End Of the A2's

After getting to the reserves in 08 and finding out they still had A-2's I was kinda retro excited about it. Today I heard we are turning them in for A-4's. Kinda the end of an Era I suppose. I didnt appreciate the A-2 like I do now when I was on active duty. I remember turning in my A-2 for an A-4 in oct of 98 and thinking good riddence. Since then I saw the M-4's roll in. When I qualified with an A-2 for the first time in over a decade it took me back to when I was a bald 17 year old Infantry trainee being called evey filthy name under the hot Georgia Sun. Sorry for the sappy touchy feely stuff. RIP Colt M-16A2 Ser # 6416747 rack #6.

That's sad.

I originally qualified with the A1, then the A2 everytime thereafter. I really want a standard A2 and have been looking for one at a reasonable price.

There out there. I picked up a Colt Govt A2 for 600 practicaly new last June. Im guessin it was so cheap cause it was an A-2 and flatops are the rage now.

I picked up a Colt Govt A2 for 600 practicaly new last June. Im guessin it was so cheap cause it was an A-2 and flatops are the rage now.

Seems like you hit it on the head. Plenty in my area for less than $1K. Have yet to see one for $600 and I hope I don't because I don't need another one.

Damn, I got the post ban version for 800 with some valuable extras thrown in. But you still beat me...

Dang,don't need one but I would definitely pick that up for $600.Good find!

The only service that I havent heard of trying to ditch old A2's is the airforce.

A real shame, the A2 is so iconic. Its still one of the first things I think about when the US military comes to mind and Im only a 21 year old civillian... Its all I saw being carried by troops on the news or history channel shows about the gulf war as a kid.

You're 21 and you remember the Gulf War?

Hey, I'm 35 and I was a Ranger in Vietnam. Top Secret stuff. I can't really talk about it.

Hes seen them on the news. He has seen them on history channel shows about the gulf war. Two separate statements and both of which he watched as a kid.

They still show the same episodes today. Wings over the gulf is really interesting btw.

It really is a shame that they are getting close to retirement. All good things must come to an end though and at least it will have its place in history. Who knows, maybe it will become more popular in a few years.

Well, since The History Channel wasn't even launched until 1995, I guess it would have been really difficult for anyone to have watched shows on The History Channel about the Gulf War during the Gulf War.

Hey, my unit still has them. Believe it or not we just got them last year, and they are beat. We provide logistical support to MOS producing schools so we are rightly at the bottom of the supply chain. Over three quarters of them were deadlined. After all the deficiencies were corrected they function flawlessly. I'm guessing we'll still have them years from now. I still enjoy shooting them. I came in with the M16A1 and will probably go out with the A2. When I deployed to Iraq back in 2004 they were still a pretty common sight, even with active duty soldiers. That being said, its days are numbered. Its been a great rifle that has served us well.

Oh noooes! Gotta get a flat top and railed hand guard ASAP!

Not really news, though. The day will come. It is inevitable. I still rock the A2...don't care what the naysayers say. I am both cheap thrifty and stubborn.

Those 20" barrels look so long now that mine's been a 16"er for years.

How do these usually come into the current market? LE trade-ins? I'd love to have one.

They don't. They're not civilian legal. Colt can sell the uppers if they have contract overruns. The one's that get shipped to the .mil though, the only way they can ever get out of .mil channels is as LEO loaners. Other than that, AFAIK, they get destroyed, the .mil isn't allowed to surplus them. You can also find semi-auto clones from Colt and dozens of other companies.

lol during the post apocalypse we will all be runnin around with A-2"s . I havent seen that movie in ages but very fitting

Time to buy or build yourself a civilian legal version of the A2

It all came from CNN back then and it was GLORIOUS!!!

He may remember the somalian stuff. I remember something involving AR15's and the military back then and I am 21. There are three memories I have of my parent's old house.

1) Something involving the military while watching broadcast TV.
2) The passing of the assault weapons ban. I was 4 and saw it on the news. I asked if that was a good thing since assault rifles are bad and only bad people would own them. Dad replied that he owned them too.
3) I remember dad coming home with AR15 in hand after a high power match. I was totally captivated by how awesome AR15 rifles are. This was the moment I got BRD. I think I was 4.

You guys are makin me feel old! Im 33 and remember when pac man took up a whole table

You guys are makin me feel old! Im 33 and remember when pac man took up a whole table

I remember when pinball didn't have flippers and paid off in cash, A-1's were the only AR game in town and babes in thongs were just a pipe dream. I was in college when my marine recon buddy got issued a brand new A-2 in 1982 and he was so psyched up I went and signed up for OCS. Broke my ankle in a martial arts exhibition and dodged that bullet. They promised me I would run like the wind and shoot all the 5.56 I'd ever want. Boy was I naive.

Never won much cash on pinball, couldn't afford a Colt A-1 when they were less than $800 out the door FA, and hope the wife doesn't buy a thong tomorrow.

Huh? The United States direct involvement ended in Vietnam in 1973. The year 1977 is 35 years ago.

Ya gotta love that time warp stuff . . .

When in Saigon back in 1968, I was 22-years old . . . making me now 107.

Meanwhile . . . pictures below of a semi-auto version that I put together using a complete FN M16A2 upper with COLT A2 butt stock assembly.

This is as near as I'll ever get to owning a real military M16A2 rifle.

Well, I'll be running around with my A1........And my other A1.....And my A2 I guess.

And everybody who had a rail-rifle and optics with awkward flip-up BUIS will be running around with one eye!

One eye?

Its no joke, I had junk come loose from my flatop last time I attended a local carbine competition. Rear sight was wiggling after the stage.

Carry handle AR15s will be around when other people have switched over to pointy sticks.

I'm more than 20 years older than you. I can remember when a Checkerboard and Chessboard were the same thing, and they took up a whole table.

Another nail in the A2 coffin:http://www.rfjohnston.com/?p=2052

I feel really against that. I mean, what does an ACOG have to do with basic? You have to know how to use the irons no matter what... what if your optic breaks? What if your rifle jams? Is hit by IED and you have to grab a BFPU rifle that only has irons? And really, the abuse you put a rifle through in basic on parris island for the most part has nothing to do with an optic/shooting. Why subject an optic that costs as much as the rifle to senior drill instructors throwing them down the barracks like toothpicks cause your rack isn't up to par? That helps recruits how? This is the tax payers dollars at work in a bad economy really?

Preliminary finds of the ELT-RCO study is shooters are actually better with both RCOs and Irons after being taught first on RCOs.

It goes well with a build block approach, they recruits and Lts get to cut out sight alignment related issues in their intro training and concentrate on position, breath and trigger control, they learn those first and than when they shoot BUIS later they learn sight alignment.

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