View Full Version : Colt Halts Production of Long Guns for the Retail Market
wctriumph
09-12-2019, 14:05
https://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/colt-halts-sales-of-long-guns-to-the-retail-market/
The long, difficult saga of Colt?s Manufacturing (https://www.colt.com/) has taken another turn. Firearms distributor RSR Group (https://www.rsrgroup.com/) has sent an email blast to their retail customers announcing that Colt will no longer produce long guns for the retail market.
BPTactical
09-12-2019, 14:38
Striving hard to be the American HK
How is this news? Any company that is incapable of evolving their business or products to match the customer base or market is destined to fail. Colt chose a business model that assumed they could ride the .gov tit forever. They got slapped off the tit and now they are screwed because they didn't plan for it.
spqrzilla
09-12-2019, 14:48
Colt management could F up a perfect business plan.
beast556
09-12-2019, 14:55
Colt has always been a shitbag company!!!!
Bailey Guns
09-12-2019, 16:32
For all you guys that wanna get rid of those nasty Colts, I'll pay you 10 cents on the dollar to take them off your hands. None of you fine ladies and gentlemen would dare want to be caught with one of those horrible guns, now would you? Come on. I'm doing you a solid. I'm just nice like that.
Scanker19
09-12-2019, 16:37
For all you guys that wanna get rid of those nasty Colts, I'll pay you 10 cents on the dollar to take them off your hands. None of you fine ladies and gentlemen would dare want to be caught with one of those horrible guns, now would you? Come on. I'm doing you a solid. I'm just nice like that.
I’d take you up on that but I only buy tier 1 stuff.
Bailey Guns
09-12-2019, 16:43
I've heard that's a thing around here.
beast556
09-12-2019, 16:47
I don't think anyone is questioning Colt's quality.
They have set the industry standard for the last 60 years. It's there business practices. I won't be supprised if they don't get another government contract and go out of business.
I’d take you up on that but I only buy tier 1 stuff.
[LOL]
SideShow Bob
09-12-2019, 17:30
Their, not there............
Bailey Guns, you may not be familiar with the "Tier 1" term as I don't think you spend much time at the mall. You likely know "Mil Spec", a term used by the US Military. :)
Colt's are "Mil Spec", Tier 1 guns are chosen by Facebook user groups. ( I hope all you Tier 1 guys take this in the humorous way it's intended).
It's hard to argue that Colt hasn't been mis-managed the past 20-30 years, but there was a time they were a quality company. It makes me sad to think about where they are vs. where they could be. My oldest Colt military gun was shipped in 1862, my most recent is a M45a1 shipped to the Marines just a few years ago. The M45a1 was returned to Colt because it did not function properly. Good for me the Colt collector, but certainly a poor statement on the quality of some Colt firearms these days.
As a side note some are claiming the story that Colt will not sell AR15's to consumers again isn't true. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.
whitewalrus
09-12-2019, 17:57
I bring you live to the scene where our reporter is saying that the prices of colts on armslist have doubled overnight....
:)
Colorado Osprey
09-12-2019, 19:08
As a side note some are claiming the story that Colt will not sell AR15's to consumers again isn't true. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.
You mean like from 1994 to 2004 when all Colt AR's were marked for Military/Government,LE or Export use only. But they were still sold to the public?
Have you noticed that most of the used Colt AR's being sold are listed as RARE?
As a side note some are claiming the story that Colt will not sell AR15's to consumers again isn't true.
-including Colt. See info on TOS.
-including Colt. See info on TOS.
TOS?
Great-Kazoo
09-12-2019, 22:21
You mean like from 1994 to 2004 when all Colt AR's were marked for Military/Government,LE or Export use only. But they were still sold to the public?
Have you noticed that most of the used Colt AR's being sold are listed as RARE?
Nothing an 80% lower and laser engraver couldn't make even more rare. Especially with a misspelled word in the mix. Like for lewd enforcement only.
Rucker61
09-12-2019, 22:25
Nothing an 80% lower and laser engraver couldn't make even more rare. Especially with a misspelled word in the mix. Like for lewd enforcement only.
SUBSCRIBE
Another site is saying this isn't true.
The nicest house I ever worked on, in Sedalia was a former house of Colts CEO. The new homeowner told me it was just one of many houses the CEO owned. May have ran a company into the ground but he ain't hurting.
Bailey Guns
09-13-2019, 06:34
Last guy I remember running Colt was a retired General. I don't keep up with that sort of thing, though.
I would like to see Colt make a big turn-around...like S&W did some years ago. Personally, I hate to see iconic American companies come to an end. Even those like Sears.
