Why is it so hard to find a plain 20 inch AR?

This is more like what OP is looking for:
http://www.armslist.com/posts/7499417/asheville-north-carolina-rifles-for-sale--early-colt-a2

Not a bad deal for what it is, really. I'm not going to beat on somebody for wanting something specific, but OP does need to break down and sell some stuff, as the trade thing is never going to happen.
Already spoke to him. No, I WANT an SP1, I just figured A2 style might
be easier to find. No one wants to buy, i’ve had 3 people for the 229 and all of them have dicked around after agreeing to meet.
 
To OP, I know you don't want to build, but if you source the parts, I'll build the dang thing for free. I believe you are going to have to change your criteria for what you want. I can't understand the resistance to picking up the Nodak Parts. Harlan will move Heaven and Earth to get your upper and lower matching, and you will be on the waiting list long enough to save up close to 320 bucks. The barrel will be most difficult part to source if you are going for matching. Are you hellbent on the original SP1 BCG as well? From there it's the assorted parts (I have a lead on grey ones, or you can send regular parts in to JTT).
It’s not about actually putting it together it’s about time and cost. Why spend several years building a copy with money I don’t have, when I can just look for a real Colt, that has everything I’ve ever wanted already.(Except for a cheaply fixed flash-hider and stock depending on the year)
 
It’s not about actually putting it together it’s about time and cost. Why spend several years building a copy with money I don’t have, when I can just look for a real Colt, that has everything I’ve ever wanted already.(Except for a cheaply fixed flash-hider and stock depending on the year)

Because you can't or won't pay what those are worth?
 
Can’t, as I’ve stated several times.

And you know what, there's lots and lots of guns I want. I can't afford them either. Hell I'm so broke I don't even own a single defensive handgun. In fact the only handun I was able to spare from sale was an NAA mini, all the rest went for bills and life's little choices that low paying work force on you. I've had to sell dream guns, guns I wanted to keep and guns I carried to keep me and mine safe.

I don't start threads whining about it, insulting people who don't want to overpay for my sale items and snapping at everyone who tries to help because they offer realistic options that don't fit the "dream gun" I'm too broke to own.

Instead you've acted like a child in this thread and done yourself no favours. If you -really wanted- your retro rifle you'd get some side work and just buy the damn thing, if you could find one that ever met your everso exacting and specific wants.

Instead you want a rare and pricey gun handed to you for some meh to average trades on your terms, and then you have the gall to piss and moan about it when nobody here or anywhere else feels like being taken advantage of for your benefit. And I've seen your sale posts, you act like providing pics and basic info is doing your buyer a huge (redacted) favour. Is it any wonder nobody wants to deal with that?
 
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And you know what, there's lots and lots of guns I want. I can't afford them either.


I don't start threads whining about it, insulting people who don't want to overpay for my sale items and snapping at everyone who tries to help because they offer realistic options that don't fit the "dream gun" I'm too broke to own.

Instead you've acted like a child in this thread and done yourself no favours. If you -really wanted- your retro rifle you'd get some side work and just buy the damn thing, if you could find one that ever met your everso exacting and specific wants.

Instead you want a rare and pricey gun handed to you for some meh to average trades on your terms, and then you have the gall to piss and moan about it when nobody here or anywhere else feels like being taken advantage of for your benefit.
Because almost all of those options have been out of stock and most of the rest had radically differing parts. All of the things i’m selling I put below market value and rounded them to the lowest hundred, also I never said I was against multiple items. I specifically want a Colt AR-15 SP1, or I specifically want a mil-spec A2, that shouldn’t be so hard to find compared to someone’s fancy custom crap build of all handpicked parts, considering that’s all there was for most of the AR-15 platform’s life. I already work two jobs, all that money is going to bills, and the second job is causing me back problems. How exactly am I taking advantage of anyone, I never asked for anything other than theories on why the only AR for almost 30 years, and the main AR for almost 20 were suddenly non-existent in a sea of overcomplicated tacticool garbage despite all these forums dedicated to retro rifles.
 
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There's basically two main reasons:

1. Not many people actually owned them privately until the 90s. It wasn't until after the first Gulf War that people started buying them in any real numbers, and most of those were modified versions of the military issued rifles. The real explosion happened during and after the Clinton Ban and by then every Rambo in the country were modifying theirs and not keeping them stock.

2. The military issued rifles, once retired, were not introduced into the civilian sector for the most part. They were either sold off to foreign militaries or destroyed. Some managed to slip through, but not many, comparitively.

Despite the numbers that were produced, the actual availability of them wasn't all that great due to those and other factors.
 
Already spoke to him. No, I WANT an SP1, I just figured A2 style might
be easier to find. No one wants to buy, i’ve had 3 people for the 229 and all of them have dicked around after agreeing to meet.
Your charming personality aside, if you have had no shows after agreeing to meet here, you should report them. That ain't cool.
 
