I have replied to this question many times...
search key words: MC, mag charger, m@g charger, and 5761. 1185 was an original hot wire but the 5761 was discovered some time later and turned out to put out more light. 1185 has a whiter beam, and narrower spot and abotu 100 torch lumens less light.
The best modified mag charger I build put out about 1336 bulb lumens. Runs about an hour.
I took lithium D batteries, in this case they were already protected with lousy circuits so I removed the protection.
Took a Batteryspace.com pcb which made the two lithiums a 2s, 7.2 V pack and the pcb balance charges the cells! It also replaces the diode that is in the charging rings and protects agains shorts. The third and unexpected thing but most vital aspect is the batterspace pcb causes the light to soft start!.
So the mod to the light is simple. Add some mica or ceramic blanket to the socket to protect it from the base of the bulb heat. Open the reflector hole about to 10 mm to accomodate the 5761. Do this with a dressed ball grinding stone. Connect a 7.2V smart charger to the charging cradle pins, you can leave the OEM charger in place. Remove the protection diode.
Oh, yes, frost the lower 2/3 of the bulb with Armor Etch for a smooth beam pattern
This set up beats the NiCd and NiMh mods I have tried.
MC reflectors handl all that heat well and are designed for throw. One other improvement which is not necessary is to change the socket to a high temp ceramic socket. You can build them yourself, see my posts or get an FM if they are available.
Now you have a light that will out perform the one that I built that threw out to 2,272 feet! You can search my user name for posts and threads, I put a bunch out on mag chargers.
Only one other light I have messed with that competes with this is a 5761 on a 3C mag with charging jack, emolie 26700 batteries, smo reflector, frosted bulb and a peculiar 254 mm aspheric lens. This set up gives an extremely wide hot spot and yet is a spot light easily out just past 200 yards. Beat up the 1185 variants I built. Runs 28 minutes and with emolie charging at 5 amps charges in 15-20 minutes. Copied from:
Magcharger How good is it? is my response:
Brightest Simple Mag Charger Mod, brighter than the 1160
Another M*gCharger 5761, but why this is my brightest, best MC mod
NTC soft start cures 5761 insta-flashes in MC
MagCharger Hot Wire hosts?
2,272 foot throw from my MagCharger! This mod has now been bested by the lithium powered MC I built noted above.
Lithium Charging In MagCharger-Expert NEEDED! about the diode