** THIS PAGE IS FOR THE "New, Not Colt" PISTOL GRIP **
-------------- Notes on our different Pistol Grip Options -----------------
We offer 6 different versions of authentic Colt M16 Pistol Grips, and 1 non-Colt:
- New (Not Colt) - Modern manufactured - This is the "Newest" looking Grip Option. High quality Glass filled Nylon.
- Black, Original Condition - Colt, Sold by "Grade", original Used finish.
- Black, Refurbished - Colt Grips "Refinished" in either "Semi-Gloss" (early 1960's) or "Matte" Black (late 1960-1980's).
- Black Refurbished- Colt "C" Marked - As Above but with "C" molded in the inside of the Grip. (limited availability)
- Bakelite Brown (Very Limited) - Colt, We used to call these "Speckled" but are relabeling as Bakelite (see below).
- Bakelite White (Very Limited) - As above, but with lots of White Marbling.
- Worn - Colt, good for "Battle Field" builds, well worn.
If you are looking for the Modern A2 / M4 Pistol Grip (Here)
If you are looking for a Grip Screw (Here)
Note on Different version:
We receive large batches of used pistol Grips and sort them by Quality (Grade), Markings and finally candidates for Refinishing. After processing over 1,000 old Colt AR15 / M16 Grips so far (ranging between early 1960's - late 1970's) we have a few running theory's about what happened over the 30 years of the AR15 / M16 Grips:
- When Colt started delivering Rifles in the early 1960's it seems they used some form of Bakelite for the Grips (and possibly some of the early Stocks). Left in storage for many years (often in the Sun) these Grips lost much of their Black pigment and clearly show the ribbons of filler material used in the making of the Grip. We used to call this "Speckled" for many years and have now decided to call them what they most likely are - a later form of Bakelite material. Our Brown and White Bakelite Grips come from this long term effect.
- As the Vietnam War (and the 1960's) rolled on Colt seemed to use more and more Nylon (or early form of plastic) in the grips and we see less marbling of the Filler material over time. At some point by the 1980's Grips seem to be entirely Plastic or Nylon with little-to- No color shift over time.
- Virtually all Grips have no mold codes; only a small handful in each Lot has a "C" molded in the inside of the Grip. We call these "C Marked" or Colt marked grips.
- Grips sometimes have a number or letter molded in the Top Groove (where the receiver attaches to the Grip). We do not believe this is a Colt code necessarily as we also sometime see "A" "B" or "C" or "1" "2" or "3". Made by Colt or not, we don't know for sure.. but we do only consider the Grips with inside molded "C" as actual Colt Grips that we can verify with a Marking.
- Since all our Grips come off old M16 Rifles they are listed as "Colt". Naturally, without Markings, if some were made by contract manufacturers over time we wouldn't be able to tell for sure.
- Old M16 grips also come in 2 different thicknesses at their Bottoms; Some are shaved/rounded at the bottom while others in the same batch are significantly thicker and slightly more hand filling. The great majority are of the Thinner/Rounded style... thicker Grips are not unheard of but certainly more rare.
- There seems to be at least 8 Different runs (or molds?) of Grips over the years that we are seeing. You can tell these by: mold marking, thickness at the base and different palm checkering styles. The rarest Grip style we see is quite thin and has fully recessed checkering on the sides.
Original Colt AR15 / M16 parts
Made in USA
Comes with grip screw-in washer
Lifetime Guarantee
