Colt found enough demand to revive sales of AR-15's to civilians

[labnoti]

They are reported to have reversed their decision to halt sales of the firearm they originally bought the rights to from Armalite, but which has subsequently been produced by nearly everyone at cut rates. Is there now enough demand they can profit? In reports, they are said to have released 2000 LE6920's to distributors.

I dared to go to a warehouse store yesterday and was stunned at the inventory. The wall where handguns hang was about 80% bare. There were revolvers and a few novelty type pistols. The carry/defensive ammo shelf was wiped entirely clean save for one box of .454 Casull and a single box of .41 Magnum. The shelves that normally hold Winchester and Starline brass, empty except a few bags of odd calibers. They had large rifle and LRM primers, but nothing else. I had come to get a pound of an Alliant powder that I only use a little of. They only had an 8 lb jug. Fortunately, they had not raised the price.

I remember when we had some murders around here a few years ago. People at that store were lined up to buy guns, but there were plenty to buy. I suppose the difference this time is not so much the increase in local demand, but the inability to restock due to demand across the entire market.

 

[DustyGmt]

The guy who runs my LGS was standing behind the counter with his arms crossed saying he has never been so sparsely supplied and looked kind of downtrodden like he wasnt expecting any big shipments to come revive his sparsely outfitted inventory.... I asked about ordering some stuff and he said he just couldnt get it, he said if you see anything you need buy it now.....

 

[DustyGmt]

Btw, unless you need the prancing g pony logo, there really is no need for me to pay the premium on a colt when you can buy a BCM which are true battle proven mil spec rifles....

 

[CDW4ME]

Colt took action to try and avoid bankruptcy, again. Good job.

 

[Meeks36]

Yeah your paying for a logo. No thanks. My Ruger AR was all I needed for half the price.

 

[mjsdwash]

Colt still has name recognition, and reasonable quality, something of a guarantee. I don't plan to buy one, but if they went midlength, I bet they would sell a lot more. I really like the 6920, but once midlength took off, I lost interest, and bought a DTI that cost $300 less, and shoots better than any Colt I have seen. Colt should really stick to the few things people want, and move out of their moms basement, by that I mean the fat teat of government waste.

 

[dogtown tom]

Btw, unless you need the prancing g pony logo, there really is no need for me to pay the premium on a colt when you can buy a BCM which are true battle proven mil spec rifles....

Huh?
Since when has a BCM rifle ever been fielded by the US military?
I know SPEC OPS can buy pretty much anything, and I know the US gov buys plenty of weapons to hand out to foreign militaries.
And "mil spec"?........only two companies that have the TDP (Technical Data Package owned by the US gov).............Colt and FN.

Mil spec is merely what the military specifications were for a particular bid, not necessarily the best specs. You can exceed "mil spec".
BCM makes great rifles but to claim they are "true battle proven mil spec rifles" is a bit of a stretch.

 

[AlexanderA]

Colt needs to price its AR's competitively. AR's are now a commodity, and I don't think there's much of a premium in the Colt name.

On the other hand, with demand being what it is right now, maybe Colt figures it can charge whatever the traffic will bear. This is not a good business tactic once the panic subsides. Management seems to forget that goodwill itself is an asset.

Samuel Colt himself is reputed to have said, at the start of the Civil War, "make hay while the sun shines." This sort of attitude is why business people are held in low regard. The only thing that matters to them is the bottom line. And the temporary bottom line at that.

 

[Old Dog]

Three things I know about any thread mentioning Colt's rifles:

1. Very quickly someone chimes in talking about how their personal AR that cost xxx dollars less out-performs any Colt they've ever seen. (All-righty, then, in the words of Jim Carrey)
2. Someone else tacks on that with anywhere from two to four disparaging comments about Colt as a corporate business.
3. Then the de rigueur comments about how people are only paying for the logo when they buy Colt ARs.

Some of us know better. A Colt AR may not be the absolute best, but it's gonna be better than most. You Ruger/Del-Ton/DPMS/home-brew guys can look for validation on your chosen rifle on the internet, and you'll probably find it, but the internet opinions are what they are -- opinions mostly from those who've never taken a rifle into battle, or been issued one for work and done serious (and I mean serious, not just out plinking every few weeks) training with it every single month over a period of years.

And I don't understand the comment about Colt's pricing, either. The 6920, which is a worthy rifle, has a competitive price range mostly, except perhaps in those notorious regions where firearm prices are unreasonably high.

Other things I know: the only battle-tested rifles I've personally taken into harm's way, or seen taken into harm's way (other than the few used by NSW) during my era's conflicts, are Colts and FN products.

At any, rate, with regard to the OP: welcome back, Colt. Good to see ya.

 

[Spade5]

Glad I bought my Colt H-bar back in 1987. Almost the same as the one I carried in Nam which was a worn out POS but it never let me down.

 

[jeff-10]

Colt took action to try and avoid bankruptcy, again. Good job.

Remington probably scared them into it. Maybe its also time for Bushmaster to return.

 

[DustyGmt]

Huh?
Since when has a BCM rifle ever been fielded by the US military?
I know SPEC OPS can buy pretty much anything, and I know the US gov buys plenty of weapons to hand out to foreign militaries.
And "mil spec"?........only two companies that have the TDP (Technical Data Package owned by the US gov).............Colt and FN.

Mil spec is merely what the military specifications were for a particular bid, not necessarily the best specs. You can exceed "mil spec".
BCM makes great rifles but to claim they are "true battle proven mil spec rifles" is a bit of a stretch.

