Have You Known Many Colt Haters?

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I would “hate” to pay for one.

There's a joke: What's the difference between a Colt and a Ruger ?

Answer: About 500$...

They have brand recognition, and this insanely unearned reputation for being some kind of special. almost
magic, quality, amongst the folks who have a lot more money than sense. Almost every time I see an overpriced gun, at a LGS or Pawn Shop
it's certain to be a Colt. They may have decent quality firearms, but they're NOT 400 to 900$ better than Ruger, or S&W. I never buy them, but they always get sold, at asking price, to somebody who's just, for some unexplained reason, drooling, to have a "Colt".
 
At one point I associated with a fellow who hated Colt and another fellow who hated S&W. They both seemed like decent folks but being in the same room with both of them could be annoying.

At the time I actually owned both a really crummy S&W "Classic" revolver as well as a really crummy Colt 1911. I brought both guns to a range event I knew would be attended by my two acquaintances, but it bounced right off of both of them. From then on I figured it was a Ford vs. Chevy thing, ie. pointless and stupid, at least if taken seriously.
 
Colt seems to be one of the more polarizing brands compared to the rest. People seem to either love them or hate them, often with complete blindness. There are fans who cannot accept or recognize that Colt had periods of time that their products were subpar. Then there are haters who think they've always been garbage more appropriate to the scrap pile than their safe. IMHO, the truth is somewhere in the middle. Colt has produced some of the finest firearms the world has ever seen. They'e also produced some of the biggest turds. From my perspective, the history of Colt is reflected through the history of their flagship SAA. Through WWII, I'd say there was very little negative to report on Colt. It was the `70's, `80's and 90's where they really struggled to produce anything worthy of the name. Colt's polishing department ruined a lot of guns and other aspects of the guns weren't that great either. This never deterred the hardcore fans, many of whom bought a brand new SAA to put up for their kids and grandkids, having never even worked the action. It wasn't until USFA showed us how good a SAA could be that Colt decided to up their game. The result is that in the 21st century, the SAA is considered the best it's ever been. The best machining, the best polishing and the best finish work since WWII. Yet the haters persist. There are still folks online who insist that the Colt SAA is a worthless pile of crap not worth owning, even though they haven't even handled one in 30yrs.
 
Charlie Askins wrote that he disliked S&W though he said he used an S&W 44 Magnum to dispatch a Viet Minh in 1954-1955. I consider myself a Colt Man though I actually own more S&Ws.
 
I did get to meet a Colt Executive at the Camp Perry National Matches. Colt had a table of Hbars, all of which has 1:9 twist barrels. [:)]

Somebody at Colt must have woken up by 2000. My Colt Match Target has a 1:7 twist barrel on it bought new in late 2000.

Colt revolvers have always been a bit out of my price range until recently. I bought a new Python last year and it is the first Colt revolver that I have ever owned. Figured I should get one while I could.

I do not hate Colt revolvers, they just are not cost effective in my opinion.


Well, yeah, the Honda guy has no idea the oil is supposed to drip on the exhaust manifold in an MG . . . [:)]

Yes, my 1959 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce was always "marking its territory".:)
 
Personally, I don't "hate" Colts,,,
I'm just not very fond of them as a rule.

When Colt and S&W have two revolvers in the same class/category,,,
I almost always like the S&W revolvers a bit better.

The exception to that rule is the Colt Trooper Mk-III in .22 LR and .357 Magnum,,,
I like them a whole lot better than the S&W 686 and 617.

Bear in mind that I have no scientific reason,,,
Because they both seem to perform just about equally.

But when the performance is equal,,,
I'm all about the aesthetics.

Most of the time I find the S&W revolvers more pleasing to the eye.

Aarond

.
 
On another forum I am in a heated debate with an 85 year old firearm's "expert" convinced that Colt Manufacturing Company never made a decent double action revolver in their history and are all vastly inferior to Smith & Wesson products. Furthermore, everyone who has ever fired a revolver knows this and only a complete idiot like me would even consider owning a Colt revolver.

I have no interest in arguing the merits of this silly argument but I am curious to know if this thinking has been encountered by others here and how often? This is the first time in fifty years of gun ownership I have met someone so persuaded.
Yup. It's pretty common. The typical rant is, "If you shoot a Colt, it's out of time!" The sheer ignorance of this is mind boggling; yet, it is oft repeated. By numbskulls. Exclusively.

I've also been told flat-out by people who ought to know better that Colt's are "weak" and every Colt is made of inferior materials - nickel-chromium and chrome-vanadium steels are "inferior"? To what? As a machinist, I know better and gave up trying to convince the Kool-Aide drinkers a long time ago.

