Colt had large fire control pins before the small (military) front pivot.
Here’s my take on Colt production. This comes from a decade and half of
personal experience and interest/collecting the Colt AR-15. Plus a poor memory.
Take it for what’s is worth. There are variations, but they tend to be the exception
and not the rule.
From the starts till 1989. Slab side, military size fire control pins. Bayonet Lug.
Mid-Late 89 early 90. Colt takes the AR-15 completely of the civilian market.
Few remember this for some reason, it pained me greatly. I didn’t buy new Colt
for nearly 10 years.
Colt is troubled my money problems and is sold a couple times about this point.
Colt hits the market with the NEW and improved “GAG” Sporter models.
The rifle is no longer marked AR-15. The box label is now blue.
The Govt model is marketed only to LE, but still civilian legal (Marked AR-15).
Colt voluntarily removes the bayonet lug to make the rifle more sporting.
(This allows any small game you’d be hunting the chance of getting away before
you could spike ‘em) For all I know that helped pave the way for the 94 ban.
The first Blue Label guns still feature a slab side, mil spec fire control parts and
the large two-screw front pivot.
However the bolt carrier is now shaved. More PC crap on Colt’s part.
Later, Colt again voluntarily does more feel good PC BS and changes the fire
control parts to a larger size while adding the “sear” block. Preventing the legal
and illegal modification to full-auto.
The rifle still features the same old slab side and large front pivot. At this point,
every other mfg is using the newer A2 features in all their lowers.
Colt decides it wants to play catch up with the modern world and starts to offer
the A2 features on it’s lowers, (mag fence and reenforcements) but still insists the
larger front pivot is a good idea. Large fire control parts and sear block continue.
Now mid-late 1993, Colt finally recognizes that the rest of the free world is using
the mil spec front pivot pin and people (customers) might actually want to install
different uppers on their rifles. So here comes the small front pivot pin lowers.
But wait, Colt still thinks they have something clever with the front screw and
keeps that worthless feature. (Gads again.) However, some of the new small
pivot lowers slip the factory with the front detent drilled. Hurray! (For a change).
But Colt keeps the bastard oversize fire control pins and sear block.
At some point after the ban, I’m not exactly sure, several years?? Colt drops the
steel insert sear block and instead leaves a “web” in the aluminum lower to act as
the sear block. They sill keep the larger non-standard fire control parts.
And that, is the rest of the story. Good night!
Righteous Kill