Is Colt Doomed?

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Colt is going the way of the LGS that won't adapt with the times. Adapt to the newer, younger market who don't place a premium on the littly pony or you will surely perish. I forgot to count the number of Colt plastic wonder nines out there. How about the total amount of plastic anything out there? I gues it's a passing fad, right?

No R&D for the general population will mean no sales to the general population. They decided to leave the average Joe out of their marketing plans 25 years ago and it took a generation to make them feel it in their pocketbooks. This is 100% Colt's fault for not seeing the need to adapt and change for the younger generation of gun buyers.

Those willing to pay for the pony are mostly done buying new guns that they own several of already. Why buy anothe Colt 1911? What did they do to it to make it more desirable than the one or three already in their safe? Like the LGS, Colt refuses to change with the times and will be sold to a Cerberus type company who will bastardize the name and pony. You reap what you sow and Colt is doing just that.
 
Couldn't the spring and/or hammer be swapped out fairly easily and quickly to resolve any possible light strikes? Also, the overwhelming majority of AR owners only use it to punch paper not play in the sandbox.
 
Couldn't the spring and/or hammer be swapped out fairly easily and quickly to resolve any possible light strikes? Also, the overwhelming majority of AR owners only use it to punch paper not play in the sandbox.

I'm sure one could come up with a nice list of parts to upgrade on a cheap rifle if they wanted to do their best to ensure reliability.

If that's the route you want to go, have at it.
 
I would really hate to see Colt go the way of Winchester.
This is what I'm betting on a few high end models getting made by a firm like miroku on a limited base just like the winchesters.
that and there name on a bunch of cheap Chinese knives, watches, floor mats, and what ever els you can think of
 
Onward Allusion said:
Couldn't the spring and/or hammer be swapped out fairly easily and quickly to resolve any possible light strikes? Also, the overwhelming majority of AR owners only use it to punch paper not play in the sandbox.

Why bother with that when you could buy a rifle with better components and QC for another $200 or so? Why spend your time, money, and ammunition troubleshooting and repairing a new rifle? I'd just buy quality the first time.
 
Buckmark line & 1911/22s are made in the USA.
Mind you it is an independent subcontractor that does the work but the guns are domestically produced.

Yes, in Utah. That's the majority of Brownings that have been domestically produced. Most of their long guns have been produced under license in Belgium or Japan.
 
So much to rant about....

I think this is the first large thread where I agree with every single poster, even if the posts disagree (is that even possible?)

My metaphor:

Porsche enthusiasts were up in arms when Porsche began selling the more budget Boxster line, and even more so when they created the Cayenne SUV line. Everyone cried, "How can this legendary super car company do this to us?!?!" The answer was easy, don't let your emotions and nastalgia get in the way of logic and judgement... because all the sales from those Boxsters and Cayennes funded the R&D department which could pump money into making even crazier and faster Carrerras and 911s and race teams. They adapted, changed, broadened, diversified, and now they are better than ever (never lost their image or iconic look, either).

Colt needs to do that. But probably won't, because it is run by people who want to leach money off the company, not grow for their customer base.
 
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If things remained status quo, you are absolutely correct. But quite often (like very, very often) the loan comes with terms far beyond the rate of return. It might be a Board of Director's seat but in this case that would not be enough. I suspect that it would include placing a new CEO, a board seat or two, and the right for the CEO to cut through the company as they choose.
When companies are in trouble, for good or for bad, there is a lot of baggage that comes with keeping them afloat. It's just economic Darwinism. I've seen it up close and personal.
B

I'm not an investment expert, but wouldn't investing in Colt at this point be similar to giving $5,000 to a guy who's $500,000 in debt? Just gonna lose that too, no?
 
There is plenty of brand equity in Colt. A re-structure along the lines of shedding debt through bankruptcy (not paying creditors), investment in new innovative products and relocation of manufacturing to a " right to work" state with modern manufacturing processes and a more flexible workforce would probably be the ideal financial ingredients. I would like to see a company with the innovative ideas of Kel-Tec and the quality of Colt. This would take fairly deep pockets.
 
Sadly, Colt Defense LLC which was a separate entity, just acquired Colt's Manufacturing Company last year. Now both are at risk, instead of keeping the business units in silos.

They ostensibly recombined the two units to protect the patents held by Colt's Manufacturing. Just one year later it looks like the consolidation puts the entire company at jeopardy. The sad irony.

