Bore light...to illuminate the bore

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donparadowski

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I have heard that there is some sort of...I think it was a Christmas tree light. Some sort of battery and LED light self contained small enough to turn on, and drop down a bore of a breech loader in order to illuminate the bore for inspection purposes.

Anyone hear of such a device?
 
I use a bore light I bought off ebay from $15 and put a cotton ball in front to reflect light for a much better picture.

Type into ebay search 9mm bore light.
 
If you have a smartphone, look at this:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B014W2PT7A?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00

It is a USB endoscope you can use to inspect the bore of .30-cal+ firearms. The camera is 7mm wide. It has its own LED lighting on the camera. There is also a 5.5mm version (maybe from another brand.)

Here are some videos from it:

A "clean enough" AR-10:

http://www.fasthavoc.net/linkedimage/guns/160120_085652.mp4

A dirty Tikka T3:
http://www.fasthavoc.net/linkedimage/guns/160120_085346.mp4

An M1903 that has been shooting corrosive ammo since 1917 (I kept the barrel on it, bacause it still shoots 3" groups!):
http://www.fasthavoc.net/linkedimage/guns/160120_090717.mp4
 
Ive used a small piece or mirror glass, with a small spot of the reflective backing scraped of in the center. Angle the mirror to reflect alight source down the barrel, and look through the hole.

You can see a lot with just a strong light shined down the bore and looking past the edge of the light.

The little lights that can drop down the bore are nice though.
 
I have built some very tiny lights for ice fishing. I got the smallest batteries made and the very very very small led's that are now surface soldered on to computer boards. (I am a PC Tech). They were small with a hook attached to be bait for panfish. I will have to dig around to see if I can find them. Or I can make some more and send you a couple. When I find the stuff I can get you more specs.
 
OK, I just made one. Uses 3, AG0 batteries and a led. It is 0.27" x 0.6". The one I just made has no switch. You have to fiddle with the wire to get it to turn on. I am testing it now to see how long the batteries will last. This one is made with heat shrink tubing so the batteries are not replaceable. I could develop one that has a switch and replaceable batteries. But seeing as though it took me 15 minutes to make this one, unless I was to go into production it would be too time consuming. This one drops down a 9mm handgun. I don't have a 30 cal to test to see if it will fit into that. But it surely will fit into a .45 or .50 cal muzzle loader.
 
There's the brass one for .45 caliber and up marketed by Traditions and some others.

Then you have a myriad of lighted scopes with long cords that drop down into barrels of all sizes, I bought mine from Amazon.

Finally, but by no means the end, there are small lights similar to the first mentioned used by fisherman that also drop into the bore.

The first two satisfy all of my needs for cleaning and inspection.
 
Traffer said:
OK, I just made one. Uses 3, AG0 batteries and a led. It is 0.27" x 0.6". The one I just made has no switch. You have to fiddle with the wire to get it to turn on. I am testing it now to see how long the batteries will last. This one is made with heat shrink tubing so the batteries are not replaceable. I could develop one that has a switch and replaceable batteries. But seeing as though it took me 15 minutes to make this one, unless I was to go into production it would be too time consuming. This one drops down a 9mm handgun. I don't have a 30 cal to test to see if it will fit into that. But it surely will fit into a .45 or .50 cal muzzle loader.
Click to expand...
If you want to sell them, I'll buy a couple.
 
I made one out of a 9mm shell. I drilled the primer hole, tapped it for an 8-32 screw to serve as a switch.

Has worked well and the batteries last years. But it doesn't fit into a 32 or 36 cal... So I bought some lure lights from Sportsman's Warehouse. Disposable super tiny bore lights.
 
Prairie Dawg referenced the lite you are asking about.
Thill Nite Brite. Work well and under $4.00.
Most sporting goods stores have them in the fishing section.
 
I gave up on bore lights after 3 purchases and bad results. I now use appropriate size 1 inch sections of steel bolts, polished to mirror gloss on one end and wrapped in tape. Slide these down the bore and shine a Minnie Mag light on them and the bores light up like a Christmas tree. Never have to worry about batteries, bulbs or falling apart like I used to.
 
OcelotZ3 said:
I made one out of a 9mm shell. I drilled the primer hole, tapped it for an 8-32 screw to serve as a switch.

Has worked well and the batteries last years. But it doesn't fit into a 32 or 36 cal... So I bought some lure lights from Sportsman's Warehouse. Disposable super tiny bore lights.
Click to expand...
Good Idea! have some 32acp and 25acp brass. I am going to try the 25 first. "The AG0 batteries are .223". If they fit in a 25acp I will use that. If not I will go to a 32.
 
Although I have a bore light you can save yourself money by just putting a piece of white paper on one end of the barrel and reflecting light off of it. It is surprisingly bright. However, if you do not have a source of light to reflect (a flashlight will do), then get a bore light. They are not expensive and are good for the range where the light is low.
 
I just use the 45 degree plastic rod from a long ago discarded bore light. Any light source on the end will light up the bore.
 
+1

This is getting way more complicated then it needs to be if you have an open breach firearm.

Here is a Browning 2-AA cell bore light with run down battery's.
Shining in a light tube pocket pocket bore illuminator.
Reflected out of a GI issue M1 Garand bore mirror.

image.jpg


See how simple it can be!!

For that matter, I have stuck my thumbnail or a white piece of paper in the open breech and reflected light off it up the bore at gun shows since I was old enough to worry about such things.

rc
 
Last edited:
Oh man. BREECHLOADER? You can get about 15 different kinds of lights at Dollar Tree. For ...... wait for it......A dollar! I modified one and attached a magnet. I just stick it on the barrel (either in the breech or the muzzle) and viola. Lighted bore.
 
I am however making a drop in bore light for muzzle loaders. Making from a 25 ACP. You can drop it down a 30 caliber rifle. In case anyone out there has a 30 cal muzzle loader.
 
"This is getting way more complicated then it needs to be if you have an open breach firearm."

If it has an open breech, just hold the breech end up to any light source and look down the barrel, no gizmos needed.
Being in the Black Powder section, I never considered this to be a post about anything other than a closed-breech muzzleloader.
 
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