A Colt AR-15 for How Much?

calicojack · Jul 18, 2021

Colt AR-15 Sporter for $189.50 - circa nineteen sixty something - a little out of date!

"The AR-15 Sporter weighs only 6 pounds. Its .223 cal , 55 grain bullet has a velocity of 3,100 fps."

"Every AR-15 Sporter is factory targeted at 100 yards."

"If you're a hunter, camper, or collector, you'll want the AR-15 Sporter."

Wow - ain't that the truth!

slsc98 · Jul 18, 2021

Very nice!

In contrast, I received an e-flyer yesterday with a Colt CR6920 (much heavier than 6-lbs, btw!) available at $920 …

And, there is the thread on the occasional PSA blem (if I understand it correctly, actually likely FN South Carolina plant reject) complete lowers for $120 which coupled with DelTon complete uppers provide a basic Modern Sporting Rifle for only $440, say under $500 cuz it’ll need either iron sights or a dot, at a minimum.

Still, to think of how many of those Colt 6-lb SP-1 rifles for $189 I passed up back in the 70’s boggles my mind!

calicojack · Jul 18, 2021

FYI - $189.50 in 1965 is $1,634.49 in 2021 dollars. So this would have been somewhat expensive. Probably could have bought a nice Winchester Model 70 and a nice scope for that price back then.

E.Shell · Jul 18, 2021

I kept a copy of Shotgun News from early 1986 with Colt M-16s and Colt AR-15s in the same ad being advertised for exactly the same price, the only difference in cost being the exorbitant tax stamp.

slsc98 · Jul 18, 2021

Hehe, even more interesting question: what does one of those SP-1’s fetch nowadays? Used, even?!

calicojack · Jul 18, 2021

The Coleman lantern and the map take me back. No GPS back then.

slsc98 · Jul 18, 2021

Ha! Touché!

cantstop · Jul 18, 2021

slsc98 said:
Hehe, even more interesting question: what does one of those SP-1’s fetch nowadays? Used, even?!

I'd guess the old barrels would be rusted out if not kept in a humidity controlled environment.

Pale Ryder · Jul 18, 2021

And they say inflation is just transitory.

calicojack · Jul 18, 2021

E.Shell said:
I kept a copy of Shotgun News from early 1986 with Colt M-16s and Colt AR-15s in the same ad being advertised for exactly the same price, the only difference in cost being the exorbitant tax stamp.

Goes to show the premium you pay for the latest and greatest technology. And I do think the AR-15 was ahead of it's time. The early criticism of the rifle was from left-wing propaganda and in-fighting within DoD, IMHO.

E.Shell · Jul 18, 2021

calicojack said:
Goes to show the premium you pay for the latest and greatest technology. And I do think the AR-15 was ahead of it's time. The early criticism of the rifle was from left-wing propaganda and in-fighting within DoD, IMHO.

Really goes to show what WAS happening before demand was artificially spiked by the FOPA '86 amendment making sales of new automatic rifles illegal.

calicojack · Jul 18, 2021

E.Shell said:
I kept a copy of Shotgun News from early 1986 with Colt M-16s and Colt AR-15s in the same ad being advertised for exactly the same price, the only difference in cost being the exorbitant tax stamp.

So that would be $470 today. That time period was probably the time to buy a lot of these guns.

calicojack · Jul 18, 2021

E.Shell said:
Really goes to show what WAS happening before demand was artificially spiked by the FOPA '86 amendment making sales of new automatic rifles illegal.

Yep - I hear ya!

E.Shell · Jul 18, 2021

calicojack said:
So that would be $470 today. That time period was probably the time to buy a lot of these guns.

Clarification:

AR-15s and M-16s were the same price as each other. They were NOT the same price as the two decade older pic in the OP.

Mdeng · Jul 18, 2021

slsc98 said:
Hehe, even more interesting question: what does one of those SP-1’s fetch nowadays? Used, even?!

I have one in my collection that would probably bring 2K to the right collector.

135sohc · Jul 18, 2021

How were they getting those early guns so light ?? or better yet how accurate was the scale they used. I have one of those Proto models from Brownells, feels like a toy it is so light (shoots like dream) and even it is closer to the 7 pound mark.

Michigander08 · Jul 18, 2021

Who makes better AR15? FN or Colt?

Pinecone · Jul 19, 2021

calicojack said:
FYI - $189.50 in 1965 is $1,634.49 in 2021 dollars. So this would have been somewhat expensive. Probably could have bought a nice Winchester Model 70 and a nice scope for that price back then.

Yeah, people forget inflation.

jr88 · Jul 19, 2021

I know a man who had a gun shop in Baltimore and purchased several pallets of M16's. He claimed it was his retirement fund. He ended up closing his shop after 2013 and retiring from his full time job a few years later. I never got the exact number of rifles purchased but the price quoted me was $163 per rifle.

huesmann · Jul 21, 2021

^^ Were those honest-to-god machine gun M-16s?

A Colt AR-15 for How Much?

The #1 community for Gun Owners of the Northeast

Member Benefits:

American Sporting Rifle

Attachments

Ultimate Member

American Sporting Rifle

Ultimate Member

Ultimate Member

American Sporting Rifle

Ultimate Member

Pentultimate Member

Ultimate Member

American Sporting Rifle

Ultimate Member

American Sporting Rifle

American Sporting Rifle

Ultimate Member

Ultimate Member

Ultimate Member

ridiculous and psychotic

Ultimate Member

Ultimate Member

n00b

Users who are viewing this thread

Log in

Forum statistics