I was just at a gun show this weekend, doing my volunteer stint for VCDL, and I happened to stop to play with a rack full of various ARs.  

I see to recall someone saying on these forums[0] that a lower that was stamped "Colt" with the pony and everything was automagicallly considered a preban, because they were all made prior to the AW ban, and they all left the factory as complete rifles (as in, Colt never sold a stripped lower).

Is that actually true?  These weapons looked like they were in good shape, but they were all Postban-configured.  No bayo-lug, A2 stock, and no flash hider or threads.  The barrels looked like they might have had threads machined off of them; the tip of the barrel was slightly narrower than the rest of the barrel, for a distance of about 1.5 inches.

So my question is, if these are just preban rifles with Evil Features removed, can I buy one of them, and a preban 16" upper, and a working telestock, and have a legal preban carbine?

These rifles looked like they were in good-to-great condition, and they were priced at about what I would expect for a post-ban A2.

Help?

-BP

[0] Ok, 'fora', technically...

No, what you saw were indeed post-ban rifles.

All Colt receivers are marked with the "Colt" name and "prancing pony" logo.

What you are thinking of is the "AR15" or "AR15a2" markings. These ARE pre-ban rifles. And Colt did not sell any receivers marked like this as anything but complete rifles.

Also look for "Colt Sporter Rifles" as these are the blue label, transitional period pre-ban rifles. They usually will have the flash suppressors but no bayonet lug.

The "Colt Match Target" series of rifles are the post-ban ones.

Also check out this web site for more info on Colt rifles www.biggerhammer.net/

Sounds like a post-ban to me (price of rifle should have given you an indication of whether it was pre-ban) you can check here to tell by serial number: www.biggerhammer.net/ar15/ar15serial.html

My accurized Colt has pony and all and it for sure is post-ban. Best to copy above and have w/ ya when shopping.

Mike

Thanks for the info, guys.  I didn't figure that a dealer would be so stupid as to be selling preban rifles for postban prices, but then, I've seen some scary-stupid prices on sale at gun shows, and if they *were* being idiots, it wasn't gonna stop me from buying...

-BP

As to the very end of the barrel being a little narrower than the rest, it is supposed to be that way.  Look at a threaded A2 or M4 barrel and you'll see the same step down.  Bushmaster also has the same step down on their post-ban barrels.

That stepdown at the end was required by the military so that devices like sound suppressors that were designed for the thinner barrel of the original M16s would still fit on the newer A2 barrels with their thicker profile.  Colt and Bushmaster maintain the look even though it doesn't apply to a post-ban gun and useful on very few preban guns.