Don't you just love it when your friendly neighborhood FFL holder leaves you a voice mail saying a package has arrived for you?
Today, the package contained a "Portuguese" model AR10, circa 1960.

I figured you folks would understand my pleasure, but to avoid any debate over forum appropriateness, I thought I'd post the comparison pics with my 601-in-progress.  To be honest, they're closer in size than I expected, but there's no comparison in weight. Look through any old Armalite marketing materials and you'll read about some mythical 7lb, select-file, 7.62 caliber rifle.  This ain't it.  According to the fancy digital scale my wife bought me in her delusion that I might one day get back to fighting weight, the Portuguese weighs in at exactly 11 lbs with an empty mag (about the same as an M14).  It feels like what it is––a battle rifle.

The colors in the pics are off.  The AR10 handguards are textured, mottled brown 'glass but the stock is green.  Not the same green as the 601, though––the AR10 is more of a greenish-brown.

The 601 is currently wearing a green stock and right-side handguard with a brown mottled grip. I have a green grip but haven't swapped that yet.  I'm still looking for the left side 'guard, as well as a correct windage wheel, a 1-14 barrel and an early gas tube.  Other than those pieces (and the NDS lower, of course), everything is original 601.



...and the other side...



...Only problem is I ran out of gun case space a few rifles ago.  I really need to get another one ordered.

Awesome!  I love these threads.
If you wouldn't mind posting pics of the internals, that would be great!

Very nice! I know a few guys around here that would give their first born child for that AR10. Don't give up on the handguard, I've seen wishes come true for a few of us lately.

Love that AR-10!

Beautiful AR-10, I've been looking for one of those for years.  Prefer the Portuguese to the Sudanese.  I just missed one last year.  What kind of lower is it on?

If I can get the taxes out of the way this weekend, maybe I'll find some time to strip her down.  I'll post more detailed comparative pics, including internals.

Nice AR10. Thanks for posting.

The lower is a Central Kentucky Arms.

I also have another complete kit––everything but the receiver, which was what I was shopping for when I found this one.  It seems the early receivers are very few and far between.

The immediate plan is to strip and inspect this rifle and replace any problem parts with parts from the spare kit (provided they're in better condition, of course).  I want one rifle in the best condition possible.  But on first (quick) inspection I don't think there's anything here that's unusable, so I should still wind up with a decent parts kit.  So what I'm thinking now is, since I have this receiver to use as a model, I'd like to download the CAD drawings for a modern AR-10 lower and figure out what would have to be changed to make a new lower work with the old kit.

May turn out to not be worth the trouuble, but hey––anything's possible.

Very NICE AR10!

Always wanted one of those.

Holy S$@t Nice rifles!

Looking good brother! Glad I got you hooked on this retro stuff yet? Hey everyone, I've known this guy since we were in diapers practically, and he's a good guy. If anyone hears of a decent left side 601 HG, he really needs one. (obviously.)

I can't wait to hear how it compares shooting wise to an M14 bud.

You son of a gun! I'm jealous as hell. Well done. What is the trading range for 10s nowadays anyway?

The Portuguese model is quite a bit heavier than the Sudanese rifle. Add to that the fact that the CKA receivers are steel rather than Aluminum and yes your Portuguese is a rather heavy piece. Congratulations on your new addition. Give us a range report when you've had a chance to run a few rounds through it. I think you will enjoy shooting her. My Portuguese rifles are capable of sub MOA  accuracy when I do my part.

Have you given her a name yet?

You expect me to appreciate this curse? Funds that could be going to important things like the kids' education or my retirement fund or restoring my Mustang (not necessarily in that order, of course)...suddenly all seems to be redirected to purchasing battle worn chunks of steel, aluminum and fiberglass.
This is not a pastime a responsible grown man with family and societal obligations should be pursuing.  And, yes, I do blame you.  

My wife always said you were a bad influence.

cool


need more pics, please.

