M16 A1 vs. A2 Lower
Is there any difference between the lower receivers on the Colt M16 A1 and A2? All of my research has found many differences in the uppers such as barrel, flash hider, front grip etc... If I were to strip an A1 and an A2 down to bare bones stripped lowers would there be any difference?
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Here is one of the best AR FAQ's I know of, http://www.biggerhammer.net/ar15/.
They don't really address the lowers though. Unless you get an old "slab" side receiver or one of the Colt's that had different size front take down pins or fire control pins they are all the same.0 -
The A2's had a reinforced rear of the reciever, where the buffer tube goes, and the A2, also has the fence around the magazine release, where the A1 does not have that feature.
Best
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Neal,
I didn't know that there was such a thing as an A2 lower without the magazine release fence. I always thought that the fence was one of the main differences/improvments of the A2 lower reciever.
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Possibly. Some rifles (AR-15A2 Sporter II R6500) have an A2 lower without the mag release fence. You may also see an A1 upper on an A2 lower.
The only rule on Colt AR's is: Anything is possible.
Neal
EDIT: See "The AR-15 Complete Owner's Guide" by Walt Kuleck, page 86 photo. For most Colt changes, there were "transition" models.
EDIT: We don't give "investment advice" on this forum, as anyone who does so is subject to federal regulation; we only give "toy advice", which is still unregulated.0 -
Colt '70's vintage civillian AR's were issued without the takedown pin round, and the button guard (fence).
The military M16's produced by Colt had the takedown pin round from the beginning (all small takedown pin rifles have it), and after about late 1967 had the button guard as well.
The transition from M16 to M16A1 incorporated the F/A and the button guard. I can't relate any change to the lower receiver during the transition from M16A1 to M16A2 except the rear recoil tube boss was beefed up a 'tad' (not visible to the casual observer). Joe
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Sandwarrior: Yep. I hear 'ya. My post concentrates on the receiver only. If you were to strip the 'A1 receiver, and the 'A2 receiver, the only difference would be the reinforcement at the recoil-tube boss, and to the critical eye, the reinforcement around the front pivot pin.
The burst feature is a 'drop in' on all MILSPEC receivers, as well as the extended stock (which is the same height as the shorter stock), and the pistol-grip also 'add-ons'.
As I don't think Colt departed from the MILSPEC aluminum grade in making the receivers (same on both the 'A1's and the 'A2's), I'm assuming the beefier receiver you alluded to is due to the extra metal at both points. Joe0 -
The actual frame of the lower, I understand, is beefed up in the -A2. I do remember carrying M16A1's and they had a 'fence' around the mag release.
The fully automatic verisons of the M16A1 and M16A2 were different in that the 3 shot burst was implemented on the -A2. I never carried an -A2. When I got to fire one, that didn't include testing the three round burst. I felt that at least limited some numbass from shooting off an entire magazine, before you could yell at him and make him take aimed shots. Many didn't like it, because it required multiple pulls of the trigger for immediate action drills.
If the trigger is included then the buttstock may as well be too. The -A2 is not only beefier, but made also of stiffer material. And, it sits higher and straighter behind the reciever. The actual butt of the buttstock is longer too than an -A1. The standard pistol grip is larger and has one finger bump/separator.
That is about as much as I can tell you.0 -
Thanks a lot for all the great information guys. I'm looking to purchase an M16 as a long term investment. I intend for this to be something I will pass on to my son. I am not looking for a conversion but something of good collector value. If I were to actually shoot it I would put a different upper on it to preserve the collector value of the original upper.
I've noticed that A2s tend to be priced significantly higher than the A1s. A1s typically run around $15k whereas A2s generally demand $20+.
Seeing as how I intend to set the upper and original butt stock aside to preserve for posterity, assuming I can find a place to shoot the thing, is it really worth my while to hold out and spend an extra $5k?
Aside from my house this will be the most I've ever spent on anything and with the intention of creating a family heirloom I really need to get it right the first time. Thanks again guys.0 -
quote:Originally posted by marti462
Thanks a lot for all the great information guys. I'm looking to purchase an M16 as a long term investment. I intend for this to be something I will pass on to my son. I am not looking for a conversion but something of good collector value. If I were to actually shoot it I would put a different upper on it to preserve the collector value of the original upper.
I've noticed that A2s tend to be priced significantly higher than the A1s. A1s typically run around $15k whereas A2s generally demand $20+.
Seeing as how I intend to set the upper and original butt stock aside to preserve for posterity, assuming I can find a place to shoot the thing, is it really worth my while to hold out and spend an extra $5k?
Aside from my house this will be the most I've ever spent on anything and with the intention of creating a family heirloom I really need to get it right the first time. Thanks again guys.
I started going to the machine gun shoot in kentucky in 1999. From the state of NY where there are no liberties, it was truly amazing to see what free states could do.
At that time, nice A2 examples were $5-6K. So this tells you what the return on your investment will be. As of 1986, there are no more civilian machineguns being made, so the supply is "0". The demand continues to grow. It is a great investment, and a swell thing for a father to do for his son.
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quote:Originally posted by marti462
Thanks a lot for all the great information guys. I'm looking to purchase an M16 as a long term investment. I intend for this to be something I will pass on to my son. I am not looking for a conversion but something of good collector value. If I were to actually shoot it I would put a different upper on it to preserve the collector value of the original upper.
I've noticed that A2s tend to be priced significantly higher than the A1s. A1s typically run around $15k whereas A2s generally demand $20+.
Seeing as how I intend to set the upper and original butt stock aside to preserve for posterity, assuming I can find a place to shoot the thing, is it really worth my while to hold out and spend an extra $5k?
Aside from my house this will be the most I've ever spent on anything and with the intention of creating a family heirloom I really need to get it right the first time. Thanks again guys.
Here's something you probably didn't know. I bought a US surplus Colt M16A1 upper from CDNN. I could have bought ten of them, as they were about $350.00/ea. The gov't unloaded unfired A1 uppers to the civilian market for sale.
Now, and with that said, you probably can, with a little detective work, get an authentic Colt A2 upper delivered to your door (no FFL needed for the uppers). Check out all the usual suspects..there may be a stockpile of pristine A2 uppers out there for you to have..and as many as you would like. Best again, Joe0 -
No difference to an infantry men in Vietnam, it was plug and play. 0 -
Marti, these two links will give you all the info you could ever ask for about variations of the Colt M16 and it's early variations. There is a wealth of knowledge on these two pages, and if you are going to get into an M16a1, the retro forum is the place to be for any and all info.
This link has a detailed description of every part on models 601-610, mostly uppers and small parts.
http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_3_123/241681_index.html
This link is geared more toward modifying A2 lowers into A1 lowers for retro builds, and has all the differences of each model/variation.
http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_3_123/294264_AR15_M16A1_Lower_Receiver__Model_Guide_Clone_Building_Guide_FAQ__redux.html0
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