Does Colt make all our M4's and M-16's

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im pretty sure that rock river had a government contract or two as of a few years ago.
 
I cant speak for all the armed forces but all the ones I've seen in the navy have been colts. I did go to Camp Allen VA to qualify with the M4 and ended up shooting a bushmaster AR15 but I doubt that too many soldiers are issued them.
 
Colt is currently the only supplier of the M4 carbine to the US military.
FN currently produces the few M16 still ordered.

Last year the TDP for the M4 was turned over to the government. This means that if another contract comes up other compannies can submit guns that meet the TDP for consideration.

Rock River never has and probably never will make guns for the military. They gotba small part of a DEA contract along with Colt and another company. These were guns built to a specific spec and not the same as the entry tactical you get at your LGS.
 
Interesting article here: http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/the-usas-m4-carbine-controversy-03289/

Short version: Army is still using Colt, but other branches have been using variants from other manufacturers.
A new competition is in the works soon.

"By August 2011, known competitors and designs included:

* Colt: CM901 multicaliber rifle (5.56mm through 7.62mm)
* ADCOR: B.E.A.R. Elite (5.56mm)
* FN USA: SCAR-16 (5.56mm)
* HK USA: HK416 (5.56mm).
* Remington: Adaptive Combat Rifle multi-caliber (5.56mm, 6.5mm Grendel, or 6.8mm)"

Photos that surfaced after the recent crash of the Chinook in Afgan show a H&K lower receiver in the debris.
 
FN makes all the M16s now and Colt no longer has exclusive rights to the M4. Any new M4s will most likely be built by FN as Colt was selling the M4s for like 1300 a pop. FN makes the M16 for like 600 a pop and I bet they will undersell most anyone for any future M4 contracts.
 
$1300 for the M4 includes the KAC forend, flat top, heavy barrel and other goodies.
The FN A4 made for the Marines and including similar options is priced similar to the M4

ALL other manufacturers are on test and evaluation basis only right now, none have a contract for production manufacturing rights and FN will likely underbid Colt on the M4 furture production.
 
The FN built Military guns are made at FNMI in Columbia, SC. Just like the Beretta pistols are made in Maryland.
 
What ugaarguy said -- with the exception of some very small lots of small arms procured for SOCOM or other special purposes (i.e. AKs and other foreign weapons for familiarization training), by US law anything on issue to US forces have to be made here in the US.

What might be sad is that US industry is so inefficient they can't underbid foreign corporations that have to eat the cost of building a factory here in the US to compete, but that seems par for the course here in the waning days of the empire.
 
The Colts didn't seem to rattle like a can of beans, the FN M16 I was issued at Bragg was terrible, the upper receiver tipped about 1/8" and I think I shot maybe one 30rd mag out of it without it jamming (don't try to tell me I didn't clean it enough, my weapons were always clean enough to preform surgery with, and yes I tried no oil, little oil and lots of oil, it was just a POS). But the Colt I was issued in Korea had an M203 attached and you could put it on fire and balance the trigger on your finger without it going off, somewhere around 11 lbs I would think. (I still shot expert with it though) The FNs I saw had way more machining marks inside the receivers and you could cut yourself if you weren't careful while cleaning them. The coating on (some of) the FNs seemed to turn greenish and scratch very easily. Now I am not meaning to bash any company, I am only passing along my observations, I am by no means a fan of Colt or even the M16/M4 (direct gas impingement and those ****** star chamber make me mad). I also realize, being stuck in a medical unit, we were probably passed other units junk. Bottom line, lowest bidder.

P.S. Sorry I was so vague, I didn't mean to sound like one of the guys who make one line, "this great, this POS", comments.
 
Currently downrange here (Army Infantry), and we just finished up with a "makers count" of our company's M4 rifles. All of them are Colt.

I cant speak for the rest of the Army, but have asked buddies in other units the same question, and all of them are coming back with "all Colt M4's" as well.

A decent little carbine, but I wouldn't trade my issued "Winchester" M14 for any of them.

11B
 
Schaefer, the problems you describe can happen in any AR-pattern rifle regardless of manufacturer. It's a combination of poor maintainence, overcleaning, and bureucratic neglect.

What you saw was the property book. It does not reflect purchase price, it reflects current estimated dollar value. When I was in Germany in 1993, M-16s were a little more than $400, 1911s were $58, and M-3 grease guns were less than $9.
 
Rock River never has and probably never will make guns for the military. They gotba small part of a DEA contract along with Colt and another company. These were guns built to a specific spec and not the same as the entry tactical you get at your LGS.
Click to expand...

The only differences in "specs" were what was botled onto the rifle, i.e., handguards, flip-up sights, etc. The core rifles are, or at least were, built with the same exact materials and specs as what they were producing for civilians. Of course, that is to say post-anodizing M4 feedramps, loctited, unstaked castle nuts, marginal gas key staking, 4140 barrel steel, and all the usual RRA assembly methods.
 
Please be specific about the "heavy" M4 barrel. IIRC the latest revision simply eliminated the M203 cuts.

Has anyone actually measured them, or is this just more truth from the internet?
 
Tirod said:
Please be specific about the "heavy" M4 barrel. IIRC the latest revision simply eliminated the M203 cuts.

Has anyone actually measured them, or is this just more truth from the internet?
Click to expand...
I thought the new improved M4 was going to have the SOCOM barrel which is heavier than govt profile.
 
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