Cluson Clulite Interceptor Gun- Lite

Are you fed up with separate batteries and leads getting in the way on your night shooting rig? If so Cluson Engineering Ltd has a treat for you with their all new, high performance Interceptor Gun-Lite package. In fact they have been putting out a lot of new gear lately and the Interceptor uses technology from their recently launched CLUB-1 Clu-Briter handheld lamp, which is another little powerhouse.

Power Up

The kit comprises of a CREE LED lamp head assembly with integral Ni-MH Battery, 12V mains and vehicle Smart Charger Unit, gun mount, handle, filters (red, amber & yellow included) and a gun-mountable remote switch. As with all lamping kit, before first use give it a charge to make sure it’s a full capacity. When connected a red light comes on followed by a blue one that flashes and when it’s on constantly the unit is charged. This take around 8-hours from a low battery, now the Interceptor is ready to be fitted.

Unsurprisingly Cluson use their unique, adjustable mount. Based on a G-clamp type design is fits on the scope’s body tube and handles 30mm as standard, also included is a 1” spacer for that diameter too. The lamp head connects to the main clamp by a spade adaptor which uses a ball & socket joint from the mount. This is locked by twin wing nuts and allows a huge amount of movement to suit your needs. Likewise the clamp assembly can be rotated around the body tube and slid forward or back too. Suffice to say; if you run out of adjustment – you must be doing something wrong!

ON-OFF and Strobe

Now plug in the remote cable/ON-OFF switch and attach it to the rifle’s stock where you want it to be, Cluson include self-adhesive Velcro pads for the purpose. Controls are at the rear of the lamp; a fixed, rubber-covered main press button sits on the right. Left of this is the beam selector switch that gives high and low settings. There is also a strobe option, but this is locked by a posi-head screw, which needs removing so the cam washer it holds can be altered allowing the lever extra travel to access this facility. For those who never use this mode, I feel it’s a simple way of isolating it so it can’t inadvertently be switched on in the heat of the moment.

Filters clip into the front and are retained by an integral rubber rim. Continuous run time on high beam is three hours, with 20 on low beam and three on strobe. The unfiltered white beam claims a 300m range. The very tight spot has hardly any overspill or halo effect and after testing in various conditions the Interceptor is easily capable of reaching out to 250m for spotting and clearly identifying quarry. Filters reduce this by approximately 1/3rd depending on colour used.

Self-Contained

In use I’d say you can get a good 200/250m of shootable light (depending on conditions), which is more than enough for most needs. The stock-mounted switch means you can leave the Interceptor on and control it from the forend or wherever you place it. I really liked the fact you have a true hi-power lamp set up without the penalties of a separate battery and cables trailing off the gun. The overall weight and size of the package does not affect handling significantly either! Should you just want a hand lamp, take the unit off the mount and clip in the handle. In this mode I did find that you can’t operate it one-handed as your hand/thumb position is too low to get onto the main ON/OFF switch.

Overall this is a great design with enough range and power to satisfy the average night shooter.