Colt Working to Bring New DA Revolver(s) to Market

[Vern Humphrey]

In a strange way, the Patterson wasn't a failure. A bunch of them (180 to 200) were bought by the Texas Navy. When Sam Houston disbanded the Texas Navy during his second administration, the Pattersons went to the Texas Rangers. John Coffee Hays, a Ranger Captain had a brilliant flash of light -- "This isn't a gun! It's FIVE guns!" He wangled two for each of his Rangers and for the first time Rangers could out-fight Commanches in mounted combat.

When Texas entered the Union, the Texas Rangers became federal troops and they demanded revolvers. Since Colt was out of business, a Ranger Captain named Samuel Walker was sent to negotiate with Colt, and together they designed the Colt-Walker revolver, which was manufactured by the Eli Whitney Company.

Colt was back in business, and mounted combat was revolutionized.

 

[Panzerschwein]

Hey Colt! It's almost 2015...

Where is my King Cobra?

 

[Master Blaster]

Sorry folks Colt has big problems so the revolver isn't happening:

http://www.nasdaq.com/article/gun-maker-colt-strikes-deal-to-avoid-yearend-default-20141118-00871

 

[Madcap_Magician]

Maybe CZ can buy Colt like they did Dan Wesson!

 

[Armor Snail]

Maybe CZ can buy Colt like they did Dan Wesson!

Not a bad idea.
Then produce lower priced entry level 1911's priced at $500

Hell, they collaborated in the past with the Colt Z-40/CZ40B.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

I finally have my dream Colt. I have a Colt New Service in .45 Colt, originally with a 7 1/2" barrel and teeny fixed sights that were way off.

After various attempts to get it to shoot where it looked, I soldered on a honking big slab of steel and then filed away to get it to shoot right. It shot very well, but still looked like hell.

I had the barrel cut to 5 1/2" and had adjustable sights put on. I now have an ersatz "Shooting Master" that is a beautiful gun and shoots like a dream.

 

[Jim K]

Years ago, Bill Ruger talked about executives at a gun company who were more interested in playing golf than in running the company, and who never went near the factory. He was too polite to name names, but it was widely known that he was talking about Colt. The problem seems to be that they have never changed.

Jim

 

[smkummer]

If one wants a Colt buy one now.

One can find a nice Detective special or Cobra for less than Colt could make the magnum carry today. I too just bought a finish challenged New Service 45 7 1/2 for $600 and it is a wonderful 100 yard shooter, the anaconda was Colts updated answer to the New Service. I wish I had not sold my King Cobra to my brother and then he sold it. No more good guns going to him. The magnum carry, anaconda and king cobra are doable, so that is why I wont pay what some are asking for them. So in short, Colts own surviving products are available now for someone who really wants a Colt.

 

[Pilot]

Last time I checked, Colt still made fine single action revolvers, so they have never been out of the revolver business. I doubt Colt would invest money on bringing back DA revolvers. They should stick to their niche in the market, 1911's, Colt SAA's, and AR-15's.

 

[buck460XVR]

With Colt's financial woes right now, and the recent slowing down of gun sales, I have wondered if the proposed reintroduction of DA revolvers is still going to happen.

Denis claimed it was going to happen in 2015 or 2016. Now Colt is doing everything they can do just to still be around then. I don't understand how a company with such a good reputation and demand for it's products can be a sinking ship. The sales of DA revolvers is not going to be their saving grace. Too small of a market for a good return on their investment. While the economy is doing good, the demand for guns, especially revolvers is diminishing. The time to reintroduce the new DAs probably woulda been two years ago. The price and demand of the old Colt DAs really has little bearing on the same for the new DAs. They still face the same competition as they had before, that ran them outta the DA revolver business.

That said, I want Colt to stick around and continue to produce quality firearms. The shooting world would certainly miss them if they were to go away. While I would also like to see them reintroduce their DA revolvers, I question if it's now the priority it was a year or so ago and whether it would be as successful now or in the near future as it would have been back then.

 

[DPris]

Denis didn't "claim" it was going to happen in 2015 or 2016, Denis said he was told to watch for it in that timeframe by Colt.

Denis does his best to pass on reliable info from the various makers he deals with & is not responsible for those companies changing their plans, if & when they do.
Denis

 

[Kleanbore]

Colt's continued existence is in question.

 

[buck460XVR]

Denis didn't "claim" it was going to happen in 2015 or 2016, Denis said he was told to watch for it in that timeframe by Colt.

I'm sorry if I mistakenly took this as a claim Denis.

Expect something in 2015, possibly 2016 if things take a little longer than planned.
It will not be any revolver with the older V-Spring actions, for reasons discussed ad nauseum here & elsewhere.

This is not just an Internet rumor.
Denis

...it's just that statement seemed to fit this definition.

claim
klām/
verb
verb: claim; 3rd person present: claims; past tense: claimed; past participle: claimed; gerund or present participle: claiming

1.
state or assert that something is the case, typically without providing evidence or proof.

