Colt Sporter II Changes Over Their Serial Number Range

I find these transitional guns fascinating as they were produced  during the US Military's switch from the M16A1 to the M16A2. It seems Colt used up some of the extra A1 parts it had in its parts pins on these guns. It does not seem to have happened in a chaotic manner though. The changes seem to follow the chronological order of the ascending serial numbers and I can only assume by date.

I assume Colts export and Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) guns like the 723 and 733s probably had something similar going on during this transitional period.

Sporter IIs were available in both Rifle and Carbine Configuration.

They came in Green Label Boxes marked:
R6420 for Carbine

R6500 for Rifle

This info is gleaned from my personal observations, mostly of Guns for sale online.

Sporter II Serial numbers start around SP 300,000 and supposedly end at SP 360,200 and we're all Pre 1994 Clinton Assault Weapons Ban.

At least 1 gun, 360,190, marked SPORTER falls in this serial number range but is not a Sporter II. I can only assume there are others.

All Sporter IIs appear to have slick side lowers with large double screw front takedown pins and are roll marked with the Prancing Horse atop the world next to the Colt Logo and:
AR-15A2
CAL. .223
SPORTER II
SER. SP 3XXXXX

Dates are hard to pin down, but I'm guessing production started in early 1984 and some late guns may have shipped after the Clinton Assault Weapons Ban went into effect in September of 1994, maybe on leftover lowers?

The first Sporter 2 uppers were very much like Slickside Sporter/SP1 uppers, with the exception of the 1/7 A2 profile barrel, square front sight post, A2 Furniture and a Delta Ring securing the Handguard.


Carbines seem to have gotten a pencil profile 16 inch 1/7 Barrels Marked:
C MP 5.56 NATO 1/7


As Sporter 2 production continued, and military production of M16A2s filled Colts parts bins with stuff, the guns evolved.
Earliest Sporter IIs with slab side uppers and small pad port doors.


Next A1 type Forward assist uppers with teardrop F/As and small pad port doors appeared.


There are a group of guns with Flat slip rings, all in the same 31x,xxx serial number block. I would guess that somebody in Hartford found a bin with few thousand Flat Slip Rings left over from M16A1/SP1 production and used them up. They still have small pad port doors.


Large Round/Big D F/As replaced the teardrop F/As. They still had small pad port doors.


Large Pad Port Doors appeared, still with Big D forward assists.


C7 type uppers with brass deflectors were added. All appear to have had big D forward assists and large pad port doors.


A2 Target sight uppers may have been the norm by the end of production, which may have been in 1994 right before the assault weapon ban, at first with Big D F/As and large pad port doors.


Then with Small Round F/As and large pad port doors.

The Large Round (aka Big D) Forward Assists may have been used in both full round as well as clearance cut forms, even though A1 Slickside lowers were used exclusively. I haven't seen any uncut ones though.


There may have been no Sporter IIs made between 1987 and the last ones made in 1994. As I said, dates are hard to nail down.

Sporter IIs I have info on
(Items in parentheses I suspect are not original)

30X,XXX
Slickside upper, Small Pad Dust Cover, Rifle.
Article in 9/84 SWAT Magazine on the NEW AR15A2.
September 1984 from the date of the Magazine.

302,869
Slickside upper, Small Pad Dust Cover, Delta Ring, Rifle.

304,023
Slickside upper, Small Pad Dust Cover, Delta Ring, Rifle.

304,715
A1 Teardrop F/A, Small Pad Dust Cover, Delta Ring, Rifle (Has A1 Furniture)

306,107
Slickside, small pad dust cover, Delta Ring, Rifle

306,283
Slickside upper, Small Pad Dust Cover, Delta Ring, Rifle (Hogue Grip)

307,547
Slickside, small pad dust cover, Delta Ring, Rifle

307,789
(A2 Upper???, Big D F/A, Large Pad Dust Cover, Rifle, A1 Handguard with Triangle front cap, upper may
not be original, whole gun is probably a mixmaster)

309662
A1 Upper, Big D F/A, Large Pad Dust Cover, Rifle, (Converted to Full Auto, later 332,xxx upper could
have been swapped?)

