Colt Sporter (AR-15A2)
- Category
- Rifle
- Barrel
- 508 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.40 kg
- Introduced
- 1989
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Colt Sporter was the civilian semi-automatic AR-15 sold after the 1989 federal restrictions on imported and 'assault-style' rifles, when Colt rebranded and reworked its AR-15A2 line to drop the 'AR-15' name and politically charged military features. Built on the A2 pattern, it added the fully adjustable A2 rear sight, brass deflector and forward assist while removing the bayonet lug, and its lower receiver and fire-control internals were redesigned to resist illegal conversion to full-auto. Most carried the heavier 1:7 twist barrel suited to modern heavier bullets.
Colt scrubbed the famous 'AR-15' name off the receiver and called it simply the 'Sporter' to distance its civilian rifle from the political firestorm around military-looking guns, redesigning the internals so the pins would no longer accept M16 full-auto parts.
Marketed in the R6500/R6550 Sporter and Sporter Target family. The Sporter name and the receiver redesign were Colt's response to mounting political pressure; the rifles were functionally semi-auto-only sporting versions of the M16A2. Twist rates varied (1:7 common on later guns).
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Colt's Manufacturing Company LLC
- Category
- Rifle
- Country
- United States
- Status
- Out of production
- Produced
- 1989 to 1994
- Variant of
- Civilian semi automatic
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 508 mm
- Overall length
- 1000 mm
- Sight radius
- 500 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.40 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Gas operated direct impingement
- Firing mechanism
- Hammer fired
- Trigger
- Single stage
- Capacity
- 5
- Magazine
- Detachable box
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Aluminum
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Polymer
- Finish
- Anodized
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 988 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 1738 J
- Effective range
- 500 m
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
No load solved for this record yetThe flight path is computed from a cartridge and a bullet. This record has no ammunition filed against its chambering, so there is nothing to solve.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Fixed carry handle
A2 adjustable rear sight
Brass deflector
Forward assist
No bayonet lug
Ribbed round handguards
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 26 .223 Remington rifles | 3.40 kg | 3.16 kg | Heavier than about 60% |
| Overall lengthAmong 1,557 rifles | 1000 mm | 1080 mm | Shorter than about 70% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 1,659 rifles | 508 mm | 584 mm | Shorter than about 70% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 26 .223 Remington rifles | 5 | 7.5 | Holds fewer rounds than about 60% |
Answers
Questions about the Colt Sporter (AR-15A2)
How much does the Colt Sporter (AR-15A2) weigh?
The Colt Sporter (AR-15A2) weighs 3.40 kg (7.50 lb) empty.
What caliber is the Colt Sporter (AR-15A2)?
The Colt Sporter (AR-15A2) is chambered in .223 Remington.
How many rounds does the Colt Sporter (AR-15A2) hold?
The Colt Sporter (AR-15A2) holds 5 rounds, fed from a detachable box magazine.
How long is the Colt Sporter (AR-15A2)?
The Colt Sporter (AR-15A2) is 1000 mm (39.4 in) long overall, with a 508 mm (20.0 in) barrel.
Who makes the Colt Sporter (AR-15A2)?
The Colt Sporter (AR-15A2) is made by Colt's Manufacturing Company LLC (United States). It was designed by Eugene Stoner.
When was the Colt Sporter (AR-15A2) introduced?
The Colt Sporter (AR-15A2) was introduced in 1989 and discontinued in 1994.
How does the Colt Sporter (AR-15A2) operate?
The Colt Sporter (AR-15A2) uses a gas operated direct impingement action, and its firing mechanism is hammer fired.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- Civilian market
- 1989
Provenance
Confidence in this record
68%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/colt-sporter' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "colt-sporter", "name": "Colt Sporter (AR-15A2)", "manufacturer": { "id": "colt", "name": "Colt's Manufacturing Company LLC", "countryCode": "US", "foundedYear": 1855, "website": "https://www.colt.com", "logoUrl": null, "description": "American firearms manufacturer headquartered in Hartford, Connecticut. Founded in 1855 and now a subsidiary of Colt CZ Group, continuing production of iconic firearms including the 1911 pistol.", "status": "active", "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-02-11 23:44:38", "updatedAt": "2026-02-18 03:43:38", "version": "7143c7ff3f7e156063a240f2df7b4746ee1c0394d7cd5f592d05bac43233d637" }, "category": { "id": "rifle", "name": "Rifle", "description": "Long-barreled firearms designed for accurate shooting" }, "country_of_origin": "US", "year_introduced": 1989, "barrel_length_mm": 508, "weight_empty_g": 3400, "action_type": "gas_operated_direct_impingement"}