I bought a Bushmaster Shorty A3 in 1999, and I was at a show recently and saw the new ARs with their flash suppressors. I'm thinking of trading mine in with one of the dealers to get a new one, but I need some info on what to expect for a fair trade. Mine has never been fired as anyone could probably tell by looking at it.

Thanks!

Contact ADCO here on the board and have them thread your barrel and put a flash hider on it for you. This is probably going to be the cheapest and best option. If you like your AR15 that is. Someone will want to rape you on the value of your AR15 all the while theirs will be worth its weight in gold. Everyone here speaks highly of ADCO and they have done barrel cutdowns for me so i can speak from experience. Good luck and let us know what you decide. Also welcome to the boards

how much do you want for it? post a pic, I have been looking for a bushie beater.

If you never fire it, why do you care whether or not it has a flash hider?
Even as a safe queen, a flash hider adds no intrinisic value.

ETA if you just want an FH for the heck of it, I concur with the others - ADCO will do you right.

+1 above.

If you're going to shoot it, just send it to ADCO and have it threaded. A dealer will probably want to give you $500-$550 for that rifle. You could easily lose $300 at least on a trade, and the threading is around $60, IIRC.

Just my $.02

WIZZO

Many thanks! I wasn't thinking clearly, but I was more interested in the collapsible stock. I know that it's been a long time, but I do plan on shooting it. I was getting ready to get it out, clean it, and take it to the range when I went to the gun show and thought, "do I really want to fire this, or get a new one with the collapsible stock and other previousl unavailable goodies?".

Thanks for the help. I was afraid that I might lose $200-300 in a trade.

Quoted: Many thanks! I wasn't thinking clearly, but I was more interested in the collapsible stock. I know that it's been a long time, but I do plan on shooting it. I was getting ready to get it out, clean it, and take it to the range when I went to the gun show and thought, "do I really want to fire this, or get a new one with the collapsible stock and other previousl unavailable goodies?". Thanks for the help. I was afraid that I might lose $200-300 in a trade.

Postban- you might end up losing $200-300 in a trade.  You might also end up spending $200-250 to update it with a threaded barrel and new stock.  You might find a decent deal on a LMT or CMT stock on the EE and ADCO would be the way to go on the barrel.

Quoted: I bought a Bushmaster Shorty A3 in 1999, and I was at a show recently and saw the new ARs with their flash suppressors. I'm thinking of trading mine in with one of the dealers to get a new one, but I need some info on what to expect for a fair trade. Mine has never been fired as anyone could probably tell by looking at it. Thanks!

well I will tell you, you won't get anything close to what you might consider "fair", a dealer might, might give you 4 hundred for the thing.......and that's probably generous on his part.  face the fact, post bans are not going to be the ones that will move, so why is a dealer going to pay more then 400 for one? that he won't be able to sell in a state that have no ban laws....it's like these guys who bring their pre-ban used AR to a gun show, and price it way more then what a NIB no-ban AR are selling at, then complain that no one even made then a "serious" offer for it...you might just  be better off selling the thing on this board, targeting those folks in those ban states......but I have to tell you, you will have to price it a bit lower then what the average price for one of those go for in those stes, if you want to sell.... or just have a gunsmith put a FH on it.

i would just send it to adco and have the barrel threaded

then install a collaps. stock



much cheaper than trading in for the same thing.




but hey if you want to sell it ill give $500 for it.

I still say getting the barrel threaded and stock replaced is going to be less expensive than trying to sell it for what it is worth and then puttig money on top of your loss to pay for a new rifle. Email Steve (BigBore) with ADCO and get the work and parts you need priced out and then make your decision. You can also try looking on the EE for stcoks and i am sure you will find a nice used one at a great price. Keep us updated.

I have a new 2 position colapsable BM stock, castle nut  and buffer and spring, for $35 if you want it. Switching is the  easiest thing in the world.