I am in the market for a Colt m16a1 and have been looking at the ones on GB. Did the m16a1 ever come with a m4 barrel? It seems the m16a1 predates the m4 barrels. Link below for reference

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/925375472

Thanks in advance

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/925375472

You do realize the upper can be swapped?

Yes - I guess the real question is the gun valued more in the original configuration?

When I bought an M16A1 about 10 years ago, I specifically wanted a 14.5" barrel carbine (with two position collapsible stock), i.e., a Model 653, and definitely paid a premium.  Of course, at today's prices, such a premium is almost negligible over the cost of the lower itself.

Best of luck.  MHO, YMMV, etc.  Be well.

You will be paying for the third hole and the roll mark, the rest is whatever you want.

Got it - Thanks.

If it is a unicorn.. then yes a original setup would be more valuable.
However M16 are typically less so (though there are a couple unicorn setups). For what your looking at, the most of the cost is in the lower.. specifically the third hole as pointed out.

Sold for $41,750, holy expensive Batman!!!!

You can buy a M16A1 for like $30-35k from Ruben and his prices are usually considered high. Someone got in a bidding war on that this and just couldn’t quit

Edit: nvm it just says “ended” not sold and there are no bids on it.

That M16 did not originally come with that upper.

The seller is misrepresenting his items a bit. Not overtly, but he's just not being 100% honest.
He's got a M16A2 up at the moment that he listed as, and I quote, "everything is Colt original and perfect." It is not. And while it's possible (but very unlikely) that gun came in carbine configuration, it didn't come exactly as pictured.
The stock itself isn't even Colt made, let alone period correct for that year. The castle nut is also a later version (the correct one would have the holes in it to tighten or loosen it). The receiver itself is "burst" marked and most (if not all) of the factory made Colt carbines had "auto" marked lowers.
I'm sure I could find a lot more wrong with it if I had it in hand or even if he had better pics of it, but I would guess he knows what he is doing in both the vague wording he uses to describe his items as well as his blurry pictures.
If a guy is selling something worth upward of $30k, you'd think he could take better (and more) detailed pictures. I've seen better pics and descriptions for a hundred dollar Raven .22.

Sad this guy is from Ohio, giving the Ohio auto community a bad name...

M16A1’s are nice.

Truth


Attached File

Here’s a Colt M16A1, pencil barrel as I received it.

Made in the early 80s.

Cost was about $6,500 back in 1999. I thought that was high at the time.

It’s not dressed this way right now.