Pre-Ban - PWA Commando 5.56

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Pre-Ban - PWA Commando 5.56

Posted: 9/10/2010 3:34:04 AM EDT

gents,

i have a VERY early pre ban PWA commando. from what i can tell, PWA sold to knights around the 35,xxxx # mark? This PWA is in the 9,XXXX serial.

Anyways, i never shoot it, its been locked up in my safe. im thinking about selling it. how much would it be worth? a majority of the upper parts seem to be colt. any feedback?

my goal is to build a SPR and i need some money.

thanks

Posted: 9/10/2010 4:14:23 AM EDT

[#1]

you mean LMT?

Posted: 9/10/2010 4:34:32 AM EDT

[#2]

Got a dealer selling brand new preban PWA lowers here in CT for $450 stripped & $550 complete so
any price for a early used PWA would be south of these numbers

I bought the complete lower.

Posted: 9/10/2010 5:39:32 AM EDT

[#3]

I have a PWA "commando" too since about 1988. I'm pretty sure that they only made lowers. Mine has a Colt SP1 upper on it.

Posted: 9/10/2010 7:56:46 AM EDT

[#4]

Old school "commando" PWAs have some value to the retro builders as well as the ban staters. If you can find a retro/ban builder they can run $500 or so in newish condition.

I sold mine for $375 with an old school metal stock on it...

Posted: 9/11/2010 2:47:09 AM EDT

[#5]

here is a pic of it. ill bet your 1988 sp1 looked like this.

heres the deal. when i bought this, it came with the trilux scope, an extra 20in light barrel with the old school Vietnam butt stock and handguards, a blank adapter, and 8 colt mags, 4 20rd and 4 30rd. im thinking this rifle was once the real deal b/c some of the paper work with it was in hebrew.

Posted: 9/11/2010 4:24:00 AM EDT

[#6]

Ask in the retro section. Might get a lot more answers. I ask a lot of them too.

Posted: 9/11/2010 6:37:28 AM EDT

[#7]

Sold my PWA lower 11.5" A2 rifle in 1996, it had SN 22345

. Needed the money, baby on the way. If you see it, call me....

Posted: 9/11/2010 6:56:35 AM EDT

[#8]

My PWA lower is <8,000. The specs are a little off but it works.

Posted: 9/12/2010 8:41:37 AM EDT

[#9]

I have a PWA serial # 1,0XX , it works great, I never had a problem with it, it has been through thousands of rounds.......

Posted: 9/12/2010 8:57:24 AM EDT

[#10]

Quoted:
you mean LMT?

Yup LMT absorbed PWA and will still give you mfg records on them. I got my response before the close of business on the day I inquired.

Posted: 9/12/2010 9:00:07 AM EDT

[#11]

I have a PWA 20" rifle I bought in the early 90s for $400. Haven't shot it in years. It's been a great rifle. One of the most accurate ones I have. With open sights it will out shoot a lot of my scoped ARs. Love that thang...

Posted: 9/12/2010 9:02:53 AM EDT

[#12]

Any of you guys remember PWA marketing a piston system back then? I think it might have been called the "Rhino" system. I could be wrong. Been a long time.

Posted: 9/12/2010 10:09:09 AM EDT

[#13]

My PWA is in the 30k range (made in May 94) It is top notch quality. The fit and finish are excellent and has Colt fire control parts in it (I have no clue when those were installed, it could have been later on).

Posted: 9/12/2010 10:10:33 AM EDT

[#14]

Quoted:
Got a dealer selling brand new preban PWA lowers here in CT for $450 stripped & $550 complete so
any price for a early used PWA would be south of these numbers

I bought the complete lower.

Prebans are hard to assign value to. There is the price that knowledgeable ARFCOM types pay. The prices that your usual buyer, who walks into the local shop and buys off a rack, pay are very different (usually higher).

Posted: 9/12/2010 12:11:00 PM EDT

[#15]

Quoted:
My PWA is in the 30k range (made in May 94) It is top notch quality. The fit and finish are excellent and has Colt fire control parts in it (I have no clue when those were installed, it could have been later on).

What makes your rifle worth $30,000?

Posted: 9/12/2010 12:12:50 PM EDT

[#16]

Quoted:

Quoted:
My PWA is in the 30k range (made in May 94) It is top notch quality. The fit and finish are excellent and has Colt fire control parts in it (I have no clue when those were installed, it could have been later on).

What makes your rifle worth $30,000?

30K serial number range.

