Supreme Overseer, right now there are, but my concern is that there won’t be down the road. I buy my ammunition online in bulk. I know the Dems want to end the online sale of ammunition. Limit the types of guns people can buy, how much ammunition they can buy, the capacity of magazines, etc. and before you know it the 2nd Amendment will only exist on paper.
Colt, they are worse than Harley. Little development of new products, living in the past, resting on their "heritage", and charging a ton for the name. Both comp have received massive government favors as well, interesting. Screw colt, everything they make, you can get elsewhere for cheaper.
Khắc cảnh lê I liked your “ worse than a Harley comment, when I first started riding motorcycles, Harley’s were a POS , leaked oil like a sieve, poor detailing, etc
It's been fairly well known that Colt hasn't been the gold standard for years. We won't be missing much from them, but they'll be missing a whole lot from us.
@@Spike-13 Ive noticed this as well. Its ridiculous that people cling to a certain brand. Personally I believe theres a very good reason that the military has pretty much dropped Colt, and moved on to the superior FN rifles. Ive shot the FN on multiple occasions, and while expensive, its one of the finest ARs you can buy.
@@NuclearGrizzly The 901 was pretty damn innovative. Colt monolithic uppers were in development at the same time as lmt. How about the Colt SCW? Colt has R&Ded pretty much everything under the sun concerning ARs.
Its a shame. The name Colt is a part of American Heritage. Colt rode in on the hips with the Cowboys who pioneered this Country. I hope they can survive.
This is a business decision, not a political decision. You are off the mark on this. Their rifles were overpriced, and were not selling. Do you know anyone that bought an overpriced Colt AR???
@@ronstar7027 I want to give it to Kieth Plymale there that he's right that Colt should have in the general sense should have gone"woke"and did well to protect their civilian market but se la vi. It is what it is. Colt failed and failed and failed.
It’s so much more than just going woke. Colt knowingly makes psa quality rifle and sells it for $1k+ vs the Psa at 650. They don’t offer a modern handgun or ar and their only attempt at a modernized ar was patent theft from lmt lol. Colt is in complete shambles because of their own doing. If you had to google “how to run a company into the ground” a biography of colt manufacturing 1990-2020 would be the top result hahah
Gun owners are in a touchy mood. They sense the potential for impending government interference with their gun rights In that mood, they'll be very resentful to manufacturers and sellers that make any moves to apparently assist the movement to limit gun rights. This will hurt Colt, a lot with civilian consumers. They will angrily abandon them. It was a foolish move.
@@Mr_Clean I agree, nobody steals design ques from HK for a reason. Keltec is probably the most innovative gun designers around... they just design their guns to be as cheap as possible.
Induce panic buying? Beto says he’s gonna take our rifles, Colt says, “why should anyone panic buy our old shit and not a BCM, DD, LMT etc? I know, Let’s tell everyone we aren’t going to sell to the public anymore!” (Colt marketing pats itself on back)
A reasonable theory indeed! But has had the opposite effect on my purchase decision-making --and I've been issued Colts many years ago. Too bad there's so much executive level market tone deafness. The ignored wisdom and insight contained within this video alone is astonishing to me.
I am of the school of thought that government only has the power of what its citizens have the power to grant its government. If government can do or have it then so can its citizens and vice versa.
“Well regulated “ is exactly where it says this. Well regulated was interpreted differently by the founders. Well regulated in todays terminology would basically say, “properly outfitted with powerful, advanced, and well made”
Finally someone "In The Know" is telling the truth of how our Iconic & historically American firearms maker has stomped all over American gun owners. As a small gun dealer & worked in the industry long before I owned & operated my firearms dealership, Colt seemingly has always made it as difficult as possible to bring Colts products to market. I lived this fact from at least 1988-2004 when I closed the GUNSHOP doors forever. Hoorah to you Bro. for telling it like it really is !!!
Who even cares? I understand the nostalgia of colt for some but this company has been going downhill for so long. Too many other good companies to give business to.
The Colt news is mostly analogous to being told FIAT has decided the US pick-up truck market is glutted so they won't be selling pick-up trucks anymore. I mean, mach nicht, who cares?
@@kenibnanak5554 I would rather push anything than drive a Dodge, just as I'd rather shoot an AK (and I absolutely HATE the AK) than shoot a Colt. The only Colt product that I want is one of those M-16A1 kits that come with everything except the lower receiver, and possibly the barrel. I have a M-1911, but it is a Philippine made Rock Island Armory. The only problem that I've had with it is "hammer bite" and that's all on me, not the pistol.
I knew Colt had been going down for at least 3 or 4 years now . What I think is scary is someone on a polite side might use this to meet their narrative. Also Colt still has a Foreign Military sales contract for 47 mill. Colt came out with a statement saying they are doing this because they are trying to fill LE and Military contracts . I call BS on this statement by Colt . Only because Colt Defense filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. They ran a shit show for LE Agency's . There is no way they have a lot of LE contracts . All your big LE contracts are for DD , LMT , BCM , SOLGW , and Sig . The last big contract they had for anything other Military was the FBI and it was only Barrels. The statement can be viewed on their website .