A lot of varables, of course, but when you can find them, they seem to run from just under $3k up to around $6k.  I've seen a couple offered higher than that, but I haven't seen anything sell at those levels yet. Fortunately, this one came in towards the lower end of that scale.

Of course, you can drop another grand+ for a bayonet (if you can find one).

But for me, the holy grail has now become anything related to the belt-feed system that could be slapped on these.  Even though it's a semi-auto, I think THAT would turn some heads at the range!

Nah, that'll have to wait till I've had her a little while and see how she behaves.  I figure if I let her show her personality first, she'll let me know what her name is!

I'll be very pleased if this one performs as well as yours.

Welcome to the AR-10 club!!!!!

There is a Portuguese AR-10 bayo. on GB right now btw.....................

Damn 5+! I thought what they want for a Galil blade was crazy. I would however entertain the thought of spending five hundred plus on AR-10 steel v three and change for the Galil piece which to me looks identical to the latest pattern german G-3 bayonet.

Hey guys,
What were considered good quality receivers upon which these weapons were assembled?

CKA is a good one for sure.......Specialty Arms, Sendra, Telko.....H&H look kinda rough......Hahn did some nice rewelds

Here is my Specialty Arms receivered Port......and its "little brother"

Damn.  
It's no longer available, I'm afraid.  I had no choice but to buy-it-now.  I know it's a ridiculous amount to spend on pointy stick, but if I didn't, someone else might have bid on it!  Someone else might have bought it, and then it couldn't come home with me!  
I would have been stuck with a battle rifle that would be practically useless if I ran out of ammo while the barbarians were pouring over the wall!
I had to buy this as a last line of defense!  It's for the security of my family!

I HAD NO CHOICE!

    ...you guys around here...you understand, don't you?

Seriously, the last one I saw went for just over $1000 and it didn't look much better than the one you just pointed me to.  That one was on a bayo collector's site, so maybe it was at a premium, but I figure that's who I'm up against if I want one of these. (And I do  )
I exchanged a couple emails with the seller and his answers were all what I wanted to hear, right up to the ultimate decider: "If pressed into service again tomorrow, would it still be in suitable condition to do its job?"  He says yes, and that's all I ask from any of this stuff.

Now I just need to figure out how to get the last of the cosmo out of the crevices without damaging the wood.

Thanks for the heads-up, Villafuego!  I woulda completely missed that, because after buying two Colt Pocketlites last week, I'd banned myself from browsing GunBroker for a while!

Very nice, Villafuego!  Both of them––and the next one down from what I can see!

Looks like your upper is in nicer shape than mine. Mine looks good from the functionality viewpoint, but you can see where there's some nasty...I don't know if it was damage or manufacturing slop...on the right side of the carry handle.
The upper in my spare kit is much nicer, with nothing but finish wear (a lot of finish wear, but just finish wear). Problem is, I can't swap it since CKA matched the serial numbers on their lowers to the original number on the uppers.

I'm curious about your lower, though.  Mine has a raised "tab" of sorts sticking up on top (see the circled area in the pic below).  That covers the opening at the back of the upper––the channel in which the charging handle slides.  Your Specialty Arms lower doesn't have that raised section.
Did they do something to close off that channel in the upper, or is there just an opening there?

The Boss (hump) was left off of the lower on the Specialty Arms receivers. This was done to allow substitution of a Sudanese upper if someone wanted to.

Congrats on the bayonet purchase..........although expensive, it was a good buy..........

AR-10er & Villafueago–– You wouldn't happen to have any recommended sources for technical details and disassembly instructions for these old rifles, would you?  With one assembled and one in pieces, I figure I can work things out, but it'd be nice to not have to start from scratch.

Maj. Pikula's book is the bible for these....but it's harder to find than the rifles!

Original and repro manuals show up from time to time....they can be found with both blue and white covers.....Tgus could elaborate on these as well



They are relatively straight forward.....but the trigger group, bho, and the rear sight assy. can be a little tricky

I still haven't found a blue manual to go with mine....