What are these AR-15s Worth

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xm25

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I have two AR-15s that I'm trying to determine the in-Mass. value of. They're both pre-ban (mfg'd in 1993) and were purchased new by me. Neither has been fired.

Colt Sporter Target (This one is still in the factory sealed heavy plastic bag)

Bushmaster XM15-E2S. Have manuals, original box, etc.

I think the value is going to be higher in Mass than it is going to be on Gun Broker or Blue Book.

Thoughts?

Thanks for the help.
 
If they're pre-ban, then they're going to sell for a premium.

Colt. Unfired. Pre-ban. That's going to sell pretty high. My gut says north of $2k. The Bushmaster would sell for close to that but probably a little less. My guess is around $1,900.

Check out gunsamerica.com or gunbroker.com and that might help you find market price.
 
For what it is worth blue book puts colt nib @ 1850$ the bushmaster? Seams to have a few opptions for the XM no consideration in the prices for preban? 1000$ 100%?
 
the colt is probably high teens. If you also have the box.

The bushmaster is probably 1600.

By the way. Those pre-ban guns CAN be sold in CT. So CT folks. If you missed out on getting an AR before 4/4/13, this is a chance.

Don

p.s. the colt is more of a collector. The bushmaster is more something you could bolt a lot of modern stuff onto.

Does the Colt have a screw for a front take down pin?
 
Thank you all for your input.

@dcmdon - The box isn't pristine like the rifle is but I do have it. The Colt has a screw in the front and a pin in the back. I'm curious, what significance does the screw have vs a pin?

@CobaltBlueSteel - Four Seasons thought a bit under $2k for the bushmaster and a bit over $2k for the Colt. Not sure how accurate that is but they have a good handle on things there.
 
xm25 said:
Thank you all for your input.

@dcmdon - The box isn't pristine like the rifle is but I do have it. The Colt has a screw in the front and a pin in the back. I'm curious, what significance does the screw have vs a pin?

@CobaltBlueSteel - Four Seasons thought a bit under $2k for the bushmaster and a bit over $2k for the Colt. Not sure how accurate that is but they have a good handle on things there.
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I honestly think you have a better chance of selling them for a premium on Gunbroker or AR-15.com, a lot more people will be looking at it, and big spenders. Since those are more of a collectable, you'll have more collectors browsing Gunbroker. No one except for MA and CT (not sure about any other states?) care about the "preban" status.
 
XM25

The screw was done by colt so it was more difficult to add evil M16 parts. Nobody bothers with that anymore. Colt did a number of things to make it more difficult to convert it to full auto. The bolt carrier group is cut away in such a way that it won't trip a DIAS or a Lightning link. The receiver is milled in a way that won't allow a DIAS to go in. And the screwed upper makes it harder to put an M16 lower on that upper.

The screw makes the gun less desirable as a platform on which to build an evil killy rifle with modern parts. But colts are collectible.

So it goes like this if you are buying. If you want a collectible Colt, get a colt.

If you want to tear it down, put a magpul stock and a BCM upper with a M16 Bolt, then get almost anything else. The best pre-ban uppers seem to be Bushmaster and PWA. Olympic Arms ones can be dimensionally non-standard.

Some people don't like DPMS, but my pre-ban SBR is built on a DPMS and it runs great.
 
I lived in CT when the AWB was passed and a guy I worked with had his FFL and told me he could get me as many Colt AR's as I wanted for like $450 each IIRC. He said it would be a good investment. Boy was he right. Of course I didn't listen to him.

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Beaker,

I bought a new AR15 A2 HBar in 1986. I paid a bit under $600 for it. It was the first rifle I ever bought. I still own it.

At the time I could have bought a M16 for $900 to $1000. I passed because i didn't have much money and couldn't justify the extra expense. Think about that.

$550 --> $1900
$950 --> $25,000
 
dcmdon said:
XM25

The screw was done by colt so it was more difficult to add evil M16 parts. Nobody bothers with that anymore. Colt did a number of things to make it more difficult to convert it to full auto. The bolt carrier group is cut away in such a way that it won't trip a DIAS or a Lightning link. The receiver is milled in a way that won't allow a DIAS to go in. And the screwed upper makes it harder to put an M16 lower on that upper.

