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Colt halting long gun production for consumer market

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September 11, 2019, 11:55 AM
Jimineer
Colt halting long gun production for consumer market
Better buy up those Colt 6920’s if you find one.

https://www.thetruthaboutguns....o-the-retail-market/
September 11, 2019, 01:12 PM
bubbatime
I just saw this. I have a few nice Colt rifles. I ordered an extra upper that I always wanted. Just in case.


______________________________________________________
Often times a very small man can cast a very large shadow
September 11, 2019, 02:36 PM
oddball
Email from distributor RSR Group to their retailers



Not clear if it is a temporary halt to production, but I have a feeling, Colt being on shaky ground, that it might be permanent. Long downslide for a once great American company.



"I’m not going to read Time Magazine, I’m not going to read Newsweek, I’m not going to read any of these magazines; I mean, because they have too much to lose by printing the truth"- Bob Dylan, 1965
September 11, 2019, 02:51 PM
Il Cattivo
There's been some noise on the internutz about their outsourcing parts, people being ticked because they didn't get a certain rollmark, stamp or engraving on a subcomponent, etc. Who knows, maybe they really did pick up a government contract?
September 11, 2019, 02:53 PM
LDD
Or, this is just Colt's long-delayed reaction to the long-foreseen bottoming out of the AR market.

It's not that Colt's production is being taken up by new military contracts, it's that Colt is shrinking their production so that it only meets existing contracts. And that makes sense, because the guns going to military contracts are already paid for.
September 11, 2019, 04:07 PM
scoutrifleman
I just got off the phone with one of my distributor reps whose been in the business for a long time. His contact at Colt is assuring him that this is a temporary thing. He was told that Colt needs to devote full rifle production capacity to meeting a December contract delivery deadline. Once the contract is fulfilled, he says that Colt will resume commercial production.


"Shoot first, shoot fast, shoot straight, shoot last." -- attribution unknown (to me)
September 11, 2019, 04:14 PM
oddball
^^^^^^

Good to hear.



"I’m not going to read Time Magazine, I’m not going to read Newsweek, I’m not going to read any of these magazines; I mean, because they have too much to lose by printing the truth"- Bob Dylan, 1965
September 11, 2019, 11:17 PM
gjgalligan
quote:
Originally posted by scoutrifleman:
I just got off the phone with one of my distributor reps whose been in the business for a long time. His contact at Colt is assuring him that this is a temporary thing. He was told that Colt needs to devote full rifle production capacity to meeting a December contract delivery deadline. Once the contract is fulfilled, he says that Colt will resume commercial production.



Of course a shift in the "direction of the political wind" could change all that.


Integrity is doing the right thing, even when nobody is looking.
September 11, 2019, 11:28 PM
parabellum
Cowards
September 12, 2019, 07:49 AM
2Adefender
They can keep em. There are numerous other quality AR-15s out there for the commercial market.

I know that Colt has a loyal following, but for others, it’s not a big deal.

I hope their position is not motivated by political winds.


_________________________
2nd Amendment Defender

The Second Amendment is not about hunting or sport shooting.
September 12, 2019, 10:51 AM
DrewR
I am not really surprised that they are (maybe temporarily maybe not) pulling out of the commercial market. Most consumers are going elsewhere for their modern sporting rifles. These days a patient person can assemble a quality carbine or buy a complete one at amazing prices (and often with dealer promotions). Heck, earlier this year I decided I wanted a 'just because' AR and settled on either getting a 6920HBPW or putting together a BCM C8 SFW and I choose the BCM. Between Colt's purported QC\QA issues and complaints that Colt was outsourcing production of some parts it wasn’t really a hard choice.

People just aren’t lining up to buy Colt carbines when they can spend a couple hundred dollars less and get the same quality or get a carbine that already has a free float rail & after market furniture.


Laughing in the face of danger is all well and good until danger laughs back.
September 12, 2019, 03:34 PM
RHINOWSO
Yeah, Colt hasn't figured out that todays civie consumer wants some sort of free-float rail and not be stuck with a carbine length FSB on a 16" M203 cut barrel limited to short carbine handguards.

I thought they figured it out with the 6920 Trooper & EPR, and 6940 CCU models but apparently not. I know they are pretty deep in for Foreign FMS sales and they need to fill those contracts, but they are kind of in a rut in the civie market at the price point they charge.
September 12, 2019, 05:09 PM
45 Cal
Old guy here and I remember their not needing us regular joes several times.
I gifted and sold off all my colt products except early 20 rounder mags.
September 12, 2019, 05:46 PM
Rob Decker
I very, very much hope that it is temporary.

I've been putting off a purchase of one of the clone correct 6920 SOCOM models. It's as close to what I've carried overseas as I'm liable to get, and they're all OOS.

Hopefully there's another run in the near future.


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Death smiles at us all. Be sure you smile back.
September 12, 2019, 05:51 PM
Ronin101
quote:
Originally posted by RHINOWSO:
Yeah, Colt hasn't figured out that todays civie consumer wants some sort of free-float rail and not be stuck with a carbine length FSB on a 16" M203 cut barrel limited to short carbine handguards.

I thought they figured it out with the 6920 Trooper & EPR, and 6940 CCU models but apparently not. I know they are pretty deep in for Foreign FMS sales and they need to fill those contracts, but they are kind of in a rut in the civie market at the price point they charge.


I agree. they don't listen to the consumer. And that isnt going to cut it in this current market. Their rifles arent any better than anybody elses!!!! So the over priced pre ban mags are the only thing of theirs I will own!!!
September 12, 2019, 10:22 PM
bolo4tom
quote:
I agree. they don't listen to the consumer. And that isnt going to cut it in this current market. Their rifles arent any better than anybody elses!!!! So the over priced pre ban mags are the only thing of theirs I will own!!!


really?? their rifles are better than 90% of the cheap crap ARs out there and all 8 of my Colts will shoot with, if not better than Noveske, DD, LMT, BCM etc
September 13, 2019, 07:34 AM
Ronin101
quote:
Originally posted by bolo4tom:
quote:
I agree. they don't listen to the consumer. And that isnt going to cut it in this current market. Their rifles arent any better than anybody elses!!!! So the over priced pre ban mags are the only thing of theirs I will own!!!


really?? their rifles are better than 90% of the cheap crap ARs out there and all 8 of my Colts will shoot with, if not better than Noveske, DD, LMT, BCM etc


agree to disagree!
September 13, 2019, 09:37 AM
jaybirdaccountant
Colt's relied on their name to sell firearms for too many years.
September 13, 2019, 09:56 AM
bolo4tom
Ronin, we sure will.
September 13, 2019, 11:02 AM
HKAngusKL
Hate to see it, as I own Colts and like the way mine shoot. The AR platform is easy enough to work on that putting on new handguards isn't a huge deal. I will say though, that after putting together a couple of Aero Precision enhanced builds to use for hunting, Colt is pretty far behind from an innovation and features standpoint.

It is hard to beat Aero Precision for cost, especially when you can put together a fully custom build with free floated handguards, nice Larue MBT trigger group, and a match aftermarket barrel (WOA on both of mine) for what a 6920 costs. Aero parts appear to be very high quality for what you pay, and from what I have seen are a notch above what you get from PSA and similar outfits.

On the flipside, I wouldn't sell or give up my Colts unless I had to. They are quality rifles that I'd trust as working guns without hesitation. Hopefully this move by Colt is a temporary one.