Combloc
Stop Negassing me!!!!!
AR's aren't my thing. They never have been and they never will be. They are fun enough at the range but they will never be my first pick. BUT.....I have to admit, there is something special to me about a Colt rifle. Maybe it's because they are American made or maybe it's the Colt mystique....I don't know. What I do know is that, every time I pick one up, I get the exact same feeling I get when I pick up an M1, M1 Carbine, Johnson 1941 or when I get in my 46 Jeep to go for a spin. I guess it's a sense of American History and Nostalgia. To me, these things represent everything right about American and being an American. They give me a sense of Pride.
Anywho, I was doing a little reorganizing and had some of my Colts out for a look see so I thought I'd take some pictures. The following is nothing scholarly or comprehensive but rather just a look at some differences and similarities between a small selection of Colt AR 15 rifles and carbines that I own. Let's get started.
Here are a few laid out with an FN thrown in for good measure:
I like collecting these things for several reasons. Number 1 I've already explained above. Second, they are relatively cheap at the moment; so cheap that I can afford to buy them as I see them if I like what I'm looking at. My criteria is simple. I want it original and generally unmessed with. There is some slight deviance in this point but whatever has been done has to make sense to me. If it has ANY aftermarket parts on it, I don't want it unless I can easily put it back into factory trim. Third, it's fun. Isn't that what all this is supposed to be about anyways? I think it is.
Let's get a closer look. We'll start with the carbines:
All three of these are police trade in jobbers. I've become smitten with these for some reason. Monetarily speaking, I think these are sleepers and will really increase in value over time. I also like the general wear they show; it's like History frozen in time. Somebody carried this around in their patrol unit and trusted their life to it. That means something to a sentimental fool like me. I buy every police trade in I can find if I have the cash available at the time. My only criteria for these is that they have the "Restricted" roll mark on the magazine well and that they be in the same configuration as when they were traded in.
We'll start with the newest one, shown at the bottom in the picture above:
This particular carbine was has a barrel date of April 2009 and it's the only one shown with the magazine it came with. That's because it's also the only one I have that has a magazine that has been marked by the department it was issued to. In this case, Troop B, Pennsylvania State Police, Pittsburgh Station:
Here's the left side of the receiver:
I love the fact that it's marked "COLT DEFENSE". Note that the magazine is dated May of 2009. Of course I know that this is most likely NOT the magazine that came with it from Colt but it IS a magazine that was used by the Pittsburgh PD so I will keep them together. While I have not shot some of the rifles I'll cover in this thread, I have had this one to the range and it was both accurate and fun! But then, aren't they all FUN?? Notice that the front take down pin is actually a pin. That is 100% normal for you younger guys but us older guy remember when thus front pin was not a pin at all but rather a screw. We'll see that in a bit. Also notice the various scratches. Yeah....that gets me going. I LOvE wear. Pristine is for pretty boys!
The upper is marked "M4":
Barrel marking:
As we look at these six rifles/carbines, notice that, while the format is the same on each one, the font and size changes. Things like this are why I just keep buying more. The variations absolutely fascinate me!
It has the standard M4 seven hole handguard with double heat shields:
Personally, I prefer the six hole that we'll see on the next carbine but then I'm not in combat either. Of course, neither was the officer this was issued to. But ultimately, it doesn't matter. This is how Colt built it so I love it for what it is!
The flash hider uses a crush washer as was standard when this carbine was made:
Anywho, I was doing a little reorganizing and had some of my Colts out for a look see so I thought I'd take some pictures. The following is nothing scholarly or comprehensive but rather just a look at some differences and similarities between a small selection of Colt AR 15 rifles and carbines that I own. Let's get started.
Here are a few laid out with an FN thrown in for good measure:
I like collecting these things for several reasons. Number 1 I've already explained above. Second, they are relatively cheap at the moment; so cheap that I can afford to buy them as I see them if I like what I'm looking at. My criteria is simple. I want it original and generally unmessed with. There is some slight deviance in this point but whatever has been done has to make sense to me. If it has ANY aftermarket parts on it, I don't want it unless I can easily put it back into factory trim. Third, it's fun. Isn't that what all this is supposed to be about anyways? I think it is.
Let's get a closer look. We'll start with the carbines:
All three of these are police trade in jobbers. I've become smitten with these for some reason. Monetarily speaking, I think these are sleepers and will really increase in value over time. I also like the general wear they show; it's like History frozen in time. Somebody carried this around in their patrol unit and trusted their life to it. That means something to a sentimental fool like me. I buy every police trade in I can find if I have the cash available at the time. My only criteria for these is that they have the "Restricted" roll mark on the magazine well and that they be in the same configuration as when they were traded in.
We'll start with the newest one, shown at the bottom in the picture above:
This particular carbine was has a barrel date of April 2009 and it's the only one shown with the magazine it came with. That's because it's also the only one I have that has a magazine that has been marked by the department it was issued to. In this case, Troop B, Pennsylvania State Police, Pittsburgh Station:
Here's the left side of the receiver:
I love the fact that it's marked "COLT DEFENSE". Note that the magazine is dated May of 2009. Of course I know that this is most likely NOT the magazine that came with it from Colt but it IS a magazine that was used by the Pittsburgh PD so I will keep them together. While I have not shot some of the rifles I'll cover in this thread, I have had this one to the range and it was both accurate and fun! But then, aren't they all FUN?? Notice that the front take down pin is actually a pin. That is 100% normal for you younger guys but us older guy remember when thus front pin was not a pin at all but rather a screw. We'll see that in a bit. Also notice the various scratches. Yeah....that gets me going. I LOvE wear. Pristine is for pretty boys!
The upper is marked "M4":
Barrel marking:
As we look at these six rifles/carbines, notice that, while the format is the same on each one, the font and size changes. Things like this are why I just keep buying more. The variations absolutely fascinate me!
It has the standard M4 seven hole handguard with double heat shields:
Personally, I prefer the six hole that we'll see on the next carbine but then I'm not in combat either. Of course, neither was the officer this was issued to. But ultimately, it doesn't matter. This is how Colt built it so I love it for what it is!
The flash hider uses a crush washer as was standard when this carbine was made:
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