The screw makes the gun less desirable as a platform on which to build an evil killy rifle with modern parts. But colts are collectible.

So it goes like this if you are buying. If you want a collectible Colt, get a colt.

If you want to tear it down, put a magpul stock and a BCM upper with a M16 Bolt, then get almost anything else. The best pre-ban uppers seem to be Bushmaster and PWA. Olympic Arms ones can be dimensionally non-standard.

Some people don't like DPMS, but my pre-ban SBR is built on a DPMS and it runs great.
Click to expand...

Doesn't it depend on which model Colt you have??? I have a Government model and it is milled for a sear, i haven't checked the carrier to see if it's FA. I used an LWRC upper on my Government lower and it worked great, i just installed the front offset take down pin, never had any issues with it. IMHO i think in his case, the Colt still in the sealed bag is extremely desirable no matter what model it is.
 
Don't get me wrong. Older Colts are very desirable. Either as a collector or as a gun to be shot in its original form.

But as a pre-ban platform on which to build a modern rifle, its not the best choice for two reasons. 1) it costs more 2) its got the proprietary screw. As far as I know, all of the 20 in pre-ban guns, whether known as match Hbar, or sporter, or target hbar, were all front screw guns. There were some pre-ban colts without the screw. I believe they were the 16" telescoping CAR versions. But i may be wrong.

They do make adapters to mate a screw upper with a normal lower and a screw lower with a normal upper. But you lose the simplicity of separating the upper and lower by simply pushing two pins.

I shoot my A2 HBar regularly. But its still configured exactly a it came from the factory. For some, half the fun of an AR is its Lego like interchangability. You lose that with a front screw gun.
 
The problem with the Bushmaster is you don't have the Bushmaster Letter of Manufacture. If you had that it'd be worth way more.
 
Why does that matter? Preban is preban.

I'm not sure what you are getting at, but the value for most people in these pre-ban firearms (other than Colt) is not as a collectible, but as a basis for a modern, fully evil, bayonet lugged, threaded barreled rifle or carbine.


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dcmdon said:
Why does that matter? Preban is preban.

I'm not sure what you are getting at, but the value for most people in these pre-ban firearms (other than Colt) is not as a collectible, but as a basis for a modern, fully evil, bayonet lugged, threaded barreled rifle or carbine.



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Click to expand...

Pre ban is pre ban , your right, but I think people don't really buy them just to be able to own the evil features like before. Now that only a couple ban states remain with that clause, most people are over it and don't mind buying butchered AR's, the prices are also much higher than before Obama scare, so to most it's not worth it. So, IMHO, it's collectability is about rarity and the history behind the old ban, not being able to own an Evil rifle. Now a days its about long term collectability, and certainly whomever has one better hold on to it and keep it original.
 
RKW,

A lot of the classic pre-ban ARs are crap guns. The Colts will continue to go up in price because they are great guns. Probably to some degree, the same is true of Bushmasters.

But the collectibility of a pre-ban Oly Arms??!!?? Nah. A pre-ban DPMS? Doubtful.

Also, the restrictions have made prebans MORE desirable. In CT, now if you want an AR, not just an evil featured AR, but ANY AR, you must go pre-ban.

So the middle of the road guy, who 16 months ago would have just bought an off the shelf post ban gun, now MUST buy a pre-ban gun if he wants to buy any AR.

Prices are going up. There is still MA.

I also believe, but am not sure, that pre-ban CA guns get around the bullet button or club stock thing. Can anyone confirm or correct that?

There is no doubt that pre-ban guns are migrating to MA and CT and maybe other places. You can see it on this site. People join the site, go green immediately and then post a pre-ban in the classified. You think the person is local, then you find out he's from FL.

Don
 
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Great information everyone!

I'm not sure that I'm interested in selling but I definitely have a better sense of what I have.

Thanks again for the continued input and discussion.


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