View Full Version : Colt AR15A2 R6550
A good buddy of mine has what I think is an original Colt R6550 he purchased new in 1989. He has the original Pencil barrel upper as well as an HBAR upper he bought to shoot.
Never heard of this model until he pulled it out of his safe. The rifle, as well as spare HBAR upper, are both in pristine condition. He even has the box as well as a bunch ~15 of Colt magazines.
He is a Henry lever rifle guy and I think I could talk him into selling it to me, but I don't know the value of everything he has.....I want it to be fair to him as well as myself.
He threw a number of $2000 out, but I don't know if that is fair to either of us, so I countered with $603.
Can any of you Colt guys help me zero in on the rough value of what he has?
https://hkguns.zenfolio.com/img/s/v-10/p3069529932-5.jpg
I did the obvious already but there aren't many recent sales of these that I can find and if there are the prices are long gone. This would look really sweet on the wall of the gun vault I am currently having built.
ETA: I left the serial number visible in case it provides any clues.
Not an uncommon carbine, or at least it used to be common. With both uppers, and being friends, I would say a grand. I swapped out flat top uppers on a lot of those for guys who owned them on my department.
No matter how you look at it, it’s an AR15 which isn’t old enough to be classic, but is too old to be “current”.
Colt AR15A2 R6550 is a 20" barrel rifle IIRC. It's also not a true pencil, it's a government profile which means Hbar in front of the front sight but not a full Hbar barrel. Pencil barrels were the SP1s.
If you remove collector prices, a 20" barrel flatop sells for about 1,000 these days. You know what uppers go for. It's a pre SPORTER model so it will have a bayo lug and would be a desirable, somewhat rare Colt because not long after Colt voluntarily neutered rifles and removed bayo lugs with the Colt Sporter series before the Clinton ban.
Both uppers, $2000 really isn't unreasonable. I have a A2 government model and I wouldn't sell mine for that price by itself. $603 sounds like a serious low ball especially with original box and Colt mags. I'd say meet him in the middle around $1,500.
Colt AR15A2 R6550 is a 20" barrel rifle IIRC. It's also not a true pencil, it's a government profile which means Hbar in front of the front sight but not a full Hbar barrel. Pencil barrels were the SP1s.
If you remove collector prices, a 20" barrel flatop sells for about 1,000 these days. You know what uppers go for. It's a pre SPORTER model so it will have a bayo lug and would be a desirable, somewhat rare Colt because not long after Colt voluntarily neutered rifles and removed bayo lugs with the Colt Sporter series before the Clinton ban.
Both uppers, $2000 really isn't unreasonable. I have a A2 government model and I wouldn't sell mine for that price by itself. $603 sounds like a serious low ball especially with original box and Colt mags. I'd say meet him in the middle around $1,500.
Yeah, I was F'ing with him on the $603 more or less to see if he was serious about selling. Yeah its a 20" rifle and since they were only produced for 2 years, I thought they were more rare than not, but I am no Colt expert. As I understand, Colt started grinding the bayo lug off of these later in production.
Stopsign32v
11-06-23, 18:59
I probably wouldn't let that one walk away if I could afford it. Not in for $2,000 but if he can get sub $1,500 I'd grab.
Hammer_Man
11-07-23, 10:43
I had a later “Sporter” model with the chopped off bayo lug, and it was a fantastic shooter. If you can afford it, go for it.
Yeah, but I'm dealing with someone just like myself. He "doesn't sell guns" either. So it will end up being a journey.
Here's one listed as an R6550, but the receiver markings are different and (I would think) less desirable. It sold for $1,626.
https://www.gunbroker.com/item/1013008717
I think it comes down to how much of a collector you are. I do have a decent size Colt collection but avoid the older rifles with the ban features such as the screw receiver pins like that one has. It just ruins it for me, but perhaps it doesn't for you because you desire to have all of the variants.
I think it comes down to how much of a collector you are.
I'm more of a shooter than a collector, but I like finding interesting things. This one interests me, partly because he now says he doesn't want to sell it. So I tell him it doesn't have a lever and is an evil "Assault Rifle."
That one wasn't an R6550, even though it was listed as one. I found this that describes the models at that time. Not sure what year this is but I would guess '88.
https://hkguns.zenfolio.com/img/s/v-10/p3102896445-5.jpg
I'm more of a shooter than a collector, but I like finding interesting things. This one interests me, partly because he now says he doesn't want to sell it. So I tell him it doesn't have a lever and is an evil "Assault Rifle."
That one wasn't an R6550, even though it was listed as one. I found this that describes the models at that time. Not sure what year this is but I would guess '88.
https://hkguns.zenfolio.com/img/s/v-10/p3102896445-5.jpg
You will never have any vintage Colts then. Variant 1 of the first 1964 model all the way through to sometime in the 90s had the "big screw." It was an ATF requirement when prevented it from being "readily convertible" just like all those other semi autos. It's why HK 41s and 91s didn't have swing down trigger groups.