31134X
A1 upper, Teardrop F/A, Large pad dust cover???, Delta Ring, Rifle

311,853
A1 upper, Teardrop F/A, small pad dust cover, Flat Slip Ring, Rifle (Hickok45s Rifle)

312,399
A1 Upper, Teardrop F/A, Small Pad Dust Cover, Flat Slip ring, Carbine

313,334
A1, Teardrop, Small Pad Dust Cover, Flat Slip Ring, Carbine (Box Says Carbine but has M4 furniture and
castle nut)

313345
Mentioned in an ARFCOM Thread as being bought in 1985

313,348
A1 upper, Teardrop F/A, Small Pad Dust Cover, Flat Slip Ring, Rifle (Has LSO Grip and maybe
Handguard)

315,259
A1 upper, Teardrop F/A, Small Pad Dust Cover, Flat Slip Ring, Rifle

318,233
A1 upper, Teardrop F/A, Small Pad Dust Cover, Delta Ring, Rifle (LSO Grip)

319,XXX
A1 upper, Teardrop F/A, Small Pad Dust Cover, Delta Ring
Sold New in August 1985

319,220
A1 Teardrop F/A, Small Pad Dust Cover, Delta Ring, Carbine (Upper is on my XM177E2 Clone)

319408
A1 Teardrop F/A, Small Pad Dust Cover, Carbine

321,051
A1 Teardrop F/A, Small Pad Dust Cover, Rifle, New In Box

321,118
A1 Upper, Big D F/A, Small Pad Dust Cover, Rifle

321,627
A1 Teardrop F/A, Small Pad Dust Cover, Carbine

322,612
A1 Upper, Big D F/A, Small Pad Dust Cover (Colt Archive Reports 1985 Ship Date)

324,161
A1 Upper, Big D F/A, Small Pad Dust Cover

332,625
A1 Upper, Big D F/A, Large Pad Dust Cover, Rifle

335,590
C7, Big D F/A, Large Pad Dust Cover, Rifle (Extremely Corroded)

336,061
C7, Big D F/A, Large Pad Dust Cover, Carbine

339313
C7, Big D F/A (Round), Large Pad Dust Cover, Carbine

340,022
C7, Big D F/A, Large Pad Dust Cover, Carbine

341XXX
C7, Big D F/A, Large Pad Dust Cover, Carbine.

343,321
C7, Big D F/A, Large Pad Dust Cover, Carbine.

344,213
A2 Upper, Big D F/A, Large Pad Dust Cover, Rifle
Colt Archive letter 11/1987 build date.

344,482
C7, Big D F/A, Large Pad Dust Cover, Carbine

345,092
C7, Big D F/A, Large Pad Dust Cover, Rifle

345,834
A2 Upper???, Big D F/A, Large Pad Dust Cover, Rifle
1992?

347,332
Box only, marked R6500 (1985?)

352,928
A2 Upper, A2 F/A, Large Pad Dust Cover, Slickside Lower, Bayonet Lug, Rifle (Castle Nut?)

353,206
A2 Upper, A2 F/A, Large Pad Dust Cover, Slickside Lower, Bayonet Lug, Carbine

354,298
C7 Upper, A2 F/A, Large Pad Dust Cover, Slickside Lower, Bayonet Lug, Rifle with Aluminum Carbine
Stock. (Police Trade Mix Master)

359,050
A2 Upper, A2 F/A, Large Pad Dust Cover, Slickside Lower Marked .222, Export, Colt letter states
Shipped 10/27/1994, No Bayonet Lug, Rifle (Shipped to John Keosayian)

360,190
A2 Upper, A2 F/A, Large Pad Dust Cover, A2 small pin Lower Marked SPORTER and .222


If any of you guys have a Sporter II and want to add it to the list, post it up.
If I'm wrong about any of this info, please correct me.

I was hoping this post could get a little more traction.  I bought one new then and would also be interested in a little more information on the transitional AR’s of them back in the day. From what I gather the past few years they are quite collectible.

Mine is 319xxx and can give a date, I ordered it for my 21 first birthday in late July 1985 that came in August. I Still have the receipt to know exactly the time then. When it was manufactured? Maybe a month or Two before it was shipped to my local gun shop.

Mix of A1 and A2 parts.
A1 upper with early port door and  forward Teardrop assist. Glossy black furniture, and a and a peel washer behind the new a2 flash hider

Hope that helps you some on info. Any other questions you may have  just ask.  

So did I.
Maybe it's just TLDR      
I originally posted it the Retro forum where I think it belongs, but one of the Mods moved it here to the A2 forum almost immediately, before I even got all the info up.
Thanks for your input, it confirms the info of other guns in the same serial number range.
I assume your rifle has a Delta Ring and not a flat slip Ring?

 
 Yes it has the delta ring

A little different, don't know if it applies, but...

