I Think I Have a Colt Addiction

The #1 community for Gun Owners of the Northeast

Member Benefits:

  • No ad networks!
  • Discuss all aspects of firearm ownership
  • Discuss anti-gun legislation
  • Buy, sell, and trade in the classified section
  • Chat with Local gun shops, ranges, trainers & other businesses
  • Discover free outdoor shooting areas
  • View up to date on firearm-related events
  • Share photos & video with other members
  • ...and so much more!
  • Combloc

    Stop Negassing me!!!!!
    Nov 10, 2010
    7,212
    In a House
    In this post, we're going to look at the oldest of the six Colt's shown at the beginning of this article:
    P1170708_zpswml3kaqm.jpg


    P1170711_zpssutnr2kb.jpg

    Of course, "old" is a relative term and I don't really see it as old. I'm old....but I digress.


    Left side of receiver:
    P1170715_zpslaw2uwnj.jpg

    Notice that the serial number prefix is "SP" which stands for "Sport". This particular rifle was most likely made in 1986, the year the civilian HBAR was introduced and, while thare are a myriad of little differences between this rifle and the previous two, it's essentially just an earlier true "pre-ban" version of the other ones. Yes, they too are pre-ban rifles made in the early 90's but they had shades of what was coming. For example, this one is marked "AR-15 A2". That was eliminated around 1990 in an effort to make the rifles seem less military and more "sporting". Similarly, while the previous two have had the bayonet lug removed and a block added to the receiver, this one still has the lug and lacks a block. It's pretty much just a semi-auto only version of the rifle developed for the Marines. The lower receiver is the same one used on the SP-1 and I think it has the smaller diameter hammer and trigger pin holes too. I like it because it's marked for what it is instead of trying to hide behind the goofy "Match HBAR" title. I also really like that it's marked "COLT'S FIREARMS DIVISION".


    A neat feature is the large round forward assist button:
    P1170714_zpsgzob1h3r.jpg

    This replaced the tear drop forward assist for just a very short time before being changed to the small button we are used to seeing today.
    Here is a small button for comparison:
    P1170736_zpsorw84ztv.jpg



    Notice that the rear of the lower receiver is much more svelte on these older jobbers:
    P1170718_zpsipwwuiqz.jpg

    A newer receiver for comparison:
    P1170719_zps1qnvahs7.jpg



    The other side is also less reinforced:
    P1170720_zps95zvddmg.jpg

    Compared to a newer one:
    P1170721_zpsotwtlm2s.jpg



    Barrel marking:
    P1170716_zpseichuedg.jpg



    Muzzle:
    P1170717_zpso6n6jfm0.jpg

    I'm pretty sure this should have a peel washer so that tells me some moron had the flash hider off at some point. I just don't get why people dicker with things. However, when we look at some old Colt catalogs in a bit, you'll see that it does look like some of the rifles do appear to have crush washers when we would expect a peel washer. That could be a trick of the lighting in the picture....I just don't know. If I've learned anything in my years of collecting, it's that you should always expect the unexpected. Still, I'm going with someone, at some point, had this flash hider off.


    No block, no web. Pure pre-ban:
    P1170724_zps7mrjdt3d.jpg

    I miss those days.


    A particularly nice feature of this particular rifle are the glossy handguards, shown below in the foreground:
    P1170723_zpsskaaz94j.jpg

    And here, in the background:
    P1170722_zpsk9fcxgha.jpg

    Of course, Colt didn't make these but rather bought them from subcontractors. Apparently, some contractors made pretty shiny ones while others made more dull ones, presumably because of differences in polymer formulas. I assume it was luck of the draw. I like shiny!


    The pistol grip on this rifle has a more polished look as well:
    P1170725_zpseudhsl2r.jpg



    A comparison of this rifle (at top of frame) to the previous rifle:
    P1170739_zpske07swii.jpg

    Other than some rain drops on the receivers, they are nearly identical. The only obvious difference is the pin for the receiver block seen on the bottom rifle. But, if you look closely, you might notice the difference in trigger and hammer pin diameters.


    Compared to a current spec. FN-15:
    P1170741_zpscqin2ju2.jpg

    LOTS of little changes and some big ones too.
     
    Last edited:

    Combloc

    Stop Negassing me!!!!!
    Nov 10, 2010
    7,212
    In a House
    While we're here, we might as well look at some Colt catalogs. That's as good a way as any to wrap this up:
    P1170750_zpsulh4tsoa.jpg

    I'm not going to do a page by page on these catalogs. We're looking at AR-15's so guess what we're going to look at in the catalogs.....


