I need some info on a colt ar please

[Boboclown]

I'm not sure. A friend of mine suggested running a scope on the top and a red dot on an angle on the side, but I was thinking of a red dot of some sort and save the scope for the upper I want to build for it. Last I heard he was going to put a red dot he has from his last ar on his new one when he gets it until he can afford an acog scope. If you got any suggestions I'm all ears. I have a few red dots laying around but they are of a crappie quality and I really don't want to use them for this.

As for optics, personally I always prefer scopes over red dot sights (astigmatism and red dots don't go hand and hand), but if I didn't have astigmatism I'd just save up for an Aimpoint. But since I do, I just forget red dots and go for scopes. My 5.56 carbine has a Vortex Spitfire 3x on it until I can afford an Elcan. Never used offset sights though, just learned to use 3x in close range instead (I did get a few weird "wtf u doin?" looks when doing that though... ) and zeroed in my back ups every significant temperature change.

Say, would anyone know what type of collapsed stock the 6720 has? Commercial or milspec?

If I can recall, its milspec.

 

[Boboclown]

I don't think the 12" is made any more, not that it matters you need a 7" for a carbine and they go for $199, but if you shop around you can find them cheaper.

I forgot that the 6720 was a carbine, didn't feel like going back to edit it was all. Not that it matters since the OP intends to remove the FSB anyways.

 

[Boboclown]

I hadn't got that far yet, but now I got to ask why?

Not sure if its the OP's reason but an advantage in doing so is getting a low profile gas block and a longer FF handguard for a longer sight radius.

But his reason might be different so... /shrug

 

[spookshack]

I know the OP already got his Colt, but this might be of interest for someone in the market for a budget Colt AR.

Not much info on it so far. I'm sure more details will be available during SHOT show.

http://www.coltforum.com/forums/colt-long-guns/108626-colt-m4-expanse-question.html

http://www.colt.com/Media/PressRele...4-Carbine-and-Colt-Lightweight-Commander.aspx

 

[Boboclown]

A longer sight radius makes zero difference if using optics and a longer handguard can be solved with the cutout or FSP rails I mentioned above.

It doesn't make zero difference, it just makes less of a difference. A long sight radius is always nice to have, even if its only a back-up. A longer handguard also leaves more space for your hand if you put anything on the bottom rail. Shooting can be a hassle with a short handguard and a bipod or something else in the way.

 

[Garg]

The smart money is on: leave the Colt upper, intact, and build a new upper with the little thingys on it you like.
I would start with sourcing a nice barrel. Mid length, 16-18", .223 Wylde, maybe stainless, and build around that. i like black hole myself, as they are very nice barrels. There are a lot of them out there.
But like i said, leave that colt upper alone. once it is modified, it will never be the same in terms of re-sale.

 

[Boboclown]

The smart money is on: leave the Colt upper, intact, and build a new upper with the little thingys on it you like.
I would start with sourcing a nice barrel. Mid length, 16-18", .223 Wylde, maybe stainless, and build around that. i like black hole myself, as they are very nice barrels. There are a lot of them out there.
But like i said, leave that colt upper alone. once it is modified, it will never be the same in terms of re-sale.

This. Leave the upper alone and just build another upper.

You never know if you have to sell something or not. The Colt may not raise in price but it'll at least keep value unmodified. An unmodified pony has value. A modified one is a sick pony (so to speak) therefore less value.

 

[Boboclown]

Just some advice related to magazines for your AR. If you're ever looking for magazines in a pawn shop or gun show, look for 20 round USGI mags. If you find any rare ones being sold at the same price as other typical surplus, pick them up and don't tell the seller (I know that's mean but at least you'd give others a chance to get the leftovers at the same price, if any). Don't need to use them, but they're nice to have.

I only have one so far.

 

[3MTA3]

They use full auto carriers. Shrouded doesn't keep it from being converted to full auto. A shrouded bcg means that it isn't the firing pin that pushes the hammer back. What does keep an AR from being converted? Having a block where the auto sear would go, a high shelf receiver, and probably a few other things. Not being rich is also another thing, a RDIAS is gonna require a 2nd mortgage, the soul of your first born, or just being rich.

Edit: Added photo.
View attachment 271917

This is how a full auto carrier looks, on the bottom anyways. This is the BCG that came with my Colt upper.

Thanks for the clarification. I'd read an explanation a while back on ar15.com that went into detail about the changes they made to the platform when they started selling AR-15's to the public. As you mention, Colt went to great lengths to make sure that there was no perception that they selling M-16's or something easily converted to a machine gun. I think that's also why early colts had larger pins in the fire control group - to prevent existing M16 components from working there.

