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Colt SP1 date of mfg?
snowshoe
Member Posts: 47 ✭✭
I picked up a Colt SP1 in all original condition but the disconnector is unlike I have ever seen in any ar15 or 16.It is colt marked but is not as long as the standard ar15. it appears to be factory and not ground off. have any of you seen this before? can any of you guys tell me the date of mfg. serial number sp1 431xx.
Comments
But it appears that it was made during this time
1969 SP14000-SP14653
If you look closely at the serial number of early sporters, you will see that they have either "SP1" or "SP2" as a prefix. The prefix is a separate slug from the rest of the serial number, and is separated by a small space. The entire #, including the prefix, is the serial # that is recorded by Colt (and dealers).
I don't know about the disconnector, but there have been numerous engineering revisions throughout production.
Neal
I have been looking at AR-15 rifles since 1964. I have an early 1964 low three-digit rifle, and several others of various vintages. I have owned several more and have sold many otheres over the years. I have never seen any prefix on any Sporter serial number other than SP.
I think snowshoe may be confusing the nomenclature that identifies the first variation of the AR-15 as the SP1 variation, and the SP2 designation applied to the Sporter II/A2 variations. However, neither SP1 nor SP2 has ever been used as a serial number prefix. I am looking at my early AR-15 and its receiver is marked as follows:
COLT
AR-15
CAL. .223
MODEL SP1
SER. SP00XXX
nmyers is correct that there is a difference in the way the prefix is struck as compared to the actual sequence number, and that the prefix is part of the serial number. There may be a small a gap between the SP and the numerals of the serial number for the reason that I believe the prefix "SP" is part of the entire left-side receiver marking die containing the other information such as I set out above. I believe the sequence number is then added later with a different machine, so the numbers do look different from the rest of the receiver markings, generally being more deeply impressed into the receiver metal. This difference is very noticable on my Delta HBAR and GC Carbine.
If snowshoe means the serial number of his rifle is SP1431XX, the rifle was probably made in about 1980. If snowshoe means the serial number is SP431XX, it was probably made in about 1974. Dr. Pig, your lists are not useless. They are correct. There are no SP1 or SP2 prefixes. Later, there are many different serial number prefixes, such as BD, CC, CH, GC, GS, MH, ML, MT, ST and TA, but never SP1 or SP2. If one sees what is believed to be an SP1 prefix, it is merely a sequesnce number starting with the numeral 1 (SP10,000 for example). Likewise with SP2, it is merely a serial number sequence starting with the numberal 2 (SP20,000 for example).
snowshoe, what IS the serial number of your rifle? Start with the SP and, with no gap, set out the rest of the sequence number exactly as stamped, substituting X for the last three digits only.
Now for the disconnector issue. I have seen several variations, one with little or no "tail" at all that sounds like the one snowshoe mentions. (I have a tracing of the "tailless" disconnector, but not at hand. I made the tracing probably 20 years ago or so and cannot recall it exactly. I believe the "tail" stopped at the spring socket, rather than continuing on back to the safety axle area.) I assume snowshoe's rifle has one of that type of "short tail" disconnectors. Right, snowshoe?
I cannot imagine Colt can provide any information about the extractor variations, but an optimist might try.
'type' O.D. sling. Orig.?
Bill
Snowshoe
Your comments about the way your serial number is stamped are interesting. I would like to know how the numbers were applied during production. I assume they were hand-stanped, but I do not know. I can also imagine a machine like an automatic date stamper that rachets up one number each time it is tripped. Wear on a particular number could also account for the observed lighter strikes in the left digits on your rifle. Now the "pin-prick" method is used instead of dies, undobutedly controled by a computer.