Colt LE6920

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gbw

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I got a new Colt LE6920 rifle, they call it an M4 Carbine. It seems OK, fit and finish are, I'd say, adequate at best, slight gap (.011") betwen the upper and lower at the rear, I don't know if this is normal or not - also some minimal play between them. It was packed in a preservative oil, now cleaned and lubed per the book. It did come with 2 magazines, cleaning kit, sling.

HOWEVER, the trigger is terrible - gritty, creepy, inconsistent. Hammer moves visibly further rearward as the trigger is pulled.

I'm not an AR or a rifle guy, mostly I do handguns, so I'm asking for help. I have cleaned it well and lubed everything, but no improvement.

Any ideas, tricks, suggestions, similar experiences? Honestly I expected better of Colt, perhaps I'm unrealistic or got a particularly bad one?

I'll put up some detailed photos if anyone wants them.

Thanks,
gb
 
That is a typical GI trigger for you. If you want a better trigger, buying an M4gery won't get it, you need an aftermarket upgrade.

Geissele makes some great triggers, and you might like their Super Semi Automatic (SSA). There are also cheaper aftermarket triggers available.

The looseness between the upper and lower is also common and not a problem.
 
the trigger is terrible - gritty, creepy, inconsistent. Hammer moves visibly further rearward as the trigger is pulled.
Click to expand...
What 12131 said. All mil spec AR triggers are varying degrees of rough. It will get better with use... or you can sit in front of the TV and dry fire at bad guys for a few days. :p

You can follow this DIY instruction if you have the skills and tools. You can also install a spring kit... JP sells them.
The parts are surface hardened only, so don't get carried away. If you don't have the skills and knowledge, and you have money instead, follow allaroundhunter's advice and get a better trigger.
 
My BIL, who has no kids and so a fair bit more discretionary income, bought on of these recently and naturally wanted to show it off. It was pretty much as you described it; it was also MUCH nicer than anything my dear Uncle Sam ever let me borrow. You'll do fine. Break it in, smooth it out, and keep it clean and lubed. Not my cup of tea, but I sure hope you'll enjoy it!
 
Colt stock triggers are nothing to rave about but everything else on the 6920 should be good to go and in mil spec if that means anything for you. Changing trigger out is an easy thing to do if you want, but I agree to shoot some rounds and "loosen her up" first before changing any parts. On the fit and finish unless you bought it online, didn't you see the gap and etc. before you paid for it? I've had a couple 6920s and they all were tight maybe I was just lucky but the ones Uncle Sam issued to me were by no means as nice as what I was able to buy.
 
also some minimal play between them
Click to expand...

It won't affect function, but if it bothers you, you can buy an accuwedge. Or you can do what I did:

ARShim.jpg

I just fashioned a shim with a piece cut from 0.010" thick stainless brake caliper hardware and fit it to the front pin block so that I can get some decent torque on it when closing the action. It's really not visible, and there is no wiggle now.
 
slight gap (.011") betwen the upper and lower at the rear, I don't know if this is normal or not - also some minimal play between them
Click to expand...

I actually prefer this. I hate for the upper and lower fit to be so tight that it is impossible to press out the take-down pins with finger pressure.
 
Thanks to all for the replies.

ARs are not ordinarily my cup either, but it's just a plinker and something new to experiment with. I may try the shim, MachIV, thanks!

The rifle is fine except the trigger, which should be better. Otherwise I was just commenting on what I found, perhaps it will help someone else make a decision. It is a fairly costly rifle and I did expect a little more attention to detail, even cosmetic detail, from Colt.

Meantime, I'll see if a little careful cleanup will help the trigger - I really don't mind the creep or the increased pressure needed through the creep, that seems to be designed in. But the grittiness and grinding is sloppy work and won't do.

I'll update for the AR guys after I've seen results, good or bad.
 
Hate to correct you all but most Mil spec triggers are not as bad as he is saying they may be a little rough at first but if you fire it about 30-100 times this goes away. The mil spec is heavier then a custom trigger yes but there usually isn't much creep or grittiness and the hammer SHOULD NOT VISIBLY MOVE REARWARD EVERY TIME YOU PULL THE TRIGGER. I think there may be something wrong with your trigger group, if it were me I'd take the trigger apart and see what's going on, if your not comfortable with doing that you could send it back to colt (great customer service and probably the best option IMO) or take it to a local gunsmith preferably some one that specializes in AR15s. If he says there is something as well then you could have him or colt fix it. In short take it somewhere and get a second opinion, I don't know your experience level and wether or not you've dealt much in milspec triggers to know what they feel like so this is the best answer I can give you.
 
Triggers seem to be hit or miss. My Armalite and Stag trigger is was pretty good out of the box although I put a Timney drop in trigger in the AL. Friend has a RRA and it is horrible just like you describe. I forgot the maker but they make a drop in setup for like $130.
 
All good advice.

My LE6920 felt terrible the first few times I dry-fired it. That just meant it was new :) After about 100-150 rounds, it felt a lot better. Break-in is required, and will happen with use. I found that a little moly-bearing lube on select parts of the fire control group helped also.

I built another AR and put an ALG QMS trigger in it - $45. This is a nice-feeling trigger, especially for the price. Clean, ~5.5 pounds.

I'm building an APR "clone" and put a Geissele SSA-E trigger I bought on sale from PAS in it. That is heavenly, for a rifle meant for distance and more-or-less stationary shooting.
 
Colt builds fighting rifles. They dont worry too much about finish as long as it passes milspec. Upper and lower gap is normal. The trigger is going to be rough at first. Shoot it a bit and it will smooth out however it wont ever be a good feeling trigger. Id suggest a Geissele.
 
Gbw, I bought a new LE6920 a few months back also, and experienced EXACTLY the same issue with the trigger. It was downright horrible. You could see the hammer visibly move back as you squeezed the trigger. Made me cringe.

My solution, although not cheap, was to replace the trigger group with a Geissele SSA-E trigger group from Brownell's. Problem solved. I simply preferred not to mess with the stock trigger to make it better.

I also think the fit/finish of my S&W M&P is better than the Colt, but that's a different subject. :) They both function flawlessly.
 
The rearward movement of the hammer is pretty normal on G.I. trigger groups. It's just the angle at which the sear engagement surface on the hammer was cut. it's not a big deal. Seems like you where expecting too much from this rifle. Buy an H&K MR556, match accuracy, piston driven, much better 2 stage trigger.
 
SilentScream said:
The rearward movement of the hammer is pretty normal on G.I. trigger groups. It's just the angle at which the sear engagement surface on the hammer was cut. it's not a big deal. Seems like you where expecting too much from this rifle. Buy an H&K MR556, match accuracy, piston driven, much better 2 stage trigger.
Click to expand...

Well if you listen to different forums they make the Colt out to be the holy grail of AR15's, that's probably why he had high expectations.
 
Well if you listen to different forums they make the Colt sound like the holy grail of AR15's
Click to expand...

Truth.

Fact is, it's just a quality rendition of your average M4gery. Colt uses good parts and has good QC, but the gun isn't anything special. They have typical M4 triggers, typical M4 accuracy, etc.

The Colt's edge over cheaper, mid-tier versions like DPMS isn't necessarily performance; It's durability.

The Colt rifles are no different than Colt handguns. They're quality pieces, but are outperformed by higher-end, higher dollar semi-custom stuff. Would you expect a Colt Government model 1911 to shoot as well as a Les Baer? Of course not. Likewise, you shouldn't you expect a colt AR-15 to perform like a top shelf LMT or Noveske.
 
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