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Colt discontinues AR15 production for consumer market

I personally don't think that military contracts will keep Colt afloat. They lost the M4A1 contract to FN, who now makes the vast majority of US military small arms - M4A1, M320 Grenade Launcher, M240 MG, M249 MG. Colt does have a contract to provide the short barrels for the M249, but I can't see that keeping them in the black. Maybe they're banking on contracts for military repair parts, I dunno. I can't see police departments buying enough guns to make a significant difference, either.
 
To be clear, I own two Colt ARs. My Colt Accurized Rifle-A3, and my old 9MM NATO Carbine purchased on Departmental Letterhead.
I like them both, but I am still disappointed in the sear block that Colt incorporated into the receiver of my A3 and the large pins for the trigger/hammer. It was not mandated by the AWB of that era under Klinton, and the so-called "improved" trigger group is anything but.
They have turned their backs on the public before this recent BS, and will do so again in the future as the political winds shift.
I built my latest project AR from Aero components and a Faxon bbl; it is demonstrably superior to both my Colts.
F'em.
GotRDid.
 
FWIW: I don't own an AR platform. Nothing against them or owning one. I just have other shooters to play with and others to purchase or modify.
 
nicholst55 said:
I personally don't think that military contracts will keep Colt afloat. They lost the M4A1 contract to FN, who now makes the vast majority of US military small arms - M4A1, M320 Grenade Launcher, M240 MG, M249 MG. Colt does have a contract to provide the short barrels for the M249, but I can't see that keeping them in the black. Maybe they're banking on contracts for military repair parts, I dunno. I can't see police departments buying enough guns to make a significant difference, either.
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I could be wrong on this , but didn't H&K get the contract for the new 6.8 piston guns..? I am like you I don't see what their saying is gona work out for them.... The .45 is dieing down , along with the 1911 market of somewhat , plus there's a few decent and a few real good 1911 builders out there.... As far as snub nose revolvers that market is also flooded.... Maybe they will get smart and bring the python back.... That would sell if priced right...
 
Truth is there is a glut of ARs in the marketplace, which had driven prices (and margins) down. It doesn't surprise me that some may seek to exit this environment until margins improve.

But the announcement was timed really, REALLY badly, if there was really no politics behind it.
 
Centuriator said:
Who of "us shooters"? The kind of shooter who understands what Colt makes and why and understands that when he buys a COLT AR he is getting the only true "mil spec" AR avaialble, since COLT owns the TDP for the AR-15 (licensed to FN), and the fact that the COLT AR is utterly reliable and gets the job done.

The kind of shooter who does not need to be buffaloed with baloney by slick marketing from other AR makers who will try to convince you their ARs are somehow any better (talking to you BCM), etc.

The kind of shooter who actually has researched and done his homework on the AR-15 and understands the COLT 6920 and iterations of it remains today (until recently) the very best choice for your first "go to" AR.

That kind of shooter.

I've put tens of thousands of rounds through various COLT ARs, most recently my M4A1 SOCOM.

All this talk about "better" brands is just that...talk...unless/until you start to take a look at genuinely innovative AR rifles, like LMT's line of AR rifles.
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Nothing wrong with Colts except sear blocks and large pins, but on the other hand nothing special either. TDP or not the AR specs are well known and basically in public domain. Don’t see a whole lot if any Colts in Highpower competition
 
Last Colt I owned was a 9mm SMG. Sold it 2001 to buy a H-K MP5. Wish I had them both back but I really enjoyed all the profits I made on them.
Back in the mid-seventies I thought I was kiillin' it buying and selling Diamondbacks and Detective Specials. I was making $25/gun and they were plentiful in the secondary market. Maybe I just shouldn't look back. :(
 
lb-ft said:
Meh. Colt has been dead to me for a very long time.

Only part that’s particularly irksome is the timing.

This has the markings of “Never let a crisis go to waste”. Shame on you, colt.

Absolutely the timing is political.
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Maybe Colt civilian AR sales were not so good, and a great time to say goodby to the "commercial" market. Have lusted after the older Match HBAR Colts, but never bought one. I have other AR's tho.
Dennis Veilleux, President and Chief Executive Officer, makes a good case for his company's decision in his statement. For me, hard to argue with it.
But the timing, and a stated public explanation; is either very honest, or effectively caving in to the current bias against this platform. I dunno. Generally profit rules the day.
 
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tomswede said:
Nothing wrong with Colts except sear blocks and large pins, but on the other hand nothing special either.
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There's nothing special about Colt AR-15s, that is correct. Nor should there be. They work. Period.

As for "sear blocks" and "large pins" ... your information way out of date. LOL.
 
Centuriator said:
There's nothing special about Colt AR-15s, that is correct. Nor should there be. They work. Period.

As for "sear blocks" and "large pins" ... your information way out of date. LOL.
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So does my ArmaLite and Rock Rivers, so nothing special with that.
As for sear blocks and large pins, maybe I missed that since they are not used much.
 
You are choosing to miss the point. If you want a "special" AR you'd have to pay 2 or 3 times as much as you for a COLT to get a genuinely "special" one..if you want a cheap non-mil spec one, you can buy cheaper ones. As for "not used much" ... sorry, you just don't know what you are talking about. But I know this is not an AR forum, but a bench rest, precision rifle group, so I don't expect folks to be up to speed on ARs.
 
For the people who are trying to spin this as something made up by Colt for political reasons....there's this announcement made today. So, yes, they have their hands plenty fully making ARs for military contracts. Here is a statement issued today by the US DOD:

Colt’s Manufacturing Co. LLC, West Hartford, Connecticut, was awarded a $41,924,594 firm-fixed-price Foreign Military Sales (Afghanistan, Bahrain, Djibouti, Federated States of Micronesia, Hungary, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Macedonia, Marshall Islands, Palau, St. Vincent and Grenadines, and Tunisia) contract for production for the M4 and M4A1 carbines. One bid was solicited with one bid received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 18, 2024. U.S. Army Contracting Command, New Jersey, is the contracting activity (W15QKN-19-D-0116).
 
Colt is not relevant today. They have not been in quite some time. They have financial woes stemming from their refusal to leave that commie state and kick the auto workers union out of their factory. How did the UAW get in there to begin with?
 
Centuriator said:
You are choosing to miss the point. If you want a "special" AR you'd have to pay 2 or 3 times as much as you for a COLT to get a genuinely "special" one..if you want a cheap non-mil spec one, you can buy cheaper ones. As for "not used much" ... sorry, you just don't know what you are talking about. But I know this is not an AR forum, but a bench rest, precision rifle group, so I don't expect folks to be up to speed on ARs.
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Bet you'd be surprised.
IMG_3843.jpg
 
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