Already spoke to him. No, I WANT an SP1, I just figured A2 style might
be easier to find. No one wants to buy, i’ve had 3 people for the 229 and all of them have dicked around after agreeing to meet.
If these people were members of this forum please report them.
 
One other facture in the production of the AR was that was more expensive rifle earlier in the day then the Mini-14, its main competitor. Many bought the Mini-14 instead. Now the reverse has happened and the basic Mini14 is twice as much as an basic AR15 carbine.


CD
 
Why would anyone want a AR, what's special about the one the OP wants?

No idea what the big deal about the OPs unicorn is. Personally I prefer the Mini 14 to the AR but I have an AR anyway, mostly because cost and availability.
 
I think it is because of nostalgia... and the fact that a slower twist 20" barrel works better with a bump stock
I don’t need a bump stock to fire fast. I don’t find a forward assist necessary in home defense or hunting plus I just don’t like how it ruins the clean slabside look, carbines don’t feel good to me, I like iron sights, triangular handguards and an A1 or earlier pistol grip feel the best in my hands, I like the barrel in that twist with that weight since I like the ammo that suits it best, I like fixed stocks and don’t need a cleaning kit trapdoor, the 3-prong is a superior flash-hider to an A1 or A2 birdcage, my uncle and father carried a Colt 602 & Colt 603.
 
Brownells has some ar15 retro kits......
That’s already been mentioned. Not interested in building and i’ve been told those do not look or feel the same, and the receivers are just NoDak’s with Brownells marked on it. Also they only sell the A1 version, no slabside uppers & lowers, and no partial fence lowers.
 
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Reasons why this won't be acceptable in 3....2....
I stated why previously. Isn’t slabside, is just NoDak parts with a stupid brownells rollmark, barrel is wrong twist and slightly longer than it should be, furniture is heavier and does not look or feel like the real thing, various small parts are wrong color and spec, they don’t sell pre-built, I need partial trades, etc. You can hear the same on Arfcom’s retro forum.
 
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I've not read all so forgive if this has been said...

Build one, or buy one, and then put the barrel length of choice on it. ARs are like the "Sporting Goods Lego" of building blocks. Looking at all the choices can be confusing but a conversation with someone knowable can help.

-R
 
If you can’t find one built the way you want and you don’t want to build it yourself...how about collecting the right parts and having someone assemble it for you ?
 
I've not read all so forgive if this has been said...

Build one, or buy one, and then put the barrel length of choice on it. ARs are like the "Sporting Goods Lego" of building blocks. Looking at all the choices can be confusing but a conversation with someone knowable can help.

-R
I don’t want to build and I don’t have the money to build
 
If you can’t find one built the way you want and you don’t want to build it yourself...how about collecting the right parts and having someone assemble it for you ?
What I want is an SP1 or Colt 602. Or at least an A1 with non-crap quality reproduction parts that don’t feel right. I don’t have the money to build if I wanted to, I need a complete rifle I can partially trade for
 
What I want is an SP1 or Colt 602. Or at least an A1 with non-crap quality reproduction parts that don’t feel right. I don’t have the money to build if I wanted to, I need a complete rifle I can partially trade for

Generally building something part by part is cheaper....you could trade for parts. It’s hard to obtain “non crap quality” when you don’t have the money and are hoping the prospective seller wants what you’ve got to trade.

Everyone here is trying to help but you are coming off very poorly in your return communication. Your expectations are highly unreasonable as mentioned above: someone out there is really going to be doing you a favor with that deal. Good luck
 
Generally building something part by part is cheaper....you could trade for parts. It’s hard to obtain “non crap quality” when you don’t have the money and are hoping the prospective seller wants what you’ve got to trade.

Everyone here is trying to help but you are coming off very poorly in your return communication. Your expectations are highly unreasonable as mentioned above: someone out there is really going to be doing you a favor with that deal. Good luck
My expectations are not unreasonable at all, it just seems no one has anything in the Carolinas. Plenty in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, etc, but I need a partial trade. I don’t want crappy reproduction parts that do not feel the same due to cheap materials and modern “upgrades”, most clones are built with original Colt parts and that is what I seek.
 
My expectations are not unreasonable at all, it just seems no one has anything in the Carolinas. Plenty in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, etc, but I need a partial trade. I don’t want crappy reproduction parts that do not feel the same due to cheap materials and modern “upgrades”, most clones are built with original Colt parts and that is what I seek.

So you need a quality gun close to you, owned by someone who will trade for what you have because you can’t buy one straight up and don’t want to build. Your wanted ad has been up almost a year. Seems reasonable :confused:
 
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