just found a brand new never fired pre ban with armalie lower and upper(16'A2 and collapsable stock).  the guy wants $1500, is this reasonable? A couple opinions would be appreciated--MOA

If its nib,then that sounds about right.I have seen
used ones for around 1000.00 and stripped preban
Eagle lowers from 600.00 to 750.00.

Be real sure about if the lower is a pre ban or not. You just can't go by the S/N, if the lower left the factory as a bare lower it my be built up into a complete gun prior to the date pre/post and you must be able to prove it. If you can't, then you have a post ban. Armalite never sold bare lowers only complete guns. Check with the MFG, better safe then sorry.
Just my 0.02 RON

Correct me if I'm wrong. Armalite NEVER made pre ban lowers! (Armalite rollmark) Is it an Eagle Arms lower? If the lower is marked ARMALITE- proceed with caution. [:D] Milldude

I believe that Milldude and Ron are correct.  The only ArmaLite prebans AR15 type rifles were the prototypes.  It might say Colt/ArmaLite in which case it is probably an A1 and I believe pretty rare.  The only original ArmaLite prebans you will find in any quantity is the AR180/18 and there aren't that many of them.  ArmaLite does not sell ArmaLite brand lowers, but do sell Eagle Arms lowers.  Look on the lower for the mfg and the city.  If the city is Geneseo, IL it is definitely a postban, whether it says ArmaLite or Eagle Arms.  If it is Coal Valley, IL, it better say Eagle Arms.  If it says Coal Valley and ArmaLite, someone has been messing with it.  With the collapsible stock, it is definitely in preban config, but it may not be a preban lower, so BE CAREFUL!  To further what Milldude said, if it is marked ArmaLite and Geneseo, IL, don't proceed at all.

Mark Westrom, owner of Eagle Arms, acquired the rights to the name "ArmaLite" in early 1995 and reorganized as ArmaLite with Eagle Arms as a division of ArmaLite.  Any 5.56mm/.223 M15 rifle marked "ArmaLite" should then be a post-ban rifle, as should the vast majority of rifles marked "Eagle Arms" with "Div of ArmaLite".  There are a few exceptions to the latter as a result of receiver remanufacture.  The one you are looking at may be one of these.  Confirming the serial number with ArmaLite is imperative.  I am informed that my remanufactured pre-ban receiver was in the first batch done and I just received it this month.

If the "ArmaLite" you are looking at is actually a post-ban with pre-ban features, run away from it.  It is a very bad deal.

Dang, Dave.  Didn't think of that, but now I remember you getting yours done.  It will say 'Eagle Arms Div of ArmaLite' if it is reman.  Maybe that is what he is looking at and it would be new, wouldn't it.  If that is the case, jump all over it MOA.  The price is about right.

FYI I lifted this off the link at the bottem.

So you have something to print to take to a gun show, ArmaLite's official
"generic" position on pre/post status of receivers they've made is:

1.Almost all Eagle Arms rifles bearing the notation "Eagle Arms Div ArmaLite"
  are post-ban rifles.  The only exception will be on serial numbers under
  30,000.  Receivers with pre-ban serial numbers marked with the ArmaLite name
  are new receivers produced to repair legitimate pre-ban rifles.
2.Many Eagle Arms lower receivers were sold to customers and assembled outside
  the factory.  ArmaLite has no way of knowing which of these arms were
  legitimately assembled into "pre-ban" rifles before the Crime Bill went into
  effect.  
3.ArmaLite's history specialist will conduct research into the
  production history of a given serial number and provide a letter attesting
  to its factory designation and shipping date.  The research will be
  conducted at a cost of $25.00 per firearm.  The customer name CANNOT be
  provided due to privacy constraints.

Also note that simply because a given lower receiver has a "pre-ban" serial
number does not necessarily mean that the firearm was assembled prior to the
ban, only that the receiver was manufactured before the effective date of
the ban. In order for an assault weapon to be "grandfathered", it must have
been configured as an assault weapon prior to the ban (the effective date of
the ban was September 13, 1994.) If a stripped lower receiver was in a dealer's
bound book at the time the ban took effect, and it is later discovered in an
assault weapon configuration, it could be rather easily ascertained that it
is not a grandfathered firearm. Receivers in private hands on the day of
the ban are a little more ambiguous as who is to say if it was or was not in
an assault weapon configuration on the date of the ban, and then later stripped?
As always, buyer beware.

http://home1.gte.net/bblakley/ban/

it says Geneso Ill. on the side of the receiver so i guess it is preban.  thanks guys you saved me a lot of money, this guy swore to god it was a pre.  the wealth of info on this forum never fails to amaze me.  thanks guys--

NO, MOA.  If it says Geneseo on it, it is most likely a POSTBAN.  Get the serial number and check with ArmaLite.  It could be a new lower to replace a damaged preban, but not likely.  I say again, CHECK THE SERIAL NUMBER WITH ARMALITE!  Not meaning to yell, just trying to save you a major headache.