    This first one is from 1986:
    P1170751_zps2i2rh4m7.jpg


    The rifle page from the '86 catalog:
    P1170752_zpsptn9n9ed.jpg

    I don't really see the need to say much here as it kind of speaks for itself. Hopefully it's large enough that you can read it.


    The 1989 catalog:
    P1170753_zpskpriu5xz.jpg


    Rifle pages :
    P1170754_zpsfatbcwqx.jpg


    These sure look like crush washers but I'm assuming it was just a trick of the light when the picture was taken because they should be peel washers. I cant imagine they were using both at the same time:
    P1170755_zps6cltwaij.jpg

    P1170756_zpsfnascpqa.jpg



    The 1990 catalog:
    P1170757_zpscrngpecc.jpg


    The rifle pages:
    P1170758_zpsvjdtgwda.jpg

    Notice that Colt is going out of their way to portray them as nothing more than target rifles. This is the year they nixed the "AR-15" roll mark on the lower.

    There is a .22 conversion kit advertised too on page 12:
    P1170759_zpsimrg73c7.jpg

    Again, these are only for shooting at paper plates kids. Careful, or you'll shoot your eye out!


    1991:
    P1170760_zpsqjzzdfph.jpg


    "AR-15" is absolutely nowhere to be found:
    P1170761_zpsgu5cunax.jpg

    Please mr. big gubment...don't take my "sporting rifle" away from me!! I swear, we only shoot at paper plates and would never use it to defend ourselves from tyranny. We're good compliant little citizens!


    Although it's not dated, I'm pretty sure this one is from 1994:
    P1170762_zpsmptlc8w4.jpg


    P1170764_zpsgyeypiwb.jpg



    This one isn't overtly dated either but it's from 1995 because there is a copyright date on the back:
    P1170765_zpsymplqi6m.jpg

    P1170766_zps1oemwuhq.jpg


    P1170794_zpsxqthqhzq.jpg

    No flash suppressor and the magazines are limited to 5 rounds. Pure libtardia.


    Inside is a 1995 price list and a goofy Colt clothing catalog:
    P1170768_zpsemtstwiy.jpg

    P1170770_zpsumjd0yiu.jpg

    Even back then they were expensive. I was buying used HK's just a few years before this for just over half the price of a new Colt.


    Unfortunately, there is a big gap here. Sorry about that. This next one is from 2005:
    P1170771_zpsfprahzjh.jpg


    P1170772_zpsfr6w9gps.jpg


    P1170773_zpsqp6n4dzn.jpg


    P1170774_zps4tjxrbwo.jpg



    This last one is from 2010:
    P1170775_zpstsins4fd.jpg


    P1170776_zps1h6xi9f5.jpg


    P1170777_zps8pfhewkw.jpg


    P1170778_zpsakdjerfq.jpg


    P1170779_zpsiq5lmp2d.jpg


    P1170782_zpsilb2qxlw.jpg

    This catalog has quite a spread compared to the earlier ones.



    And that's it for now. I hope you enjoyed this half as much as I did writing it! Until next time.....be safe, have fun and make sure you bring up how much you enjoy firearms in conversation every time you are around the libtards in your workplace because every time you piss one off, an angel gets his wings!
     
    Last edited:

    fidelity

    piled higher and deeper
    MDS Supporter
    Aug 15, 2012
    22,400
    Frederick County
    In addition to the last rifle updates, those catalog pics are fantastic. A friend from this website shared a Colt product catalog from a few years back that I'll now need to take out and get some pics to add to this thread in the next day or two.
     

    calicojack

    American Sporting Rifle
    MDS Supporter
    May 29, 2018
    5,348
    Cuba on the Chesapeake
    Here's an old Colt AR-15 Sporter Manual from I don't know when ... sorry I don't have the rifle that it came with :)
     

    Attachments

    • 20190711_204620.jpg
      20190711_204620.jpg
      44 KB · Views: 299
    • 20190711_204708.jpg
      20190711_204708.jpg
      55.9 KB · Views: 313
    • 20190711_204720.jpg
      20190711_204720.jpg
      47.8 KB · Views: 334

