Went to range - spontaneously bought a used Colt AR15!! My first rifle, Howd I do?

[Sean Dempsey]

Was at the range shooting my new USP 45 Compact, and a friend of my late fathers came over to talk. He is an ex-cop and a real nice guy.

Asks if I want to shoot an AR... which I said "hell yes". Never shot one before, never really shot a rifle other than a .22 (and a 300 mag, once).

So I run a magazine through it, and loved it, when he says "Its for sale, thats why I am here."

So without giving it any logic or thought, I said "sold." I just couldn't resist. I am hoping it was a good deal and good choice. I have wanted this setup for a long time, so I didn't hesitate when it was right there in front of me. I had been repeatedly eyeing bushmasters, but the Colt allure was pretty seductive, and it already had the Aimpoint on it.

So, for $1800 dollars, I got:

- a Colt AR15 Carbine, stamped "For government military and law enforcement use only". Was his service rifle as a cop.

- The adjustable stock

- The Aimpoint red-dot sight.

- 4 magazines, which he says have a green spring plate and a higher quality spring he added himself.

- 2 of the mags are full of "composite" rounds he says sort of disintegrate on impact and don't over penetrate as bad. Says the rounds are about $1.50 each

I know that the price is probably around average or maybe a little high, but I think it's a quality gun and scope, so I am totally happy.

So, how did I do:

 

[Kino74]

Congrats on the rifle! Welcome to the Evil Black Rifle club! If you get a chance, I really recommend the Magpul magazines.

 

[Hardtarget]

I would also like an AR. I don't have that kind of money to spend and I really don't know about prices. No cash, so I haven't been checking/looking. Have fun...it'll last you a long time!

Mark.

 

[Picard]

$1800 for a used gun? I think that you could have bought all that new for less.

I just built an AR for $700. Of course it doesn't have an Aimpoint but those are like, what, $400? If you're happy with it, it was worth it, right?

 

[scrat]

thats a heck of a package

 

[ForneyRider]

They are a lot of fun to shoot.

Took mine out today and shot with rifle scope and popup sights.

The range, I went to, is 12, 25, 50, 100, and 200 yards. Sights were plenty out to 200 yards. I was surprised. I am used to bolt actions with 3-9x scopes.

You can get mags with LE only on them as well. hehe.

I got the PMAG, same as Kino74 recommended. They have a nice cover that comes with them. They offer a new model with a see through slot on side.

My friend had 2 Colts back in 90's. I asked them what he used them for, he said elk hunting, (joke).

Compared to my 7mm Mag bolt gun, the AR's are heavier and make funny "sproing" when they cycle. That sproing took some getting used to. But lack of recoil is nice.

 

[paintballdude902]

id check into the "For government military and law enforcement use only" just to make sure it was never a full auto

 

[taliv]

- 2 of the mags are full of "composite" rounds he says sort of disintegrate on impact and don't over penetrate as bad. Says the rounds are about $1.50 each

if he means "frangible" then they're about $.50 ea from ammoman. they're good for shooting targets indoors, but you wouldn't want to use them for defensive ammo.

the price is a little high for a used gun, but you did get a quality gun and red dot.

do yourself a favor and mount them a little better. get rid of the carry handle and that scope ring, and get an aimpoint or larue mount to connect it to the flat top. it's a better solution than duct-taping two-inches of stuff to the stock to give yourself a decent check weld.


anyway, congratulations on the new gun!

 

[Kino74]

Building is always cheaper but its not always a viable option for some one looking for a first rifle or new to AR15s.

A brand new Colt down here can set you back $1500 easy before tax so a slightly used gun with a few mags and aimpoint for a Colt like he has is not out of line. I've seen used Colts that were definitely on the used side go for $1250 easily down here. Colt AR15s have a very high resale value and out of the box(re: high quality) its hard to beat which pains me to say as I'm not a Colt fan by any means. If he ever decides to sell his rifle, he won't lose too much especially compared to an assembled gun.

He spent a little bit more but he does have a solid rifle and red dot scope so he's GTG.

