SP-1 v. Home built retro...which one rules?

Which is better, a well done home brewed retro or a Colt SP-1?

...or...?

Colt bastardized the SP-1 lower and upper receiver by milling everything off of it and using that idiotic screw as a hinge pin.  The home built RETRO's are clones of the original rifle and therefore more accurate.  The mew RETRO receivers gives builders the option to reproduce the more obscure versions or stay with the plain vanilla center mass.  This now and adds to the excitement of this hobby by the search for parts.

101

My DIY "Clone" 604

Colt for me!

They will always be worth more.

You're probably right, but my XM16E1 took me two years to find all the right parts, and I built it myself. It's like building or restoring a car - you feel closer to it than something you just came up with the money for. I've also only got about $650 into it.

This is ARFCOM,......get both !

That is a tough choice.  I voted SP1 just because you asked which one "rules".  I figure the originals are going to "rule" everytime.  I know I will trade any one of my 603, 604 clones for a nice original SP1 in a heartbeat.

Although I will say, some of my clones are built every bit as good or even better than the SP1s when using all Colt parts (minus the lower receiver).

It's tough to say no to a COLT but I think our retro builds aren't as crude(some of the Colts I've seen look like they were hand filed with a wood rasp), and look great.

Well I have to disagree on the worth part. I think a very early sp1 will be worth a lot as it is a factory made gun. But, a 601 clone parts seem to command a high price these days.

With more people realizing the cool factor with early military parts this stuff will get more and more harder to find and command higher prices in the end. This has already happened once, but it seems the prices are starting to cool off a bit. Just think how much could you get for 601 hg's just even a few years ago? Now we have seen them go recently for 1000 and 700. Now I really do not know what things went for in the past as I am so new to the retro sickness, but I have read a lot of post lately that say wow I bought one of those for x amount of dollars just a year ago.

Cool factor for me is original military stuff. Its the fun of the hunt. How many 601 or 602 uppers are really out there? But we are pretty certain how many sp1's are out there.
Just my humble 2 cents

One reason I prefer my 603 clone over an SP1 is that it is a real, 1965-66 vintage XM16E1 and by definition, was very likely in Vietnam. It may have sat behind some REMF's desk (likely actually, considering the condition it was in when I got it) but it's the real deal, as are most of the rest of the parts - that is to say, other than the lower receiver and a couple of the FCG parts, it's a veteran. SP1s are very nice - hell, I want one, but they will always be civilian rifles that never went overseas. There's something about holding something that saw service that sometimes puts a lump in my throat.

Retro.

I would never buy an SP1 unless I got it cheap and parted it out.
The non-milspec parts don't interest me at all.

I have to say the clones rule.  An SP1 would be nice as it is an original Colt but my 601 and 603 are far more historically accurate, put together just as well as the factory gun and avoids the 2-screw pivot pin design that I really don't care for at all.

I will have both eventually. I bought a 601 lower to build an SP1 clone, since I've wanted an SP1 since I was 10. But I think I'm going to build a carbine out of it. Got to do something with that old fiberlite colt stock.

I prefer well built clones on NDS lowers.
I sold my only Colt, but don't ever plan on selling any of my NDS clones.

Prototype Clone
601 Clone (mainly original 601 parts)
603 XM16E1 Clone
603 M16A1 Clone
604 Clone (in progress)
635 Clone (in progress)
653 Clone (in progress)
605 Clone (plan on building next year)
607 Clone (plan on building next year)

I sold everything to buy more Colts

Anything collectible, guns, cars, postage stamps, old Playboy magazines are only worth what the next guy is willing to pay so, it all depends who wants it. There is no way I would pay today's prices for a low mileage Colt SP-1 only because I built my guns to  be able to shoot them. I would feel guilty taking a rare older gun and beating the heck out of it. I just don't have the kind of budget that will allow me to buy guns and just put them away and not shoot them. A nice SP-1 might be worth more but my clones have more value to me.

Doc