    Combloc

    Stop Negassing me!!!!!
    Nov 10, 2010
    7,212
    In a House
    I thought I was done writing this but apparently I'm not. So, in this post, we're going to look at another police rifle. It's one you seldom see and I am happy to have had the chance to document it. It's the "Model AR6601 Law Enforcement HBAR Rifle" also known as the "AR-15 Match HBAR":
    P1170801_zpsowvqn6me.jpg


    P1170804_zps28l26uin.jpg

    A little history is in order. In the interest of space, I'll simplify things a bit and paint in broad strokes. As previously noted, around 1990 Colt stopped marking the magazine well with the "AR-15" roll mark and replaced it with "SPORTER" in an effort to make them seem less military and more.....well.....sporting. They also plastered drawings of dad and junior at the competition match all over the catalogs to try and make it more convincing. As discussed earlier, they removed the bayonet lug and pinned the "Auto Sear Block" in the lower receiver too. They could see the ban hammer coming and wanted to keep out of its way if possible. It didn't work and, on September 13th 1994, Slick Willie signed the 10 year Federal Assault Weapons Ban into law. In order to comply with that law, Colt was forced to remove the flash suppressor from their rifles as well and restrict their magazines to no more than ten rounds. The resulting rifle was the "Match Target" series of rifles as seen in the 1995 catalog we looked at earlier. The rifle pictured above was made during that ban. However, you will note that it still has the bayonet lug and flash suppressor. That's because the ban didn't apply to government and law enforcement; only to subjects er, um, I mean civilians.


    Lets take a closer look at the receiver. First up is the left side:
    P1170807_zpshiuw3eku.jpg

    There are a few interesting things to note here. First, it's marked "AR-15" just like everything was prior to 1990. Why they didn't mark it "A2" like they did from 1985-89, I do not know. Also, notice that it still has a screw up front instead of a captive takedown pin. The other thing of interest is the serial number. Although it doesn't show up well in the picture, the prefix is LMH (Law Enforcement Match HBAR) and the number is 001303. If my research is correct, sometimes Colt would start the serial number at 1000 and sometimes they wouldn't and I don't know which way they went with this model. Whatever the case, I've never seen one with a serial number in the 2000's. It seems that police departments much preferred carbines to rifles and very few of this model were ever made. That apparent rarity is why I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to get my grubby mitts on this one. My advise to you is that, if you see one of these for sale at a reasonable price, buy it because you may never see another.
    So, when exactly was this rifle made? I didn't take pictures of it but there is no date on the barrel, meaning it (the barrel that is) was made prior to 1996. However, the date code on the bolt head indicates that part was made in July of 1998 and the consistent wear I see on the internals tells me none of them have been replaced. So much for dating your rifle/carbine by the barrel date. I suspected that was the case and this rifle seems to bear that out. All I know for sure at this point is that this particular rifle was made somewhere from late 1994 to September of 2004 although I suspect it was made prior to 2000.

    The right side of the receiver showing the "RESRICTED" roll mark:
    P1170808_zpskgawwx6f.jpg



    Barrel marking:
    P1170809_zpsyy1hyrtw.jpg



    A2 flash hider:
    P1170810_zpsnaswhqkp.jpg

    Still using the peel washer at this point.


    The sear block is gone and we now have the familiar web:
    P1170812_zps7n2ldwel.jpg



    The butt and its trap door:
    P1170813_zpsukvxvoge.jpg

    Shame on Colt for ever making this exquisitely craptastic part. Prior to the ban, A2 butt stocks had a plastic butt plate and an alloy trap door. This one has a plastic door which, in itself, is forgivable. But Colt didn't stop there. They also had the brilliant idea to jettison the closure plunger AND the hinge pin. Here's a closeup of the closure device:
    P1170815_zps9h7tntds.jpg

    That's exactly what it look like; a tab molded as part of the trap door. It's about as cheaply made as a Chinese toy from 1982. Now, to be fair, I think military rifles of this era still had a steel closure plunger and a real hinge pin and this junk was reserved for us peons (and I guess that includes law enforcement).


    Here's a picture showing the natural position of the door after you open it fully and let go:
    P1170814_zpscocwr8dn.jpg

    When I say that there is no hinge pin, I mean there is NO hinge pin. When you open this thing up, you are flexing a thin piece of plastic similar to what you would find on a throw away first aid kit. It's that cheaply made!


    Here's a shot of the inside of the door:
    P1170816_zpsbs8ov1gy.jpg

    It looks like a new age waffle.