 

[NetJunkie]

Looks like a Colt 6920 ($1300 new...best Internet price) and an Aimpoint CompML2, I think, ($400 new..Internet price) plus some other accessories. The condition from the pics looks very good...and you got to shoot it before buying it to make sure you liked it.

id check into the "For government military and law enforcement use only" just to make sure it was never a full auto

All 6920s say that. No worries there.

 

[Sean Dempsey]

do yourself a favor and mount them a little better. get rid of the carry handle and that scope ring, and get an aimpoint or larue mount to connect it to the flat top. it's a better solution than duct-taping two-inches of stuff to the stock to give yourself a decent check weld.

Can you give me some links for info and/or parts on this? I think I know what you mean, but I'm still new to the customizable nature of the AR platform.


Also - where is a good place to look for other parts? I would like to maybe get a scope with some good magnification for some longer range precision shooting. I like the red dot, but it would be fun to switch to something more powerful.

 

[Magnuumpwr]

Paintballdude, any full auto AR-15's will have a hole drilled about 3/4" forward of the rear take down pin. This is to insert the auto sear pin.

 

[basicblur]

So, how did I do

Well, assuming you come here truly looking for information and not affirmation…
I’d say not very well-‘course, this is taking into account that I’m a cheap bastard!
Please be a more careful shopper in the future-makes it rough on us cheap folks when ya overspend like that!
I’d imagine the cop that sold it to you made a decent little profit at that price.

I just made an “impulse” purchase of what I assume is the same rifle you have, but got it new for $1,224. Iff’n you’d use that search function before you buy…
I already have an identical RRA I purchased when the AWB expired, but when I saw the price of the Colt at the gun shop…well, can ya ever have too many ARs? Reason I went with the RRA way back when was due to price vs. the Colt-darn near half the price of what I could find Colts for at the time.

id check into the "For government military and law enforcement use only" just to make sure it was never a full auto

Shouldn’t be a problem-mine is marked the same way-guess it’s a Colt thang? I assume he has the LE6920 - Colt apparently has abandoned the civilian market and just stamps everything accordingly.

And if any of you folks are looking for a good deal on the LE6920, Town Gun Shop/Town Police Supply of Collinsville VA got ‘bout 10 of ‘em in, put ‘em on sale for $1,224 until they’re all gone-had 7 left when I bought mine. I assume he can ship to your FFL dealer?
Places with a better price on the ‘Net were few and far between, but of course they never seem to have ‘em in stock. Fella at Town said he normally doesn’t-fer some reason “they” dropped 10 of ‘em in his lap.

 

[Beren]

Nice rifle, I've got one just like it in the safe. Take a look at the Aimpoint and see what model it is.

The carry handle is removable, and you can get a different mount for the Aimpoint to attach it directly to the upper receiver, if you like.

$1800 is a good bit of money for the package, but I don't think you were robbed on the deal. What matters is that /you/ are happy with what you have. Even if you spent a little too much, that pain goes away. The pain of buying lower quality goods than Colt or Aimpoint stays with you much longer.

Oh, and frankly, now that you've contracted BRD - you WILL spend far more than your initial $1800. Consider that nothing more than a down payment.

-- Beren, Colt Snob (though I do own LMT and even DPMS parts!)

 

[Sean Dempsey]

Seems like the consensus was that it WASN'T a ripoff, so I'm happy.

The Aimpoint says "CompML 4MOA", which I can't find exactly on their website, it may be a discontinued model.

Couldn't sleep last night, was thinking about shooting today. Gonna head out to the range again today and really get a feel for this rifle. Pretty excited.

 

[Tribal]

I'd agree with what's been said: you didn't make out like a bandit, but $1,800 for that package, especially with you having had a chance to try it out first, seems reasonable to me. If it were me, I'd do as was recommended and mount the scope directly to the frame. I'd also get a Harris bipod (don't forget the AR mount for it, which costs about $6 but is essential) and perhaps a three-point sling.

As for the ammo, I wouldn't shoot it (yet): range ammo is pretty much range ammo. It's better as either a "sweetener" if you make some kind of a trade or as training ammo if (when) you take a carbine course.