1574

CUSTOMIZED OLYMPIC ARMS OA 96 PISTOL.

Currency:USD Category:Firearms & Military Start Price:275.00 USD Estimated At:550.00 - 800.00 USD
CUSTOMIZED OLYMPIC ARMS  OA 96 PISTOL.

Cal. 5.56. S# 96OP0035. Bbl. 6.5". AR based pistols are wildly popular now, but this wasn’t always the case. The earliest versions prior to SB Tactical introducing the pistol brace were awkward & cumbersome due to the protruding buffer tube. The very first entrant to lose the buffer tube in a commercial variant was Olympic Arms & their OA-93 pistol. This pistol incorporates a recoil spring mechanism above & behind a highly modified bolt carrier instead of in its traditional position to the rear, eliminating the necessity for a protruding buffer tube. They were mfg. in 5.56x45mm & 7.62x39mm, though the passage of The Crime Bill cast doubt on the legality as originally offered. Eventually there were a few different configurations that worked w/in the confines of the short lived “assault weapons ban” (AWB) prior to its sunset in 2004. In 1996 in order to comply w/ the new AWB Olympic Arms introduced the OA 96. From a distance it was virtually identical to the original OA 93 however; in order to comply w/ the law it was redesigned to use a fixed, non detachable mag. therefore exempting it from the AWB criteria. It crudely utilized a standard 30 rd. mag. that was permanently affixed by incompletely manufacturing the lower receiver w/out the mag. release & its components & filling the void area w/ J B Weld. Reloading the fixed mag. was accomplished by redesigning the rear takedown pin to function by pushing a button below the space that would typically accept the buffer tube, allowing the upper receiver to pivot on the front takedown pin. This would give the operator immediate access to the mag. A few years later it was redesigned once again as the OA 98 w/ even more changes. Since the AWB ended in 2004 these provisions are no longer necessary to incorporate or utilize & this particular OA 96 has been extensively modified, returning the internals to their original capacity, once again accepting detachable mags. The Magwell has been heavily modified internally, removing the provisions for the original fixed mag. design & adding a standard mag. release system. Threaded muzzle w/ vortex style flash hider. Gas piston rotating bolt operating system. Flat top upper receiver where the 6” picatinny rail section incorporates the unique recoil spring mechanism that doubles as a left side non reciprocating charging handle & currently sports a Bushnell HOLO-Sight. 4” Free floating tubular handguard. Brass deflector is present while forward assist assembly has been replaced w/ a sling swivel. Ribbed black plastic pistol grip w/ bottom storage compartment. Normal AR-15 trigger group & controls. MAGS: NONE. CONDITION: original finish still covers the vast majority of exposed metal surfaces w/ light handling marks & thinning in areas of mechanical intervention. A view inside the Magwell will reveal the amount of finish that has been removed while modifying it to again accept standard detachable mags. While the examples we tested seemed to lock into place & release just fine, a little aesthetic TLC will only improve it. Unable to verify Bushnell function. Bore is bright w/ strong rifling. Fire control mechanism appears to function correctly when cycled by hand. PROVENANCE: Estate collection of Fred Inganamort. (22-1774/JZ). MODERN. $550-800.