This thread, which is about a year old, pretty well sums it up. Little or nothing has changed since then.
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=178238&highlight=Colt+Factory
Colt Factory Tour
By: CT/S.L.
What does it say about the nature of manufacturing in the United States that Colt firearms is no longer located under the fabled blue dome, but in an industrial park in Hartford Connecticut, nestled between an Audi dealership, a Home Depot and a BJ's wholesale club? Does it imply that America of the early 21st century values conspicuous consumption and flash over the more time honored values of hard work, craftsmanship, and building something with your own two hands?
I was about to find out, as I prepared to meet Mark Roberts, the new sales and marketing director for Colt, and a valued contributor on this board. Mark had graciously extended an offer to visit the factory, and living nearby I was happy to take him up on it.
If not for the Colt logo prominently posted outside the administration building, the organization could have been making anything from television sets to radial tires, the first hint that this was not a typical manufacturing facility was when I was confronted at the reception desk by a metal detector, and a sign stating that if I was carrying a firearm, I
needed to declare it to security. There was no indication of what might subsequently happen if I declared a firearm, and since I was sans my sidearm having come directly from work, it was a non-issue. Mark greeted me, and we went to his office in the administration building where it looked like most of the non production related activities (AR, AP, HR, Sales, Marketing, CS, executive offices etc.) were located. We then adjourned to the display room where we got down to some detail on Colt, the process, and the product line.
The display room was impressive, with samples of most every model firearm Colt has produced since its founding. There were Walker Colts, SAA of every caliber and finish, Colt lightning's, Anacondas, Pythons, Troopers, Pony's and of course the ever present 1911. It was here that Mark and I talked about the company today, challenges, opportunities, and the future state of Colt Mfg as he would like to see it. We talked about the separation of Colt Defense from Colt's manufacturing (commercial), and despite the fact that both are located in the same factory, they are in fact completely different entities. In the factory they are separated by a physical fence running down the center of the building, to avoid mingling inventory, or to satisfy auditors I suppose.
Right away Mark made it clear that to try to compare Colt to other 1911 manufacturers is like trying to compare apples to oranges, Colt firearms company of today is a smaller shop than it had been historically. Having visited S&W and Sigarms previously, Mark told me that I should expect something more specialty oriented, more labor intensive, and more dependent on the worker as a craftsman, rather than the worker as a parts "assembler". This led nicely into a discussion of the current workforce, and how the labor situation at Colt has improved since the well-publicized strike of the late 1980's; when some people feel that the quality of Colts product took a dip. I do want to take this opportunity to put to bed one of the most rampant yet esoteric rumors on gun boards; that rumor is that as a result of agreements with the State of Connecticut or that as some term of the bankruptcy proceedings that Colt is somehow forced to hire less than desirable unskilled workers. Mark told me that the average age of the workforce was above 50 years old, and from what I saw during the factory tour (more on that later), he was not kidding. The workers at Colt all seem to be very experienced, and to have a lot of confidence in their work. By some of the hand finishing I was able to see, I could tell that these people were truly skilled craftsman who seemed to take pride in their work.
The conversation then turned to the current Colt model line, and I hit Mark up for any information regarding what we might expect for new offerings from Colt in the near future. Mark made it clear that at least in the short term, double action revolvers (Anaconda, King Cobra, Python, Detective Special etc.) were not being produced, and if they ever were to become available again, they would be made in such a way as to take advantage of advances in manufacturing technology. Mark admitted that given the means of production currently available to Colt, they would have to charge so much for a Python that its price would necessarily limit the number Colt would sell. To explain why, we took a closer look at the Python, and Mark pointed out the hammer and trigger made of barstock, the quality of the internal parts, as well as the hand fitting and polishing required to bring the piece to the quality level people expect of a Python. Some may argue that they would be willing to pay the premium that a Python commands over a 686, but the reality of the world is that Colt is in business to make money, and turning a profit on a $1400 .357 revolver is just not in the cards for Colt at the present time.
I promised you a no holds barred interview and report, so from there the conversation carried over to new products, and I pointed out to Mark that most other 1911 makers had at least one polymer model in their product line, most had at least one high cap model, as well as models with accessory rails. These companies seem to be focusing on the future and making new product development and releases a large part of their marketing and advertising strategy. At the same time, it seemed to me that Colt was taking the opposite tack, and were too eager to fall back on history and legacy in an effort to sell their basic 1911 design. My question was specifically regarding the Colt reproduction models (WWI, WWII, and Series 70) that they released in the last few years, while companies like Kimber were coming out with models like the Warrior, and Springfield had introduced the re-badged HS 2000 as the XD model with quite a bit of success.