Use ignorance to your own advantage is my motto. Around here (N.W.FL.) Colt's get little lovin' and used to sell cheap as a result. I got quite a collection off old farm boys whose grandads knew quality guns but didn't pass the smarts gene along to their kin folks. Just lay the gun in your left hand, index finger wedged up a little in the cylinder gap between the frame and top-strap, underneath so no one can see, and work the hammer slow-like, finger off the trigger. You can bind up a Colt* and tell them their gun's no good, out of time, and only John Moses hisself ever knew how to fix one so they might as well junk it - or, tell y'all what, I can use it for parts so, here's a C-note and I'll take it off yer hands... :D

* works just as good on a Smith but you have to work it left-handed because the cylinder spins counter-clockwise.
 
Colt has produced some of the finest firearms the world has ever seen.
In my opinion, the Army Special, Official Police, and 357 fall into this category. Truly superb from the git-go.

They'e also produced some of the biggest turds.
Colt 2000. What were they thinking?! I think the Spanish Colt/Astra's were better made and were definitely better designed.
 
I don't hate colt's, but I also don't understand the undying love for them unless you were one of the few that bought a Python and held on to it back when they were closer to affordable. To me they've always been overpriced for what you get.

My only colt is a 90's era Anaconda that I inherited that had less than a cylinder shot through it. I've put less than 100 rounds through it, maybe 1000 dry fires and it's out of time. I've owned Rugers and Smiths with FAR more shots fired through them and many, many more dry fires, and they are fine. Yeah, that's only N=1 but it doesn't give the the warm and fuzzies about dropping the prices Colt is asking for their new offerings when a comparable Smith is always less, and and a utilitarian Ruger even cheaper.
 
Well, no. Life is not nearly as simple as you might want it to be. There are big differences existing between the samples you cited. Especially between Ford and Chevy...;)
If Ford and Chevy were defense aerospace companies instead of car makers, they'd have merged decades ago into GM-Ford Corporation, gone broke from mismanagement and been resurrected as, Ford-Chevy Industries, merged with their competition, stolen their best ideas and screwed them up, sold out to Russia, China, and Tehran, and bought every Congressperson on the take (which I think is only 427 of them) to avoid prosecution.
 
That's why God made Jeeps.
I thought Willys made Jeeps???:eek:
Now I'm confused. :scrutiny:

I hunt with a Colt Lawman Mk. V pretty regularly. Sometimes I'll go to one of the WMA's for the tasty, tender, tourist-fed hogs. They're a lot smaller and fatter than the hogs out here in the country who have to struggle for a living. Typically use a 158gr. Speer GDHP or 200gr. Cast Performance over an insane amount of Unique (since it only has a 4" barrel and 2400 would shoot more flame than hog). Sometimes I take a Ruger Blackhawk, instead, and that gets the same bullet but with a very reasonable load of 2400 (6-1/2" barrel). Depends on the weather and how heavy a gun I feel like carrying. Sometimes only a lever gun will fill the bill.

I've had that Lawman for years and it is well worn. Rain, dust, muck, dirt, blood.. you name, it's been in it and never let me down, yet. It's never had the timing "set" isn't "off" or "out" and the only things I've had to replace are the grips. Every time I take it out to Tiger Bay for the special hog season I stop in at a hidden gem of a diner off the Little Tomoka for breakfast. Never fails I end up running into one of them guys - "The Expert" - then I get the two Expert lectures: the one about how you hafta have a .338SuperSomething Magnum to hunt deer in Florida... o_O and the one about not using "real magnums" in ANY Colt or it'll be ruined, blow up, time will reverse, dinosaurs will roam the Earth, it'll rain frogs, etc. Whatever. I just smile, nod, drink my coffee and move along to go fill my quota permit. Wife said this year I can't go hunting. The freezer's full. I said, "I guess that means we need another freezer." Could have hung meat in the living room after the look that got me. :p
 
I may own more S&W products, but I am equal opportunity for good Colts. The "New Army" platform is a little wonky, but so is an 1899 Hand Ejector. I consider the Colt 1909 New Service to be the finest revolver ever fielded by the US military, and in good running for best military sidearm ever. The Army Specials/OP/PPS/DS/Agents are generally superb. The styling of the Python is not my thing, but that is just personal preference. My Army buddies picked-up a King Cobra and a Anaconda in 1999 (just before the end of production) and they were perfect too.
 
I don't like the look/shape of Colt DA revolvers in general, But I wouldn't say I'm a hater. I think they're fine revolvers for the most part, just not for me.
 
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