The most popular rifle is made by many companies.

Art Doc

Art Doc

SWCA Member, Absent Comrade
Joined
Jul 11, 2002
Messages
10,446
Reaction score
13,387
Location
The kidney of Dixie.
I only have one. Only one I have ever owned and it was made by the original manufacturer to offer the model.

In 1979 or 1980 a friend called me. He had put $100 deposit to hold a new AR15 at a local shop and then got laid off at work. Couldn't pay the balance and was hoping to save his deposit he asked if I wanted to buy him out. I wasn't looking for an AR but I gave him his $100 and I went and paid off the balance. I think the retail price was $340 but I could be wrong. Sort of expected he might want to buy it back from me when he got on his feet again but he never asked about doing so. Had the rifle ever since.

It was stolen in 1985 but recovered by police a few months later in a drug raid. You'll note there have not been any modifications made to the rifle. I never felt the need for all the accessories that are so popular and I prefer the clean, compact lines of the rifle as issued. Never missed having the forward assist, either. Without it the AR is very flat and easy to carry.

Everybody and his cousin make ARs these days. It is America's top selling rifle. I wound up with one when I wasn't looking for it, but I found it fun to shoot so I hung on to it,

standard.jpg
 
Register to hide this ad
Props to you for not modding that SP-1. Beautiful rifle. With A1 models like that, if anyone thinks throwing **** on it would make it better, I just think (in a Russian accent) "nyet, rifle is fine"
 
Even in the woods of Ontario it is a very popular rifle. I got this one in the late 80's and it has remained unmodified. I shot it in some Black Rifle matches - iron sights division. Works just fine the way it is. Post edit - They can only be shot in Canada at government certified ranges. One cannot hunt any game - small or otherwise - with them. All matches must be held at certified ranges and they must be transported in locked cases, with trigger locks - to and from the range taking the most direct route possible.
 

Attachments

  • CSHBAR-Full.jpg
    CSHBAR-Full.jpg
    52.8 KB · Views: 91
Last edited:
Every time I assemble a compact carbine I look for an 'A1' buttstock. They are getting darn hard to find and the sellers are demanding a premium price......
 
I bought a rifle and carbine when they were first issued. They shoot well, but haven't been used much. I did change the hand guard on the rifle to a round one, but still have the original hand guard. I recently bought another Colt rifle, a semi auto version of our country's battle rifle. LE6940. I love it as well.
 
Don't own one yet after all these years but as DWalt said,
But if I did run across one of the early Colts which hadn't been messed with, and at a reasonable price, I would probably buy it.
Click to expand...

Count me in and I'll grab it, that's the only way I want one! ;)
 
I don't own as of now but if/when I do I want that type of butt stock, I don't like the looks of the currently popular one. My dad has one and I have shot it but it just doesn't do anything for me. SP yours looks good.
 
I never owned one until a couple of years ago. I decided to see if I could assemble one from scratch and discovered they are kinda like Chinese puzzles with springs. Understand the receiver came from one source, the innards another the furniture from still another etc. After a fashion I got it together and it shot flawlessly from the gitgo.
American Spirit. an AR manufacturer, is located close by and I spent an enjoyable time there seeing how the components are made from scratch.
Jim
 
Have several, including a beater A1. I like the shorter carbines for handling, but the shorter sight radius opens groups up (which is why my dedicated coyote hunting AR15 18" carbine is a flat top with a scope).

Anyway, I like the A1 style for iron sights, and always liked the first carbine, which was a pre-A1 that simply had the barrel cut to 15". The flash hider was almost touching the front sight tower. This was the Colt Model 605. Some were used in combat in Vietnam, but were not successful because the gas port was too close to the muzzle.

When Bushmaster came out with their Dissipator barrel, the gears meshed in my head and I realized it was the solution to the gas dwell problem with the 605.

So I obtained an old SP1 upper receiver, got some A1 furniture, and a heavy Dissipator barrel (they make it in an M4 style too, but I don't like M4 barrels). Also had to get an offset bushing for the large pin hole in the upper to mate it to the small pin hole in the lower, and JB Welded it in place.

