The editor lights up the night with a new lamp from Remington
credit: Archant
With the summer months upon us, the rabbit population is huge, so it’s a great time to be out at night harvesting this year’s threequarter-grown ones that make the best eating. Airguns don’t need huge lamps and the current generation of lightweight yet powerful lights offer everything the mobile airgun hunter could want. This new model from Remington has all the features you could need in one neat and affordable package.
It’s a common mistake to use as bright a light as you can find, but experienced hunters will tell you to use only the barest minimum amount that gives you reflected ‘eye shine’ and for this reason, the Remington TACTLED offers two power levels. The brighter one can be used to scan ahead to find where the rabbits are, and once you’ve closed in you can use the lower power setting to make your shot. However, you need to be careful not to switch on the strobe accidentally, which would alert the whole farm to your location.
A proper gun light
This neat little kit has an aluminium body ‘flashlight’ as the Americans like to call a torch. This feels tough and has ‘O’ rings on the joints to keep the weather out. It is attached to your scope with what I call ‘a split figure-of-eight’ clamp which is for 1” body scopes. It has six bolts, so clamps on securely, something I feel is important. Mounts that slip are frustrating when they move, and shine the light in the wrong place. They can also damage your scope, so they’re best avoided.
The thing that makes this a proper gun light for me is the remote tail-cap switch. This fits in place of the standard cap and features a pressure switch that can be mounted anywhere on your rifle that suits you. Most people place it along the side of the fore end so that you can press it with the thumb of your leading hand whilst you’re on aim.
The kit was supplied with two Cr123a batteries, which give very high output for their minimal size, but I’d advise changing to a single, rechargable 18650 battery if you use your lamp regularly. It’ll save you lots of money in the long run. This is a smart little kit that’s just right for airgun use and is well worth a look.