An unplanned shoot-out and mini review






Last night I was working in the computer and the lights went out, just for seconds and then it happened again and again, I disconnected the computer to protect it and a little while later it happened again and this time it lasted for 20 minutes.

So I finally had complete dark all around the road without any ambient light, it was pitch black, except for some cars passing by.

Time to try some beam shots, I set the tripod and camera across the street facing the neighbor fence while my son shoots the lights from my front door, 58 yards to the fence.

From tests I did before I knew my Bear Cub was on par with the Magcharger, in throw and lumens output, this is the Magcharger 12 1/2 inches long and one pound 14 oz. against the Bear Cub 13 oz. 9" long.

It is also on par with the Maglite 5 D, 17 1/4 inches and 2 lb. 9 oz.

This time I wanted to compare it with the Surefire Centurion 3 (Three 123's with the upgrade P-91 ~200 lumens lamp~) and also with the Surefire M-4 with the 250 lumens lamp. (The M-4 uses four 123 batteries have a turbo head for throw and weight exactly the same as the Bear Cub, 13 oz.)


This is the Surefire M-4 that I keep on my Remington 742 in 30-06, the light can reach one hundred yards and over and is ideal for shoots at coyotes for when I go to the country house.
Unfortunately this year, I have had a few health issues that impeded me to do any coyote shooting or even travel to the country.
People tell me that is plenty of coyotes there and that they are making a miserable life to our deer herd.

I have other lights that can reach even farther, out to 250 yards, namely the MAG 951, but this light is heavy and not as easily deployed and is better adapted for shots to be taken from a stationary position.

Here are the pictures I took last night; the target is the fence between the two trees, 58 yards away by laser Range Finder.

Surefire Centurion 3 (P-91 lamp 200 lumens)



Surefire M-4 (250 lumens lamp)



BEAR CUB rechargeable Lithium Ion, 181 lumens light



I am very happy with the shoot out and the performance of the BEAR CUB, trying it at longer distances I can see that outperforms in throw the M-4, the advantage of the rechargeable batteries and the extended run time of 1 1/2 hours and the lack of the heat issues that plague the M-4 on the long runs, make me think of constructing some kind of oversized ring to couple it to the Picattiny rail in the Remington rifle.
Both lights weight the same 13 oz., both measure 9 inches long and the Bear Cub is even better for long shots.
With the Surefire 123's batteries going for $2.00 each these days and the M-4 using four of them and taking in consideration the way I use these lights, going to the Lithium Ion rechargeable Bear Cub will save me enough dough for another new gun every year.

Regards
black bear