Can someone explain to me what makes Colt better than other rifle makers?
I get that they make quality guns, but no one has ever satisfactorily explained why their rifles are better than, say, JP, Larue, etc.
And from an innovation standpoint, their stuff all seems like it's perpetually about 5 years behind where the industry is at.
Can someone explain to me what makes Colt better than other rifle makers?
I get that they make quality guns, but no one has ever satisfactorily explained why their rifles are better than, say, JP, Larue, etc.
And from an innovation standpoint, their stuff all seems like it's perpetually about 5 years behind where the industry is at.
They likely are not any better then the brands you note, but Colt has been making firearms a long time and has been a US Gov. firearms contractor for roughly 170 years. They have built AR15's longer than anyone. History counts. While you are being optimist to say they are only 5 years behind their AR's are know to run and run well. Countless other companies build AR's, most of these build great firearms and have useful features that Colt doesn't offer. However the Colt history and the Gov contracts carry the day for me. I think they are a great value for the current retail prices and an exceptional value used at $500-$600.
I'll add that for me the first AR I shot back in the mid 70's was a Colt and somehow that stuck with me. There's that history thing again :)
Bailey Guns
09-13-2019, 09:47
I don't think an argument can be made that Colt makes a better rifle these days with all the boutique makers around. 15 to 20 years ago that wasn't the case. Colt was pretty much the standard by which others were judged.
Do they make a good, reliable rifle? Of course. I have several and they're all as close to 100% reliable as one can probably get. Then again, all but 2 of mine (I think I have 8) are from the 70s and 80s. My "modern" Colts are an LE6920 and an AR6520.
And they hold their value better than most.
I'm just really into horse stuff.
I'm just really into horse stuff.
I think that's legal in Oregon now. Or maybe Washington. At any rate, I ain't googling it.
I purchased two Colt 1911s in the early 90s. Neither of them functioned well without a considerable amount of fitting by a gunsmith. One of the frames cracked and the other had several issues, broken parts, and never was completely reliable. My friend who also purchased a couple of them had pretty much the same experience. There isn't anything Colt makes for the civilian market that can't be purchased or assembled with higher quality parts for a lot less money. They made it clear a long time ago they don't care about the civilian market. I was dumb enough to purchase their junk twice when I was young...won't do it again. The only things I would like with their name on it is an older Python and/or an authentic CSAA, but there is a long list of things on my list of wants before I ever get to those.
Latest I have seen says it is probably a temporary halt on rifle sales.
I think there are reasons that FNH is the contractor and Colt isn't. It's my opinion that Colt rode the Govt. gravy train too long and didn't keep up.
Bailey Guns
09-13-2019, 12:46
Apparently Colt still has some pretty substantial government contracts...$88M worth as of last Nov I think.
My experience with their 1911s goes back further than it does with their rifles. Never a single problem...though I almost always used aftermarket mags. I don't recall my duty gun ever having a failure of any type.
My bad. Colt lost the M4 contract in 2013...but it appears that they're still in the game:
COLT, FN SPLIT $177 MILLION ARMY M4 CONTRACT AWARDS (https://www.guns.com/news/2018/11/13/colt-fn-split-177-million-army-m4-contract-awards)
Aloha_Shooter
09-14-2019, 10:04
I thought they went this route years ago. I'm not in the market for another AR anyway ...
Last guy I remember running Colt was a retired General. I don't keep up with that sort of thing, though.
I would like to see Colt make a big turn-around...like S&W did some years ago. Personally, I hate to see iconic American companies come to an end. Even those like Sears.
I'm the opposite. Seeing the old guard fall is proof the American dream is still alive and upstarts can displace them.
Grant H.
09-19-2019, 15:25
Pipe dream I know, but they can go pound sand uphill with this kind of limp wristed response...
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.foxnews.com/us/colt-suspending-production-of-ar-15-for-civilians.amp
Chicken sh!ts
Repost.
Colt Halts Production of Long Guns for the Retail Market
https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?share_fid=56497&share_tid=175547&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ear-15%2Eco%2Fshowthread%2Ephp%3Ft%3D175547&share_type=t
Grant H.
09-19-2019, 15:59
That's what I get for doing this on the phone.
Grant H.
09-19-2019, 16:04
Can someone explain to me what makes Colt better than other rifle makers?
I get that they make quality guns, but no one has ever satisfactorily explained why their rifles are better than, say, JP, Larue, etc.
And from an innovation standpoint, their stuff all seems like it's perpetually about 5 years behind where the industry is at.
They aren't even close to the same level of quality as JP and Larue.
