What's up with my Maglite?

I've searched and searched but I still can't figure out my 2 C Maglite…But the tail cap is strange. It looks like the D Mag tails…I can't even keep a spare bulb in it. The others I look at have a band of smooth metal around the top, this one has none. The light says Patented in the USA not Made/Or Patented Made…The switch also is a bit squishy, not a firm or strong of a click as the other Mags I own or have owned over the years…

Any insights? It is possible the tail cap is a non-factory replacement?

Is there a C in the serial number? If not, it's fairly old.

jabe1 said:

Is there a C in the serial number? If not, it's fairly old.

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Thanks for reminding me. Yes, there is a C in the serial number….

The notched area on my C Maglite is further down the tailcap than yours. It looks more like my D Maglite tailcap, but it can't be a D tail or it wouldn't fit your light. Are you missing some foam in your tailcap? That's what holds the spare bulb in there.

Maybe they just change designs slightly, every few years. Mine are quite old.

Never seen one like that. IIRC the oldest Mags didn't have a spare bulb compartment in their tailcaps, but yours has a C in the serial number. A shot of the switch tower might help.

I actually like how it looks.

StudFreeman said:

Never seen one like that. IIRC the oldest Mags didn't have a spare bulb compartment in their tailcaps, but yours has a C in the serial number. A shot of the switch tower might help.

I actually like how it looks.

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I'll get a shot of that…I like the way it looks too, it's actually about a half inch shorter than the other style if I'm reading things correctly…It's a nice size. I love the feel of this light but was just a bit baffled that it looked like this!

Photos of the switch tower...

Thanks for sharing those pics.

Looks to me like the body is the latest style, but that tailcap is definitely either a factory second or (somehow) a relic from the early 80s! I say that because I am pretty sure I recall reading somewhere here that the original C Mag tail design didn't have room for a spare bulb. Poke around the old threads, I believe it was from a post in the early 2000s.

StudFreeman said:

Thanks for sharing those pics.

Looks to me like the body is the latest style, but that tailcap is definitely either a factory second or (somehow) a relic from the early 80s! I say that because I am pretty sure I recall reading somewhere here that the original C Mag tail design didn't have room for a spare bulb. Poke around the old threads, I believe it was from a post in the early 2000s.

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Interesting! Thanks for the info! I will do some poking around!

It's the older (first) style tail cap. I have a 5-C Maglite that I bought circa 1985 that has that type of tail cap.