Is it a bit of a stretch? It's my understanding that they have had small run contracts with a number of marine/army spec ops units, DHS, Private contractors, etc... I'm pretty sure they have been tested in warzones all over the globe as its heavily implied in terms of BCM marketing efforts and numerous references from military guys on different internet platforms.

It wasnt my aim to imply they were the supplier of standard issue military M4's such as Colt, FN. just that they have been tested by real deal professionals and military dudes. I know LMT and KAC have been in military use abroad as well. I was also under the impression that the BCM Mk12 was issued to snipers, not 100% sure about that though.... Do I have it all wrong?

I'm not a BCM fanboy by any stretch, I have one, personally I have more confidence in my M&P sport because I've shot it (alot) and know it's quality. I have never seen the point in spending $1,100 on a bone stock Colt... jmo

 

[Casefull]

The same criticism that we level towards colt products can be leveled towards BCM products. They also charge more for their name on the ‘commodity’ parts their rifles are made of.

 

[Terry G]

I have three AR15 types. They are Colt, Colt, and Colt. The Army lent me one that never let me down. They cost me $275.00 SP-1, $700.00 SP-1 Carbine, and $1200.00 LE6920. I fthey come out with another that strikes my fancy at $2000.00 I'll buy that one too.

 

[Hrbie22]

I think I solved the Colt vs (Insert Brand) the easiest way.

I have rifles from Colt, all the way to a Palmetto build kit. I'm happy with all of them, and they all serve their purpose. But i do love my LE6920.

Bottom line is, the more firearm owners, the better. Glad they got some more to the market.

 

[S&W620]

Cool I guess, but no thanks.

If we mere plebs weren’t worthy a month ago, no reason to think I am now.

I’m sure plenty will jump at the chance though.

 

[dogtown tom]

Colt needs to price its AR's competitively. AR's are now a commodity,

Colt isn't going to try and outrun the PSA's and Anderson Arms in a race to a $400 AR. They know in the long run it isn't worthwhile to devalue their brand.

and I don't think there's much of a premium in the Colt name.

Many do. Colt is the single most recognised standard in the AR market. Is Brand X better than a Colt? Or worse?

On the other hand, with demand being what it is right now, maybe Colt figures it can charge whatever the traffic will bear. This is not a good business tactic once the panic subsides. Management seems to forget that goodwill itself is an asset.

All the "OMG OMG Colt is discontinuing sales to civilians!" panic was based wholly on ignorance. Many manufacturers notify distributors when they have large contracts with priority.....and Colt has had the exact same situation many times. This time a nitwit salesman at RSR thought he would cash in by leaking the news to his dealer client list. He was fired for that.

Samuel Colt himself is reputed to have said, at the start of the Civil War, "make hay while the sun shines." This sort of attitude is why business people are held in low regard. The only thing that matters to them is the bottom line. And the temporary bottom line at that.

Some don't get the concept of capitalism.

 

[Mn Fats]

Funny how quickly this became a Colt vs. ..... thread.

 

[Mn Fats]

Double post

 

[Terry G]

Funny how quickly this became a Colt vs. ..... thread.

Yes, I noticed. Love 'em or hate 'em they're the standard others are measured by.

 

[dogtown tom]

Is it a bit of a stretch? It's my understanding that they have had small run contracts with a number of marine/army spec ops units, DHS, Private contractors, etc...

Oneses, twosees or dozens don't really make a firearm "battle tested" in the sense that Colt and FN rifles are.
If you are going to count "small run contracts" then you could add in just about every AR manufacturer in this country. The USA has supplied (gifted) thousands of DPMS, Bushmaster, etc AR's to foreign military and police agencies.

I'm pretty sure they have been tested in warzones all over the globe as its heavily implied in terms of BCM marketing efforts and numerous references from military guys on different internet platforms.

Key word..."marketing".

It wasnt my aim to imply they were the supplier of standard issue military M4's such as Colt, FN. just that they have been tested by real deal professionals and military dudes. I know LMT and KAC have been in military use abroad as well. I was also under the impression that the BCM Mk12 was issued to snipers, not 100% sure about that though.... Do I have it all wrong?

Great thread at AR15, pay particular attention to "Augee" he knows his stuff.
https://www.ar15.com/forums/general/Who_has_military_contracts/5-817221/
In that thread pay attention to the guys that SWEAR they were issued a Brand X AR.......even though there is no evidence of that manufacturer ever supplying firearms to the US military for issue to US troops. Memories fade, and faulty memories are reinforced over the years. There is more than one veteran out there that truly believs his Vietnam M16 was made by Mattel..........and other than funny Photoshops, no such Mattel contract or M16 has ever been seen.

I'm not a BCM fanboy by any stretch, I have one, personally I have more confidence in my M&P sport because I've shot it (alot) and know it's quality. I have never seen the point in spending $1,100 on a bone stock Colt... jmo

That Colt AR will have greater resale value than anything other than the boutique guns. S&W/Ruger/Springfield/etc just don't. I'm not denigrating them, just pointing out how the market judges them.

 

[748]

They're in demand and people are willing to pay stupid prices.
We will likely see this any time things get weird.
Prices go down, no one buys colts because the market is flooded with $400 ARs.
Things get weird and they can charge 1990s prices again all of a sudden they want to sell them.
I say F'em.

 

[Paul R Zartman]

Colt gottem some stimulus cash and can build some more ARs for the masses, typical big business move...

 

[lionking]

I say good, the more out there the better for people to buy the better. Good for you, good for me, good for employment, good for the economy. Bad for Beto though lol.

 

[FL-NC]

There doesn't seem to be a shortage of AR15 type rifles and/or parts kits and receivers, and there are many non-Colt choices that are just better guns at more competitive prices. It seems the biggest challenge as of late is obtaining ammunition.