Posted: 8/8/2026 8:34:12 PM EDT
|
I've got a couple couple of NIB colt carriers with electro pencil/dot matrix "C" markings, and a couple of used, but excellent condition stamped carriers. Trying to decide which to use on which clone builds, and the excess will be sold. If anyone can help me out with dating when the switch was made, it would help me decide which to use in which build. Thanks |
|
Originally Posted By TGWLDR: Roughly ~ Q2 /'17. That sounds about right for the switch to cage code barrels, but you sure on the do matrix carriers? I have an NOS upper with either a 14 or 15 dated barrel with a dot matrix carrier, pretty sure it's as delivered but I could be wrong |
| Maybe the barrel was pulled out of inventory in ‘17 and mated to the carrier at that time. |
The Second Amendment: Preserving our right to petition the government - with malice.
"I guess it comes down to a simple choice, really. Get busy livin' or get busy dyin'."
Virginia Is For Loners (™)
"I guess it comes down to a simple choice, really. Get busy livin' or get busy dyin'."
Virginia Is For Loners (™)
|
Originally Posted By ChemTrailZ: That sounds about right for the switch to cage code barrels, but you sure on the do matrix carriers? I have an NOS upper with either a 14 or 15 dated barrel with a dot matrix carrier, pretty sure it's as delivered but I could be wrong I have a cage coded barrel 6940 with a born on date of 2015. It has a C stamped carrier. |
|
Originally Posted By ChemTrailZ: That sounds about right for the switch to cage code barrels, but you sure on the do matrix carriers? I have an NOS upper with either a 14 or 15 dated barrel with a dot matrix carrier, pretty sure it's as delivered but I could be wrong Originally Posted By ChemTrailZ: Originally Posted By TGWLDR: Roughly ~ Q2 /'17. That sounds about right for the switch to cage code barrels, but you sure on the do matrix carriers? I have an NOS upper with either a 14 or 15 dated barrel with a dot matrix carrier, pretty sure it's as delivered but I could be wrong "Roughly"  The stamped C upper receivers changed, the barrel markings changed, the bolt and carrier markings changed. There was no rhyme nor reason to it. Some were receiving old stock while others were receiving this new vodoo that everyone was scrambling to rationalize. Typical Colt, the only consistency is being inconsistent. Edit: Colt did play around with the dot matrix markings in ~'09 /'10 with bolts and carriers as well, nothing on a large scale and far from commonplace. The shift to large scale production was more '17/'18. |
|
Originally Posted By TGWLDR: Colt did play around with the dot matrix markings in ~'09 /'10 with bolts and carriers as well, nothing on a large scale and far from commonplace. The shift to large scale production was more '17/'18. I think Colt has played around with a few things well before it made it main stream into production. I have a pic of a 20” a4 lower that I believe was from its introduction at Shot show, I would guess 2004-2005ish. “AR-15A4” is engraved on that lower not stamped. |
|
Originally Posted By oxford411: I think Colt has played around with a few things well before it made it main stream into production. I have a pic of a 20” a4 lower that I believe was from its introduction at Shot show, I would guess 2004-2005ish. “AR-15A4” is engraved on that lower not stamped. Originally Posted By oxford411: Originally Posted By TGWLDR: Colt did play around with the dot matrix markings in ~'09 /'10 with bolts and carriers as well, nothing on a large scale and far from commonplace. The shift to large scale production was more '17/'18. I think Colt has played around with a few things well before it made it main stream into production. I have a pic of a 20” a4 lower that I believe was from its introduction at Shot show, I would guess 2004-2005ish. “AR-15A4” is engraved on that lower not stamped. Interesting. I wonder at times if things like this are more out of necessity or just the result of a good idea fairy. |
|
Originally Posted By TGWLDR: "Roughly" The stamped C upper receivers changed, the barrel markings changed, the bolt and carrier markings changed. There was no rhyme nor reason to it. Some were receiving old stock while others were receiving this new vodoo that everyone was scrambling to rationalize. Typical Colt, the only consistency is being inconsistent. Edit: Colt did play around with the dot matrix markings in ~'09 /'10 with bolts and carriers as well, nothing on a large scale and far from commonplace. The shift to large scale production was more '17/'18. That makes sense and tracks with the quality of the machining on the stamped carriers; the last c stamped carriers were much more cleaning machined much like the dot matrix carriers, so I can see Colt switching back and forth before finalizing a change. In any event it seems the stamped carriers are more period correct for all of the builds I’m working on, so I guess I’ll need to do some horse trading. |
|
Originally Posted By TGWLDR: Interesting. I wonder at times if things like this are more out of necessity or just the result of a good idea fairy. Originally Posted By TGWLDR: Originally Posted By oxford411: Originally Posted By TGWLDR: Colt did play around with the dot matrix markings in ~'09 /'10 with bolts and carriers as well, nothing on a large scale and far from commonplace. The shift to large scale production was more '17/'18. I think Colt has played around with a few things well before it made it main stream into production. I have a pic of a 20” a4 lower that I believe was from its introduction at Shot show, I would guess 2004-2005ish. “AR-15A4” is engraved on that lower not stamped. Interesting. I wonder at times if things like this are more out of necessity or just the result of a good idea fairy. My guess is necessity on this one as the rest of the markings are stamped. I would say that the tooling wasn’t finished for that mark yet and they wanted to get it on display. Looks a lot like the current markings though. At one point I tried to see if any of these had made it into the wild but didn’t have much success. I’m not sure where the serial numbers start on the 20s but I also feel that they were not consecutive when one batch ended and the next started and shared them with the 6720s . |
|
Originally Posted By oxford411: My guess is necessity on this one as the rest of the markings are stamped. I would say that the tooling wasn’t finished for that mark yet and they wanted to get it on display. Looks a lot like the current markings though. At one point I tried to see if any of these had made it into the wild but didn’t have much success. I’m not sure where the serial numbers start on the 20s but I also feel that they were not consecutive when one batch ended and the next started and shared them with the 6720s . Originally Posted By oxford411: Originally Posted By TGWLDR: Originally Posted By oxford411: Originally Posted By TGWLDR: Colt did play around with the dot matrix markings in ~'09 /'10 with bolts and carriers as well, nothing on a large scale and far from commonplace. The shift to large scale production was more '17/'18. I think Colt has played around with a few things well before it made it main stream into production. I have a pic of a 20” a4 lower that I believe was from its introduction at Shot show, I would guess 2004-2005ish. “AR-15A4” is engraved on that lower not stamped. Interesting. I wonder at times if things like this are more out of necessity or just the result of a good idea fairy. My guess is necessity on this one as the rest of the markings are stamped. I would say that the tooling wasn’t finished for that mark yet and they wanted to get it on display. Looks a lot like the current markings though. At one point I tried to see if any of these had made it into the wild but didn’t have much success. I’m not sure where the serial numbers start on the 20s but I also feel that they were not consecutive when one batch ended and the next started and shared them with the 6720s . There seems to have been quite a bit of of variance with A4s regarding batch releases and S/Ns. And I would agree regarding the marking methods change ups being possibly attributed to necessity at times. |