Need a longer throw weapon light...

[lobstradomus]

Thanks for the info! I will check into this. I've been on the site recently and most of the technology jargon might as well be in French for me!

Since we know what light you have and what its rated at in terms of candela and beam distance, if you give us what you think it's actual usable distance is for where you are and what you want to do we can probably work out what kind of candela rating your new light will need in order to achieve your goals.

For instance, your current light is rated at 183 meters, if it offers enough illumination at that distance for you then you will probably be OK with any light rated at around 40kcd+. However, at 183 meters your current light only illuminates an object roughly the same amount as a full moon would -not great and probably not enough for your needs.

If you think that your current light is bright enough for what you want it to do at only 100 meters, with a bit of maths we can then estimate that you will need a light with peak candela up around 128kcd which for a hand held light is definitely in the territory of the custom jobs by Vinh or OSTS as mentioned before.

[simonsez]

Since we know what light you have and what its rated at in terms of candela and beam distance, if you give us what you think it's actual usable distance is for where you are and what you want to do we can probably work out what kind of candela rating your new light will need in order to achieve your goals.

For instance, your current light is rated at 183 meters, if it offers enough illumination at that distance for you then you will probably be OK with any light rated at around 40kcd+. However, at 183 meters your current light only illuminates an object roughly the same amount as a full moon would -not great and probably not enough for your needs.

If you think that your current light is bright enough for what you want it to do at only 100 meters, with a bit of maths we can then estimate that you will need a light with peak candela up around 128kcd which for a hand held light is definitely in the territory of the custom jobs by Vinh or OSTS as mentioned before.

The G2X is a great light for in the house. It's has a bright hot spot and good spill for lighting up a room. I have been very disappointed in distances beyond 100 to 150 yards with it. Moonlight at the 200 yard rating that it advertises is not cutting it. (Not the lights fault) I think I need a much tighter beam with far less spill to see the critters at closer to 400 yards.

[Shao]

Not a problem...always willing to help out.

Yes, lumen numbers are great, but if your dividing them over a broader area, it dissipates quickly the farther it travels. It is hard for people to grasp that sometimes. I just use a flood light versus a laser analogy. The laser has a lot less lumens, but is concentrated, so it goes farther than the flood light does...but the lasewr only lights up a small area versus the flood light lights up the whole background. Finding a good balance is the challenge.

The modded S200cVN I got from Vinh is incredible. Its an XML die, but is dedomed for better throw and it is pushing 5.5 Amps. It throws 150Kcd due to brute force and because Vinh sets the reflector distance by hand, it has the perfect beam, A very bright tight spot beam with a bright halo around it for a very useable spill.

Beamshots from the S200cVN sale thread...(These are not mine):

http://s42.photobucket.com/user/engi...6292e.jpg.html

http://s42.photobucket.com/user/engi...81479.jpg.html

Very nice indeed. Vinh does great work. I don't know if I'd trust any de-domed dies in a weaponlight, but very impressive nonetheless. Are you on CPF?

[Adrenaline_6]

Very nice indeed. Vinh does great work. I don't know if I'd trust any de-domed dies in a weaponlight, but very impressive nonetheless. Are you on CPF?

Yes, I am. Same nickname. Once I told Vinh it was to be a weaponlight, he said he would reinforce what needed to be for an extra $40. I asked him, if it wasn't advisable to use as a weaponlight I would be willing to change my order. He said he hasn't had one light that he reinforced fail to date, so I took his word on it.

From now on, I will make sure I leave it mounted when I take it to the range, to make sure it will take the constant abuse.

[lobstradomus]

The G2X is a great light for in the house. It's has a bright hot spot and good spill for lighting up a room. I have been very disappointed in distances beyond 100 to 150 yards with it. Moonlight at the 200 yard rating that it advertises is not cutting it. (Not the lights fault) I think I need a much tighter beam with far less spill to see the critters at closer to 400 yards.

So to get the same illumination at 400 yards as you are currently getting with your G2X at 150 yards or 100 yards you will need a light with a peak rating of at least ~57.8kcd or ~130kcd respectively.

The two lights that Adrenaline_6 mentioned (the NightMaster from OSTS and the S200cVN from Vinh,) will both exceed those requirements. If you want an example of what those two lights should theoretically be capable of, you will need to set up some sort of representative targets at both 80 and 93 yards. Using a length of pipe or something similar to block out all of the corona and side spill leaving only the very center of the hotspot, shine the now very narrow beam of your G2X at the 80 yard target - that should be roughly similar to what the NightMaster will look like at 400 yards. The S200cVN can be loosely demonstrated the same way but by using the 93 yard target and with a bit less filtering of the beam.

Keep in mind though that the comparisons will not be perfectly representative as we have moved from theoretical to real world and back a couple of times in coming up with the above numbers and we have glanced over a few important factors such as the limitations of the human eye -especially as it relates to the difference between perceived brightness vs actual and the effects of distance, beam shape, ambient light, etc. on that difference.

I just realized I've probably spent too much time on CPF over the past six years. Well, at least you don't have to go over there to get a bunch of jargon -I've gone ahead and posted it right here for you. Sorry about that.

[Adrenaline_6]

So to get the same illumination at 400 yards as you are currently getting with your G2X at 150 yards or 100 yards you will need a light with a peak rating of at least ~57.8kcd or ~130kcd respectively.

The two lights that Adrenaline_6 mentioned (the NightMaster from OSTS and the S200cVN from Vinh,) will both exceed those requirements. If you want an example of what those two lights should theoretically be capable of, you will need to set up some sort of representative targets at both 80 and 93 yards. Using a length of pipe or something similar to block out all of the corona and side spill leaving only the very center of the hotspot, shine the now very narrow beam of your G2X at the 80 yard target - that should be roughly similar to what the NightMaster will look like at 400 yards. The S200cVN can be loosely demonstrated the same way but by using the 93 yard target and with a bit less filtering of the beam.

Keep in mind though that the comparisons will not be perfectly representative as we have moved from theoretical to real world and back a couple of times in coming up with the above numbers and we have glanced over a few important factors such as the limitations of the human eye -especially as it relates to the difference between perceived brightness vs actual and the effects of distance, beam shape, ambient light, etc. on that difference.

I just realized I've probably spent too much time on CPF over the past six years. Well, at least you don't have to go over there to get a bunch of jargon -I've gone ahead and posted it right here for you. Sorry about that.

I like it!

[simonsez]

Very helpful! Thanks lobstradomus! You and Adrenaline 6 must be what they call flash-a-holics?

[Adrenaline_6]

Very helpful! Thanks lobstradomus! You and Adrenaline 6 must be what they call flash-a-holics?

...and once you get your modded light in, you might be one too!

[JBecker 72]

How does the M600U rate in the "throw" department. I've been impressed with mine, just curious how it rates.

[samuse]

How does the M600U rate in the "throw" department. I've been impressed with mine, just curious how it rates.

+1.

I've been using a P2x Fury 500 lumen and it's fine out 50-75 yards depending on the night.

I also shot with a P3X Fury 1000 lumen and it was a little better. 100 yards with a 4X scope was easy as long as the target was contrasting (no illuminuted reticle).

What gets me at night with magnified optics is haze. It's real humid around here and when it gets close to dewpoint, it's hazy.