Time to buy a Colt 1911

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wow6599

wow6599

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With Colt Defense's financial problems, I figured I should own at least one Colt 1911 (had a Colt CS 1911 that I sold) in case they shut the doors - however unlikely that may be.

Because of recent purchases, and Christmas approaching, I stuck a O1970A1CS on layaway with Bud's until the first of the year. Side note - their price went from $873 a few days ago to $993 today :scrutiny:

Glad I got it when I did.

Here's my question though - is it realistic to think there is even a small chance Colt could fold? I would guess that they would be gobbled up by someone again and start shaving costs, i.e. cheaper materials, no longer being unionized, etc. - but what about no more Colt all together? Too much value in the name?

I'm guessing they will go the way of Remington, Marlin, Winchester, etc., which could make present day Colts "collector" items?

Any opinions?
 
Well, they're not Yugos, so, worse case it that somebody will carry on the replacement parts and such. There will still be money in that. Just my 2 ¢.
 
My first few 1911's were Colts, there are a lot better versions out there though.
 
One report out of Wall Street said that not counting a forthcoming 70 million dollar loan they had 3 million in the bank and total depts of around 300 Million dollars. Not good.:uhoh:

But the chances of someone buying the bankrupt company may be good - it happened at least two times in the past. However what made the company in the past was the quality of its products, and no one can say what a new owner might turn out and slap the name and logo on it.

At the moment I would say that buyers of current and older Colt's will know (or at least should know) exactly what they are getting. What might arrive in the future one cannot say.
 
They got funding recently......course doesn't mean they still won't go away.

I have no worries for my two colt 1911s. Worse that will happen is they will be very valuable down the road...

Being a 1911 most parts won't ever be a problem for the most part.

Enjoy your newest.
 
They got funding recently......course doesn't mean they still won't go away.
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That would be the 70 million dollar loan I mentioned, most of which will go to keep them from defaulting payments on bonds coming due. But current sales and income aren't enough to keep them going over a longer time unless sales improve.
 
Yep - now is definitely the time to buy a Colt - before some vulture like Freedom Group swoops in to scoop them up and drive the quality into the ground.
 
I think Colt needs to diversify a bit.

Right now they're really banking on 1911's and AR-15's. And here's the catch for both of them:

There are companies making products of nearly equal quality for less money. There are companies making better versions of those products for the same money.

They just don't have the prestige IMHO. Colt may be the original but when I think high quality 1911 I think Wilson Combat, Ed Brown, Nighthawk, STI, etc. And if you want bang for your buck Remington, Ruger, and even Rock Island are all making pretty decent 1911's for a lot less money.

IMHO, they have a few options:

1. Bring back their revolver line. Revolvers aren't nearly as popular as they once were so it may not be profitable, but at a minimum nobody is really making good quality copies of Colt revolvers. They could at least be the primary source there.

2. Bring out some new designs. I know the last time or two they tried this it flopped, but the designs also had some serious issues too. Bring out a mainstream firearm with mass-market appeal - something cheaper to produce than the 1911 so that they could compete a bit better price-wise. Make something that people will buy but they don't feel like they're paying a premium for the name. It may be hard to compete with foreign labor but if they can't at least compete with Ruger and S&W then they're going to have issues.
 
1. Bring back their revolver line. Revolvers aren't nearly as popular as they once were so it may not be profitable, but at a minimum nobody is really making good quality copies of Colt revolvers. They could at least be the primary source there.
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I agree on the DA revolver line, and how about a new Woodsman? Ruger sells a ton of the MK lll's around the $500 mark, so keep it in the $550 range and I think they would sell like crazy.
 
Yep - now is definitely the time to buy a Colt - before some vulture like Freedom Group swoops in to scoop them up and drive the quality into the ground.
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I think it's laughable how some regard a possible buyer of a failed company as a villain, when Colt's own self-destructive actions have been a slow motion train wreck for quite some time. The company will get what's coming to them. In the meantime, let's not pretend their products are top of the heap for quality or value.

I won't be selling my 1950s era government model, but nor am I inclined to run out and speculate on their current models. They just don't make'm like they used to, and that's part of a very long list of Colt's problems.
 
Increasing their line of products with new models would be helpful if they proved to be popular.

However such introductions cost big money for design, development, and production tooling. Money is something they don't have. If the company is picked up by new owners they will have to invest many millions of dollars to come forth with new products in an environment where sales are declining overall, and completion is well financed.
 
