Colt Delta AR 15 ?

rebs · March 25, 2012, 03:13 PM

How popular is this model ?
It has a scope mounted on top of the carry handle and a Colt cheek piece on the stock.
What effect does the scope on the carry handle have as far as sighting in and point of impact of the bullet ?

Ridge_Runner_5 · March 25, 2012, 03:31 PM

Sounds like a bunch of buzzwords slapped on to a gun to make it sound more expensive.

Got a link?

Hansam · March 25, 2012, 03:48 PM

Colt makes a good product. What you're describing though isn't what I'd consider ideal.

First off I've seen a Colt Delta AR-15. They took a detachable carrying handle and attached it to a flat top upper then put a handle mounted rail on the handle. Afterwards they put a scope on the rail. I'm not entirely sure of the logic behind that but personally if I were to scope an AR (which I've done multiple times) I'd just put a scope directly onto the receiver (with a riser if you have lower cheek bones). Putting a detachable handle on the upper then adding a rail and scope just doesn't make sense to me since the handle mounted rails aren't exactly 100% stable unless you bed them ie. make them a permanent part of the handle. Otherwise they don't hold zero very well under normal firing conditions.

Now that said its ideal to have your line of sight as close as possible to the center of the bore. It helps reduce the angle at which you have to sight in. Having the scope on a carry handle puts the center of the scope quite far away from the center of the bore. This allows for greater chances of inaccuracy. It also requires that you have a raised cheek rest in order to get a good sight picture in your scope. Thus the addition of the cheek rest. To me this seems like making a problem and then adding another part to fix the problem that shouldn't have been created originally.

I'm also not entirely sure as to the quality of the scope. I doubt it'll be garbage however personally I'd like to spend money and buy a scope myself - that way I get the scope I want and not whatever scope the manufacturer threw on the gun.

In the end I think as was said - its a way of just making the gun more expensive.

DnPRK · March 25, 2012, 04:41 PM

Colt's Delta AR-15 dates back to the early 1980s before flat top upper receivers were common. The rifles were top notch, but the awkward cheek piece was used to provide adequate cheek weld when the scope was mounted on top of the carry handle.

RGPM1A · March 26, 2012, 09:51 PM

I had one of the original Delta HBAR AR 15s with a 20" 1:7 twist barrel. They had a TASCO 3-9x scope on the carry handle (sight bridge) and a cheek piece to raise the comb of the stock to afford a better cheek weld for the high optic. They also had a black leather sling with a Colt mark on them. As far as I know they never made a Delta HBAR with a flattop upper. Also I don't think they have been made since the late '80s early '90s.

Was a fine rifle and reasonbly accurate but the scope set up was terrible.

Hansam · March 26, 2012, 11:06 PM

After reading your posts I called my buddy up about his Colt Delta AR.

He says that's how it was when he bought it but he purchased it second hand - and the guy who he bought it from swore up and down it was how it came. He did say the upper is a Colt.

I wouldn't be surprised if the gun was a Colt Delta lower with a Colt flat top upper on it and made to look like a Delta etc.

In any case I defer to your knowledge since the only experience I've had with one might not actually have been an original rifle.

In any case I'm not entirely sure I'd purchase the rifle in the OP's post. After all a scope rail that's mounted into the carrying handle isn't 100% steady and from everything I've read about those rails they don't hold zero. Considering the cost of the rifle I'd just spend the money on a new Colt AR with a flat top and buy a good scope with the difference.

madcratebuilder · March 27, 2012, 08:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hansam

In any case I'm not entirely sure I'd purchase the rifle in the OP's post. After all a scope rail that's mounted into the carrying handle isn't 100% steady and from everything I've read about those rails they don't hold zero. Considering the cost of the rifle I'd just spend the money on a new Colt AR with a flat top and buy a good scope with the difference.

That is a problem with the handle mount scope/rail.

First the machining inside the handle is not always spec, some are tight fit, others can be very sloppy. The solution is to bed the bottom of the handle with some Devcon, this should return the scope to zero each time it's R&R'ed.

