aiming with a flashlight?

[someguy2800]

This may sound a bit crazy but hear me out.

I occasionally have to shoot varmints and critters around my place at night. Coons, skunks, and the like getting in our bird feeders or the neighbors chickens. I was just thinking that alot of good flashlights have kind of a dual beam feature that has a narrow spot in the center of the beam that can be focused down to like a 1 foot spot at 15 yards. I was just thinking if you mounted that on a 22 rifle and were able to aim the center of focus of the light, you could use that for effective aiming at short range at night. Just center the beam on the offending critter and pull the trigger. Does anybody make such a thing?

 

[jmr40]

They make various mounts that allow a light to be mounted to either the scope, or barrel.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/2...light-kit-with-1-rifle-scope-ring-mount-matte

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1...-3-4-diameter-barrel-to-1-diameter-flashlight

 

[someguy2800]

Specifically what I was wondering is if anybody makes something that can be zero'd to direct the center of the flashlight beam to point of impact.

 

[LoonWulf]

Why not get one of light Laser combos? I have a cheap one I use on my rat pistol, and it's been great.

 

[imashooter]

You can treat a light much like a red dot, etc for the most part keeping in mind that depending on the target you might experience anomalies such light dispersion, etc. But yeah it's doable with a consistent, narrow-beamed light source. Zero the hotspot like you would anything else. Sometimes I use a red dot against armadillos and such but I mostly use a laser. Visible lasers are very useful in low-light plus you have no need to aim the weapon in a traditional sense. Illuminate the target and fire. Just for the heck of it one night, I had an armadillo about 15 yards or so down and away from my 5ft. high front porch. This particular laser was / is on a 10/22. Wanting to see how dialed in I had the laser, I swung the rifle behind my butt with the side of the rifle near my lower butt / rear thighs junction. Lit the dillo up and fired. Hit. Lasers definitely have utility.

 

[Varminterror]

Specifically what I was wondering is if anybody makes something that can be zero'd to direct the center of the flashlight beam to point of impact.

It could be done by mounting a 1” or 30mm diameter body light in a Burris Signature Zee ring, or pair of rings. The ring inserts have a toroidal profile, and can be tilted in the ring itself. If it doesn’t hold firm enough for your liking, then a guy could use two rings and use the offset inserts to “aim” the light. Up, down, side to side. They could do all of it for you. I’ve done so with a small 4x AAA LED flashlight, 1” dia, ~3” long. Held just fine.

 

[someguy2800]

It could be done by mounting a 1” or 30mm diameter body light in a Burris Signature Zee ring, or pair of rings. The ring inserts have a toroidal profile, and can be tilted in the ring itself. If it doesn’t hold firm enough for your liking, then a guy could use two rings and use the offset inserts to “aim” the light. Up, down, side to side. They could do all of it for you. I’ve done so with a small 4x AAA LED flashlight, 1” dia, ~3” long. Held just fine.

That is a perfect idea, good thinking! I am going to try that.

 

[Bushpilot]

I've had a flash light mounted to one of my shotguns for years for just that purpose. It's clamped right on the side of the barrel. Works great for getting rid of varmints at night. Just point the flashlight at them and shoot.

 

[The Earl o Sammich]

Set traps. ....in a 55 gallon drum. Put the appropriate bait/seed in front of a live trap in the 55 gallon drum. If you catch your dog, let him go. If you catch a skunk, throw a blanket over the end, back you car up to the 55 gallon drum, run a vacuum cleaner hose from tail pipe to under the blanket and go have a cup of coffee.

 

[DeanV]

FWIW, I got rid of a family of raccoons in our chimney when I was a kid by taping a mag light to the bottom of a Crosman B.B. gun barrel and aiming with the light.

 

[bearcreek]

The problem would be that you'd be limited to almost exactly the distance at which you zero'd the light. Anything closer or further away wouldn't be very accurate. Why not just mount a light on the gun and use the iron sights or optic?

 

[Fine Figure of a Man]

With a scoped 22 I've shot a lot of pests at night with a flashlight taped to or held against the forearm.

 

[Dr T]

Over 50 years ago, I shot my 22's a lot. So much, that I was shooting my instinct (no sights). One winter we got our spending money by shooting ringtails at night out on the ranch. The equipment was a headlamp and the 22. The drill was use the headlamp to light up the eyes and point the gun between them. It worked well out to about 30 feet.

The thing is, you have to know your 22 very, very well.

 

[shoobe01]

Not sure why you'd want to aim with the light. There were contraptions to help with this (give dots, crosshairs, etc) in the 60s and 70s, but then we invented lasers, got RDS, got better iron sights, etc.

Light will let you see and ID the target. Use sights to aim. Iron sights (good ones, a ghost ring and big front) will be easy to use with a lit target.

Quicker yet will be a red dot sight. Decent ones are cheap, so should not be an issue there.

If you think keeping the head off the stock is important, get a decent quality red laser. Research a bit and see if you can get a light/laser combo that won't break the bank (TLR-2 maybe) and then you get both with one button push, no fumbling around.

 

[Officers'Wife]

Hmm, sounds like a certain unnamed idiot that shall remain my brother that will tape a small light to the barrel of an air rifle to shoot sparrows out in the barn. Considering the small population of said pests he's either very successful or the sparrows are so annoyed at being woke up in the middle of the night they leave.