Recently inherited an unfired preban colt match hbar A2. Was considering doing some tactical upgrades. From what I've been reading people are more into the newer design with no or a removable handle, i'm sure its much better for optics. My question, has the A2 become obsolete? Would i be better of looking for a newer design with the 16" barrel,no handle, and extendable stock if i am looking to add optics, foregrip, and other accesories or should i stick with the A2? New to the world of the AR so any help, advice, or links are greatly appreciated.
Slap a new upper receiver on the existing rifle. As examples: Stag Arms - Worldwide Leader In AR Manufacturing Bushmaster Upper Receiver Assemblies
Holy crap those are expensive...if only i were rich. Spend that kind of money and i can't afford the accesories i modified it for in the first place. if i could afford to go that route, are all of the upper receivers compatible?
I really can't answer that. MOST should be compatible. Personally I like the style of the A2. It can work just fine with most popular accessories, just uses different mounting methods. I myself would suggest you just keep it as is. Learn it in and out and if you still decide you want a flattop AR just save up to buy a 2nd complete rifle. Save up for something along the lines of a Stag Arms Model 2T. Great rifle at reasonable prices. There are cheaper out there but Stag's the best value for the dollar in the AR world IMO. YMMV
Don't give up your iron sight's on your A2 optics fail. If your wanting to add certain optics they make different mounts. Like ofr a E-Otech they have a Z mount, scopes they have a handle mount. If you do later you will regret it or I did.
Personally when I get the money to buy mine it will have the welded front sight. It will have a removable back sight and I will have an optics kit. Alpha is right you definitely do not want to limit yourself. I would rather only have to change out 1 sight rather than 2 if my life depended on it.
Make sure to check if you get another upper for the Colt lower, Colt pins are are different sized than the majority of the other brands.
Have you considered just adding a optic and leaving the rest alone? No it won't be tactical cool, but the 20" barrel will bring the best out of the 5.56 round.
I'm an iron sight A2 rifle fan. I do have handle mounted optics for precision LR work but irons don't fog nor have batteries to drain. I am also not a fan of loading down a weapon with tacticool stuff. If i'm going to use a light, laser, red dot for close in work, It's going to be on a shot gun and then probably only a light. I'd rather go into a room with a shotgun rather than a carbine or a rifle myself.
Unless one is high speed low drag and accompanied by others of the same nature; close in work is to be avoided.
Leave that bad boy right like it is. Iron sights are great to have. If it is a match rifle by Colt, it will be incredibly accurate with it's iron sights. Practice and learn your new rifle and you wont need all the crap strapped to it. I have an A-2 match rifle and all the new cool stuff on other AR's but the one I always use and reach to is the ole A-2 because I have been shooting that rifle for over 13 years. I have shot more yotes with my old A-2 and a 6 cell mag light than I have my flat top carbine with an aimpoint, flashlight, and NV. Keep something in mind, you are a civilian not a SWAT team member or a SF operator. The chances of getting yourself into a situation where you actually need all of the stuff and benefitting from it's use is incredibly small to non-existant, why pay the $$$ to change a free rifle into something that other people have? Take the money you would spend on that to get mags and ammo. If you reload, gather the stuff to reload .223 ammo. If you end up getting bitten by the AR bug, then you can start to aquire stuff over time and eventually you will want to put together your own rifle. That is the perfect time to do something tacticool and have a toy with all the neat stuff. By then you will be very comfortable with the AR platform and will know it inside and out because you would have been using your A-2 for a while. Take your rifle to a range and shoot it. See what you think. Let the holes in the paper be your guide. You may find you have a tack driver and it would be crazy to change that!! Thats just my opinion.
The A2 is more deadly in the hands of a person that knows how to use it than the most awesome SBR carbine with tactical widgets in the hands of someone that shoots occasionally. The most important equipment is the equipment between your ears. Get to work on muscle memory and familiarity. Some pluses to an A2 include: 1) Longer sight radius 2) Higher velocity with more reliable terminal fragmentation. First thing- buy ammo. I don't know if yours is a ban model or no-ban model, but I would get a flash hider if its a ban model. Maybe a collapsible stock if you please. Learn to use those irons really well and then decide if you want to put an optic on.
You can mount a optic forward of the carrying handle and co-witness it with the irons. I personally don't care. Optic / No Optic. Learn how to shoot it and you'll be hell on wheels regardless of the configuration. Just my humble opinion. cornbread~
Take it from me... don't mess with your HBar A2... as is it has collectors value... once you start swapping out uppers it's no longer collectible... and we're talking about a weapon in the $2,000... as is always the rule... is the more original they are the more they bring at auction Look some companies will charge an arm and a leg for an AR... Bushmaster and Wilson Combat top the high price lists...around 2k, same as the colt... but other smaller companies like CMMG make the same high quality rifles at a fraction of the cost... like this flat top for only $700 bucks 18 LE-A 18 inch Rifle with Magpul Rear Sight, www.cmmginc.comCMMG Inc. AR15 Rifles, Parts and Accessories. .22 LR Dedicated AR-15 Rifles, Dedicated AR 15 9mm Rifles and Uppers, Tactical Bacon So for not much more than the price of a replacement upper for your colt, you can have a completely new rifle... better than butchering a collectible
yeah, if your not gonna put a new upper on it then your options are pretty much limited except for those wierd looing mounts that place a 30mm tube on top of your handle. thats alright though, not too many people have orginal A-2's anyhow.
Keep the A2 as it is. Learn to shoot it with the tip of your nose touching the charging handle as you look thru the peep sight. It will make a world of difference. Also, if you want a scope, there is a piece of Picitinny rail that will fit right into the top of your carry handle. Secure it with loctite on the threaded part and just leave it there, as it ill not be in the way and it can be removed with no damage to the rifle if you take the notion. A scope with Quick Detach rings can be mounted and removed as you wish. A 1-4 power scope is probably the best for this caliber, but you can go as high as a 3x9 power, and they seem to have some of the best prices. Spend at least 250.00 on the scope. Name brands will keep you from wasting cash on scopes. You will rarely get better than 3" groups at 100 yds using military ball ammo. Commercial will be more accurate, and more expensive. Reloading is best, and you can probably shoot up to 69 gr BTHP out of that rifle with fine accuracy. I'm reasonably sure you have a good rifle with a decent barrel. Clean it from the breech end only, NEVER the muzzle, or you will ruin the accuracy. Get a military M16 maint. manual a tthe gun show and learn how to take care of it. It will serve you very well. jim
Thanks Jim. I appreciate it. Have been reading a lot about the rifle and plan on taking it out to shoot next weekend. I have been looking at several different optics setups, any opinions on a gooseneck mount? Smitty
I've not used a gooseneck, but hear that they work well, and that heat from firing can often make them warp until they cool down causing some misses. Good and bad I guess. Perhaps it depends on the rifle. I like an M4gery flat top with a 1-4X and a 16" stainless steel barrel 1 in 7 twist, fixed stock, and will build one later after I finish my current project. jim
