Folding stock or collapasable stock? I don't think Colt ever put a folding stock on any of their rifles.

Ian

I can't offer any information on your AR, but the Mini-14 gets a bad rap here for a couple of sound reasons.  (I own one BTW.):

- The AR-15 has a big advantage in that it is more easily configurable.  The barrel and sights are separate from the guts of the action (lower receiver) and can be changed without special tools or expertise.  This allows the owner to switch among variety of different upper receiver assemblies with different barrel lengths and sight cofigurations for various situations without any gunsmithing.  This also allows the AR-15 to be accurized much more easily.  You can buy very accurate uppers off the shelf.  Rebarrelling a Mini-14 is not something an amateur can readily do.

- Another big advantage is that the selective-fire AR-15 (M16, etc.) is in use by the US military and many others.  This makes for a great supply of surplus magazines and other parts that can be interchanged with civilian rifles.  Magazines are a big headache for the Mini-14 because its selective-fire version, the AC-556, has not been widely adopted for military use.  AND the manufacturer actually favored restriction of magazine capacity for civilian use.

The Mini-14 is a good rifle for the price.  But this is AR-15 country.

BTW I also own a 10/22 and an original .44 Carbine, 1963 vintage, and love them both.

And Welcome!

Lucky you!  You now own a preban weapon.  Probably worth more than you bought it for unless you got gouged in 93.



That makes the most important part (the lower) an authentic Colt Preban lower.



I can only assume you mean "collapsible" sotck.  Have not seen many AR15 folders out there.  It should "collapse" on its tube to become shorter.....  I believe Colt Sporter lightweight carbines shipped with these on there, should be a 2 or 3 position stock if factory, IIRC.



A 16" barrel with a 5" FH.. for a total of 21"???  That is definitely a parts gun if true.  Never seen that one!

If you mean the 11" barrel, with the 5" FH, for a total of 16", then that is more common.  I dont know if Colt ever shipped that as a factory rifle... someone else will have to comment on that.



That's a Colt barrel.



Threaded barrel and no bayo lug screams Colt, in that era.



I dont know about those other markings.  Someone else can comment... If Colt did sell the 11/5.5" Combo as a complete rifle back then, then you have a factory configration.  At the worst, what you have is mostly likely all Colt.

Is it a chrome barrel?  Look at the barrel extension locking lugs for a little chrome plating residual.  The top 1/2 of the lugs will have a different color from the chrome if its a chrome bore.
If its a 16" barrel, take the flash suppressor off.  Clean the muzzle with solvent etc to remove powder fouling.  You will see a chrome circle about 5/16" in diameter if the barrel is chrome and its a factory length barrel.  
A dead giveaway of a chopped barrel would be bare metal or non-Parkerized threads and reduced diameter section at the muzzle.

If its an 11.5" barrel, you shouldn't be able to take the supressor off as it will be permanently affixed.  If you can, you have a parts gun.  Why? 16" minimum barrel rule.  FIX IT PERMANENTLY NOW!!!  ITS ILLEGAL TO INSTALL ON A RIFLE!  

There's no real way to tell.  You could contact Colt and ask them what configuration your rifle left their factory in, and they should be able to tell you.  Either way, it sounds like a nice rifle.



Mostly because the Mini-14 isn't accurate, but the fact that Bill Ruger Sr. is a sellout slimy bag of shit who is responsible for the 10rd magazine restriction of the 1994 Crime Bill could have something to do with it as well.  The fact that people go after S&W for selling out to HUD while still supporting Ruger boggles the mind.  Short term memmories I guess.

God Bless Texas

I will take the Colt off your hands for $400. [;)]

Geez - I can't believe the people on this board sometimes.  mike103 asks a specific question, and those with no clue to the answer still have to post anyway.

Mike - you have a Colt Model R6530 "Sporter Lightweight."  From your description, it sounds like it's all original except for the slip-over flash hider.  You didn't mention it in the description, but it should have a "slab sided" lower, and a forward assist upper with A2 sights.

You can replace that "XM177" slip-over with a standard A2 flash hider and peel washer to bring it back to completely original if that's important to you.  If you want, I'll trade you an original Colt A2 for your slip-over.

I'm not sure how much you paid for it in '93, but your rifle is now worth between $1,200 and $1,400, depending on condition.

Hope this helps!

[Edited to ficks speling misteaks]

By "slab sided" I mean the lower receiver has no fence around the mag well.  Except for the markings, it's identical to your SP1 lower.



Yup - the barrel is a full 16", and the 5.5" flash hider slips over the barrel to give the appearance of an 11.5" barrel with a long flash hider.  Just unscrew it.



Sorry, but you lost about $600 on that deal.  The guy who bought it got one hell of a buy.  If he was a dealer or knows ARs, he deliberately cheated you.  Remember that next time you're dealing with him.



For a collectable SAA .45 - yes.  For an AR - no.  You should be able to find all the info you want wandering around AR15.com and -

http://[url]http://come.to/ar15[/url]