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tom in nc

45 Cal.
Joined
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What are the lights that can be dropped down the bore of a barrel, and who sells them? Thanks.
 
What are the lights that can be dropped down the bore of a barrel, and who sells them? Thanks.

Just today I received a brass bore light (item #68616) from Log Cabin Shop in Lodi, OH. Got the spare batteries, too. It works well in my .50cal Trapper. ~wiksmo

68616.jpg
 
At some point is it has been discussed that there is a small light at O'Reillys Auto Parts that will work.
 
This works great...inexpensive too
Had one once; it worked so good that when I used it to show the bore of a .50 something or other that I was selling the man said that he would buy the rifle if I threw in the light. I then switched over to bobber lights; the beauty of them is that they will fit down even the small caliber barrels that the brass light will not.
 
Spend $50 for a bore scope that attaches to your Android or Apple phone. You'll be be amazed at the high resolution images inside the barrel. Shows every defect!
 
Had one once; it worked so good that when I used it to show the bore of a .50 something or other that I was selling the man said that he would buy the rifle if I threw in the light. I then switched over to bobber lights; the beauty of them is that they will fit down even the small caliber barrels that the brass light will not.
I’ll look into that for my small caliber rifles. Thanks for the tip
 
There's the fish bobber light, the auto inspection light and the arrow nock light. All are about the same size and work reasonably well.

I also have a light similar to @wiksmo's light. I had to add some braided fish line through the collar at the top as the small end would get lodged in the patent breech and I would have to get the CO2 discharger to remove it.
 
Here's the one from O'Reilly's Auto Parts. If they don't have it you can find it on the Web. These have a very bright white lite that light up not only vertically, but also horizontal through little holes in the side. They also have a hole on the end to attach a string or wire. Work very well and allow you to inspect the breech plug area.
The only issue is the replacement batteries are a bit pricey.

Rick
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Here's the one from O'Reilly's Auto Parts. If they don't have it you can find it on the Web. These have a very bright white lite that light up not only vertically, but also horizontal through little holes in the side. They also have a hole on the end to attach a string or wire. Work very well and allow you to inspect the breech plug area.
The only issue is the replacement batteries are a bit pricey.

RickView attachment 37117View attachment 37118
Thanks, I saved that as a favorite and then erased it.

I see some advantages to the white light.
I am red/green color blind and the green light is hard for me to see the bore.
 
Made one out of thin wall tubing. AAA batteries. Crimp end to hold bulb and wad of aluminum foil on ground end. Push bulb down for on. Pull up bulb for off. But then it's too wide for under 50 call.
 
Attatched is information for the best LED super bright bore you will find any where. Mike is an excellent supplier of all your muzzle loading supplies & equipment.
 

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I'd go with a cheap endoscope off Amazon for a smartphone. Past that, the OReilly's one works well.
 
Thanks for the lead.
Backtracking that $20 endoscope. That's half the cost of what I've found online-or less.
I use the bobber light, but it won't let me inspect the breech.
I also have a set of drop mirror in various calibers that, with a small, goose neck light, shows the bore well but, again, it obscures the breech.
 
I have the O'Reilly's SuperRay, the brass bore light from muzzle loader supply houses, and the bobber lights for fishing.
The white light from O'Reilly's is great, but it is so bright that I put in a translucent green or red piece of plastic to tame it. The fishing bobber lights I find to be a little too dim.
The green muzzle loader bore light is just right, but barely gets down a .45 caliber bore after removing a screw on ring.
Harbor Freight Tools sells an inspection tool that is a camera on the end of a long tube, like a scope for a colonoscopy. It runs about $80, but often is on discount. I find it very useful. It is the Cen-Tech Digital Inspection Camera. It will go down a .45 caliber bore, but no smaller. There is a version on the net that is smaller in diameter and will show you a .30 caliber bore, but the price is much higher.
What have I learned from the borescope? That my cleaning methods are no where as good as I thought they were!

Ron
Centec inspection scope.jpg
 
I used to use one of those for inspecting inside walls. It died, alas, but head was too big for most bores.
Last night I won an eBay auction for a used endoscope which (supposedly) connects to my iPhone by wifi.
I'll report how it works. I'm about convinced that my rifle has a powder pocket/ narrowing of some sort at the breech. Can't see from muzzle; can't wait to finally find out.
 
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