[Jonah Hex]

One of my few vanity posts. (smile)

[samadams2000]

Im partial to the Ruger Mini 14 Ranch gun in .223 but respect your hankering for the Colt in 5.56. Buy whatever makes you feel happy. We’ll call on you when needed.

[Kirkwood]

Who makes the one you call a non-Colt?

[Joe 6-pack]

Nice nostalgia pieces. I don't have any experience with the non-Colt civilian sporters, but shot a number of non-Colt M16A1s in the Army. They all worked fine.

IMHO, the only justifications needed for buying any firearm is the desire and the means (and in the case of, "means" it can easily be a willingness to forego other desires).

If you're looking to use it as a tactical firearm, there are probably better choices suited to your specific needs, but as a general purpose rifle with tons of aftermarket options out there it's not a bad choice.

IMHO, as a general purpose, utility rifle that you can bounce around in the back of a pickup, and also has a great deal of nostalgia, it's hard to beat an M1 carbine.

[Kirkwood]

Search the archives here:
http://www.ar15.com/forums/board.html?b=3

[Tigen]

http://www.ar15.com/forums/board.html?b=3
Happy new year...

[Sender]

I built an SP1 from a Rock River receiver and various internet parts. It's great, as long as you use the old M193 55-grain bullets only.

The newer, heavier bullets won't stabilize in that 1:12 barrel. The "surplus" supply of 55-grain ammo is becoming extinct.

[VOA]

waiting-for-gunporn-postings...BUMP!

[umgud]

What do you want to do with it? The 9” twist is better for heavier bullets. The .223 has more offerings, but the 5.56 may be had in surplus, albeit currently not as surplus as in times past.

I have a .223 with the 12” twist and I use it for varmints with lighter bullets.

[Uhaul]

The Colts are reliable but they are also politically correct, i.e., they aren’t mil-spec and you can’t swap part’s with other “real” AR-15’s. Check out Bushmaster or DPMS. Make sure you get a mil-spec rifle with a 5.56 chamber - not a .223 chamber - if you intend to use it as a weapon rather than a conversation piece (or a hunting rifle). In general, 5.56 rifles are slightly less accurate but much more reliable and can fire mil-spec high pressure ammo.

Also I would recommend a flattop with a SureFire light and an Eotech red dot sight but if you have to go retro the A2 sight is much better than the A1 - again if you are going to use it as a weapon. I have two DPMS rifles, a flattop and an A2 carbine.

[Buffalo Head]

I purchased my SP1 in 1972 and have fired over 12,000 rounds through it. Most recently over 600 rounds at Jackrabbits in Nevada. It is reliable and does the job, just like the M16 did in Vietnam.

A 55 grain bullet will do everything that a 223 Rem / 5.56mm size cartridge was designed to do.

The later versions with a 1:7" twist to stables heavier bullets suffer in relative accuracy and killing ability (man or beast). The fast twist overstablizes the longer, heavier bullets and they just bore a hole through the target without causing much damage.

The 1:12" twist with 55 grain bullets is just barely stable in the air and very unstable in the denser medium of the target. The unstability in the target causes "key holing" with much greater damage.

There was no complaints related to "lack of killing power" with the M193 Ball bullet in Vietnam like there is today in Iraq and Afghanistan with the 62 grain M855 bullets.

If you are purchasing the rifle for serious purposes, the 1:12" twist with 55 grains bullets is clearly superior.

If you want to impress your friends with all of the doodads that you can hang on a 'modern' M4 type weapon , you should purchase the latest versions. If you value substance over appearance, the SP1 can't be beat. It does the job. Period.

[nralife]

The Colt SP1 (green label) is as close as you will get to the original Stoner designed AR-15. The Stoner kicked butt ‘til Army Ordinance screwed with it and caused all the problems in Vietnam. The original had a 1 in 14 twist. The SP1 is very close to that and very lethal with 55 grain bullets. It’s all you need. Want to reach out farther? Get a bigger caliber.

[Wiz]

Don't forget to look into the LWRC firearms family, something which we may call AR-15 ver 3.0. AA-12 Automatic shotgun, KRIS Super V, and LWRC... "made in USA" is making a strikeback against the European firearms.

[RetiredArmy]

Everyone here has their favorites and their non-favorites. My deal is, if it shoots and it pisses the libs off, I love it.

[zeugma]

One of my few vanity posts. (smile)

We'll forgive you. Many of us like gun porn. 

[archy]

are there any Freepers with experience on the Colt SP1 who are willing to share their opinions on this rifle

Well, I guess I qualify, having owned several Colt SP1 rifles prior to the availability of aftermarket clone lower receivers, and having built around 200+ since then [circa 1975-76] My personal involvement with the M16 family of rifles has been reasonably extensive, having carried them in situations in which rounds were going both ways on three continents, including my late '60's tour of Southeast Asian spas and massage parlors, during which I went through four M16A1 rifles in an eighteen-month period.

The early SP-1 rifles lacked the raised guard or *fence* around the magazine catch, resulting in occasional dumpings of loaded magazines. This was noted as a problem with the early military AR15 rifles obtained by the Army Limited War Laboratory for use by Airborne and Special Forces Advisors to the Voietnamese Army circa 1964-'66, and was corrected on the M16A1 series...but not on the SP1 rifles sold for civilian and police service domestically. Around 1975, Colt noticed that replacement lowers with this feature were being offered, and in the later 1970s, began to do so with their own rifles. Note too that most of the SP1 lowers use a front pivot pin different for the military that's offset and requires the use of screwdrivers to disassemble the lower receiver from the upper; this too was corrected on most of the aftermarket offerings meant to be used with available G.I. parts. In short: I'd much rather have a semiauto AR assembled from components than a Colt or Bushmaster complete rifle, just as many hotrod builders would rather have a *built and blueprinted* engine they've themselves assembled with top-choice components rather than a *crate engine* or an exchange unit from a commercial remanufacturer.

Yeah, I've got a M16A1-semi, assembled using mostly GI parts on a top-quality aftermarket lower. And I've also got an M16A2 match rifle I built up for NM Service Rifle competition, and I'll probably finish up a shorty for my kid this spring. An M16A1 or A2 is not necessarily my first or best choice for a number of potential uses, and usually not my first choice if rounds will be incoming as well as outgoing. They have been a US military standard service arm since 1967, and and veteran of serious US military service since that time will probably be at least generally familiar with their operation, making the rifle an immediate first choice as a spare or *loaner.* Ammunition availability is good and the cartridge is both a happy choice for reloaders and components are inexpensive and readily available, again making the choice a good one. The quality of military-issue magazines has been spotty, and some of those available on the civilian market are absolute trash, so buy several and choose carefully. Pick up spares for your rifle, maybe even to extend to a complete extra upper receiver and barrel unit, which can, of course, be mated to a second dedicated additional lower if finances and desire coincide. And then you'll have two, and from there, the family can grow, if desired, or can constitute sufficient examples for you to draw your own experience-based conclusions.

And if I can help you with any stumbling blocks along your way, by all means, ping me or give me a FReepmail.

Personally, if I were in your situation looking for the result you describe, I'd do it somewhat differently.

[discostu]

OK I’ve been in the software industry too long. My first thought was “how the hell do you service pack a gun”.