Colt in trouble?

[Nuclear]

Can you say Colt Woodsman? Or any of the other 22s they've made in the past. Or some new polymer version. Same with small 380s, everyone else seems to make one.

 

[Old Fuff]

With an acute ammunition shortage, now would not be a good time to introduce a new .22, and to do so later might be too late.

And again, expensive tooling for new products would be an issue. Most likely any suppliers would look at the financial situation and make them pay up front, on a cash only basis.

And this observation does not take into consideration design and development time or cost considerations.

Some folks seem to think that gunmakers - Colt in particular - have a magic wand that they can wave, and poof!! Guns are piled up in boxes ready to ship to distributors. :banghead:

 

[SSN Vet]

I am not sure why we have such a problem with workers making decent wages wherever they live.

Regional costs of living vary greatly & Western CT has long been the affluent suburb of NYC, while Hartford has it's own white collar gentrification.
@ $20/hr in CT, you'll be lucky to afford a one single BR apartment.
@ $20/hr in inland FL, you'll be able to own your own house.

can't a cnc machine produce almost anything?

CNC isn't an ace up any manufacturers sleeve, as every fire arms manufacturer, big and small, runs CNC milling centers, and none can be competitive without it. You still need highly skilled people to design and make work holding fixtures, and to program the machines and optimize tool life and run time. Around these parts, even the machine operators (who load and unload the parts, hit play and monitor the machines) typically have associates degrees in engineering technologies, as they have to QC check parts and record order and part data in the computer. And while one operator can run two to three CNCs simultaneously, the number of qualified workers who are getting STEM education, is in short supply. Also, the capital investment to set up shop for this type of manufacturing is pretty huge. But modern manufacturing is a very competitive, dog-eat-dog world, and some outfit in a lower cost state or country will still be at a major advantage.

 

[Jackal]

If Colt came to you for a secure line of credit, you would say "Sorry, we dont accept names as a security"...

 

[Tirod]

If Colt's were made by Taurus would that be OK?

I ask because what is revered from the old Colts is a high end finish, excellent fit, and a appreciation of dedicated assemblers.

Said assemblers doing it right and having a good work ethic.

We don't train, educate, or even want masses of highly skilled machine operators in America today. They cost too much - if it takes $3000 to retail an Anaconda, we outsource the manufacture so that the consumer gets the Low Price Guaranteed.

Let's not forget the number of Turkish and Czech 1911's roll marked there and hand finished here. You know who the brands are.

Colt is just about ten years ahead of Remington, and obviously, Winchester was ten years in the financial spiral ahead of Colt. Now Winchester is a Japanese made gun for $1,800. In the future Colt will likely be in the same category.

The smart money is buying up old Colts right now and hoarding them, same as they did with pre and post 64 Winchesters just before they went broke. Watch the sales and auctions.

 

[giggitygiggity]

Colt makes good firearms, plain and simple. Anyone who argues with that just has something against Colt, probably because they did not like the price. I am not saying that you cannot get other firearms of the same quality for the same price or less than Colt, just that Colt firearms are good.

However, Colt is not innovative like so many of the other companies. They do not release new and unique products. They sell 1911s and ARs primarily. There are plenty of other manufacturers selling 1911s and ARs. The difference is that Colt's product line is so limited. Look at Ruger or S&W or CZ or SIG or just about all the other big names. They offer ARs, 1911s, pocket pistols, bolt-action rifles, pistol variants using rifle rounds which are great for SBRs, shotguns. It just seems like Colt says, "We are making 1911s and ARs and that's good enough" whereas the other manufacturers and consistently introducing new pistols, new designs, and flooding the market with new ideas and guns.

 

[ScottsBad]

This has been in the works for a long time. Colt has been in trouble for awhile. Crazy, in the middle of the best gun market in decades Colt is flailing.

I wish they'd bring back revolvers, but the fine ones like the Python and Anaconda were hand fitted. There is probably no way they can make from sales of those designs to get them out of trouble.

Maybe they should post of FUND-ME. Haha

 

[Vonderek]

alienate customer base, feature poor, premium price.

This. And a lot more. Their most egregious error was telling the consumer to pound sand while they focused only on government contracts. Sam Colt himself knew enough to build extra revolvers when he had a govt. contract so he could make money selling to civilians. No way Colt can start building revolvers again. They are bound to the AR and the 1911. If they are to survive they will need to be creative in these two marketplaces and offer something different from the dozens of competitors in the same marketplace. And they need to do it at a decent price point. I think many will pay a premium to have the Colt stamp on their firearm but not a 100% or even a 50% premium. And they need to do it quick.
I wouldn't be surprised if this ended up as another Cerberus acquisition.