Colt AR15 Serial Number Database?Ĭolt's civilian line of semi-automatic Colt AR rifles is identified by a four digit code following a specific prefix. In rare instances some Colt models have been produced without in house model numbers, or at least one which is readily apparent. The original Armalite AR have the charging handle located on top of the upper receiver, protected within the carrying handle. Colt's systems have generally followed the times and though its model numbers originally came without prefixes, with the need to separate weapons made for civilian consumption from those made for military and law enforcement use, military models became prefixed with the code 'RO'.įor the purposes of this table, the RO nomenclature is obviated as this terminology did not exist in all cases, but it can be understood to be present. Colt has an intricate internal nomenclature system for its models, with a variety of suffixes and prefixes. Colt has been the most visible producer of ArmaLite AR pattern weapons, and the military designations M16 and M4 are heavily associated with the company. See Glossary of terms for an explanation of each column. Military while italic model numbers are weapons for commercial or export sale. For purposes of these tables, bold model numbers are weapons used or previously used by the U. The tables here are split in a variety of categories, and provide an overview of different subtypes. Weapons patterned on the original ArmaLite AR design have been produced by numerous manufacturers and have been used by nations around the world, some of which created their own variations.

Armalite serial number lookup