 

[Kowboy]

Thanks again for the surplus of info and especially the links to the quad rails, ideas for red dots, and how to take off the front sight. To answer your guy's questions, and I'm sure I'm going to miss a couple, the only regret I have is it's not the 6920 I was looking for and it doesn' t have the 6920 barrel. When I went into the gun shop someone put a down payment on the 6920 so I couldn't get it. Kind of a shame too because it was the black magpul edition. Other than that I have no regrets on it, I believe in the gun.

As for the front sight, simple as I can put it is I don't like it, never have and probably never will. My plan is to put a pair of magpul sights on it as a backup which are already on the way.

Bobo- how does the astigmatism effect you and a red dot?


I've got a lead on USGI mags, a buddy of mine has a butt ton and he's going to sell me some of them. I think all they need is a light rebuild.

I am planning on building another upper, the 300 blackout peaked my curiosity but it's not set in stone. I also have some ideas on getting that bravo company stuff titsonritz recommended and getting/making another ar in 556 as extra funds presents itself .

And I have the tools, at least 90% of them. The only thing I think I'm missing is the one that looks like chopsticks but my buddy has that one so I don't mind breaking one completely down or building it all the way up.

 

[Boboclown]

As a general rule astigmatism causes the red dot to either be oval or kind of a bloom effect. Cheap red dots bloom for me, expensive ones are oval for me. YMMV.

Btw if you find a 20 round USGI mag with this floorplate and alloy follower for cheap from your friend, he might have other rare mags and not know it.

 

[Kowboy]

Follower, thank you. I couldn't remember what they needed. They need new followers. I'll see if I can dig through his stash and see what I can find. What is so special about them?

Is your astigmatism in your dominant eye? I've got one too but it's in my other eye.

 

[Boboclown]

Follower, thank you. I couldn't remember what they needed. They need new followers. I'll see if I can dig through his stash and see what I can find. What is so special about them?

Is your astigmatism in your dominant eye? I've got one too but it's in my other eye.

Yes but I can shoot just as well with either eye, not so much with either arm.

As for whats special, they're just rare is all. Even more so than the old Colt mags, but the old Colt mags are worth more. If you find rare mags for cheap, just keep them for a collection and get other mags to use.

 

[Kowboy]

Yes but I can shoot just as well with either eye, not so much with either arm.

As for whats special, they're just rare is all. Even more so than the old Colt mags, but the old Colt mags are worth more. If you find rare mags for cheap, just keep them for a collection and get other mags to use.

Yea, I'm kinda the type where it's one eye and one arm, lol.

 

[jbett98]

Even more rare and valuable are the 20/30/40rd mags made for the Armalite AR-180 by Sterling.

 

[Boboclown]

Even more rare and valuable are the 20/30/40rd mags made for the Armalite AR-180 by Sterling.

And are worth way more... I don't think you'll find those at a gun show with a seller who doesn't know what they are, or one who just assumes they're rare and sells them for a high price anyways. But I'm still kicking myself for not buying the old Colt 20 rounders the pawn shop had at $8 (especially considering they can go up to $55 I think), but I went with ammo instead.

 

[Kowboy]

And are worth way more... I don't think you'll find those at a gun show with a seller who doesn't know what they are, or one who just assumes they're rare and sells them for a high price anyways. But I'm still kicking myself for not buying the old Colt 20 rounders the pawn shop had at $8 (especially considering they can go up to $55 I think), but I went with ammo instead.

Ouch. No worries man, we've all done things like that. I kick myself every day for the coulda, shoulda, woulda's. My rear hurts so much I can't sit down....

 

[jbett98]

A guy back in the Mid West bought some original Sterling Armalite 40rd mags from an estate sale.
These were new in wrapper mags and he knew what they were worth, but actually getting $200.00 apiece on GunBroker is a different matter.
I was running a wanted ad on Armslist for these and he contacted me wanting to know if I wanted some.
I offered him $100.00 each and after a couple of weeks he finally agreed to my offer, as the GunBroker ad wasn't making him rich.
They will work in an AR-15, but an Ar-15 mag won't work in an Armalite 180 unless you cut a special slot for the mag catch.

 

[Boboclown]

They will work in an AR-15, but an Ar-15 mag won't work in an Armalite 180 unless you cut a special slot for the mag catch.

Yeah, but to be honest I probably wouldn't be using them.

 

[Kowboy]

I would start with sourcing a nice barrel. Mid length, 16-18", .223 Wylde, maybe stainless, and build around that. i like black hole myself, as they are very nice barrels. There are a lot of them out there.

I wanted to say thank you for the suggestion. I looked into it and I ended up getting a 16" white oak .223 wylde barrel. Now if only they would ship the damn thing.... I also looked into the poly barrel. I was really on the fence on which to get until someone told me you can only use copper coated bullets through it. That was kinda a bummer...