Shotgun light

I'm a bit overwhelmed with all the possible leds, drivers, reflectors etc. so I was hoping for a bit of help on this. I haven't modded any flashlights before, but I have access to a cnc mill so making a custom housing won't be a problem, it's just the insides that I'm unsure of.

I want to add a flashlight to this shotgun, but would like to have it fill the space between the end of the magazine tube and the end of the barrel. This will look good I hope, and keep the gun much slimmer than if I attached a normal flashlight to the side like you usually see. Here are a few pictures to illustrate what I mean, one as is and one with a flashlight tucked under to illustrate the idea.

The battery will be in the stock, or grip once I get a different stock, with a pressure switch on the grip, and possibly a second switch (ideally) to pre-select mode. So at the front it will only be the led, reflector and housing. Here are the dimensions I'm working with.

It would be nice if the beam pattern had some wide angle light for close in, and brighter towards the center for further out, similar to the p7 flashlight I have, with hopefully similar lumens, but I could live with less. I am designing this for hiking and camping with bear defense in mind, so I'm not too concerned about long run time or heat build up, because if it ends up on for more than a few minutes then I likely have bigger problems than a melted flashlight .

Also, I remember reading once that red light had less of an impact on your night vision than white, but I don't know if there are high output red leds that would work for this application.

If you're ok with using a lithium ion battery, use this:

http://www.manafont.com/product_info.php/generic-cree-r2-mode-led-dropin-module-318v-p-9132

If you want to use a CR123 battery (or lithium-ion) use this:

If you want to try a red drop-in, order this at the same time. They are interchangeable:

http://www.manafont.com/product_info.php/generic-red-beam-mode-led-dropin-module-3718v-p-7807

Sounds like a neat project. Good luck with it. I hope you can get everything to fit. If you can't, you should order this host just in case:

http://www.manafont.com/product_info.php/ultrafire-wf501a-flashlight-tube-cr123-mini-p60-host-no-led-emitter-p-4294

It's 4.25 inches long and would look nice on it.

Or... you could try to make something that just the head of the 501a will thread on to at the end of your gun.

Welcome to BLF.

Brownells sells one premade.

http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=22533/Product/REMINGTON-MOSSBERG-SHOTGUN-FLASHLIGHT-MOUNT

http://www.thelitelight.com/

Aloha and welcome to BLF bcd!

Welcome to the club, bcd.

Welcome to BLF, bcd. Good luck with your project. It will be interesting to see how it turns out.

Welcome to BLF, bcd!!

Good luck on your project, it looks like it could be really cool. I think you will definitely have to use some of the mag capacity (at least one shell) but if you machine the mount to double as the magazine cap you could do it. Get a 501A like E1320 suggested to get a feel for how you will have to do it and how things will need to fit. No matter what you do you will have to rewire switching with a pressure switch coming out the front of the light instead of the tail.

Another option is to get a small light with a side clicky. One that you can machine the magazine cap to accommodate the body of the light up to the side switch. One like this:

I have that light and it's a bright little bugger. Machine the body into the mag cap leaving just the switch and head sticking out the front. I think it would be a perfect fit.

Thanks guys!

If I use the head from another body I don't want it to be tapered, because there isn't much clearance and it will look better if it's straight I think. That's an idea though, to make an adapter that threaded on to the head. Except I don't have a lathe, so threading would be tricky. So far I was planning on using set screws to attach it. For the battery I was thinking one 18650, it sounds like they are much better capacity wise than aa, so I'll just try to standardize all my lights to that, even though they're not easy to find some places in a pinch.

I don't know if it's the case with that red drop in, but another I came across wasn't true red, it had red and white combined to make it brighter, which kind of defeats the purpose? Maybe I'll just stick to white so that it's easier to find a brighter led, it's not for tactical use after all. Unless the bears are getting smarter.

Damn, why are all the good ideas already taken! That lite light would simplify the build for sure. Not sure I like the protrusion into the magazine though, would lower the capacity. Could just use the adapter though, and mount the battery remotely. The only problem is the flashlight would be narrower, which wouldn't look as good, to my eye. Have to think about that one.

For the driver and switch, is there a way to have a switch set the mode (off, high, low, strobe), so that when the pressure switch is pressed it will already be at the desired mode, and the pressure switch can be used multiple times without changing mode?

Edit: Johnnymac, you posted as I was writing, so I didn't see it. That's a good idea, using a side switch one. If you have one of these, would you be able to measure for me the length between the front and the back of the front section just behind the switch? I really want it to be flush with the barrel lengthwise, kind of a deal breaker for me, the width I could live with if it's a bit narrower.

Taking measurements from the picture and the true numbers and extrapolating them, it is my calculation that from the bezel to the groove just behind the switch is 42.5mm or 1.67". From the bezel to the back of the switch is 40mm or 1.57".

I appreciate the recommendations so far, but I have been thinking some more about this and after looking at some different beam shots over the past few days I am now leaning towards something that is very floody, for fast target acquisition. I don't want to be swinging back and forth trying to find it with a narrow beam, and the max range probably only needs to be 30-50m. I did a quick mock up with aluminum foil on my p7 light, so that the reflector is extremely shallow - just deep enough to cover the led.

I'm now thinking that I'll just custom mill the housing, it seems like just as much work to adapt an existing body and this way it will be stronger and exactly the size I want. I was looking at the xml but I'm worried that just one emitter won't be enough with this wide of a beam. Does anyone have any experience with the xml in a flood type light at the range I'm considering? Could I trim the plates that the led comes on so that two could fit within the ~1.25" dia. I have to work with? Or is there a better option like the sst50/90 which seem to be the other high power emitters. Not worried about long run times here (<5 min) and there will be a considerable amount of aluminum to act as a heatsink, so maybe I can push something harder than usual?

A Match mod minimag cut down for 1*14500 with an XML that isn't driven too hard for controlling heat would give plenty of floody light with more efficiency for runtime than a lesser emitter . . plug the end in the mount and load from the head . . .nice thing is you can buy a variety of Carclo optics to try for cheap . . the elliptical might be perfect.

Hmm elliptical flood is an interesting idea... not wasting light shining up or down. Wonder if I could achieve the same thing as the optics with an elliptical reflector.

Here is what I am currently picturing. The rod on the back would be threaded and the existing hole in the cap would be threaded.

I wish there was a way to model the beam pattern other than trial and error, because I'm not sure how the arc on the reflector effects this.

This is what I meant by elliptical reflector. But looking at the angles that the light will come out at, I think a lens might be more effective.

Beamshots of the Carclo lenses . . 3 emitters in 20mm by like 13mm deep instead of a reflector I think.

http://www.ledsupply.com/10510.php

http://www.carclo-optics.com/opticselect/intranet/optics/details/index.php?id_optics=32

Thanks, yeah I think a lens is going to be the way to go. Doesn't seem like the carlco ellipticals are very wide though, ~45 degrees at the most. Found some wider ones that use a fresnel type lens, might get those to try, for the price. The beam shots look extremely wide.

http://www.dealextreme.com/p/24mm-120-degree-acrylic-led-reflector-lens-for-lumileds-cree-ssc-edison-black-5-pack-81831?item=10

http://www.dealextreme.com/p/23-0mm-optics-light-diffusers-glass-5-pack-1918?item=31