On Rubicon Round-Up Joe and I were talking flashlights and he wanted more info about the mods I've done to my Surefire flashlight to allow it to use AA batteries.
I started with a Surefire D3 flashlight that I had. This normally uses three CR123 batteries which happen to be the same length as two AA batteries. I replaced the original incandescent bulb with an M30W led emitter from www.malkoffdevices.com . Any of his M30 series of led drop-in's would work, it's up to your preference of a warmer yellower colored light or a cooler whiter light & a flood versus spot light pattern. To keep the batteries from rattling around inside the flashlight body I inserted some drip irrigation tubing, 5/8" I believe. (Don't buy any I have a lot left over.) The bulb worked well with two AA batteries but I wanted it to be a little brighter so I needed some extra voltage. A Surefire A14 extender was just the right length to add an additional AA battery.
The Malkoff M30 leds also fit in Surefire 6P, 9P, G2 & G3 flashlights, and possibly some others. The 9P and G3 flashlights are three CR123 lights so they can fit two AA batteries as they are. The 6P and G2 lights are two CR123 lights so they are too short for two AA batteries, but Surefire makes an A19 extender that can be used on the 6P to make it a three CR123 light capable of holding two AA batteries. There is a Surefire extender for the G2 lights as well but I don't know the part number.
If you want to stick with the CR123 batteries but want to upgrade your flashlight check out the M60 series of led's. These perform similarly to the M30's but are designed to handle the higher voltage of the CR123 batteries.