@Mike Gee - i concur. Both my FN ARs, a modded 16" M4/RECCE and a 18" match grade sporter/DMR, run circles around every Colt ive ever seen regardless of everyones claims that they "set the standard". Hell, every Colt ive seen in the last 5 years looks like its finish was applied by a special needs kindergarten class a week into Ritalin withdrawal.
I liked how David Hog was celebrating on twitter thinking he won. While the AR market is getting larger, and more people are getting one due to lower prices.
Classic example of "go woke....go broke". We'll see how their attempt to bring back the revolver market with the new Python and King Cobra turns out. Nobody I know likes the "Hillary hole" on the new S&W revolvers.
It’s now more than halfway thru 2024 and palmetto state armory is going strong. They allow almost everybody to get into the AR market due to their prices. Heck, you can get an AR for less than $500 from them, and upgrade it later down the road.
I purchased a Colt lower, upper, and barrel for a clone build, but an FN or LMT lower might be an option in the future. The cloners love Colt branded items, but that’s the only group of people in my experience that want Colt.
Yeah, looks like the Company has a bunch of idiots running it... That being said, my Colt has always been a workhorse of a gun, and i still love it lol. Love my Bravo, and love my Aero as well. But neither are better.
The new Python is even worse. I cringe every time i see those huge ugly cylinder notch lead-ins. Not to mention not having the original v-spring action & other design features that made them the rolls royce of 357mag revolvers.
@@thegoatboy102 Oh right you mean the whole fixNICS thing last year. Well to be fair they did retract their statement shortly after making it due to backlash, but talk is cheap. With that and so many other affordable options for approximately the same quality ARs, I find it hard to justify a DD product. DD (and other manufacturers that fuk up) could redeem themselves by spending generously to defend and promote the 2A in the political arena. Like they could make a GoA-themed rifle where 20% of sales goes as a donation to the GoA. If their contribution turns out to make a noticable impact on restoring some of our 2A-based rights then they would have redeemed themselves in my eyes.
Though I own quite a few Colt AR rifles and a quantity of Colt parts, I say good riddance. Back in 1989/90 when Colt pulled the same stunt it was significant since they were very close to the only game in town. Now it is insignificant since there are so many manufacturers who offer quality guns and parts. My money now goes to LMT and has for quite a few years.
Around the time this video came out i bought a colt AR. I love it for sentimental reasons sure but for the price i could have gotten something significantly better and thats one of my biggest firearms regrets
Fantastic video. My first rifle was a Colt (seems like yesterday). Naively I thought i was getting the best. A few decades later, I would never buy a Colt again. This just sealed the final nail in the coffin for me.
I would buy a 1200 retro ar from colt if it was truly a retro over 900 from Brownells. Nothing against brownells. But when colt introduced their retro line and try to charge 2500 for a rifle it’s a no brainer to go with brownells. I mean you could buy true older colts for less than they were charged for their new retro line
Meanwhile, Springfield Armory will sell you a Saint series AR and just released their Hellcat pistol for CCW. And they still offer M1As and 1911s. Colt should pay attention.
I am sure business schools is using Colt as an example of what not to do when running a company. Colt did other competing manufacturers of ARs a huge favor by taking itself out of the AR market and probably include reduced sales of their handgun sales as well. It is sad to see the sad state of affairs at Colt but if they go out of business, I no longer feel sorry for the company as they dug their own hole as well nailing their own coffin. This company is so fragmented that I do not think it can be brought back to its glory days.
Colt is just like Walmart to me...Just made more business for Mom & Pop gun stores...And I bet Academy is just smiling .The ammo business just increased
I desperately wanted a Retro Rifle, an A1 like I used in the military, but the colt price was a joke, $2,400 for an AR15A1! So thankful that Brownells came through with the same rifle for $950. A price an average guy can afford.
Colt has been very affordable,le6920s have been selling for under 800 dollars.You cant find a better rifle at that price and the more expensive rifles offer trinketts not perfomance.I've had DD, Lwrc,Fn,Lmt ect.They offered free float rails,pistons,chf barrels,nitrided bcgs,enhanced bcgs ect.They were all great rifles but the only Ars that never had a failure was my Colts.I kept the 2 6920 m4a1socoms the 6920 m4 and the Slr107 Ak.
The only thing Colt makes that I want is their pinned on folding front sight base. If I'm buying a complete blaster I'm going to Sons of Liberty Gun Works or Bravo Company Manufacturing. I have no interest in their handguns either.
Ive been buying BCM since they started as a company and they have never let me down. Fantastic equipment at extremely reasonable prices. SOLGW is another small AR company that I got hooked into early. They are still rather small and hardly anyone knows who they are. I see them going the way of BCM. Both are THE BEST in the industry and I hope they both continue to prosper!