They would be comparable to Bushmaster, Stag, etc...
They are a run of the mill .mil spec rifle made with mediocre quality control at best.
Or you just aren?t fully submersed in the culture of the forums and missed the earlier post.
Just busting your chops a bit.
Grant H.
09-19-2019, 16:05
A well deserved busting of the chops too!
Circuits
09-19-2019, 16:10
This has been going around on the webs for over a week. They're not stopping civilian production, they're temporarily focusing on some government contracts. Still plenty of ponies in the pipeline, and they'll be making more new ones for those that want 'em when the .gov contracts are fulfilled.
Nothing new.
Nothing permanent.
hurley842002
09-19-2019, 16:13
They would be comparable to Bushmaster, Stag, etc...
Many folks buy an AR based on "specs", when you take that into consideration, your statement is not accurate.
I'm not a tier one operator, so to a certain extent, I couldn't care less, but I've owned Bushmaster's, Colts, Daniel Defense, BCM, and the Colts and BCM's ran the best, with the Bushmaster a very close second, and surprisingly the DD last in terms of reliability.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Zundfolge
09-19-2019, 16:14
Colt management could F up a perfect business plan.
I'm convinced that Colt management could lose money with a Chick-Fil-A franchise.
I get that they make quality guns, but no one has ever satisfactorily explained why their rifles are better than, say, JP, Larue, etc.
I wouldn?t necessarily say they make a better product but they have been making firearms for a hundred and fifty years longer than either of the other companies you mentioned and they started supplying firearms to the US military around 1872.
A history like that kind of builds a reputation. Let me know in about another hundred and twenty five years where JP and Larue end up.
(FYI- I?m not endorsing Colt or their products and I?m definitely not some kind of fan boy. Just tossing out facts as to why Colt has a reputation for making a decent product.)
How is this news? Any company that is incapable of evolving their business or products to match the customer base or market is destined to fail. Colt chose a business model that assumed they could ride the .gov tit forever. They got slapped off the tit and now they are screwed because they didn't plan for it.
Not that I disagree with your assessment of Colt's management, but I believe they are suspending retail sales because they're having a hard time keeping up with their gov contract fulfillment. Seems to me they didn't over-tool up during the big panics like others did. That combined with all the new entries making AR's and they're kinda right that there's excess manufacturing capacity - except at Colt of course.
Latest I have seen says it is probably a temporary halt on rifle sales.
My bad. Colt lost the M4 contract in 2013...but it appears that they're still in the game:
COLT, FN SPLIT $177 MILLION ARMY M4 CONTRACT AWARDS (https://www.guns.com/news/2018/11/13/colt-fn-split-177-million-army-m4-contract-awards)
Grant H.
09-19-2019, 17:21
C'mon, why you gotta make my faux internet outrage meaningless and misplaced?!?
I hope that's true, but I wouldn't be terribly surprised to find out that they are pandering to the idiots.
theGinsue
09-19-2019, 17:25
Threads merged
...but I wouldn't be terribly surprised to find out that they are pandering to the idiots.
Such an expectation wouldn't be misplaced gauging from similar actions by many of the other big name gun companies in the past (Ruger comes easily to mind).
eddiememphis
09-20-2019, 09:20
https://www.colt.com/news/2630
Colt's statement
I'm seeing this misrepresented by the MSM this morning. They're implying that Colt is doing this due to social pressure with their snippets of Colt's actual statement, particularly with this sentence: "At the end of the day, we believe it is good sense to follow consumer demand and to adjust as market dynamics change."
This isn't as tilted as what I'm seeing live from the morning Fox 31 anchors;
https://kdvr.com/2019/09/19/colt-will-stop-making-ar-15-rifles-for-consumers/ (https://kdvr.com/2019/09/19/colt-will-stop-making-ar-15-rifles-for-consumers/)
I'm seeing this misrepresented by the MSM this morning. They're implying that Colt is doing this due to social pressure with their snippets of Colt's actual statement, particularly with this sentence: "At the end of the day, we believe it is good sense to follow consumer demand and to adjust as market dynamics change."
This isn't as tilted as what I'm seeing live from the morning Fox 31 anchors;
https://kdvr.com/2019/09/19/colt-will-stop-making-ar-15-rifles-for-consumers/ (https://kdvr.com/2019/09/19/colt-will-stop-making-ar-15-rifles-for-consumers/)
Convenient they put it print in the story transcript but left it on the cutting room floor for the video.
""Currently, these high-volume contracts are absorbing all of Colt's manufacturing capacity for rifles," the Connecticut-based company said."
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