If they can weather through this looming bond default, they still need to restructure a ton of debt. If I were going in as an investor now, I would want several board seats, with golden shares/votes, replacement of the top C level execs (poach some winners from other companies) . Maybe an outright bankruptcy/reorg to get out of that Florida plant contract, and restructure as a non-union shop if possible. Colt is potentially recoverable, but with some extreme surgery.
 
Smith and Wesson let their civilian market share dry up in the 90's. Then they imploded, got bought out, crashed again, now they're back and in good shape.

Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past. Colt will eventually rise again as a new company.

I hope they do make a new quality pocket .380/.32 and maybe even a light 9mm carbine that isn't ridiculously bulky and heavy for the caliber.



HK is not a legendary concern, they just suck.
And they hate you.
 
A few years back, one side of Colt was being offered for sale.
One factor that killed the deal was that there was confusion over which side owned what, in terms of branding, intellectual properties, and so on.

With the merge last year, the current Colt company is free to sell, declare bankruptcy, re-organize, or whatever, as a single unit.
Denis
 
I doubt that Colt, no matter what happens to it, wil ever be what it used to be. When I look at one of my Snakes, I see craftmanship, hand fitting, and attention to detail that just doesn't exist anymore. If they did get back into the double action revolver market, their products would resemble current S&W products, not what they used to make. That's why i grabbed every Colt and S&W I could afford 20-30 years ago. I just wish I had kept one of those Model-25 and Troopers I had.:(
 
organisms and organizations have a natural life cycle

And parts of it are not pretty. The slower herd animals sustain the pack animals, and there is no right or wrong.

Most manufacturing concerns have been on the rocks multiple times, and what emerges is either vastly more efficient or something else bearing the old brand. Recall Winchester of the early 60's. They made a nice product, but durable goods manufacturers are victims of their own success.

The Colt brand will live on, but dinosaurs must die.
 
I doubt that Colt, no matter what happens to it, wil ever be what it used to be. When I look at one of my Snakes, I see craftmanship, hand fitting, and attention to detail that just doesn't exist anymore. If they did get back into the double action revolver market, their products would resemble current S&W products, not what they used to make. That's why i grabbed every Colt and S&W I could afford 20-30 years ago. I just wish I had kept one of those Model-25 and Troopers I had.:(

Sure it does -- even superior to the old Pythons, if one is willing to pay for it: http://www.korthusa.com/revolver_en.htm

While I think the Pythons were excellent in terms of finish and smoothness, I wouldn't say they were off the charts in terms of reliability/ruggedness.
 
Even decades ago, a lot of Colt handguns (cough - Python - cough) needed a lot of hand fitting since their old machinery couldn't hold the tolerances they should have.

I haven't paid much attention to Colt's line of AR platform rifles lately - are they still being sold to the public without bayonet lugs, with non-standard pin sizes, and with steel inserts in the lower to prevent installation of "evil" parts? :confused:
 
I haven't paid much attention to Colt's line of AR platform rifles lately - are they still being sold to the public without bayonet lugs, with non-standard pin sizes, and with steel inserts in the lower to prevent installation of "evil" parts? :

You are many years behind on that.

For years now Colt has been selling the LE6920 (and some SP6920, same thing), which is as close to the M4 they supply to the military as you can get, legally (16" barrel vs 14.5" barrel, semi auto only vs select fire)

One of the easiest AR's to recommend to somebody who doesn't know what to get, just knows they want to buy a complete turn-key AR...is a Colt.

Until 2-3 years ago the best price you could repeat was ~$1,080 at Walmart...but since the panic after the school shooting settled grabagun has been offering them for as low as ~$880 regularly.
 
Even decades ago, a lot of Colt handguns (cough - Python - cough) needed a lot of hand fitting since their old machinery couldn't hold the tolerances they should have.

I haven't paid much attention to Colt's line of AR platform rifles lately - are they still being sold to the public without bayonet lugs, with non-standard pin sizes, and with steel inserts in the lower to prevent installation of "evil" parts?

Very true.
 
A few years back, one side of Colt was being offered for sale.
One factor that killed the deal was that there was confusion over which side owned what, in terms of branding, intellectual properties, and so on.

With the merge last year, the current Colt company is free to sell, declare bankruptcy, re-organize, or whatever, as a single unit.
Denis
Important post.
 
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