Posted: 9/12/2010 12:13:33 PM EDT

[#17]

Nevermind CT got it.

Posted: 9/12/2010 12:16:16 PM EDT

[#18]

You didn’t happen to pick that up at Fischer’s Auction did you?

FYI SN: 35222 and Below = Pre-Ban

Posted: 9/12/2010 12:57:18 PM EDT

[#19]

Quoted:

Quoted:
My PWA is in the 30k range (made in May 94) It is top notch quality. The fit and finish are excellent and has Colt fire control parts in it (I have no clue when those were installed, it could have been later on).

What makes your rifle worth $30,000?

30K serial number range.

OK got it. I know prebans are worth more in some states, but damn I thought that was a little insane

Posted: 9/12/2010 2:19:06 PM EDT

[#20]

Quoted:
here is a pic of it. ill bet your 1988 sp1 looked like this.

heres the deal. when i bought this, it came with the trilux scope, an extra 20in light barrel with the old school Vietnam butt stock and handguards, a blank adapter, and 8 colt mags, 4 20rd and 4 30rd. im thinking this rifle was once the real deal b/c some of the paper work with it was in hebrew.

http://ee.ar15.com/uploadImages/20100813/176634/Uploaded_634173247563750000_File.jpg

The real deal?

Posted: 9/13/2010 3:28:38 AM EDT

[#21]

by that i mean i believe this rifle was issued and used by IDF commandos. colt parts, triliux scope, and the fire control was replaced. the barrel was 10 or 11.5 in, and the extended flash hider was permanently attached. by real deal i mean i believe this was used by IDF.

Posted: 9/14/2010 4:46:31 PM EDT

[#22]

Quoted:
by that i mean i believe this rifle was issued and used by IDF commandos. colt parts, triliux scope, and the fire control was replaced. the barrel was 10 or 11.5 in, and the extended flash hider was permanently attached. by real deal i mean i believe this was used by IDF.

How did it make it's way back to the USA?

Most of the "complete" PWA rifles I have seen had Olympic uppers on them in that same configuration. That barrel is an 11.5 w/pinned 5.5" flash hider.

I don't think Israeli Commandos were using commercially made semi auto rifles.

Posted: 9/14/2010 7:59:00 PM EDT

[#23]

Quoted:
Any of you guys remember PWA marketing a piston system back then? I think it might have been called the "Rhino" system. I could be wrong. Been a long time.

I have been buying and building on PWA lowers since 1989. I purchased directly from them until they went out of business in August of 1995. To my knowledge, they never marketed any piston parts. In fact, they never sold barrels of any kind.

Posted: 9/14/2010 8:05:40 PM EDT

[#24]

Quoted:
Any of you guys remember PWA marketing a piston system back then? I think it might have been called the "Rhino" system. I could be wrong. Been a long time.

Can't remember who marketed it. But a cople of fellow Marines bought the kits.
First piston op system for an AR I remember.

Posted: 9/15/2010 11:05:00 PM EDT

[#25]

Got my PWA A1 lower (SN: 76xx) for a "retro build" for $350.

Posted: 9/16/2010 3:32:24 AM EDT

[#26]

thanks guys for all your feedback. i appreciate it. ive have some offers on the lower sourced from this thread. the upper looks like its been with the lower all along, both upper and lower share the same wear and tear. i dont want to separate the two. i believe i will just hold on to this rifle for a while.

Posted: 9/16/2010 4:16:25 AM EDT

[#27]

What would stop someone useing a sterile lower and add a False PWA LOGO with Pre ban SS#

Posted: 9/16/2010 7:01:14 AM EDT

[#28]

Quoted:
Got my PWA A1 lower (SN: 76xx) for a "retro build" for $350.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ripper11/arf/PWACOMMANDOSNxxxx02.jpg

That is a fair price. There was an auction a month or two ago on GB for a PWA A1 lower in either the 13k or 18k range (I forget which) that had a snapped ear and still sold for over $300.

Posted: 9/16/2010 7:03:42 AM EDT

[#29]

Quoted:
What would stop someone useing a sterile lower and add a False PWA LOGO with Pre ban SS#

It's really not worth the effort. There is no such thing as a sterile factory lower. That would mean buying a forging, spending the time to mill it, mark it, and finish it. There is enough legit ones out there (both PWA and other prebans) that it just isn't worth the effort or risk for the return. And, even if done well, it would still probably be noticeable.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Pre-Ban - PWA Commando 5.56

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