In the late 70s I was shooting Sp1s and factory M-16s, honestly I never really noticed the difference when it came down to cleaning them. I just did it FAL style and never pulled the upper off of the lower. It certainly didn't make a difference when it came to firing them and setting up a Sp1 for a "registered" DIAS was pretty simply stuff, no cutting required. You needed the M16 bolt and fire control group and the DIAS did the rest, it was self contained and fit in that pocket, you didn't even need to drill a hole.
And of course back then there was no Bushmaster or Armalite making semi autos, it was just Colt and Colt.
I have no aversion to the big screws. The one I am looking at has one and it doesn't bother me in the least.
I have no aversion to the big screws. The one I am looking at has one and it doesn't bother me in the least.
That was my mistake, I had intended to quote Bret, who is not a fan of big screw Colts.
That was my mistake, I had intended to quote Bret, who is not a fan of big screw Colts.
I just don't like them because they're a reminder of Colt trying to gain favor with the gun controllers. Fortunately, they mostly stopped. The new ones are so much closer to the full auto models. I love being able to take an upper half, putting it on my Colt M16 and going to town. That said, I don't take issue with anyone who likes the models that I don't prefer. Buy what makes you happy.
I just don't like them because they're a reminder of Colt trying to gain favor with the gun controllers. Fortunately, they mostly stopped. The new ones are so much closer to the full auto models. I love being able to take an upper half, putting it on my Colt M16 and going to town. That said, I don't take issue with anyone who likes the models that I don't prefer. Buy what makes you happy.
That is understandable, I'd forgotten how much voluntary neutering Colt pulled prior to the Klin-tone ban. But I'm interested in the uniqueness now that a fair amount of time has passed.
I just don't like them because they're a reminder of Colt trying to gain favor with the gun controllers. Fortunately, they mostly stopped. The new ones are so much closer to the full auto models. I love being able to take an upper half, putting it on my Colt M16 and going to town. That said, I don't take issue with anyone who likes the models that I don't prefer. Buy what makes you happy.
In 1964 it was a requirement, not a Colt decision.
That is understandable, I'd forgotten how much voluntary neutering Colt pulled prior to the Klin-tone ban. But I'm interested in the uniqueness now that a fair amount of time has passed.
In 1989 yes, they started doing feature ban nonsense, but in 64 forward the big screw was about compliance. But it led to the self contained DIAS so it wasn't all bad.
In 1989 yes, they started doing feature ban nonsense, but in 64 forward the big screw was about compliance. But it led to the self contained DIAS so it wasn't all bad.
Yep....of course you are 100% correct.
Yep....of course you are 100% correct.
I'm probably also nostalgic at this point for "big screw" Colts since I grew up on them. I got a SP1 carbine around 81 and I really never felt the need to buy anything else until I shot a HK 91 which led to the purchase of a 91 and a 93, but for a long time those were the only modern military rifles I owned. No AKs, no FALs, no Mini 14s. I kept meaning to grab a SP1 rifle but it always seemed like my SP1 carbine was getting it done. Of course that was early 80s and there weren't as many options.
In the late 70s I was shooting Sp1s and factory M-16s, honestly I never really noticed the difference when it came down to cleaning them. I just did it FAL style and never pulled the upper off of the lower. It certainly didn't make a difference when it came to firing them and setting up a Sp1 for a "registered" DIAS was pretty simply stuff, no cutting required. You needed the M16 bolt and fire control group and the DIAS did the rest, it was self contained and fit in that pocket, you didn't even need to drill a hole.
And of course back then there was no Bushmaster or Armalite making semi autos, it was just Colt and Colt.
I was just chuckling after reading your post as I vividly recall the old Shotgun News ads for those: "DIAS....we don't keep any customer information". Riiiiight.
Not today, Mr. ATF man.
I was just chuckling after reading your post as I vividly recall the old Shotgun News ads for those: "DIAS....we don't keep any customer information". Riiiiight.
Not today, Mr. ATF man.
Important point. Prior to the 1986 domestic MG ban, a "registered" DIAS were just another legal machine gun option like a lighting link or anything else.
I'm trying to remember what the specific classification was of those "other" legal DIAS because they weren't considered post sample machine guns but the important thing to remember is owning them AND a host firearm did constitute an illegal machine gun. And yeah, it was widely believed to be an ATF fishing expedition.
But the real fun one was the Colts with the pinned sear block. Ironically that pin was in the exact location as a rocker sear pin so if that pin ever fell out you'd essentially have an illegal "sear hole drilled" lower. I remember quite a few 07s who removed that block to install a "registered" DIAS only to discover they just manufactured a post sample.
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.5 Copyright © 2024 vBulletin Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.