I was looking at the list www.ar15.com/content/legal/serialNumberList.html and i thought it was built between 1974 and 1975 but it appears that there was an additional number blacked out.  IS this a preban or not?  Can someone help me out?
thanks

if it doesnt work

mysite.verizon.net/halv/ar15/arcloseup.JPG

Yes it is a preban.

Yep. If it says AR-15, its a preban, 'cuz the AR-15  was banned by name.

What Thomas said.

BZZT! WRONG. Its banned to civilians but not LEO. There are plenty of post ban AW that have AR15 on them. And your buddy MEDMAN is more wrong, cuz he has more posts than you.
GG

Yes, its a green label gun.

Whats up with the safety stops? I thought all civvy versions had to have a full stop on the F.A. side.

...but if it is a post ban law enforcement version wouldn't it be marked LE????

LE markings are on the other side of the mag well on Colt LE guns.

nope... Colt mills them of of most rifles i've seen. dunno why, but there is no "requirement" for them to be there.

AFAIK, the "SP" prefix is VERY pre-ban.

but the rifle does seem to have an "extra" digit.... kinda strange.

Whether it's preban or not I can't say, but I can say this. It was NOT made in 1974 or 75. The only ARs Colt made in those years was marked "Model SP1"  The term "Sporter" did not come into use until years later. The fact that someone went to the trouble to obscure the last digit, to try and create the impression that the gun was a mid '70s product does make me wonder tho.

Re the lack of safety stops; no Colt ARs ever had them. They are not needed on semi auto only rifles.  The safety itself has only two positions, as determined by the way the safety itself is milled. Select fire ARs, and M16s, have safety/selectors that wil rotate 360 degrees if you don't have the stop shoulders on the lower.  They are grooved all the way around.  What I've wondered for years is, if Colt could figure out how to cut the 2 position safeties to stop themselves without and external shoulder, why the hell they didn't build the three postion safty selectors the same way and eliminate the need for those shoulders in the first place.

If Colt is now leaving those useless shoulders on their ARs, it's only because all the aftermarket makers do,so us civilians, who have no need for the things, will think it looks more like an M16; and looks sexier.[:D]

(Edited to add)  The piece is apparently late preban, if the manufacturing list published on this site is accurate.  Now I'm really wondering why somebody went to the trouble of blocking out the last digit?????

A few got out on the open market without the LEO crap written on it. They still have to have letterhead to buy. Unless a dealer pushes it on someone as a preban, which I know has happened, and carries himself as is not knowing it status.
GG

[b]SP360200 and Below - Pre-Ban[/b]

SP3278XX -- Pictured serial number.

Yep, sounds like a legit pre-ban to me.

Definately a preban as others said.  First off the SP serial number.  Secondly, is an A1 lower, I think they stopped making A1 lowers before the 80s ended.

The A1 lacks the extra 'meat' that reenforces the area under the ft. pivot pin, and the rear with the receiver extention meets the rec.  If you look at the other side, it's probably a slab side, with no 'fence' around the mag release.  

[img]http://www.fjvollmer.com/New%20Folder%20(53)/MVC-002S.JPG[/img]

An 'A2' lower for comparison.  

I wonder why they call it an 'A2' lower, since AR15A2s had A2 sights, but still had an A1 lower?



*editted to fix link