Deben Stingray Lamp

I have been using Deben`s range of Tracer lamps for decades now. The original Tracer Compact seemingly lasted forever until I renewed it with the new technology of LED illumination bulbs in the form of the Tracer LEDRay 200 model which continues to give excellent service… and now the new Stingray model extends the range further and adds some useful features too.

On Charge

The Stingray is a cordless unit so no nasty leads from any batteries and it gives an incredible 500 metres beam length on high power but strength can be varied with the supplied dimmer switch. Better still you have an AC and car charger supplied with four differing plug configurations for Worldwide usage. Mounting the Stingray is easy with the supplied 1 inch or 30mm ring mounts and raiser mount for target turrets scopes and finishing off the kit there are two flip up coloured filters.  And that’s not all…  Deben supply the Stingray with all these accessories in a handy foam filled plastic container so it can bounce around in the back of the Landy with no damage.

Size wise the Stingray is larger than my LEDRay but not too large as to engulf a rifle it is mounted on. It is nearly 7 inches long and has a width of 2.7 inches and weighs in at 510 grams - so not too heavy, even on a lightweight .22 rimfire.

The Stingray is a self contained unit that houses a Lithium battery that can be charged by an AC mains charger or 12V car vehicle charger, supplied.  Just plug it into the back of the Stingray when the protective rubber plug is removed. The Stingray has a visible LED “fuel gauge” of five LED bars that gives an instant reading of the charge of the Stingray at any time by pressing the button next to them. Very handy so as not to run out of juice half way through a lamping session.

Press and if the 3 green lights and 2 red lights arq lit you have 75-100% charge, 2green/2red and there is 50-75% charge, 1green/2 red and you have 20-50% charge, 2 red and 10-20% charge. One red and you have less than 10% charge. It’s a quick easy way to see at an instant the state of the battery.

The Stingray’s built in battery is protected from over charging or discharging but make sure you recharge the unit within 12 hours after it has fully discharged and if you store the light without use for 6 months top it up as a matter of course for best results.

The chargers light will change from red to green when fully charged and usually takes about 2 ½ hours to fully charge from flat.

Power-Packed

The bulb or LED is incredibly powerful, offering a full 500 metre beam on full power and gives a 1000 Lumens performance enhanced by a near perfect internal reflector. This gives a very bright sharp and clear beam and white intense light.

Better still you can vary the power output for long shots on the fields or short range ratting exploits. You have a coiled wired extension hard wired into the base of the Stingray and the other end attaches with Velcro (supplied) to the stock. This terminal is rectangular with a toggle on/off switch and then a rotating switch to alter light intensity.

It’s a seamless operation and all carried out with the supporting hand on the rifle. At full power you have 2.5 hours of usage, (which is plenty you won`t have it on all the time you are out hunting). At medium power this time increase to 5 hours and at the lowest setting you have a whopping 85+ hours use!!!

Mount Up

Fixing to your favourite scope could not be easier either. Deben supply both 1 inch and 30mm scope ring options and a useful raiser mount also. The Stingray has a Weaver type base moulded in to it’s under side. To this a scope ring with Weaver clamp can be attached this scope ring attached to your scope in the vertical plane for either 1 inch or 30mm main body tubes. That way you can leave the scope ring mounted to your rifle and then simply attach the Stingray on the Weaver mount in seconds.

There is also a raiser bar that lifts the Stingray an extra 1.25 inches, handy for scopes with target or high ballistic turrets. Overall finish of the Stingray is very sturdy with an armoured plastic casing making it weatherproof but not submersible and has a flat black finish to subdue reflections.

Finally Deben also supply, at no extra charge, two filters. These attach via a small clip that slots in the front end of the “objective” bell. Here the Red or Amber filter can be flipped up or down as you need it and quickly changed in the field.

Field Use

I topped out my Feinwerkbau Sport .177 air rifle first, and yes it was a bit over kill but did not unbalance it at all. In fact after a session amongst the barns on the farm it became second nature to use.

Next up was the Sako SSR fully suppressed .22 rimfire rifle that sported a one inch tube BSA scope but needed the raiser mount to clear the turrets. Here the variable power was very handy so as to indicate a rabbit on the field at long range so I could stalk in close and turn down the power as not to dazzle it before the shot.

Finally I had been shooting a Callum Ferguson .22-284 custom rifle that spits out a Berger 30 grain bullet at 5144 fps so with the Stingray up top it transformed this long range crow rifle into an ultra flat fox tool. Full power could spot a fox at range and also check that the backdrop for the shot was also safe.

Beam width on full power was focussed at about 10yds wide at 100 yards from my reckoning and 25 yds wide at 200 yards approx. It was a tight concentrated beam with only about 5% overspill on the periphery. On the lowest power setting I could still see out to 100 yds although any of the two filters closes the range by 25% but gives better “concealment” to your quarries eyes.

Conclusion

Another excellent product from Deben. They seem to know what us hunters really want and supply a piece of kit that works how it should, is reliable and comes with everything that you need. There is also a massive array of spares and tech support if needed for ease of mind.

At first glance I thought the Stingray was a bit bulky compared to my LEDRay 200 but actually as stated earlier you hardly notice it on board your scope and rifle. Its performance is staggering. The beam is very bright and instantly variable with a super bright clear defined beam. Whether you need 500m or not it’s nice to have it there to make sure an area is safe before shooting.

For £239.95 you get a lot for your money, just open up the purpose built case and it’s all there, nothing else needed. The Stingray will suit as a one light does all, if you have more than one rifle. Especially if you use air rifle, rimfire and centrefire, the Stingray will outperform all of them! GM