Early sp1 suppressor

[keith smart]

Just scored a 4 digit ar15 and will pick it up at NGD this weekend. The original owner swapped out the 3 prong for a birdcage, perhaps aniticipating jungle warfare.
Anyway, how hard will it be to locate an original Colt's suppressor?
Thanks in advance,
Keith

[Bill D]

There's a guy in this neck of the woods that has dozens of them at every gun show.

[greenradiodude]

PM sent to Keith

Brian
greenradiodude

[keith smart]

Thanks Brian!

[RCS]

early three prong

early three prong on a Colt SP1 Sporter in the three digit serial number range, note the "thin" barrel and flat front sight base too

[Ltdave]

should that have tapered 3-prong or a duck-bill 3 prong?

the FIRST were straight (considerably smaller O.D. than the 'base' of the suppressor) with radiused 'step down'....

they were way to easily bent or broken off...

3-prong


duckbill


if its early enough should it have one of these? Delta shaped charging handle?

[RCS]

Colt SP1 Sorter in three digit serial range

This Colt SP1 with a three digit serial number came with the three prong hider and black plastic - it is like new and not put together - it came that way from the factory. The Colt SP1 Sporter manual also has photos of serial number 100 with this same three prong hider too.

Maybe both types were used - I do not have any idea

[Ltdave]

the duckbill must have been on the earlier mil-spec (contract) rifles...

thanks for the correction...

[Dolt]

The best thing about the old open three prong was its usefullness in opening cases of c-rats. Of course you would get an article 15 if the wrong person (first sgt or officer) caught you doing it.

[joem]

Opened many a case of rats with the flash hider. Had to be sure you twisted clockwise or you loosened the hider.

[oldtirediron]

That is what screwed up the barrels on the early M-16 rifles! I saw many with a bent barrel!! All you had to do is lift up on the butttsock an voila!! your rifle now shot around corners!! The leverage you had by holding the buttstock and having the flash hider under the metal strapping on the c rations case was a disaster waiting to happen! And using the pistol grip to break the band was another problem!! I am sure many a trooper did this and lost the flash hider while marching back to the encampment area!! Imagine this problem along with the no cleaning rods issued with the early rifles--Then the early ALUMINUM Cleaning rods issued that snapped off in the bore of the rifle!! What a ill conceived mess!! Ask me how i know about the early cleaning rods!! I remember that exactly like it happened nearly 50 years agO! I learnedmy lesson then and have not forgot about it since!!

The early M16 cleaning rods looked just like the later steel ones but were made out of soft aluminum!! We didn't have any precut 223 patches and you had to cut a 30 caliber patch down!! I cut one a little too big and wet it down with bore cleaner and tried to pull it through!! The patch and one lenght of cleaning rod with a broken thread was lodged in the bore half way down never to come out as far as I know to this day ! In one platoon this happened to over 10 rifles in one day so the armorer's knew they had a problem and collected all of those stupid aluminum cleaning rods! Now those original cleaning rods are a very RARE item! Only seen one complete set since!!

[joem]

I still have my issue cleaning kit with the bipod and one mag.

[Dolt]

As I recall, the c rat cases were bound with wire, not metal strapping. You would use your open three prong flash hider to kind of straddle the wires and rotate the rifle. The pressure would snap the wires. While us grunts were somewhat stupid and naive, I don't believe any of us would consider using our rifle barrel as a pry bar underneath metal strapping. DO NOT let the First Sergeant catch you doing this!!