Just bought another MG about 2hrs ago. This one is a NIB Colt M16A2.
I've been hunting for a NIB factory auto stamped M16A2 for the past few months and this one was just listed by a dealer I have done business with in the past. As some of you may know, auto stamped A2s typically sell for 2-3k more than the common burst stamped guns. Most all M16A2s from the pre-86 era came in grey and did not have a removable carry handle, as that was not until the 90s when that was released. So what's the deal with this one?
Well, one of the bigwigs that has worked for Colt for the past 35years picked up 5 registered, unfinished virgin M16A2 lowers. All auto stamped ones. In the mid 90's he had Colt build up the lowers to the latest and greatest M16 configuration at the time. They were built identical to what the military was using at the time which was utilizing the flat-top uppers. As well as the black anodize instead of the 80s grey. He had them boxed up and put away. These are as new of a factory built transferable M16A2 as I have ever seen. They are legit mid 90's M16s and come with a letter of authenticity from Colt. Last year, one of these went for 38,000. In minutes after listing, I overnighted the dealer a check for 29k for this NIB Colt built and certified 90s era (+auto stamp) M16A2. Good times
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I got some pretty interesting news/history on the gun I have due anyday now.
So before today, I assumed the story behind this gun was true, but confirmed today with Colt that it is true. It is a legit all factory assembled M16A2E4 aka M16A4.
This morning I got on Colts website and looked up the serial number. Nothing came back which I expected because not even my 6933 came back. They do not provide history on LE/Military guns to the best of my knowledge. To confirm the story and to get a bit of history on the gun, I was going to send in a FOIA request, to get some generic history. But since contacting Colt was a phone call away, why not.
So their website says if the serial numbers don't pull up anything, to give Customer Service a call. If customer service does not have anything in their records, then to contact Colt's archive department. I went ahead and called their archive department directly. I told the guy straight off the bat that I am looking to search a serial number for a transferable M16. To no surprise, he said they do not have access to the "machinegun database". To a surprise however, he said customer service has access to the "machingun database" and said they might have some info. But told me to tell them that I already spoke with the archive department if they try to transfer me back.
So while being transfered. I almost hung up just due to the very dim hopes that customer service had some special access to a database that the Colt archive did not have. So I tell the CS guy I am looking to get history on a transferable Colt Machinegun. I give him the serial number and it is a hit! So initially I had thought the Colt bigwig that registered 4 of these virgin A2E3 receivers ran them through the assembly line in the early to mid 90s. Nope. according to Colt, this gun was manufactured 2008! I was literally like WTF? 2008? I told him I was anticipating the 90s not 08.
He stated that in his system, it says it was manufactured in 2008, and was listed in their system as a "M16A4, model RO901 20" Heavy Barrel". I had him read the serial number back to me just to make sure and it was correct. I pretty much shat a brick while on the phone. I then asked him if there was a date for late 85, to early 86 since this was a A2 stamped RR. He said it just says 2008 manufactured, but that he was in the 'New" data base. So he then searched the serial number in the "Old" database (LOL I swear I'm not making this **** up). So he gets a hit for the same serial number in the "old" database and say it was manufactured in December 1985, listed as a M16A2.
So this gun has two manufactured dates that are 23 years apart. One for the virgin receiver, and two when the Colt bigwig ran this RR virgin receiver and three others through the assembly line, to be factory built as M16A4's. That all being said, now I dont know if I even want to shoot it. It is all factory NIB with the wick still in the barrel. And after confirming with Colt, this is one of 4 factory built M16A4s, documented by colt as a M16A4, yet fully transferable. Just bizarre in my opinion, but I am happy as a clam to confirm that this is a legit, all factory M16A2E4 AKA A4.
That all being said, this is as new/current of a factory built transferable M16 as it gets. There is no longer a he said, she said story on it. It is confirmed with colt as a gun they built as a M16A2E4. Good news is now the value just jumped at least 5K. It is no long questionable authenticity when now they can call Colt and confirm the serial number and history themselves. Bad news is I think I may just leave it NIB.
Other good news from my call is: getting the history through Colt on a machingun has always been thought to not be attainable. That is not the case. If you own a transferable Colt, do just what I did, exactly how I did it: Call Colt Customer service and say: I have a transferable machinegun that I am looking to get history on via serial number. I called the Colt Archive department and they said they don't have access to the machinegun database, but that Customer Service may have access to the machinegun database"
If nothing matches, asked them about the "new" database vs "old" database.
