My in law's were in town this weekend, and my father in law brought his 80's vintage Colt with a A1 upper and the Colt 2-position collapsible stock. Absolutely beautiful piece of equipment.
He, and his sons, have put thousands of rounds through it over the years. The only time it has ever had a hiccup was when, years ago, he made the mistake of trying some crappy aftermarket 30 round mags.
He bought it NIB in the early 80's (for about $400)and has been the only owner. To this day he enjoys it as his deer lease "roam around and blast hogs and varmints" rifle.
Well, come to find out, it hasn't been cleaned or even the upper and lower separated since it was purchased.
He brought it in town so I could give it the once over and show him how to clean it...
We tore it apart and I saw a few interesting things...
1.) Colt does (or it least did 20+ years ago) make REALLY NICE STUFF...
2.) I love how colt stakes castle nuts, very clean and very strong.
3.) The amount of BLACK SCHMUTZ on the BC and around the FCG in the lower was staggering. Took a whole can + of brake cleaner and a stiff nylon brush to get them clean.
4.) There was no corrosion, nothing I'd call excessive wear, and the edges on the hammer and trigger were sharp and looked as though they were brand new.
5.) I was surprised how readily the barrel and chamber cleaned up. Don't get me wrong it took a LOT of patches, and brushing, and Sweet's 7.62, but it really wasn't as bad as I expected... nothing like some of the milsurps I've cleaned before.
We went through some basic maintenace stuff, I suggested he get a bore snake, and told him "just bring it to me every year and I'll be more than happy to tune it up for ya"
Just thought I'd share.
- AG