Colt AR-15 XM177 E2

[CLASSIC12]

A few months ago as I was casually checking the main local website for gun sales, I saw an add for a Colt Commando. I immediately wrote to the seller, he called me and by luck was passing close to my house on his way to the mountain for the Easter weekend. He agreed to take the rifle along and stop by to show it to me.

 

He said the barrel was replaced as the original was shot. The bolt was also replaced. Rifle is fully functional. Lots of external wear as can be expected with an old warhorse. Otherwise I really dont know that much about this rifle.

 

Wikipedia : In April 1967, the Army purchased 510 Colt 629 Commandos for use by troops assigned to the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam Studies and Observations Group (MACV-SOG), and designated them XM177E2. Delivery was completed by the end of September 1967. The Air Force adopted a similar model without the forward assist feature as the GAU-5A/A.

 

Does that mean there were only 510 built in total and it dates the rifle between April and September of 1967. Or were more built later, after the initial order?

 

The asking price was $ 3000, we agreed on $ 2700. For info I live in Switzerland. So the wait for the special license began

 

Pics (not the greatest as I did them in a rush) :

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With its sibling (1972 M16A1)

 

 

 

I received the license within 10 days only and picked up the gun and the original barrel with the front sight. No markings at all. The barrel was pretty corroded inside and pitted with weak grooves. I started cleaning it, hoping it would improve, but it just made the pitting shinier and more obvious.

 

 

 

Seems to be a 10 inch barrel, not 11.5

 

 

With the flat ring instead of the Delta / tapered ring.

 

 

So I came to the conclusion that it is an XM 177 E2 lower with an XM 177 E1 upper. If these thing could talk.

 

Some details :

 

 

 

The large aperture sight seems to have been ground off, maybe for a faster target acquisition at short range.

 

 

As a consequence, the small aperture sight falls backwards

 

 

And the front sight was bottomed out in order to compensate

 

 

... with pliers ...

 

 

Then my gunsmith installed the original barrel (well the barrel that came with the gun).

 

He also test fired the gun, and the bad news is that the barrel is so shot, that the bullets keyhole even at 10 meters.

 

 

On the other hand the full auto ran great with no hiccups.

 

The other bad news is that the FSB on the replacement barrel was butchered in with 5 screws, two of them being totally seized. The smith did not want to drill the screws and risk damage something (I took care of that later) so he could not remove the old original flat ring

 

 

 

 

Anyway heres the rifle in its somewhat more original configuration

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[MACMAN]

I would sure like to have that gun in MY collection. WOW.

[John in IN]

Wow, that's nice! You sure have access to some neat stuff over there. Kinda surprising!

 

John

[Speeddemon02]

Congrats on a nice and rare find. I am curious if the flash hider, moderator, or whatever else someone wants to call it is original in its design and not a non functioning show piece meaning that it is by ATF definition a silencer?

[CLASSIC12]

Congrats on a nice and rare find. I am curious if the flash hider, moderator, or whatever else someone wants to call it is original in its design and not a non functioning show piece meaning that it is by ATF definition a silencer?

I think its the real original moderator. However in my country it is not considered as a silencer. We also need a special permit for those.