They need an a small light gun. Maybe in 9mm. Perhaps something in the 4-5 hundred dollar range. Or perhaps a Python, Detective Special, type of revolver remake. That is not priced in the thousand dollar range, like Remington did with the R1, a basic model that may have several versions which they could then mark up.
I definitely would buy a Colt DS, as that was the first new gun I bought. Maybe in 38, 9mm, 357 . But it can't be like S&W did with their "classic series" which were not as good and 3x the price.
For some reason I don't see them coming out with a polymer gun. And not another 380, unless thay did the old 1903 model, that would sell like hotcakes. A hammerless pocket gun.
 
I unfortunately think that the days of Colt an independent company are coming to an end. I think they will be bought by someone who will modernize the offerings and leverage the name the way FN did with Browning, Winchester etc...

In fact I think FN would be a perfect buyer for the company. :eek:

Colt simply has not kept up. It is a shame because the guns being produced today are some of the best guns they have made in a long time. They have made horrible business decisions over the years.

I would love to see the snake guns come back but I wonder if they have the expertise to do them right. To do the name justice. People are paying insane prices for these guns these days. It is hard for me to believe that they could not sell new ones at a profit.
 
I think it's laughable how some regard a possible buyer of a failed company as a villain, when Colt's own self-destructive actions have been a slow motion train wreck for quite some time. The company will get what's coming to them. In the meantime, let's not pretend their products are top of the heap for quality or value.
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I think it's laughable that some people still think current-production Colt pistols don't represent a good value and aren't high-quality firearms.

Colt's recent investments in CNC manufacturing (along with more hand-fitting than most mass-produced 1911s receive) means that their current 1911s are among the best the company has ever made. With XSEs going for as low as $875 (on sale recently at PSA) it's hard to call them a poor value as well. No - they are not on the level of quality of custom or semi-custom pistols like Wilson, Baer, or even Dan Wesson, but no one is saying they are - and those pistols typically cost quite a bit more.

As far as poor business moves such as a failure to diversify and an over-dependence on government contracts - yes, the company does have what's coming to them.

As far as calling a potential buyer a villain, well - that's yet to be seen. No one can dispute the fact that the quality of products from Remington and Marlin have both dropped dramatically since their buyout by a certain capital management company.
 
Coly made a bad move a number of years ago in abandoning consumer sales to concentrate on government contracts. Now they are playing catch-up in a crowded field.
 
Colt has been playing catch-up for most of its existence. They are capable of making really good products but their management has always seemed bewildered and confused by the market around them. :scrutiny: Back in the days when they built hand tuned revolvers one man would be given a box of parts and told to fit it all up perfectly - and if that takes you a whole day - that's fine. No mass production within a "tolerance range" or built to a price point. Those guns were worth more than we paid for them IMO.
 
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So Beretta has been floated as a potential acquirer, as has FN. I'm wondering if a Chinese concern could swoop in to pick up the name and/or assets as a strategic purchase.

And, yes, I'm probably goingvto pick up anothet Colt 1911. But I was going to anyway, regardless of the current issues.
 
Cerberus is trying desperately to unload Remington and all the other firearms companies they bought. The military contracts never materialized, the IPO failed, the attempted spin-off into a segregated fund failed, they are shutting down H&R, etc. It has been a real mess. The last thing in the world they would do is buy another gun manufacturer like Colt.
 
I know Cerberus is not going to buy Colt.

I just using them as a metaphor for a company like Cerberus that likes to put lids on coffins and start nailing.
 
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Colt is kinda being screwed by the LGS's. I haven't seen a single well priced Colt anywhere in Ohio. All are marked up way too high.

Basic Colt rail guns for $1350. Custom Colts for $2000. Kimbers are $1300-1700! What a rip off. $1700 for a $600 Kimber! Can't even get a Colt 1991 GI for less than $1000.

Seems like lesser stores push Kimber and Sig pretty hard. My more skilled/respected stores tend to avoid them. I wonder if some stores are getting really good mark ups from wholesale pricing on Kimber & Sig or something.

Rumor is that it's hard to get credit when your bank was bailed out. Many of those creditors for Colt can't lone to gun companies anymore. Every biz needs a line of credit.

Colt's just getting good again. I think they'll survive.
 
I grew up in New Haven, Connecticut, and my dad, who was a tool designer, worked for just about every gun manufacturer in the area from the fifties through the seventies. In his opinion Colt was the Cadillac of gun makers.
Based on his experience when I bought my AR it was a Colt. Same thing for my 1911. They are both plain stock guns just as they came from the factory. My AR HBAR Sporter has worked flawlessly since 1992, and my Combat Commander is still waiting for its first failure.
I shoot any type of ammo I can get my hands on, and mainly shoot my reloads. Both guns just work.
So if Colt's quality is still as good or better, then I would say that you absolutely should get one or two while you can.
 
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