# SF M2 question



## jw2n (May 2, 2012)

12 or 13 years ago I bought a M2. Over the years I have leggoed it a few times. I recently was returning it to stock when I noticed that the bezel was not shock absorbing. Have I placed the incorrect bezel on? My memory seems to remember it being SA. Thanx for the help (too many SF parts on hand)


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## badtziscool (May 2, 2012)

How did you verify that it wasn't shock absorbing? As in there's no shock absorbing mechanism in the head? If not, then you probably have the wrong head on. The head should look like this one or if it's a newer model then it won't have the ribs.

http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/sh...D-shock-absorbing-Surefire-M2-Head-old-school


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## archimedes (May 2, 2012)

jw2n said:


> 12 or 13 years ago I bought a M2. Over the years I have leggoed it a few times. I recently was returning it to stock when I noticed that the bezel was not shock absorbing. Have I placed the incorrect bezel on? My memory seems to remember it being SA. Thanx for the help (too many SF parts on hand)



The stock M2 has a Z32 ( "shock absorbing" ) bezel, but the tube will indeed fit a Z44.


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## jw2n (May 2, 2012)

The body is the three flats version and the original bezel had no ribbing. I bought NIB so I know it had not been "played with" from a SF dealer. The bezel I thought was the original has no foam ring. The thought I had was had I mistakenly put a C2 bezel on? I would guess that this is a very early M2.


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## Owen (May 2, 2012)

IIRC, the original M2 had no shock isolation. Size15s would surely know.


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## jw2n (May 2, 2012)

Owen - Just to understand you clearly - You are stating that the original M2 did not have SI? My problem is that I do not remember if I bought a complete C2 or a body which is why I question a C2/M2 head swap. I am currently digging thru all my SF parts and I am not finding another 6 series HA bezel. I would guess that this is an unusual light if pre-SI.


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## LE6920 (May 2, 2012)

What do the markings say? The early M2s were simply marked "Centurion" and had what is now the C2 style bezel.


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## jw2n (May 2, 2012)

It is marked Millennium Series on the top line and M2 Centurion on the second.


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## LE6920 (May 2, 2012)

jw2n said:


> It is marked Millennium Series on the top line and M2 Centurion on the second.



The version I have like that did indeed come with a ribbed M2 style bezel. It is possible though that early ones had the C2 style bezel, but I have never seen that.


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## LE6920 (May 2, 2012)

Also are you saying the ribbed bezel has no shock isolation ring inside or that it is a C2 style bezel?


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## angelofwar (May 3, 2012)

The very first M2 didn't have a shock isolated bezel, IIRC. Sounds like you have a gem there, jw2n! Pics would be nice!


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## jw2n (May 8, 2012)

I had a complete computer failure and I am just getting back on my feet. Not set up for photos yet. I checked the serial # and it is A00829. Very early version?


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## Size15's (May 9, 2012)

The anodising will help determine whether it is one of the early ones pre shock isolating bezel. And the pocketclip.

Back then the HA was darker and more brown. I should be able to tell from a photo.


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## angelofwar (May 9, 2012)

Does it look like the one seen here:
http://www.sightm1911.com/lib/review/surefire_m2_m3.htm


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## Rat (May 9, 2012)

I am stuck on the low serial number with Millennium Series on the top line and M2 Centurion it must have the crosshair logo on the other side right ?
I have seen a M2 serial A02962 with the M2 Millennium Series top line M2 Centurion bottom line and crosshair logo with a ribbed bezel thats a lower serial number than some of my M2's with the non ribbed bezel.
So I am starting to think the ones with the M2 Millennium Series top line M2 Centurion bottom line had the ribbed bezel.

I have a M2 serial No A00717 "second light back on the left" but it has the cross hair logo with Centurion and Blank on the other side non ribbed. In that style mine go as high as A03566.
My two M2's with the M2 Millennium Series top line M2 Centurion bottom line have much higher serial numbers A06921 & A06259 " last two on the left but both have the newer surfire logo.

If you show the guys a pic I am sure they will work it out as you have some experts already on this thread.


The M2's are on the left 5 of them


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## jw2n (May 9, 2012)

Cant do photos right now. Yes, it has the surefire w/crosshair on the opposite side. The anno does not look brown, but is rather a very light grn and all parts match perfectly. I believe I bought it in '99 and not '00. I found my paperwork on my C2 and only bought a body so any question as to putting a C2 bezel on has been eliminated. The M2 is back to all original w/a non-SI bezel. I will work on getting photos.