Mark fully admitted that he thought Colts market appeal was hurt somewhat by the lack of diversity in the product line, but then mentioned that when Colt made an effort to build a more modern pistol on the 1911 frame (Gunsite), it was their slowest moving model (hence the reason it is not being manufactured at least for the first six months of 2006). I countered with the thought that perhaps some consumers feel that $1400 was a bit steep for a factory pistol, especially when presented side by side on a dealers shelf with a Kimber, STI, or Springfield. Mark agreed and again pointed out that Colts target market was not necessarily those shooters with money burning a hole in their pockets, determined to go out and buy the "flavor of the week" 1911 advertised on the back cover of last months Handguns magazine because they had been swayed by the "neato" factor and some fancy photographs. Mark implied but did not say outright that Colts target market was somewhat more mature, had more disposable income, appreciated hand craftsmanship, could tell the difference between a barstock hammer and a cast hammer, and were willing to pay for that difference.
Before we headed into the factory, Mark made it clear that at least in the short term Colts emphasis would be on 1911's and SAA's, as that was the market where they felt that their history and legacy would be of the greatest benefit to them. I submitted that if Colt was determined to stick with 1911's and SAA's, might it not benefit them to broaden those two
lines, and offer perhaps a longslide model, hard chrome finishes, titanium frames, more caliber choices (10mm, 9mm, 40 Super, 400 Cor-Bon, etc.)
Mark replied that for the time being, Colt had to focus on its core business and if demand for Colt 1911's really take off, additional models may be in the offering, but likely not this year. With that, we went into the factory to see these weapons being made first hand. Before I tell you what you will see in the Colt factory, let me tell you what you will not see. You will not see assembly lines, you will not see huge bins of pre-finished subcontracted parts hammers, ejectors, and other parts, and you will not see parts assemblers working on guns.
When you enter the Colt production building, and after you pass through the metal detectors, the first thing that strikes you is how large the building housing Colts Mfg really is, and how few people you see working there. The area where the double action revolvers had been built is cleared out now to make room for future expansion, again this not to say that the revolvers will never be back, but looking at the factory floor it is apparent that it won't be anytime soon.
I have to admit that my first thought when entering the shop floor was "where are all the workers?" This was around 2pm on a Friday, so I asked Mark if perhaps Colt ran their shifts 6am-2pm, but he assured me that the workers were present, and that we would meet them as we toured. The smell was the unmistakable blend of cutting oil, machine grease, and metal shavings that will be familiar to anyone who has spent much time around machine shops. Milling machines, lathes, drill presses, and polishing wheels abounded around the edge of the building, and one got the immediate impression that there were a lot more machines than people, just waiting to be used.
Given the uproar recently on internet boards regarding the presence of MIM and cast material in areas where the original ordnance specs did not call for them, I was pleased that one of our first stops was to look at the raw materials used in the fabrication of the hammers. I saw pieces of barstock several feet long, formed in the profile (side view) of the various spur hammers used by Colt on their 1911's. If you picture the way your deli slices ham, the principle was the same, each hammer "sliced" from this piece of barstock would have the same profile, and would only await final machining, fitting and polishing. I had heard the term "barstock" hammer before, but it never really clicked until I saw it in person. Mark then let me compare a cast hammer from an aftermarket parts manufacturer to the barstock hammers Colt was producing. Side by side you could just feel that the barstock hammer was superior, it was denser, and had the feeling of being more substantial than the cast model. Mark was quick to point out that there is nothing necessarily wrong with a cast hammer, but that Colt prefers to use barstock, because Colts customer base can tell the difference.
I go into some detail here on the hammer because to me it sums up Mark and Colt's attitude toward the entire process of manufacturing a 1911. The new ways are not necessarily bad, but they are not necessarily better than the old either. Some companies feel that there is value to the traditional materials and method, and they are betting that there are consumers who feel the same way. That is Colts market, those customers for whom the traditional methods materials make a difference, and who are willing to pay a bit extra for it. I would be lying however if I told you that I did not sense a little of the "we have the most recognizable trademark in the industry, and much of that cachet is based on tradition, so lets play up the fact that we are remaining true to the traditional methods" attitude among the folks at Colt. Since Colt does have money tied up in traditional machinery, a valuable trademark and history, and a very experienced workforce adept at making 1911's using these machines who can blame Colt for playing to their strengths?
