Dawson Precision & Yost-Bonitz Light Rail ?

[chrisemt]

I know that the Surefire X200 series is the new standard in rail mounted weapon lights but will either of these rails support a Insight/Streamlight M3?

-Chris

[John]

The Dawson rail will only mount the X200 with a special adapter. That adapter would not fit an M3. You need a standard Picatiny rail to mount the M3.

[chrisemt]

So, if I don't "use" the special adapter, will an M3 mount on the rail or not?

-Chris

[GunnyG]

Huh??

You mean Kimber isn't cutting their rails to Picatinny standards? That's strange, because that same X200 light mounts and locks into the Picatinny rails on the Troy Industries MRF-C railed forearm that I have installed on my M-4 carbine just fine.
http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc68/gunnyg_photos/AR15/Kimberdesertwarrior_x200a-tg-11.jpg
http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc68/gunnyg_photos/AR15/DSC05180Medium.jpg
X200s ship with two type of lever latches in the package. One is marked "U". Use the other one, the one marked "P", for installation on picatinny rails.

I think John is saying that the Dawson rail is deliberately undersized for any Pic rail mount accessory.

from http://www.10-8consulting.com/nighthawk.php

We at 10-8 Consulting feel that a duty gun must have an integrated white light, as positive identification of threats is a must, and hands free illumination is a tremendous asset during searches. We have been using the Dawson Precision Light Speed rail for quite some time, and feel that it offers a number of very unique advantages over a traditional Picatinny rail frame. The Dawson rail is about 1/3 the size and mass of a Picatinny rail, and the weight and bulk added to the pistol is barely noticeable. Without an attached light, the pistol is unaffected in shot to shot recovery and target to target transitions, having the same net feel as a standard dust cover pistol. Additionally, it has the advantage of allowing the pistol to fit into a variety of standard holsters without modification or with only a simple end user modification. A standard pistol will still fit into a holster modified for the Dawson rail, where it will not fit into a Picatinny dust cover rail holster. With the included Dawson light adapter for the Surefire X200 series, the user has the ability to quickly attach the industry standard for weapon illumination. Other adapters for the Surefire Military light and the Nitrolon series are available separately from Dawson Precision.

I'd contact Dawson and see what they can do for mounting the M3.

[John]

The Dawson rail is a narrow rail. You can't mount a Picatinny-rail light on the Dawson. The only light that fits it, as far as I know, is the X200 with that special adapter I mentioned. The standard X200 will fit any Picatinny rail, just like the M3.

There is no adapter to fit an M3 to a Dawson rail.

Clear now?