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## Rat (May 10, 2012)

jw2n said:


> Cant do photos right now. Yes, it has the surefire w/crosshair on the opposite side. The anno does not look brown, but is rather a very light grn and all parts match perfectly. I believe I bought it in '99 and not '00. I found my paperwork on my C2 and only bought a body so any question as to putting a C2 bezel on has been eliminated. The M2 is back to all original w/a non-SI bezel. I will work on getting photos.




Congratulations crosshair with Millennium Series on the other side very nice. One just sold on fle bay a few days ago funny I have never seen one and than I hear of two in a matter of days.



EDIT: Do you want to sell it :naughty:
I had to ask it would not have been right not too :devil:

cheers


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## Rat (Nov 17, 2012)

Well Well Well
I have been after a M2 like this ever since I read this post. I become aware I had a missing link in my M2 collection the day I read this post back when it started 6 months ago. 
The only other one I had ever seen was a very rough user that sold on eBay at the same time this post started.

I had never seen or heard of one again until the other day I snagged a minty I was over the moon. 
I thought I would find this thread and tell you all of my find and excitement. After reading this post again I was shocked.

*It is the same light* “same serial number” and after a little back checking it was from jw2n also.

Small world it is. Thanks Jw2n for keeping such a rare light in minty condition I just love it :thumbsup:

I will post some images soon.

cheers
William


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## ampdude (Nov 17, 2012)

Looking forward to the pics. I have an old Centurion as well. Unfortunately I never see them around these days.






The opposite side contains no engraving. The tailcap is marked "Surefire Laser Products". It seems sometime in 2000 Surefire stopped putting the "Laser Products" logo on tailcaps.

I didn't know that the very early M2's had no shock isolation. I wonder then why they were named differently than the Centurions?

Rat, what is the serial of the two C3's in the back? I have a couple round body C3's that look like those two, one with the Patents logo like the back one and one like the closer one without it.

Also, the very front one labeled "C2 Centurion", I'll bet that's a higher serial number than mine right? Because I think it was later that they decided to distinguish it as the C2 when they came out with the C3. The second one back on the left side.. I love the finish on that one, I wish all SF's had that dark HA finish and that they still did it.


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## ampdude (Nov 17, 2012)

Here's the two C3's











I was hoping to have the oldest C3 on CPF @A000765, but I figured not likely... Probably you, Size15's or some of the other collectors have earlier serials.

For reference, neither of the C3's here have Laser Products marked tailcaps.


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## Rat (Nov 20, 2012)

ampdude said:


> Looking forward to the pics. I have an old Centurion as well. Unfortunately I never see them around these days.
> The opposite side contains no engraving. The tailcap is marked "Surefire Laser Products". It seems sometime in 2000 Surefire stopped putting the "Laser Products" logo on tailcaps.



Hi Ampdude 
Love your Minty M2 Centurion the serial number is pretty close to the one this thread is about A03767. So that means the engraving changed somewhere in-between these two lights. From the engraving on your M2 to the crosshair logo on one side and Millennium Series M2 Centurion on the other side with still having the non shock isolation bezel and round ended clip . I would have to guess not many of these where made as I have never seen one on CPF before. I will post some images of it soon.




ampdude said:


> Also, the very front one labeled "C2 Centurion", I'll bet that's a higher serial number than mine right? Because I think it was later that they decided to distinguish it as the C2 when they came out with the C3. The second one back on the left side.. I love the finish on that one, I wish all SF's had that dark HA finish and tha t they still did it.


 
Yes it is A11238. I am not sure the numbers continued but looking at my other C2 behind that one with the crosshair logo it has a very close serial number to your M2 A03646 that's only 25 lights away. It also has C2 Centurion on the other side the same as the one in front of it also nice and minty. The only other C2 I have seen with the crosshair logo is the Black user Kestrel has post #634 here http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...s-official-I-m-a-C2-HA-addict-*part-2*/page22
Yes the finish on that dark HA M2 is nice it is the lowest serial number I have of all the early M2's A00717 





ampdude said:


> I have a couple round body C3's that look like those two, one with the Patents logo like the back one and one like the closer one without it.



I now have 4x three flat C3's 2x C3 Centurion & 2x patents type. One is a Black one.











ampdude said:


> Here's the two C3's
> I was hoping to have the oldest C3 on CPF @A000765, but I figured not likely... Probably you, Size15's or some of the other collectors have earlier serials.
> For reference, neither of the C3's here have Laser Products marked tailcaps.



Yes you have and older serial number than me my lowest is A000794 you just bet me :mecry: I got this one from a guy who had it from new "never used it minty" and it also does not have the Laser Products marked tailcap.
You can see all my serial numbers and you can also knock me off the top of the list at the same time :thumbsup: here--> http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?340709-Surefire-C3-Serial-Number-Registry

cheers


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## ampdude (Nov 20, 2012)

I am glad to have the oldest C3 (so far) but envy your C2, I love that old school golden brown finish. Most of the vintage SF's have that finish, but that particular one is just really outstanding. I figured it was the earliest.


