I'm new to the world of AR's and to this board.  It has been enlightening and informative, but I am not that knowledgeable about guns and I need some advice.

A few weeks ago, a customer came to my store and we started talking guns.  He said he had some old military rifles he wanted to get rid of.  He rattled off the list and when he said an AR-15, I asked what he wanted for it.  He said $500.  He bought it back in the 70's and used to coon hunt with it.  He said it had been in his closet about 15 years.  He went home, got the gun, and left it with me overnight to check out.

I looked up the SN on the internet and found out it was an SP-1 mfg. in 1965.  It had a lot of dust and cat hair on it, but not a speck of rust except on the flash suppressor.  Bore and bolt were immaculate.  I cleaned it up and when he came in the next day, he brought me 500 rounds of ammo, 10 Colt 20-round mags, stripper clips, and mag pouches.  I gave him $500 cash and we shook hands.

OK, I know I got a great deal, but here is my quandary.

1. What should I check for 1st before firing the gun? (ie. will any of the critical parts have deteriorated due to the rifle not being used for so long)

2. Does this particular model have any inherent problems as far as reliability or is there certain types of ammo I should not use?

3.  Should I try and sell this gun and get a post ban (and a new pistol), newer model that has been improved upon (I assume) since this gun came out in '65?

4. Would the smart thing be to keep this gun, with no paper trail leading to me, and customize it however I would like?

I know that I will now always want to own an AR-15, but is there anything really special about this gun besides the pre-ban features/customization options and non-registration issues?

Any and all input would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks.    

[b]WARNING[/b]!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You have a potentialy dangerous gun.
Sitting that long it is probaly unsafe to shoot/
use.

I know how to fix them so I will make you a deal
of $600 just for the gun.
I am saving you alot of headaches, my friend.

You should consider yourself lucky I am in the
mood to help you today,yes I know,I am just
a nice guy,thats all.



For the children,
           Sigman

Any AR you pick upfor $500 is a keeper. If it's a Colt, with all that stuff, you are guilty of theft and I hate you. Jealousy demands that you cannot be my friend.
P.S. do not sell it, customize it as you see fit, and save up to buy a pistol.

Yes, you did get a deal.  Make sure the bore's clear, the rifle's lubricated and do a quick function check.  See [url]http://old.ar15.com/docs/functionCheck/[/url] , and you should be ready to shoot.  

As for what you should do with the rifle, what kind of shooting do you want to do?  This should be worth a "bit" more than you paid for it to a Colt's colector.  Personally, I wouldn't change a thing on it.  

Norm

Gee sigman, that is mighty white of you [D:]!  At that generous offer, you can take my 3-year old daughter's candy, too.

Gunmonkey, it is a Colt SP-1, and I am tremendously excited about it!  I am 90% sure I will keep it.

Norm G, thank you for your input.  I am going to do some plinking with it and keep it handy for home defense.  It is a beautiful gun and the only reason I would change out some of the furniture is so that I can keep the original stuff in good shape.  I've put a Hogue grip on it, and I was interested in getting a collapsible stock and some of the newer handguards.  But, she is a beaut just like she is!

Well, dangit, I messed up the little icon doohickey sigman.  That is supposed to be a big smiley face.  Hope it didn't come across the wrong way.  Spa King

What Norm said!

Do not, repeat, DO NOT CHANGE A THING ON THAT RIFLE.  Just take steps to keep it from deteriorating any further.  A thin coat of oil on that flash hider and/or maybe get a NIB one at a gun show but don't put it on unless you can do it without affecting the finish in any way.

It undoubtedly is worth more as a collector piece than a pre-ban shooter if it's what what I imagine from what you say.

Do me a favor and find out what else he has in that closet!! I'm buying because I see his prices are right.
You got a killer deal.

You should keep the rifle. The nicest thing about the AR15 rifle is how simple it is to change upper receivers and have a totally different type of rifle.

Halfcocked, are you saying do not even shoot it?

Yeah, Halfcocked, what makes this one a collector?  Granted, it is an early model, but not NIB.

What am I missing?  [>:/]

Princeton, he said he had an M-1 Garand and an AK-74? (it wasn't an AK-47, I've heard of that one)  He said the AK was made by Kalishnikov, so I assume that is the original and most valuable.  He told me on the AR, all you had to do was get a drop in auto sear to make it full-auto.  After browsing through this board for a few weeks, I realize that's not something I want to pursue right now.

By the way, the gentleman told me he use to have a Mac 10 full auto and a Bren? submachine gun, but he donated them to the local PD back in the '80's.  Wonder what they did with them.