Is there an easy upgrade to a Surefire M300 with a KE1A head?

I just got a Sig MPX and put my old Surefire M300 with the KE1A head on it and went outside to see how well the light works. I have not had it on a gun for about two years. I was suprised how dim it is.

All my other long guns have Surefire M600Us on them that put out 500 lumens. The 200 lumen M300 is just pitiful next to that.

I don't want to have to put an M600U on the MPX because it is such a compact gun.

Does anyone know of a replacement head that will fit the Surefire M300 that will give me more than the stock 200 lumens? I'm not as concerned about run time as this isn't a home defense gun.

There isn't going to be too much out there for an E series head using a single cell. I mean its just the math. 3 volts? Using a rechargeable will get you into the custom made units. But they are not going to be cheap. One option is a Lumens Factory single cell E head. Its advertised as 370 lumens max so I cannot say that is accurate but I tend to think Mark isn't outrageous in his claims. It's reasonably priced and would get you much closer to your desire.

There's also the Lumens Factory e-c adapter that will allow you to use a P60 drop in.

Don't forget the Malkoff E1T head @ 300 lumens: http://malkoff-devices.myshopify.com/products/e1t-scout-m300-1cr123-head

It will be more output than your 200 lumen Surefire, but it may not be a significantly larger output than what you currently have. That is to say, slightly better, but it is worth your cash? Beam shape will be different also (Surefire is mostly hotspot, Malkoff is wider beam).

maddy345 said:

Does anyone know of a replacement head that will fit the Surefire M300 that will give me more than the stock 200 lumens? I'm not as concerned about run time as this isn't a home defense gun.

Click to expand...

First post! Gotta jump in sometime/somewhere I guess...

Anyway, as JS mentions, the Malkoff E1T head will give you roughly 300 lumens. Just to clarify though: Like the Surefire, the E1T is a TIR optic head, so it is designed to maximize throw vs. flood. The "normal" (non-TIR) Malkoff E1 head will give you 250+ lumens, but the with a much more broad/floody beam (OP reflector). So, it really depends on your preference/needs.

If you are just looking for highest total output for the M300 form factor, the current top dog is the Surefire KE1F head (300+ lumens), which comes stock on the latest Surefire M300C. I've had all 3 mentioned, and it is a clear step above either of the Malkoffs, and the previous KE1 heads. It's still a TIR design, but with the higher output the spill is comparable to the Malkoff E1.

That said, none of them are going to be worthy if you are used to much higher output lights. Personally, I am selling all of my M300/mini-scout set-ups for carbine duty in favor of either the Streamlight TLR-1 HL and/or the Surefire X300u-B (12 o'clock mount).
The TLR-1 HL is a clear winner over any of the M300s for me. Just waiting to get my hands on the latest Surefire X300u to compare it with! YMMV.