I know it's not what you were looking for, but I still have a fondness for an old Colt Coltsman bolt-action .308. She's built on an old Sako L57 action, and I had her modified for a Model 70 type 3 way safety, and dropped her in a Richards AAA Fancy Micro-fit stock.
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Posts: 842 | Location: Long Island, N.Y. / Stephentown, N.Y. | Registered: March 20, 2010
I am a colt addict. I lusted for one for years. Now I have 5. 6933 and 4 6721’s. One for each of my kids when I am old and gone. They each get one at 18.
They make a solid AR. Resale is good due to brand recognition if you need to sell it.
Colt 6920 was my first AR, I’ll keep her forever. She doesn’t get shot much, and after adding some easy bolt on accessories, I returned her back to factory condition. There’s something sexy about a 6920 in pure form. I’d buy another if the price was right, but for the money they command, you can get a lot more gun from a competitor.
NRA Life Member Steak: Rare. Coffee: Black. Bourbon: Neat.
My oldest is a stock Colt LE6920 with carry handle and iron sights. Reminds me of the M-16 that got me through a year as an advisor on Viet Nam in 1970/1971. I will never sell it.
I always admired them. Have had more than 1, with modest disappointment with classic a2 "match" (6601 ??). Always ran but always a 3-4" gun at 100 yds.
Have a blue label 6940 w LE serial number, and it is the most accurate AR I have owned including 2 heavy barrel and varmint models. Just shoots!
One day I'll need to learn how I'm supposed to clean and re-oil the barrel inside that one piece upper.
------------------ The plural of anecdote is not data. -Frank Kotsonis
Posts: 2103 | Location: Berks Co PA | Registered: December 20, 2006
I am a fan. Back before everything became unobtainium people used to sell unused 6920 uppers to use the prancing pony lowers for their builds and I picked up enough to make them my standard upper on my home brews. I love the FSB and the fact that I don’t have to worry about whether they staked the gas key or the gas port was dicked. I would usually remove the delta rings and add a centurion handguard. Their new mlok handguard has attracted my attention.
I have some colt rifles but tend to stick to my home built lowers with my colt uppers. So I guess my answer is sorta.
Posts: 7540 | Location: Florida | Registered: June 18, 2005
My first and only AR is an LE6920 SOCOM II edition. I put an ACOG (w/an RMR on top) on it and I'm pretty tickled with it. I know I've done something right when I don't have that lust for another gun of the same basic type as of one I already have.
Part of the reason I went for the Colt is I didn't know a ton about the AR platform and all of the different options available. I just figured I couldn't go wrong with a Colt. Now I have something I not only like and have confidence in, but I have something that should retain value pretty well.
Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. Do everything in love. - 1 Corinthians 16:13-14
Originally posted by T.Webb: I know it's not what you were looking for, but I still have a fondness for an old Colt Coltsman bolt-action .308. She's built on an old Sako L57 action, and I had her modified for a Model 70 type 3 way safety, and dropped her in a Richards AAA Fancy Micro-fit stock.
I have a Sako actioned Coltsman too. In 223 and original condition. One of the best rifles I have.
All my ARs are RRA
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Posts: 6439 | Location: Oregon | Registered: September 01, 2001
Colt makes quality rifles, and their rifles can provide a lifetime of service for most AR owners. But I don't own any Colts and likely never will.
IMO Colt has rested on its laurels for a long time. They have been slow to offer mid-length gas systems, free floated barrels, rail systems, 1/8 twist barrels, and stainless steel barrels. The infamous webz creation known as "The Chart" maintained Colt's mythical superiority for years, when many competitors offered at least equal features.
Many AR15s run like tops -- cycling flawlessly, with high round counts, in crappy weather conditions, with boatloads of ammo types, with marginal lubrication & cleaning. The gun industry has known how to build quality AR15s for decades, and it's not a black box secret.
In competitive circles, Colt rifles are seen about once in a blue moon. Maybe a Colt receiver set here and there, but not a full Colt rifle. Competition is hard on firearms, and demands flawless cycling. But most rifle matches also demand high accuracy along with flawless cycling, and that's where Colt isn't at the level of other manufacturers.
Most AR owners, including Colt owners, will never fire their rifles enough to wear out parts. Thus, the owners state from personal experience that their Colts have functioned just flawlessly -- over a lifetime of maybe a couple thousand rounds. And they're right, and that's a reasonable statement. It's a different story for people who put tens of thousands of rounds through their ARs.
Posts: 8072 | Location: Colorado | Registered: January 26, 2008
I have a 6920. It does everything I want it to. I am not as skilled as many here, so the incremental advantages of a higher end AR would be wasted on me.
Posts: 582 | Location: S Fla / Western NC High Country | Registered: May 03, 2015
For a new one, no. But for a very long time they were what I trusted to get the job done. and they did. I never considered them gaming guns by design so I would never expected to use one for competitive purposes when accuracy or range counted. But I ran them in tactical type competitions for a very long time without every experiencing a serious deficiency. And kept a 6940 nearby at all times for self defense use if needed. tens of thousands of rounds and just the normal crap that any AR consumes. For the longest time nobody really did a more reliable short barrel than the 6933. Now days I think we have passed them by. My long time favorite 6940 feels like an absolute clunker compared to things I run now with small diameter handguards and modern gas configurations. But at the end of the world if all I had was a 6920 with an aimpoint and some ammo I would be completely happy.
“So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong, and strike at what is weak.”