I am know very little about AR 15 but I have a Colt SP-1 carbine with 2 position stock I wanted to sale and I am not the origanal owner so I don't know, it is a 1978 and I was asked if it had paint where the lock ring is no it doesn't but it is stacked so people aren't sure it came that way from factory but I talked to another guy on this fourm that has one new in the box straight from colt that is stacked not painted can someone solve this mystery or have pictures showing the different or where the early one's stacked and the later one's painted?

There is no mystery here. Colt has been installing telescoping stocks the same way since the days of the early SP1's up until present day.

The locking ring is first staked, then they place a dab of black paint over the bare metal that has been exposed by the staking process.

Hopefully the picture will give you a better idea of what I am talking about.

[img]www.gunboards.com/sites/xm7777/DSCN0427.jpg[/img]