AR15 A2
HBAR Sporter

Serial SP2304xx (so earlier than the Sporter 2s above?)
HBAR, 1/7
A2 furniture
standard slickside lower
Delta ring
A2 upper, A2 rear sight, small button forward assist, large pad ejection port cover

I don't have the box, and don't know when it was purchased, sorry...I'd guess later 80s? It's complete, with bayonet lug.

Thanks for responding.
Interesting that the HBAR serial number range is below the Sporter IIs. Maybe Colt blocked off serial number ranges. The fact that your rifle has a small button forward assist and a bayonet lug would most likely date it to the late 80s like you said.  

Yeah it would not surprise me to find out that Colt earmarked 2xx,xxx serial number ranges for HBARs and 3xxx,xxx number ranges for "standard' A2s. Don't know that for a fact, but if there were an HBAR Sporter database out there it'd help..

Just noticed this Rifle on Gunbroker


Interestingly it's SP 360,190 makes it one of the last 10 Preban guns made with the SP prefix according to Bigger Hammers preban serial number list, yet it's rollmarked as a SPORTER and appears to be a .222 export gun. I wrongly assumed they were all Sporter IIs up to 360,200.

I bought this fairly new book (4th Edition, 2023) recently on GB.  The author signed it to me which was a surprise, so I assume he is the actual seller.  I might be a resource that will help.

That's a great book.
I have the first version.
Unfortunately it documents right up to the end of the SP1 period and doesn't go into the  Sporter II period.

I recently picked a Green Label R6600 AR15A2 HBAR Sporter also.  My first factory made AR (outside Govt service)!  All my others starting in 87' I've built.
SP2241xx
HBAR, 20" C MP 1/7, FSB w/bayonet lug, A2 flash hinder
A2 funiture
Slickside lower
Delta Ring
A2 upper, A2 rear sight, Large D Forward Assist
Thinking mine is from 87-88'.  
Sling that came with it not USGI (I corrected that) but cleaning kit in buttstock.  Two Colt black follower 20 rd mags.  No box or manual.
C marked Bolt carrier shaved down.  No sear block in lower.  Large screwed front pivot pin.
R6600s made 86-89'. The R6600K model came with the Colt .22LR conversion.  In 1990 the Blue Labels came out.
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Seeing the serial number and that mine has the small button, that probably tracks...IIRC the large button/D-shaped buttons were earlier in the evolution and later they went to the smaller button forward assist. My dad changed the sling on his and put the "jungle" sling kit on it (had a piece of bent wire that went around the front sight post that let you mount the sling to that). I don't know what factory mags it came with originally, probably the 20s. My dad also has a factory Colt scope on the handle...don't know if it's a 3x or 4x though.

Thanks!

That jungle sling kit you have sounds like the M16 top sling kit.  Used to carry them on my M16/M203 since you couldn't use the bottom sling swivel.

Yup, that's it, has the printed sheet with it and all IIRC but I'd need to find it/dig it out again.

Here’s one I picked up years ago.

Beautiful gun.
Do you think that port door is original?
Maybe it was replaced at some point?
I doubt it as the gun looks very original and everything else fits with what I have observed.

Just came across 344213 on Gunbroker.
Its interesting for 2 reasons.

1) It's the lowest serial number Target sight (A2) upper I have seen.
2) It has a Colt Archive letter stating the date of Manufacture was 11/1987

Thats the first date I have seen other than the 1994 guns and 1984/1985.

Its also the second Rifle I have observed with an A2 upper and a Big D forward assist around that serial number range.

I also came across 302,869, which is the lowest serial number I have observed, with the possible exception of the Rifle in SWAT Magazine that I can't read the serial number on.

It's worth noting that all the "C7" upper Sporter 2s I have observed had large pad port doors and Big D Forward Assists.

I have a GS prefix, at the time you could find exactly jack and s--t about the GS prefix, dating it, or anything else.

No bayo lug, but had the flash hider, no blocks of any type, 1/2 moon carrier, came with a .22 Colt conversion, ''Colt armored'' scope and carry handle mount and a Colt cheekpiece. 1/7 twist, still have it to this day. Think I bought it in 93 or 94 just before the ban went into effect. They [''preban'' AR's] doubled in price as soon as it passed.

Those "Government" guns are very interesting.
I bought a GC Government Carbine in 1991-1992.
Army sent me to Germany in 1993.
I DEROSED in March of 1995, walked into a gun store and thought "what the fuck happened"???
Thumbhole stocks everywhere..

I'll pull mine out and post pictures.

I've told the story many times.  I got a screaming deal on mine because the Cabela's gun library thought it was a mix master.

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Great post! These were the AR’s I had and we’re around, back in the day👍🏼