This A1 well return within 1 moa.

March 25, 2012, 03:13 PM	#1
rebs Senior Member Join Date: January 10, 2012 Posts: 3,881	Colt Delta AR 15 ? How popular is this model ? It has a scope mounted on top of the carry handle and a Colt cheek piece on the stock. What effect does the scope on the carry handle have as far as sighting in and point of impact of the bullet ?

March 25, 2012, 03:31 PM	#2
Ridge_Runner_5 Senior Member Join Date: February 8, 2008 Location: Denver, CO Posts: 1,925	Sounds like a bunch of buzzwords slapped on to a gun to make it sound more expensive. Got a link?

March 25, 2012, 03:48 PM	#3
Hansam Senior Member Join Date: February 21, 2012 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 763	Colt makes a good product. What you're describing though isn't what I'd consider ideal. First off I've seen a Colt Delta AR-15. They took a detachable carrying handle and attached it to a flat top upper then put a handle mounted rail on the handle. Afterwards they put a scope on the rail. I'm not entirely sure of the logic behind that but personally if I were to scope an AR (which I've done multiple times) I'd just put a scope directly onto the receiver (with a riser if you have lower cheek bones). Putting a detachable handle on the upper then adding a rail and scope just doesn't make sense to me since the handle mounted rails aren't exactly 100% stable unless you bed them ie. make them a permanent part of the handle. Otherwise they don't hold zero very well under normal firing conditions. Now that said its ideal to have your line of sight as close as possible to the center of the bore. It helps reduce the angle at which you have to sight in. Having the scope on a carry handle puts the center of the scope quite far away from the center of the bore. This allows for greater chances of inaccuracy. It also requires that you have a raised cheek rest in order to get a good sight picture in your scope. Thus the addition of the cheek rest. To me this seems like making a problem and then adding another part to fix the problem that shouldn't have been created originally. I'm also not entirely sure as to the quality of the scope. I doubt it'll be garbage however personally I'd like to spend money and buy a scope myself - that way I get the scope I want and not whatever scope the manufacturer threw on the gun. In the end I think as was said - its a way of just making the gun more expensive.

March 25, 2012, 04:41 PM	#4
DnPRK Senior Member Join Date: August 25, 2001 Location: LC, Ca Posts: 1,917	Colt's Delta AR-15 dates back to the early 1980s before flat top upper receivers were common. The rifles were top notch, but the awkward cheek piece was used to provide adequate cheek weld when the scope was mounted on top of the carry handle.

March 26, 2012, 09:51 PM	#5
RGPM1A Senior Member Join Date: October 4, 2010 Posts: 134	I had one of the original Delta HBAR AR 15s with a 20" 1:7 twist barrel. They had a TASCO 3-9x scope on the carry handle (sight bridge) and a cheek piece to raise the comb of the stock to afford a better cheek weld for the high optic. They also had a black leather sling with a Colt mark on them. As far as I know they never made a Delta HBAR with a flattop upper. Also I don't think they have been made since the late '80s early '90s. Was a fine rifle and reasonbly accurate but the scope set up was terrible.

March 26, 2012, 11:06 PM	#6
Hansam Senior Member Join Date: February 21, 2012 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 763	After reading your posts I called my buddy up about his Colt Delta AR. He says that's how it was when he bought it but he purchased it second hand - and the guy who he bought it from swore up and down it was how it came. He did say the upper is a Colt. I wouldn't be surprised if the gun was a Colt Delta lower with a Colt flat top upper on it and made to look like a Delta etc. In any case I defer to your knowledge since the only experience I've had with one might not actually have been an original rifle. In any case I'm not entirely sure I'd purchase the rifle in the OP's post. After all a scope rail that's mounted into the carrying handle isn't 100% steady and from everything I've read about those rails they don't hold zero. Considering the cost of the rifle I'd just spend the money on a new Colt AR with a flat top and buy a good scope with the difference.