $50.00.

What do you think?


I couldn't just post the pic. Sorry for the link.

[fishpoint]

That looks like a great idea. I never heard of a tactical flashlight; where do you get one?

[Bulzeye]

This is my area.
'Tactical' lights are intended for combat use by police, military, or anyone defending themselves. They are very bright, cast a perfectly white beam without any dim spots, and usually have a momentary switch on the tailcap for intermittent activation to light up the enemy without giving away your position like a constant-on light would. Soem can be had with remote pressure pads, like the one Steve is using. Great idea.

They are expensive, but nothing beats them for their intended application. They are often powered by lithium batteries which are capable of very high current output (for the brightest light for the size) and have very long shelf lives. Many of these lights have extra electronics in them to help regulate things so that you get maximum light output even when your batteries are running low.

The ones designed to be permanently mounted on guns are also insulated from the shock of recoil which would shatter a normal incandescent lamp's filament in a few shots. Some are using led's for extra reliability and for colored light, but have somewhat lower light levels.

When comparing brands, look for the lumen output. 65 of themis enough to temporarily blind someone in the dark, and is available in 6 volt lights that you can hide in your hand. If you want to upgrade, get a higher intensity lamp assembly or get a longer 9volt one that puts outover 100lumens.

SUREFIRE is the best, and has been making them for the longest.
http://www.surefire.com



There are many copies out there, and many are cheaper, most of them for good reason.



I want to put this bad boy on my bow. 3,000 lumens, and it only weighs 10 pounds! You can burn up the fish without actually shooting them.
http://www.surefire.com/maxexp/main/co_disp/displ/prrfnbr/24279/sesent/00

[Bulzeye]

Gun stores have them by the case, and you can find some of the led and colored light models in hunting and outdoors stores since they are becoming more popular with the outdoor crowd. (hence this topic).

[bowman15]

Judd, if you go on ebay and type in tactical flashlight, there will be a ton of them come up. Have you ever seen those SWAT guys going into a house with the flashlights and lasers mounted on their guns? That's a tactical flashlight. Also search for tactical flashlight mounts, and you'll get things come up that help you mount it to whatever you want it on.

The light I've got in the picture cost me $31.00 with shipping, is 80-lumens bright,water-proof to 30 feet, and shock proof, andsince I'll have it mounted on the end of my Torque-tamer stabilizer, the shock of shooting my bow won't hurt it. Heavy fish-arrows absorb lots of shock themselves.

[bowman15]

Here it is!

I got a reel seat last week cause I thought Mark and I were going out for bigheads tonight. I took a piece of aluminium bar stock, beveled the edges with a file, drilled and countersunk 2 holes in it, drilled and tapped 2 holes in the reel-seat and screwed it all together. The light is plenty bright, and I'm sure it will be great for bigheads. Hopefully, I'll be able to show if it is or not real soon.

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h188/bowman55/flashlightmounttomyreel-seat.jpg?t=1177761325
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h188/bowman55/closeupofmountingplate.jpg?t=1177761350

[robow7]

So how long do you think you can run that flashlight off a set of batteries before it dims significantly? I've got a hawg lite, any comparisons to that as far aslumen output goes? My Hawg lite eats up 9 volt batteries in a matter of minutes, even on and off down at KY, I need at least 3 9 volt batteries to make it thru the night. Really interested!

[bowman15]

I'm sorry Rob, but I haven't tried it yet. I don't know how long the batteries are good for. I know they last alot longer than a few minutes. And I think it's as bright as a Hawg-light. Mark has one very similar to the Hawg-light and he seen this one. Maybe he can say. It'll light up a room pretty good. Me and my wife tried it out at the creek and I saw a carp with it about 15 feet out.

Mark and I are going out to try for bigheads as soon as we can. The Illinois is pretty high right now, so this next week is out. But we'll have it posted all over when we go cause we're sure we're going to get into them. I'm pretty optimistic tho.

[Bulzeye]

Steve, that really is a sweet looking rig.
Make a few dozen of those things, and you're in business with the Danville crowd.