Colt's · Rifle
Colt Sporter (AR-15A2)
Gas-operated (direct impingement) · .223 Remington · introduced 1989
Also known as Colt AR-15A2 Sporter, Sporter Target, Colt Model 6500
About the Colt Sporter (AR-15A2)
The Colt Sporter was the civilian semi-automatic AR-15 sold after the 1989 federal restrictions on imported and 'assault-style' rifles, when Colt rebranded and reworked its AR-15A2 line to drop the 'AR-15' name and politically charged military features. Built on the A2 pattern, it added the fully adjustable A2 rear sight, brass deflector and forward assist while removing the bayonet lug, and its lower receiver and fire-control internals were redesigned to resist illegal conversion to full-auto. Most carried the heavier 1:7 twist barrel suited to modern heavier bullets.
Colt scrubbed the famous 'AR-15' name off the receiver and called it simply the 'Sporter' to distance its civilian rifle from the political firestorm around military-looking guns, redesigning the internals so the pins would no longer accept M16 full-auto parts.
Colt Sporter (AR-15A2) specifications
General
- Type
- Rifle
- Action
- Gas-operated (direct impingement)
- Firing mechanism
- Hammer-fired
- Trigger
- Single stage
- Calibres
- .223 Remington
- Magazine capacity
- 5 rounds
- Magazine
- Detachable box magazine
Dimensions
- Barrel length
- 508 mm (20.0 in)
- Overall length
- 1000 mm (39.4 in)
- Weight (empty)
- 3.40 kg (7.50 lb)
- Sight radius
- 500 mm (19.7 in)
Barrel
- Rifling twist
- 1:7 in (178 mm)
- Rifling
- Right hand
- Grooves
- 6
Materials
- Barrel
- Steel
- Receiver / frame
- Aluminum
- Stock
- Polymer
- Finish
- anodized
Performance
- Muzzle velocity (typical)
- 988 m/s (3241 fps)
- Muzzle energy (typical)
- 1738 J (1282 ft·lb)
- Effective range
- 500 m
History
- Introduced
- 1989
- Discontinued
- 1994
- Production status
- Out of production
- Country of origin
- US
- Designer
- Eugene Stoner
Features
- Fixed carry handle
- A2 adjustable rear sight
- Brass deflector
- Forward assist
- No bayonet lug
- Ribbed round handguards
Safety
- Manual safety
Marketed in the R6500/R6550 Sporter and Sporter Target family. The Sporter name and the receiver redesign were Colt's response to mounting political pressure; the rifles were functionally semi-auto-only sporting versions of the M16A2. Twist rates varied (1:7 common on later guns).
This is a variant of the AR-15.
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