Colt Sporter Match H-Bar Help?

[WYOAZshotgunner]

My Dad just bought a used Pre-Ban Colt Sporter Match HBar and I have a few questions about it. The guy sold it to him for $1,900.00 w/ 3x20 Rd Mags 2x30 Rd Mags. The guy claims he only shot 20 rounds through it. Did he get a fair price?

My Dad wants to use this for coyote hunting...

I know nothing about AR15s, but it looks like the handle isn’t detachable from the upper receiver assembly to mount a scope.

1.) Would he be better off buying a flat upper receiver assembly for mounting a scope on it?
2.) If he did buy a new upper receiver assembly, like RRA or something else, would it more than likely be compatible with the colt?
3.) Or leave the upper receiver with the handle on it and mount a scope on the handle?
4.) If he does mount a scope on top of the handle, will it be hard to see down the scope or is it too high?
5.) Or would he better off selling it and taking a loss? Then buying a different AR15?

Any help would be much appreciated.

I've tried searching through the "everything AR15 thread" but it looks like half of them aren't viewable anymore.

Here is a picture of what I believe the gun looks like.

 

[stormking]

He darn sure didn't get no smokin' deal. Depends a little on if it's a pre or post ban weapon. Regardless, I'm thinking he paid anywhere from $100 to $800 more than it was truly worth.

To your questions.....

Mounting a scope on an A2 (fixed carry handle) upper is less than ideal. The scope will set way above comfortable.

Should have no problems setting any other upper on the lower assbly.

Best choice, if he's not into collecting would probably be to take a hit and dump the entire gun. It's worth more as a complete Colt than just the upper.


For future reference, Gunbroker.com can usually give you an idea of the max value of a weapon. If you can find a weapon that sold without a starting minimum or reserve, that will usually give you an idea of "true market value".

 

[Curt Barrett]

I hate to hear stories like this. I have to agree with Stormking. I'm not a gun value expert but I'd say your dad paid as much as $1000 too much for this rifle. I could be wrong though. Did he buy it during the big AR rush a few months back when prices were super inflated? If so, that's not quite as bad but it's still a Sporter.

Right now you can get what is basically a pre ban Colt 6920 (M4 flat top) for about $1150 and a Colt 6940 (mid length w/quad rail and flip up sights)for $1350 new. The one you have pictured appears to have the front screw type take down pin instead of the push pin. Probably has the Sporter bolt with the rear cut and a receiver block. All undesirable features but some wouldn't care as long as it says "Colt". lol!

To answer your questions...

1.) Would he be better off buying a flat upper receiver assembly for mounting a scope on it?

Yes

2.) If he did buy a new upper receiver assembly, like RRA or something else, would it more than likely be compatible with the colt?

The Sporter is one of the few rifles that have some things not directly compatible with other ARs. Colt decided to use non standard over sized pins for the fire control group on the Sporter. Some had over sized take down pin as well. Good news is they make an adapter for the take down pins if that's the case.

3.) Or leave the upper receiver with the handle on it and mount a scope on the handle?

You could do this but a flat top would be better suited for hunting.

4.) If he does mount a scope on top of the handle, will it be hard to see down the scope or is it too high?

Mounting optics on the carry handle does create a cheek weld problem and it is harder to get proper eye/scope alignment.

5.) Or would he better off selling it and taking a loss? Then buying a different AR15?

I'd rather have something else but there's nothing wrong with your rifle. It's not the best pick for a dedicated coyote rifle but many a coyote has fell to the Sporter. One good thing is when the Sporter came out, the 1:7 twist wasn't very popular but it's all the rage now.

You could put it away and wait for the next big AR scare and maybe get close to what you have into it. More than likely you would take quite a hit selling now but I could be wrong. Or you could make it work by buying a new complete upper and an adapter if needed. I personally would leave the original upper as is and store it if you go that route.

 

[WYOAZshotgunner]

Man...I don't know if I want to break the news to him about this. I feel bad, but I want him to have a good AR15 for hunting.

 

[OldTurtle]

Like the others, I feel he paid way too much for the rifle... Last Summer, before the election, I sold my Colt Match H-Bar for $1100..

He's likely to only get his money back if there is a strong push after the 2010 elections to put the AWB back in on a permanent basis and that will depend on the number of Liberal Democrats that retain their seats in Congress..If a bunch of them stay in, I have no doubt it will be on the table in short order...

The current choice is either to take a hit on the investment or learn to modify and shoot what he has...

Mounting a compact red-dot type optic (3-4x) on the carry handle would be the best option for use on Coyotes, unless he's planning on long distance shooting... A 2 MOA dot will work well at most .223 distances...(50-300yds)

If I were in that situation, I'd look into building a second upper to replace the original and storing the original until I was ready to sell the whole rifle.. A second one can be built out of ordered parts much cheaper than ordering one that is already put together from a company..and for hunting purposes, you don't need a lot of the "bells and whistles",, just a good quality barrel and minimal basic parts..

 

[Evil_Lurker]

Why don't you just use it like that with the peep sights? I've shot a few of those sporters like that and they are usually very accurate out past 100 yards on something coyote sized.

That's really a poor platform for mounting a scope on.


1 - Yes, if he's dead set on a scope.
2 - No, it would require adapter pins assuming the existing pins are .315 dia. If it's a Colt pre-ban I'm fairly sure they are. It's at the top of this page.

Offset adapter
3 - Scope on the handle is possible, but it's real high above the bore line. That's the cheapest way to go, though.
4 - Pretty high
5 - That's a tough one. He's probably looking at a $500 loss on what sounds like a new rifle that ain't half bad. Personally, I'd just shoot the peeps and see how it worked. Call them in to 100 yards or less and you'll be successful, that rifle should shoot MOA.
Unless your dad just hates not having a scope. They are over rated, in my opinion.

Old Turtle is giving you some good advice, though, if the stock rifle isn't going to work for you. I can break clay pigeons every shot at 100 yards with the same setup you're showing in the pic. That's good enough unless you want to try and kill them before they come in to the call. I like seeing the whites of their eyes, personally.

 

[va_ken]

Well, you asked - When the ban hit, I had a few in the boxes that I sold for $1200 and they were A3 models - I am like the rest and believe he got hosed.