I was very impressed by the blueing operation, although like so much of Colts plant it seemed grossly oversized for the number of pistols I saw being built. I guess you could look at it one of two ways, either Colt is gearing up to be ready for the rush or expected orders, or they are doing only a small percentage of the number of pieces that they did in their heyday, sadly I got the feeling that the latter was the case rather than the former. It was a bit melancholy, as one could easily picture in ones mind 5X the numbers of workers being present, building 1911's, Pythons, SAA's and detective specials, and the place humming with activity; then I was jolted back to reality by the single worker lifting a single rack of 1911 slides from the blueing tanks. It was the same throughout the rest of the factory as well, and I couldn't shake the idea in the back of my mind that there was a huge amount of money invested in machinery just sitting idle. Once you spend the money for the equipment, you want it running, as idle equipment makes money for no one. I admit given the vintage of some of the equipment (vintage meaning simply old, I don't want to give anyone the idea that the factory was dirty or junky, on the contrary, the equipment I saw seemed in good working order and well cared for the most part, which made its idleness even more ironic I thought) it is likely paid for and off the books decades ago, so the financial effect of the idle machines is mitigated somewhat.
From the blueing operation we looked into the area where Colt makes the polishing compound they use to obtain the beautiful high gloss blue you will find on certain Colt firearms. I can't go into any detail about the compound as it is proprietary, but I can tell you that if your great grandfather owned a 1911 or a SAA, then it was polished using the same compound that Colt is using today, and no, you can't buy it in stores. Just another example of little things that set Colt apart. Is there anything wrong with matte oxide bead blasted finishes? Certainly not. Will some people always prefer and be willing to pay for high luster Colt blue? Yes they will, and Colt will be happy to provide it. I should also point out at this time that all the polishing at Colt is done by hand, sitting in front of a polishing wheel. We are not simply talking about polishing out casting defects (Colt doesn't use cast frames or slides), we are talking about buffing the product to a mirror shine. Now I grant you I can imagine polishing the flats on a 1911 slide, but you should see the polishing and level of detail that goes into finishing a Colt SAA. If ever there were a gun designed not to be polished by hand, it is the Colt SAA, originating before most modern manufacturing processes, it is full of curves, bends, and subtle contour changes, but Colt feels that hand polishing is the only way to get the finish right. Polish too hard, and you take off too much blueing, polish too lightly and you will have variation in luster from one area to the next. To watch the craftsman turn the SAA over in his hands against the polishing wheel, for just the right amount of time, with just the right amount of pressure, and to watch the mirror finish develop is like poetry in motion. Anyone can run a CNC machine with a little training, but it takes time and dedication to develop the skills necessary to polish a SAA by hand.
Working backward a little, as we already saw the final polishing, Mark showed me the forged billets of steel that would become slides and frames, I was surprised at how large and heavy the billets were, and remarked to Mark that his waste percentage by weight must be huge in the machining process. He agreed, but stated that only by starting with oversized billets could Colt be sure that the finished product would be suitable, with a smile pointed out that that it was easy to machine material away, much harder to put it back on again. Even the small parts like the ejector were machined from a solid steel plate, done the traditional way, and fit by hand.
Once all the parts were machined and assembled, we walked through the area where the pistols were finally built. At each workstation were bins of small parts (hammer struts, hammer strut pins, barrel links, mainspring housings caps and pins, among others) admittedly not all manufactured on site but all seemingly of the highest quality. At each bench was a single person with their own tools building a single pistol, one person might build several pistols per shift, but each one would be built by one pair of hands one at a time. I saw no obvious rushing during building, the pieces were carefully mated together, the fit was checked, then adjusted and checked again until the craftsman (or woman) was satisfied. You will note that I am not using the word assemble, because at least in my mind that has the connotation of an assembly line, or an unskilled laborer simply putting parts together in hopes that they fit; this was most definitely not what was going on at Colt. These were obviously skilled workers, who were more interested in seeing that things were right rather than easy.
You may wonder with this level of hand building and checking how some of the quality issues that have popped up with Colt pistols could get out the door. I wondered the same thing, and Mark and I talked for a while on the subject. You see hand building can be a two edged sword, on the one hand you have the attention to detail and the ability to think and adapt to various situations that no CNC machine and assembly line will ever duplicate. On the other hand you are going to introduce a more subjective construction and inspection scheme. On a CNC machine it is easy to tell if something is in or out of tolerance, when a human being is grinding, or drilling, or polishing, or fitting a piece, their subjective decision as to where to stop is going to influence the tolerances of the finished piece. Sure micrometers, gauges, spec sheets and go/no go tolerances are used, and
sure we as the buying public expect perfection for our hard earned money, but the bottom line is that products built by hand will have more variation than those built by machine.
