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LOT 1351
Very Early Production Colt AR-15 Selective Fire Rifle, Serial Number 018954,
with Desirable Jonathan Ciener Pattern Belt Feed Conversion, Class III/NFA
C&R Fully Transferable Machine Gun - Serial no. 018954, 223 cal., 20 inch round
bbl., matte gray phosphate finish, synthetic stock. Manufactured around 1964, close
to the very beginning of Colt producing the ArmaLite design, the serial number
of this selective fire AR-15 puts it between the first two known blocks of military
test/contract production; the original recipient of the rifle is unknown, though the
preceding and following blocks are known to have gone to both the U.S. Air Force
and U.S. Army, the Advanced Research Projects Administration’s Project AGILE for
asymmetric warfare trials, Navy SEAL and Army advisor units in Vietnam, as well as
American law enforcement and foreign export sales. While the launch was imperfect
and not without missteps, the AR-15 set the pattern that has defined American
infantry weapons through the end of the 20th century and well into the 21st, as well as
the yardstick for striking a balance between power, weight and human factors in long
arm design. Additionally, this example has been outfitted with a belt feed mechanism;
while not explicitly marked, the conversion components match a unit developed by
noted NFA manufacturer Jonathan Arthur Ciener. Post front and windage adjustable
two-leaf peep rear sights, with a three-prong flash hider and M2 folding bipod on the
unmarked heavy barrel, bayonet lug on the front sight base, ribbed round handguard,
checkered pistol grip and a fixed buttstock with ribbed plastic buttplate. The upper
receiver lacks provision for a forward assist, with a short casing deflector, and the lower
receiver has the AR-15 nomenclature, caliber and serial number on the magazine well,
address further back on the receiver (properly spaced around the sear pin), and a right-
handed selector with “SAFE”, “SEMI” and “AUTO” markings.