There’s not much of a market in Australia for defensive pistol lights and lasers but I started to wonder whether they might offer good performance for close-range hunting with rifles.
I live on a farm were it’s not uncommon to have foxes and other predators creeping around the chooks and lambs near the house late at night. Pesky hares chew up my wife’s prize garden, too.
Olight has kindly offered the readers of Sporting Shooter a discount if you do wish to order one of these lights. Just use one of the links provided in the specs section below and you will receive a 10% discount. And no, we don’t get kickbacks, it’s just a good thing for you!
They’re always encountered at ranges well under 100 metres and mostly under 25-30 metres.
Rather than dragging out the big lights, would a small clip-on pistol-type laser/light be better suited when I hear a bump or squawk in the night that needs checking. Would it make it easier to grab a rifle or shotgun out of the safe and take a good look around the property before my chooks become a late-night snack?
And what about pig hunting at night in heavy scrub where big lights are more of a hinderance than help at close range?
Olight Australia sent me two of their gun-mountable mini-lights with built-in lasers to test: the Baldr Pro and Baldr Pro R, the latter being rechargeable.
I have now been trialling both of them for several months and have made a number of successful shots from 10 metres out to about 55 metres.
I have taken several foxes, more than 20 hares and one wild dog with these mounted on a Ruger 77/22M .22 magnum and they both work magnificently.
They are truly tiny. They were designed to clip onto the front of a pistol so they are almost unnoticeable when mounted on a rifle.
They mount to any pic-rail mount and since my own Ruger has traditional sling mounts I got a Caldwell Pic Rail Adaptor ($47.90) which simply attaches over the top of a traditional sling swivel stud and, best of all, allows you to adjust the vertical angle of the rail so your light is aligned with the barrel. It allowed me to quickly adjust the laser to hit spot-on.
The Baldr Pro R has an internal rechargeable battery but the Baldr Pro runs on a pair of replaceable CR123A batteries (included) and has slightly more light throw — Olight claims 260 metres but I would suggest it gives a clear shooting distance of around 130m. Other than that they are very similar in operation.
The Pro has about twice the run time of the Pro R. The latter is slightly longer (95mm versus 85mm) but insignificantly lighter (129g versus 126g). In all honesty you will not notice the size or weight difference on a rifle mount, or even if they were mounted on pistols.
I have never actually run the rechargeable one down in one session and it is just a matter of recharging it for an hour or so on the supplied magnetic charge point.
Both units clip on and off in under a second and stay zeroed when removed and replaced.
Their on/off activation is extremely ergonomic on either a rifle or a pistol — very simple and practical.
I use the laser as it give me an exact sighting point even when I cannot see the scope’s reticle clearly, making target acquisition fast before it escapes. I am a big fan of the green laser, which very easy to see even in the daylight, and at night I have no trouble seeing it out to 100m or more.
I cannot understate how handy these (relatively) inexpensive but highly effective little lights and lasers have been. They have proven to be a great solution for close in night-time shooting.
SPECIFICATIONS
1. Olight Baldr Pro
- Length: 85mm
- Weight: 129 grams (including batteries)
- Power source: 2 x CR123A 3V batteries (included)
- Distance: 260 metres light throw; effective shooting range of around 130m
- Run time: Claimed up to 4 hours. When used on highest setting without laser, we got almost 2 hours
- Warranty: 2 years
- RRP: $219.95
- 10% Sporting Shooter reader discount link: https://www.olightstore.com.au/s/3G1FVR and enter the code sportingshooter10 to receive discount
2. Olight Baldr Pro R
- Length: 95mm
- Weight: 126 grams
- Power source: Internal rechargeable 3.7V 230mAh lithium polymer battery
- Charging: Magnetic unit supplied
- Distance: 200 metres light throw, and about 100m shooting distance
- Run time: Maximum run time 93 minutes (at least 1 hour in practical use)
- Warranty: 2 years
- RRP: $247.95
- To receive 10% Sporting Shooter reader discount: go to https://www.olightstore.com.au/s/PHY1QT then enter the code sportingshooter10 at checkout
On a final note, I have used many different Olight products for years and have always been happy with them. I now have over 15 of their lights in use across our family and in the vehicles etc. I am confident to order them online. Their shipping is fast and efficient out of their Australian warehouse.
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