This was the result:

605Clone2a-1.jpg


It's not a perfect 605 clone, but it's close. The lower receiver should be a slab side. The bayonet lug needs to come off. The barrel is 16" to keep the feds happy. But it is reasonably close, and is more accurate than a CAR or M4 thanks to the heavy barrel and increased sight radius.

605Clone5a-1.jpg


This shows how it was done. The front sight tower is only a sight tower. The actual gas block is under the handguards, in the carbine position. This simple alteration provide plenty of distance between the gas port and the muzzle. If this had originally been done, the 605 might have been made in larger numbers.

The gun feels solid, and a bit "chunky", with the heavier barrel, but it holds steady.

This setup also works quite well with my .308 suppressor. The noise level is reduced to that of a 10-22 shooting Mini-Mags.
 
Currently have a newer Colt BAR Match target one. I also built a 6.5 Grendel for hunting.

Many years ago a gun shop I fixed guns for took a Colt HBAR, Pre
Ban as ban had not been in effect, some idjet filed on the trigger and sear set up to make it auto. An older USMC vet bought it and brought it right back. Did not want auto. I took it and tested it, yep. I pitched the trigger assembly in a river. Ended up buying the gun very cheap. Put a nice scope on it and it was a tack driver. I should have kept it as I don't think my new one will ever shoot really small groups like the last one.
 
Perhaps a different opinion; I have to say the most popular rifle is the 98 Mauser and it sure has been made by a lot of different companies in a lot of different countries, from 1898 to the present.
 
lack of forward assist makes it easy to carry
Click to expand...

I agree

I really hate having the forward assist getting hung up on my pants when I need to get a black rifle out of my front pocket in a hurry
 
Early versions are the only ARs I find interesting. Here's an A1 clone I put together years ago. Sold it but lately I've an itch to get another.

99gjk8.jpg
 
DWalt said:
The AR does not appeal to me at all, and I have never considered buying one. But if I did run across one of the early Colts which hadn't been messed with, and at a reasonable price, I would probably buy it.
Click to expand...

That was me for years and years. Trained on an M-14, couldn't see the point of any M-16, and then once I acquired an M1A I was certain an AR-15 was a waste of my time.

And then it rained.

No, seriously, it rained ARs! All over America! All over the Internet! All over the LGSs and my private FFLs. Uppers, lowers, hand guards, flash suppressors, special sighting systems, this doodad, this gadget, this add on, on and on and on.

So, here's what happened - because with all due respect to SP and his original-type AR, I did not ever like the appearance, I hated the carry handle, etc. - but my friends kept bugging me and I resisted for SO SO LONG - and then I relented and joined the club - BUT only on condition that my LGS would build me one the way I wanted it. And they did. This was several years ago and I've been toying with building another ever since. Eventually I will.

First, after enough reading I decided on a Bushmaster.

Second, timing was right, they were on sale.

Third, I wanted this personalized and I didn't want it straight black - I have a passion for olive drab (dumb, I know, but it stems from back in the day). I wanted that handle gone, I wanted a peep sight system I could work with, and an adjustable stock just because, and a reputably made hand guard that didn't overheat quickly.

Done and done - and for a little extra fun I added a gizmo that allows me to drop the bolt by sticking my finger through the trigger guard and pushing a lever connected to the bolt release (there's a name of this but I can't think of it). Voila! A personalized toy. Okay, technically an M-4, I guess, and not an AR-15, if one is being fussy about nomenclature.

Then, last year, after some training at Caliber 3, I added a red dot Mepro-sight. This Mepro 21 is the current version - I'd have to get mine out to see if it is exactly the same; it's pretty close - AND IT WORKS!!!

http://www.meprolight.com/default.asp?catid={2D1A5EA0-9AE1-4487-8E2B-CBBF5641658B}&details_type=1&itemid={FD44627E-1FD3-4811-969B-D59CE751DD4A}

Home
 

Attachments

  • Bushmaster M-4.jpg
    Bushmaster M-4.jpg
    118.8 KB · Views: 30
Last edited:
I think Warren Sear is correct, the AK-47 probably far outstrips everything else in terms of worldwide quantity. I wouldn't be surprised, however, to learn that the AR is ahead of the Mauser 98 as well, and not all that far behind the AK.

I tried to look this up, actually, but I was overwhelmed with data so I gave it up.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top