Brightest single CR123a P60 suitable for mounting on a shotgun

Geoffrey · Jun 28, 2018

Good morning all, I have settled on the P60 platform for most of my light needs. As such I have a dozen or so Solarforce hosts and slowly I am getting more. I like the parts availability and modular nature of the P60 and host so I am considering going the same route with my weapon lights.

I am looking for the brightest available P60 drop in that runs on a single CR123a cell. I cannot run rechargeable cells in my weapon lights due to our extreme cold winters.

Right now I have an L2M on my 12.5" 870 and a L2P on my 14" 870. Both have Customlites drop ins which I am very pleased with.

I am looking to swap my L2P for a L2M on my 14" 870 to get a little more space on the forend, this has me searching for another 3V single mode P60 drop in.

I know of the Malkoff M31 but I am not sure it is bright enough?

I see there are single cell CR123a lights putting out 500+ lumens (claimed) is that output level available from a 3V P60 drop in?

What other single mode P60 drop ins are out there?

I would consider building my own drop in too if anyone has suggestions for the best driver and LED combo.

Thanks

Geoffrey

archimedes · Jun 28, 2018

... moved to LED Flashlights ...

pc_light · Jun 28, 2018

Geoffrey, have you tried the Solarforce CR123A/16340 body tube for your Solarforce L's? They would allow you to cut the size down to single cell. Depending on your Customlite drop-in it may still work.

Geoffrey · Jun 28, 2018

archimedes said:
... moved to LED Flashlights ...

Thank you

Geoffrey · Jun 28, 2018

pc_light said:
Geoffrey, have you tried the Solarforce CR123A/16340 body tube for your Solarforce L's? They would allow you to cut the size down to single cell. Depending on your Customlite drop-in it may still work.

I have one L2M host already with a low voltage drop in, the rail space is limited on my 14" 870 so I am looking to go down to L2M on that gun too. I am not sure that my 2 cell Customlite drop in will work with only 1 cell.

pc_light · Jul 2, 2018

I don't own any Customelite Drop-ins but the specs indicate 2.8-6V range, which would seem to indicate that it would run single cell. Might be worth a try with just a single 123a cell and wire/conductor to similate a switch for proof of concept.

I think many of those 500+ lumen ratings are at room temp for low-resistance/high drain rechargeables; cold weather and running on a single primary might rule those levels out.

I think the Malkoff M31 (rated full output, 280 lumens at 1.8V+) is a robust build and would make a good choice.

Good luck with search.

Geoffrey · Jul 2, 2018

pc_light said:
I don't own any Customelite Drop-ins but the specs indicate 2.8-6V range, which would seem to indicate that it would run single cell. Might be worth a try with just a single 123a cell and wire/conductor to similate a switch for proof of concept.

I think many of those 500+ lumen ratings are at room temp for low-resistance/high drain rechargeables; cold weather and running on a single primary might rule those levels out.

I think the Malkoff M31 (rated full output, 280 lumens at 1.8V+) is a robust build and would make a good choice.

Good luck with search.

Thanks, I have a Customlite low voltage that he built for me for use on my short shotgun. Before ordering a second one I was wondering what other options there were.

The Malkoff M31 at 280 lumens is something I am considering but the relatively low output might not meet my needs.

I have tried searching for beamshots of the M31 but didn't find what I was searching for. How is the throw on the M31?

Thanks for your suggestions.

Kestrel · Jul 2, 2018

I think that the M31 is one of very few candidates; the thing with them is that they are fully-potted, so will be more robust for weapon mounting. I have a pair of M31's and they run pretty hard w/ 1xCR123, obtaining only 45 minutes of runtime. The driver is so agressive that it's not even rated for 1xLiIon - most modules that are, won't do their rated output from only one CR123 primary.

Cobraman502 · Jul 2, 2018

Geoffrey said:
Good morning all, I have settled on the P60 platform for most of my light needs. As such I have a dozen or so Solarforce hosts and slowly I am getting more. I like the parts availability and modular nature of the P60 and host so I am considering going the same route with my weapon lights.

I am looking for the brightest available P60 drop in that runs on a single CR123a cell. I cannot run rechargeable cells in my weapon lights due to our extreme cold winters.

Right now I have an L2M on my 12.5" 870 and a L2P on my 14" 870. Both have Customlites drop ins which I am very pleased with.

I am looking to swap my L2P for a L2M on my 14" 870 to get a little more space on the forend, this has me searching for another 3V single mode P60 drop in.

I know of the Malkoff M31 but I am not sure it is bright enough?

I see there are single cell CR123a lights putting out 500+ lumens (claimed) is that output level available from a 3V P60 drop in?

What other single mode P60 drop ins are out there?

I would consider building my own drop in too if anyone has suggestions for the best driver and LED combo.

Thanks

Geoffrey

You can get a 1500+ OTF P60 dropin from PflexPro to fit that L2M. It's potted driver for added durability against the recoil.

kyhunter1 · Jul 2, 2018

A very good choice and rock solid reliable would be an elzetta alpha. Runs off a single 123. Around 400 lumens. I know its not a p60 but worth mentioning.

Geoffrey · Jul 2, 2018

Cobraman502 said:
You can get a 1500+ OTF P60 dropin from PflexPro to fit that L2M. It's potted driver for added durability against the recoil.

Thanks for the suggestion, those don't run on CR123a cells though as far as i know.

Geoffrey · Jul 2, 2018

kyhunter1 said:
A very good choice and rock solid reliable would be an elzetta alpha. Runs off a single 123. Around 400 lumens. I know its not a p60 but worth mentioning.

I am actually considering that as an option as well. Just would like to stick with P60 based if at all possible since I have spare parts and all that.

kyhunter1 · Jul 5, 2018

Make sure that whatever you end up using is potted and has good springs at both ends of the battery. Shotguns can have terrible recoil with slugs and buckshot. A problem I had with 2 cell lights was the + contact buttons getting flattened. Thats why I mention the springs. Single cell and dual contact springs should prevent cell damage.

Geoffrey · Jul 6, 2018

kyhunter1 said:
Make sure that whatever you end up using is potted and has good springs at both ends of the battery. Shotguns can have terrible recoil with slugs and buckshot. A problem I had with 2 cell lights was the + contact buttons getting flattened. Thats why I mention the springs. Single cell and dual contact springs should prevent cell damage.

That is a very good point, thank you.

Brightest single CR123a P60 suitable for mounting on a shotgun

Geoffrey

Newly Enlightened

archimedes

Flashaholic

pc_light

Enlightened

Geoffrey

Newly Enlightened

Geoffrey

Newly Enlightened

pc_light

Enlightened

Geoffrey

Newly Enlightened

Kestrel

Flashaholic

Cobraman502

Enlightened

kyhunter1

Flashlight Enthusiast

Geoffrey

Newly Enlightened

Geoffrey

Newly Enlightened

kyhunter1

Flashlight Enthusiast

Geoffrey

Newly Enlightened

Similar threads

Latest posts