Colt no longer producing ARs for civilians.

[STFU]

And in other news, all other AR-15 manufacturers are celebrating today's announcement from Colt Defense LLC.
;-)

 

[flyingsquirrel]

Maybe they smell lawsuits coming and are going to bail like they did when handguns without transfer bars were under lawsuits.

 

[Denny347]

Maybe they smell lawsuits coming and are going to bail like they did when handguns without transfer bars were under lawsuits.

Refer to post #5

 

[Kutnupe14]

Yes, remember last week? We talked about how Colt, just emerging from bankruptcy, facing state ownership and union corruption (you know about the UAW criminal matters, yes?), is freezing production for 4Q 2019 so it can concentrate on the PIP contract for those 500,000 M4s to M4A1s.

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/army-plans-its-huge-stockpile-m4a1-rifles-79431

Colt must fulfill this contract as this is a life line to Big Army. Remember, Colt does not have an entry into the 6.8 and MMG program. Not a single one. They screw this up and they are done with DoD. Hello, FN or SIG!

While this makes sense, it's hard to image the current climate not also playing a hand in this. I may be wrong, but it does seem convenient.

 

[Ballstater98]

https://www.shootingillustrated.com/articles/2019/9/19/colt-will-make-ar-15s-if-you-want-them/

 

[M67]

My mind is reeling at what an idiotic business decision this is. The inevitable boycott will bankrupt them.

Colts declared bankrupts like 3 times now and still around....

They've made terrible business decisions in the past. Sold out gun owners before. Still advertise making single actions while their actual output is pathetic to non existant yet......still around.

If it is because the soft market, it's a semi safe business decision and maybe one of the best ones they've made in a while. If for other reasons to be seen.....could be otherwise.

The market for ARs is beyond saturated, if something isn't selling at the volume they need to why keep making more. Maybe take some time off, switch to something that would sell (single actions) then release more ARs down the road or maybe do them every other quarter

Create a supply and demand curve better that way probably

 

[Raskolnikov]

Colt will jump back into the AR business again, given these rifles aren't outlawed after the 2020 election cycle. They'll let the market dry up a bit. They'll create scarcity. When they re-release their ARs, there will be hype and heavy demand.

 

[gregkl]

Found this today:

https://www.gunsamerica.com/digest/...-colt-halt-production-rifles-consumer-market/

 

[EvilElmo]

when they resume production they should stick with 2 or 3 models and that's it. I have a colt AR and am happy with it. To my knowledge Savage has never made an AR platform rifle and they are doing just fine.

For the savage fans: https://www.savagearms.com/content?p=firearms&a=MSRS

 

[mrproc1]

So does that make mine worth more.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

While this makes sense, it's hard to image the current climate not also playing a hand in this. I may be wrong, but it does seem convenient.

Let's game theory that out, if that were the case then why not INCREASE production of one particular model . . . say the M6920 and stack them in distributors' warehouses?

Now, let's same you are a USMC general, one of the 183 Marine generals that run Colt (and BBI won't let me fire one, just one of them). You wake up, hit yourself in the head with a 24 oz. framing hammer, eat a box of crayons and then go to work at D ring of the Pentagon . . . er, I mean Colt, which you consider a department of the Department of Defense. At Colt you face: an enormous nut caused by a corrupt union, state ownership of your factory, East Coast over-regulation of everything and a swarm of young, agile (and hungry) competitors like BCM, Sionics, Daniel Defense, Gieselle, PSA, even gun powerhouses like FN, SIG, Smith & Wesson and Ruger are making copies of YOUR rifle.

Screw this, let's grab that gummit cheese and ensure that the nut is paid. If we perform on the .mil contract, like the old glory days, we might get another .mil/.gov contract with that guaranteed cash flow to keep the Board of Directors in NYC happy.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

when they resume production they should stick with 2 or 3 models and that's it. I have a colt AR and am happy with it. To my knowledge Savage has never made an AR platform rifle and they are doing just fine.

Like craftbrewers, have year-long runs and then do seasonal limited runs:

Year long to bring cost way down:

M6960

M6920, M4 gummit

AR-15A4 or target gun

Seasonal Limited Runs:

M6720

M6940

SP-1

Oh, and then I would throw money at R&D. Maybe hire Rhino to travel the country and . . . and this is gonna sound wild for Colt . . . ACTUALLY LISTEN TO WHAT THE CUSTOMERS WANT!

I know, I know but you knew I was a radical.

 

[thunderchicken]

I haven't read the article and don't have a link. But I saw a headline on my news feed to the effect of. 'Gun control wins big as Colt ends civilian AR15s' and I thought ok they are coming out of bankruptcy and scaling back some..maybe. But, the anti's are going to spin it as a win and use it to push their agenda as common sense BS

 

[Crusader17]

The comments on Colt’s Facebook are insane. Most people just want to hate them for something.

My opinion is; if you really hate colt that much you should probably offload your colt’s for pretty cheap. No reason to let junk take up space in your safe....so if you’ve got pythons or anaconda’s to jettison from your collection, lmk. Hahah

 

[Kirk Freeman]

Texan, former engineer at Colt, talks about Colt and its boonfoonery

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qt3DCqdnn8w

 

[tv1217]

I read this somewhere else and it sounded like they just weren't making the kind of money they would like from that side of the business, not a political decision. Makes sense, too much quality competition.

 

[drillsgt]

I read this somewhere else and it sounded like they just weren't making the kind of money they would like from that side of the business, not a political decision. Makes sense, too much quality competition.

I agree, the timing was bad but I don't think there was any type of gun control appeasement involved. Nobody was buying 800-1000 dollar AR's right now. Most I ever saw were buying 600.00 M&P's or Rugers or whatever else in that price range or going high end. Like Colt always does they take forever to respond to market changes, their rifles are about 10 years out of date.

 

[Trigger Time]

Most overhyped AR brand. I respect the history. The people who run it are toolbags

 

[Ark]

Texan, former engineer at Colt, talks about Colt and its boonfoonery

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qt3DCqdnn8w

Great video. One of my first thoughts when the news broke was "Oh boy I hope Chris has something to say about this".

There's so much in there that reminds me of Gibson. The disdain for the "amateur" market, the requirement for dealers to buy X minimum product and build a shrine to the brand in their store, unpopular changes or no changes at all, etc. Just an all-around badly managed company that thinks they're hot ****.

 

[churchmouse]

Great video. One of my first thoughts when the news broke was "Oh boy I hope Chris has something to say about this".

There's so much in there that reminds me of Gibson. The disdain for the "amateur" market, the requirement for dealers to buy X minimum product and build a shrine to the brand in their store, unpopular changes or no changes at all, etc. Just an all-around badly managed company that thinks they're hot ****.

The prancing horse has exceeded its ability to pull in stupid money for BS products.
The insane money the older Colt wheel guns like the King Cobra and other snake offering is beyond my comprehension. I owned several and every one of them was inferior to a like and same S&W of that time period. I had them all in the shop for 1 thing or another. Now they are demanding idiotic money. WTF people.