 

[Old Fuff]

This is pure speculation on the Old Fuff's part. See the following in this context.

Colt is in serious trouble. Latest reports say their total dept is around 300 million, and not counting a recent 70 million dollar loan they only have 3 million in the bank. Sales are substantially falling from where they were at this time last year.

Seeing what the future is likely to be, a while back (at the 2014 SHOT Show) they drop hints that new hand ejector revolvers are in the works.

Firearms media spreads the word, and hopefully Colt fans fill the company's email box with thousands of requests for the new products, sight unseen.

Management then uses this result to leverage more loans or other financial support.

 

[buck460XVR]

Colt is in serious trouble. Latest reports say their total dept is around 300 million, and not counting a recent 70 million dollar loan they only have 3 million in the bank. Sales are substantially falling from where they were at this time last year.

This is the reason I posted if the reintroduction of a new product that appeals to a relatively limited market is still in the works. Colt I believe, a few years back, updated their equipment for their 1911s and improved the overall quality and reputation in that market. Sales there still seems to be brisk and have plenty of interest. Same goes for their quality SA revolvers. Many claim they are still the best in the industry and worth the price they sell for. While a company with good profit margins, low debt and a positive attitude for R&D from investors should seek to expand it's product line and extend themselves into niche markets, Colt does not appear to be in that situation. Again, the last thing I want to see is a iconic company like Colt go down the pipe. All major gun companies have had rough spots over their lifetime and many had to do things that were unpopular in order to survive. I know many devoted Colt fans have been waiting for Colt to reintroduce their DAs since the day they stopped production. This thread, others like it and statements made in gun rags and other media finally seemed to support the idea it was going to happen, even if only on a limited basis. But Colt's situation now has me questioning not only if it's going to happen, but also if it would be a good move if it did.

 

[DPris]

Buck,
For those among us who are like you, I should have prefaced it with "A Colt source that I can't mention says to expect..."

I should, I guess, to avoid claims that I'm making claims, always preface with "A Colt/Ruger/S&W/CZ/Beretta/Glock/H&K/et al source that I can't mention says..."
Denis

 

[buck460XVR]

Buck,
For those among us who are like you, I should have prefaced it with "A Colt source that I can't mention says to expect..."

I should, I guess, to avoid claims that I'm making claims, always preface with "A Colt/Ruger/S&W/CZ/Beretta/Glock/H&K/et al source that I can't mention says..."
Denis

Well..okay. So what do those sources that you can't mention, now tell you what to expect about the possibility of this happening? Or can't you say?

 

[DPris]

Nothing new, have not asked recently.
The recent & current flap about Colt's financial situation did not happen overnight & was no surprise to anybody inside Colt.
I doubt it's negatively affected anything materially regarding any progress on the DA's.

If anything, probably more impetus & motivation to get a new product out for increased sales revenue.

I'm just waiting to see, have not been sufficiently motivated to be asking weekly.
Denis

 

[Vern Humphrey]

I have the ultimate Colt -- a New Service revolver in .45 Colt. I had the barrel cut back to 5 1/2" and adjustable sights mounted. It's a dream!

 

[buck460XVR]

Nothing new, have not asked recently.
The recent & current flap about Colt's financial situation did not happen overnight & was no surprise to anybody inside Colt.
I doubt it's negatively affected anything materially regarding any progress on the DA's.

If anything, probably more impetus & motivation to get a new product out for increased sales revenue.

I'm just waiting to see, have not been sufficiently motivated to be asking weekly.
Denis

Thanks for the update.

 

[barnbwt]

"I don't understand how a company with such a good reputation and demand for it's products can be a sinking ship."
Is this really true, though? The DA market for used guns has spiked, but that's largely due to scarcity, and the market is far smaller than when they were in production. The new production revolver market is as competitive as it has ever been, despite Colt's decades long absence. The remaining large scale products, 1911 and AR15, have so much fierce competition that it is hard to claim there is an overriding demand for Colt goods, specifically. The SAA market is not only tiny, but also beset my Italian competition of its own, to the extent that Colt probably isn't a volume leader there, either.

TCB

 

[larryh1108]

The new production revolver market is as competitive as it has ever been, despite Colt's decades long absence.

While this may be true, I think the newest market is for the big bore and the CCW poly revolvers. The poly revolvers have relit the fire for revolvers. For Colt to get into the mainstream revolver market they'd need to have a quality poly revolver in the mix. Sure, they could reintroduce their DAs for old timers but the younger buyers want small and light. If Colt R&D already has a poly revolver ready to go then they could reengage. If they have to build one from ground zero then they already missed the boat.

 

[CraigC]

I have traditionally been very honest/tough on Colt. That said, I do NOT want to see them go away. I recently visited the old factory and Samuel Colt's mansion in Hartford. Sad to see the condition of both, along with the rest of a once prominent city. I'll say this, their recent SAA's and 1911's are excellent. If they introduce a new DA revolver that looks like something I can use, I'll definitely get one to do my part. I should buy a 1911 anyway.