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## Rat (Nov 21, 2012)

Rat said:


> Hi Ampdude
> Love your Minty M2 Centurion the serial number is pretty close to the one this thread is about A03767. So that means the engraving changed somewhere in-between these two lights. From the engraving on your M2 to the crosshair logo on one side and Millennium Series M2 Centurion on the other side with still having the non shock isolation bezel and round ended clip . I would have to guess not many of these where made as I have never seen one on CPF before. I will post some images of it soon.



Sorry I got this part wrong :shakehead . 
I mixed up the numbers. That number A03767 is from one of my other M2 Centurion lights. This thread is about A00829. So now that looks like they started the numbers all over when they put the Millennium Series M2 Centurion on the other side. 
cheers


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## ampdude (Nov 25, 2012)

Hmm.. that's interesting. They seem to do that from time to time when they do design changes. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't.

Also, I've been trying to figure out why C2's are being referred to as M2's in this thread? The one second back on the left in your original picture Rat is a Centurion, not an M2. I have not seen any M2's that lack shock isolation bezels. My light is a early C2, not an "early M2". AFAIK it was just referred to as "Centurion" at the time because the C3 hadn't been released yet.

When the C3 was released it became the C2. It was never REALLY physically or logically an "M2", though I think some people got it wrong at first and may have called it an M2.

I think "Surefire Centurion" is the proper name for any pre-C3 C2 style lights.


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## ampdude (Nov 28, 2012)

Rat said:


> Sorry I got this part wrong :shakehead .
> I mixed up the numbers. That number A03767 is from one of my other M2 Centurion lights. This thread is about A00829. So now that looks like they started the numbers all over when they put the Millennium Series M2 Centurion on the other side.
> cheers



I've been reading and researching and looking at my lights.. honestly I'm getting more confused everytime I read this thread hehe. Rat please post pictures of this light that started the thread.


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## Rat (Nov 29, 2012)

ampdude said:


> Also, I've been trying to figure out why C2's are being referred to as M2's in this thread? The one second back on the left in your original picture Rat is a Centurion, not an M2. I have not seen any M2's that lack shock isolation bezels. My light is a early C2, not an "early M2". AFAIK it was just referred to as "Centurion" at the time because the C3 hadn't been released yet.
> 
> When the C3 was released it became the C2. It was never REALLY physically or logically an "M2", though I think some people got it wrong at first and may have called it an M2.



No that is not correct. Surefire called them M2's


All the lights on the left of my picture are early M2 lights. Your Centurion light is the same as mine early M2 Centurion. They come out with non-shock isolation bezels.

The reason people call them early M2’s is because it's on the manual. The Manual has M2 Centurion with a picture of the light on the front cover. I have two of these manuals somewhere I will post a picture of the front cover for you.


This is why the light this thread is all about is so important to me it completes my M2 collection.
It has the M2 Centurion logo on one side the cross-hair on the other and the non-shock isolation bezel with the old school clip.

Are you ready for the picture of the famous A00829 M2 :naughty:


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## Rat (Nov 29, 2012)

Without further ado
I present to you all the famous A00829 Early M2

Side 1






Side 2





Cheers


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## ampdude (Nov 29, 2012)

Oh wow! That clears things up. I was always wondering why I never saw an M2 without a shock isolated head. Thank you very much for posting the picture! I'd like to see the manual as well.

So then we could say the Centurions pre-date the M2 Centurion's?


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## Rat (Dec 3, 2012)

ampdude said:


> So then we could say the Centurions pre-date the M2 Centurion's?



What do you mean by Centurions ?
If you are talking about the M2 Centurion you have than yes.



I finally got around to taking the picture of the Manual for you. This manual came with the early M2 A03566 the one in the front of my earlier picture of all my early M2's. The guy it came from had it from new.
I could only find the one manual. I probably put the other manual away for safe keeping who knows where.






cheers


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## ampdude (Dec 6, 2012)

Thanks for the picture.

I don't like to call the first lights "M2's" because they don't say M2 on them anywhere, just "Centurion". That's why I refer to the first ones as just Centurions rather than M2's or M2 Centurions or C2 Centurions.


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## ampdude (Dec 11, 2012)

Something I was going to mention also since you have both styles of lights. Have you noticed that it's easier to hold the round body C3's in the Surefire/Rogers or tactical style grip, and with the C2's vice versa, I prefer the square body. I don't know how to explain this.. or why I have this preference.


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