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Posted: 1/10/2012 4:34:20 PM EDT
I understand that refinishing will reduce the value of a Colt. So to avoid overpaying, how can you tell if an M16 has been re-anodized? Thanks! 
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Well, if it's a transferable, it was made prior to May 19, 1986. That rules out any Colt in the current black –– A2s are dark gray; A1s and earlier are different shades of lighter grays.
Since most of the time when folks refinish Colts they go for the current black, that covers the majority of refinishes. Next, all of the various molycoats can be eliminated by feel. While they may be identical in color and surface texture, the molys have more "give" than an anodized surface. Just take the edge of your thumbnail and gently push it into the surface: Anodizing will not yield at all, while the molys will have a slight bit of "give." A correct-color reanodization can be tough to spot –– then you have to go by much more subtle signs. Reanodizing doesn't restore metal where it has worn away, so you can check the high edges –– if you are familiar with NIB Colts, you can see where to look. In addition, while Colt's metalwork was not flawless (after all, these were built for military/LE issue), the surface cuts and scrapes were pretty consistent, so you can spot a metalwork flaw which just looks odd. If it's a factory Carbine, look for the dab of paint on the receiver extension ring covering the staking. No paint there, it's a refinish. Almost (but not all) factory Colts have the same dab of black paint on the bolt release pin hole. They were so commonly scratched there when the pin was inserted, that that became the second spot where Colt routinely dabbed black paint. No paint there always raises flags for me (though I have seen a very few factory Colts in which the finish was never scratched there, so there's no paint). Wish I could be more precise, or give ya a precise checklist or something, but after a couple of decades of looking at Colts, it just jumps out at me. The details only confirm what my first general impression tells me. |
| If it was done by Victor at US Anodizing it might be a little more difficult to spot, They're really thorough, I had mine done there and it came back just looking like a brand new colt. (grey not black) Upon close inspection though you can see some of the dings under the anodizing that would obviously have left a mark on the anodizing that would still be there if it were original. I don't know that I would demand to pay less for a refinished M16 as long as it was done correctly, but I buy mine to shoot and not so much as an investment in anything but fun, but if the collector's value is a big deal to you then I can understand the desire for an original finish.... |
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Quoted:
Well, if it's a transferable, it was made prior to May 19, 1986. That rules out any Colt in the current black –– A2s are dark gray; A1s and earlier are different shades of lighter grays. Since most of the time when folks refinish Colts they go for the current black, that covers the majority of refinishes. Next, all of the various molycoats can be eliminated by feel. While they may be identical in color and surface texture, the molys have more "give" than an anodized surface. Just take the edge of your thumbnail and gently push it into the surface: Anodizing will not yield at all, while the molys will have a slight bit of "give." A correct-color reanodization can be tough to spot –– then you have to go by much more subtle signs. Reanodizing doesn't restore metal where it has worn away, so you can check the high edges –– if you are familiar with NIB Colts, you can see where to look. In addition, while Colt's metalwork was not flawless (after all, these were built for military/LE issue), the surface cuts and scrapes were pretty consistent, so you can spot a metalwork flaw which just looks odd. If it's a factory Carbine, look for the dab of paint on the receiver extension ring covering the staking. No paint there, it's a refinish. Almost (but not all) factory Colts have the same dab of black paint on the bolt release pin hole. They were so commonly scratched there when the pin was inserted, that that became the second spot where Colt routinely dabbed black paint. No paint there always raises flags for me (though I have seen a very few factory Colts in which the finish was never scratched there, so there's no paint). Wish I could be more precise, or give ya a precise checklist or something, but after a couple of decades of looking at Colts, it just jumps out at me. The details only confirm what my first general impression tells me. Thanks tony_k for the very thorough reply. I'll use it in the future as a checklist when looking at Colts. |
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Quoted:
If it was done by Victor at US Anodizing it might be a little more difficult to spot, They're really thorough, I had mine done there and it came back just looking like a brand new colt. (grey not black) Upon close inspection though you can see some of the dings under the anodizing that would obviously have left a mark on the anodizing that would still be there if it were original. I don't know that I would demand to pay less for a refinished M16 as long as it was done correctly, but I buy mine to shoot and not so much as an investment in anything but fun, but if the collector's value is a big deal to you then I can understand the desire for an original finish.... Thanks for your thoughts on this. I buy mine to shoot as well and wouldn't rule out a nicely re-anodized Colt either, if the price was right. |
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FWIW, the reason I shy away from refinished Colts is that a refinish can hide some horrendous repairs that have structurally weakened the receiver.
John Norrell, who is my alloy welding guru, was famous for the high quality of his rewelded M16s (demilled scrap receiver pieces that he welded back together and registered). His welds were so good that at one compliance check, ATF seized some of his finished guns, claimed they had never been cut, and that he had illegally re-registered intact receivers. Only after ATF took them back to Tech Branch and had them x-rayed, did ATF admit they were correct rewelds, and returned them to John. But even with that high cosmetic quality, John told me that the rewelds were not as strong as virgin, uncut, unwelded alloy. The heating process during welding disrupts the even "grain" of the metal created by the forging process; it also creates uneven weak spots, because the hardness of the weld cannot perfectly match the hardness of the metal on either side. Granted, the receiver in the AR design is an unstressed part during firing, but the stresses potentially created during handling can easily snap the receiver –– that is why the military demanded the strengthened front and rear sections as part of the A2 upgrade from A1. You can either pay $15k for an intact Colt ... or $8.5k for a rewelded one. The problem with a refinished receiver is, how do you know (short of x-raying it) whether your $15k receiver is actually an $8.5k gun rewelded for repairs? Check out these photos, for what your refinished $15k receiver may have looked like before refinishing. And then tell me if that makes you feel all warm inside: 
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| Very true, but it's going to vary by gun, having documentation of the firearm's history helps in some cases. I guess I was thinking more along the lines of buying a receiver and having it refinished, I know mine wasn't a reweld, (just a lot of bright spots from excessive handling) and was really impressed with the work from US Anodizing, but as you've said, I probably wouldn't be able to tell by looking at a refinished re-weld if it was done by Norrell or someone equally skilled. I just don't consider re-anodizing to be a "bad" thing unless it was done to cover up more than some surface blemishes. I'd be pissed if I dropped 15K on a receiver to find out it had been a reweld! |
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