Would anyone pay that for an abused PD Trade 6520? I’m leaning towards yes as this would mostly be for shits and giggles beater gun anyway. Probably a stupid question. I’m probably going to put a SOCOM upper on it some point.
Is there anything I should look out for on this model? We used to have this model at work and they seem pretty straight forward/bomb proof. I’m more of a “user” and though I know my way around most brands/ARs there is far more technical expertise on this board that know things that would likely go over my head.
Some slight rust near the castle nut and on the carry handle, some pitting on the barrel and I’m probably going to end up replacing the bolt. Nothing about the cosmetics about the rifle bother me at all. And I don’t even really care about the rust but it has definitely seen better days hence the adjective abused. It’s a Colt and a PD Trade at that so I’m not interested in beauty.
I got a Pennsylvania state police trade in 6520 that only had some scuffing to the barrel and charging handle, and just a tiny bit of rust on the crush washer. The innards looked almost new. A person on TOS claimed to have been a PA state policeman and that the rifles had been shot very little.
So, yes, I’d say that’s a really good deal.
If you don’t want it, give me the link and I might buy it.
I think you need to stop talking and go buy it. If you decide to make it a flat top I’ll swap you a NIB BCM flat top or equivalent upper receiver for the fixed carry handle receiver you have. I have no use for the barrel or bolt/handguards ect. If you don’t have the ability to swap out the parts I will do it for the price of shipping. PM me if interested.
I’m in the camp of, if your kids don’t need new shoes, you’ve bought the wife a gift in the last year, and the money wasn’t saved back for vacation or braces, you ought to do what pleases you.
I also grabbed a LE trade-in 6520 a couple years back, although I’ve not been able to establish what agency it came from. Most of the ones that hit the market seem to have cone from the Pennsylvania State Police, but the serial # on mine doesn’t match up to the master list of PSP guns I have…however the list may not be complete.
The 6520s are great. Optics mounting capability is inferior to a flattop upper but it’s doable. I personally shoot irons a lot still and often still use Irons-only ARs as jeep guns, so I use my 6520 sans optic anyway.
Another thing to be aware of is that a lot of (but not all) 6520s, even the LE ones, came from the factory with “neutered” BCGs, “screw” style front takedown pins, and oversized trigger pins, but I wouldn’t let that dissuade you from getting one. In my case I happened to have a proper FA Colt carrier lying around when I got my 6520, so I simply swapped carriers, but I’ve never heard of any actual issues stemming from the neutered carriers themselves.
A more annoying issue are that some 6520s came with “sear block” lower receivers which apparently preclude the use of a full auto BCG entirely.
+1. I wouldn’t either but most LE carbines are shot very little so it might be worth it. I bought my AR6520 new about a dozen years ago (only thing I didn’t like was the neutered BCG so I replaced it immediately with a BCM FA BCG). I never really warmed up to RDS, learned to shoot with an M16A1 so mine has become my go-to carbine for home defense. It just “feels right” when I shoulder it.
If he’s buying it with the intention of changing out a bunch of parts to upgrade and modernize it than I agree. Might as well get the OEM or a complete 6720/6920.
In my case I bought my 6520 specifically because I wanted an older, somewhat Retro Colt.