    A comparison of the craptastic door on the left compared to a pre-ban door on the right:
    P1170817_zpsj7wwcgx3.jpg

    The differences are immediately obvious.


    Here, we see a pre-ban door open:
    P1170821_zpssn0nzjcs.jpg

    Again, it is made of a metal alloy, has a proper spring loaded steel closure and has a steel reinforced pinned hinge. In other words, it's a Quality assembly.


    This last picture is a general comparison view showing the ban era police rifle at the top and a pre-ban civilian model below:
    P1170825_zpswjbq1nsr.jpg

    The point of this picture is to illustrate the changing finish color. If you look closely, you will notice that the pre-ban has the greenish-grey anodizing so typical of earlier Colts whereas the ban era rifle is more of a charcoal black. It's still not the dark black that is so ubiquitous today but it's moving towards that.


    That's it for this post. I thought I was done earlier but it seems that things may/will pop up that make more sense as an addendum here rather than as a new post. So, rather than say hasta la vista, baby (I can't help it. I came of age in the 80's) I'll raise my glass to you and say "Dasvidaniya comrade!"
     
    Last edited:

    grimnar15

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Jul 21, 2019
    1,645
    I can't wait to pick up my new Colt LE6920 M4A1 SOCOM, it arrives on Monday. I still love my AR15A3 and it won't be abandoned.
     

    Robert2888

    Active Member
    Nov 5, 2013
    896
    Westmoreland,VA
    Your write ups are professional quality and I look forward to every one. I would love to see one done of your namesake firearms. I’m sure it would be a masterpiece in the appreciation of Warsaw Pact small arms.
     

    Combloc

    Stop Negassing me!!!!!
    Nov 10, 2010
    7,212
    In a House
    That's about the best compliment I've had in forever; you humble me sir. What rifle (or pistol) would you like to see? I've done a few short essays on some Warsaw Pact/Chicom stuff but nothing really in-depth.

    Here's one on the Polish P83 which goes into a little detail:
    https://www.mdshooters.com/showthread.php?176043&p=3848961#post3848961

    A very short one about the NDM-86:
    https://www.mdshooters.com/showthread.php?t=235631
    I do plan on doing a more thorough job on this one at some point.

    And another short one comparing a couple Soviet produced PM's:
    https://www.mdshooters.com/showthread.php?209935&p=4795403#post4795403
    There isn't a whole lot to go into on some stuff and the PM is an example of that.

    One on the SA26:
    https://www.mdshooters.com/showthread.php?t=206228

    At some point, I would like to find the time to do an article on the RPD and a VZ52/57 too Oh! and Soviet night vision scopes, and …...well, just a bunch of stuff. Unfortunately, life gets in the way sometimes!
     

    Bertfish

    Throw bread on me
    Mar 13, 2013
    17,606
    White Marsh, MD
    This thread came to mind the other day. A guy I know was moving and wanted out of his small gun collection. 80's Colt AR15 with the 20" HBAR, .223 only, came home with me for a song. Unfired but no box.
     

    Combloc

    Stop Negassing me!!!!!
    Nov 10, 2010
    7,212
    In a House
    I'd love to do a PKM from MarColMar if I could get access to one! I was planning on doing one comparing various Chinese AK's but I cut my S-3 loose when I bought the MP44 so that's a no-go. An AK from each country would be nice but the tyrannical nature of this state would make that a challenge.
     

    Combloc

    Stop Negassing me!!!!!
    Nov 10, 2010
    7,212
    In a House
    This thread came to mind the other day. A guy I know was moving and wanted out of his small gun collection. 80's Colt AR15 with the 20" HBAR, .223 only, came home with me for a song. Unfired but no box.

    Schweet!! Post some pictures of that jobber please!
     

    Robert2888

    Active Member
    Nov 5, 2013
    896
    Westmoreland,VA
    I'd love to do a PKM from MarColMar if I could get access to one! I was planning on doing one comparing various Chinese AK's but I cut my S-3 loose when I bought the MP44 so that's a no-go. An AK from each country would be nice but the tyrannical nature of this state would make that a challenge.

    That is very true. You do quite a impressive job behind enemy lines though. I look forward to reading whatever you choose to focus on next. Have you done one on the STG-44 yet?
     

    Users who are viewing this thread

    Latest posts

    Forum statistics

    Threads
    274,919
    Messages
    7,258,864
    Members
    33,349
    Latest member
    christian04

    Latest threads

    Top Bottom