This 6720 came from Colt with the thumb-sized booger pictured below behind the safety lever. Some kind of defect in milling appears to have been not-too-elegantly dealt with. Filing, grinding, or whatever has left a roughly gouged area which subsequent finishing did nothing to conceal from the surrounding normally textured area.
Is any kind of bead blasting or other resurfacing possible that will even out the texture of this area with the rest of the receiver? And/or, is there any kind of finish treatment that would provide a uniform texture?
Send that garbage back. No reason to keep a new product that looks like that even if you are going to beat on it. No way that thing should have left the factory.
I agree with others, that should have been caught. I don’t have any experience with Colt’s CS department, but I have heard it’s decent so I would look to them first.
That said, Cerakote might fill some of that in. Sprayed properly, IME, it seems to add about 0.001" thickness and it might fill in some of that. However, I don’t think it would hide it completely especially since you would be specifically looking in that area.
If you do decide to coat it, your surface prep should be minimal as you don’t want to break through much of the anodizing. A light blasting in that area before it’s sprayed would be about all I would do.
I agree, if you spend the money for a colt this is expected from what ai have seen here. Also on the question if could be refinished very, very easily.
The gun is otherwise a keeper. Has run flawlessly so far. Trigger action and internals fit/finish (bolt carrier, etc.) are distinctly superior to my M&P15.
As far as how it was come by with the booger: basically a screw-up on my part. Without going into further specifics, the lesson was to not wholly trust any source however well known. Bottom line was that the deal was done before I knew of or could do anything about condition.
Short of returning it to the maker, I’m now just looking at whatever damage control may be feasible.
Refinished? Yes. Blending out the damage is another story. Considering how deep it looks, blending will leave a dished area. My concern is exactly how deep does it run? Is it an imperfection from machining, or is it inter-granular? At the very least, I would contact Colt and send them good photos of the area. It’s possible the blem is just cosmetic, but it’s more than surface deep
Well if it really, really bothers you, strip the lower apart. Sand the area metal abrasive paper, then blast the entire lower with aluminium oxide abrasive compound, de grease and ceracoat the lower. Its a lot easier than you may think. I have done it many times on all sorts of things.
I personally wouldn’t worry about it since it’s a small cosmetic blemish and doesn’t negatively impact function. My guns get scratched up anyway. If you can, point it out to whomever you purchased it from and see if they can offer you a partial refund.
Run it & think of it as Ginger’s beauty mark. However, if you’re more of a Mary Ann kinda guy, send it back. Personally, I think you’d be more successful refinishing the entire lower instead of trying blend that spot in with the rest of it; and in that case, let Colt do. It’s their mistake.
Mask off the affected area with masking tape. Blend with with some 180 grit and water by hand until the surface is smooth and rinse with clean water. Blending with power tools can cause rippling in the repair area. Make sure the blended area is smooth and feathered. Use finer grit as needed. Apply Alodine to the repair area. Let it set until the bare aluminum takes on a golden color, then rinse with clean water. Lightly pat the area dry. DO NOT RUB! Let the Alodine harden for at least 1/2 hour after area is dry. Do not sandblast the rest of the lower. Simply prep for paint and apply paint. Sandblasting the rest of the lower isn’t needed nor is it desirable
Whichever way you decide to handle this, I would definitely send Colt an e-mail with pictures of the defect. The rifle should not have left the factory that way unless it was discounted as a blemished item.
I don’t care what the others said… You cannot sand out a hole! The most you will end up having is a larger, deeper and smoother hole! Is there more to this story than we are being told? Did you buy the gun new or used? I am guessing used. If it is new Colt will fix it. If used suck it up and get another lower if it bothers you. Trying to fix it is a waste of time IMHO. GH
If you bought it from a commercial vendor, work it out with them. However, it sounds like that horse has left the barn.
If you bought it from a private party or are otherwise a second owner, Colt owes you nothing. You would likely be responsible for a replacement receiver.
Go to the painted AR section for inspiration, then order 4-6 cans of different color Aervoe. Rattle can the thing, let it dry, then shoot the hell out of it; problem solved.