Around 1977 Colt ceased production of their excellent Woodsman 22 semi-auto pistols followed by their small-frame revolvers a short time later. Around 1991 Colt finally brought out a 44 magnum revolver, almost 36 years after Smith and Wesson and Ruger had introduced theirs. By that time, shooters were no longer interested and were buying the so-called "wonder-nines" semi-auto 9mm pistols. In 1999 Colt ceased production of their remaining double-action revolvers. All I can say about this trend is this, " Colt made their own bed. Now they can sleep in it".
10 years ago, when I became financially stable enough to finally buy my dream gun (AR-15), I wanted a Colt. It was the end all be all for me back then. I looked and looked, through several cities, and they were simply not available in stores. Online they were going for $1500 or more. I ended up with a base XM-15, having heard at the time Bushmaster was legitimate. 10 years later I regret nothing.
Even nowadays, I wouldn't mind having a Colt rifle. However, there isn't a good justification to purchasing one unless it is a good price. Heck, I bought a noveske upper and piecemeal a lower together of high end parts for what most Colts are going for.
@Supreme Overseer I'm a big fan of Sig handguns. I've looked at their ARs but I've never been able to justify replacing my trusty Bushy. I looked a Sig recently for an AR pistol setup, but I ended up going with a mish-mash setup with Anderson, Spikes, and PSA parts. It was a lot cheaper and it's just a range toy anyways.
@@rustyshackleford17 I'm a bad grudge holder, and when companies do things like this I tend to cut all ties and search out people who I feel deserve my business. I'm honestly glad I couldn't afford one back then, because now I'd be mad I bought it.
Colt rifles have not been made for a long time. The Colt company now is Colt only in name. The quality of Colt rifles are not what they were under the original Colt company.
Fantastically enlightening video. How do you corner the market with the colt SAA (best single action pistol in late 19th century), python (arguably best DA revolver), 1911 (most iconic pistol of all time) and the AR (best rifle system and top 2 most iconic military rifle along with the AK) and manage to fuck up this badly? If colt was an athlete it be known for blowing massive leads
I only had three firearms from Colt. I feel bad but I just had to sell them. I don’t feel bad about selling them I just feel bad that somebody else has to have their products now. Will never buy a cult again. What a giveaway company. I hope everybody gets rid of their products and never supports them again
What a wonderful presentation & explanation of the current status of Colt. I almost recently bought a 6920 b/4 Colt's announcement, I'm so happy I waited. Thank you for all you do. I hope that your health is good. God Bless You & your family & friends.
So i would like to stick my $.02 in about CNC. Yes they are technically "push button" however you can still get excellent fit and finish from CNC IF you have someone who has the want to make an excellent product. CNC has its own sets of skills that like anything you have highly skilled machinists handling a mill/lathe or you can have an operator whos there just to have a paycheck.
People used to buy a Colt 1911, and then spend $300 to do things to it that Kimber included out of the box, for less. Sights, grips, trigger, tuned action, things they knew people wanted for years.
I appreciate the time & insight Chris. Well done. I stayed with Colt through all the years, but unfortunately that will no longer be the case. They have lost my business for life.
I guess you answered my question I was thinking I have many pistols I was going to get a colt not anymore thanks for this video.I look up your vids before I purchase anything gun related and why you don't to this day have millions of followers is completely crazzy.I honestly think you are one of the best channels on TH-cam period.thanks for all that you do.
I'm halfway done... And all I can say is damn... I want to be in the room when Colt watches this. They need to take this video to heart. We all want them to succeed but stop making stupid decisions my God.
@@marcalley7840 because we take pride in America and Colt is one of the oldest firearms brands... Some don't want to see an American brand (cough cough Remington) become a joke... When I talk to friends and gun owners oversees they love Colt and associate it with America and quality. Whether it's the old West and the colt single action... Ww2 and the colt .45, or colt m16s and m4s. I want to see them get their shit sorted out with good management like Brownells has. America already is seen as a joke oversees... But they like our guns.
@@corycarlson8712 colt has been a joke for decades. Greed put them down. Also the sales reps stating we need our products on the top shelf of this case. About half the shops I know don't carry them. Even the new king cobra is about 250. Higher than a Smith 686. That's dealer. I take pride in my country not a greedy manufacturer.
Not just betrayal of the American gun owner. Betrayal of the American warfighter. How do you go decades with an unchanged design, as the owner of a sole-source contract, while simultaneously price gouging the US military.
Another extremely informative and helpful video on the saga that is Colt today. I'm very happy I was able to purchase a COLT M4A1 SOCOM when I did. It is a tragedy that Colt senior leadership and senior management can not seem to find their way toward a viable business model.
@@jmsena I put the WILSON trigger group in it and it seems to be doing well. I have a Geissele in my LMT MWS .308. I'm using the latest Eotech, the green reticle, with the 3X magnifier.
It's a political roll over to please the anti-gunners, if anyother big gun companies go down this road it will set in motion something that could be hard to come back from, this is a big mistake on Colts part, even if colt isn't what it was and its to do with being competitive
From what I understand, Colt hasn't been making military weapons for years. FN got the contract for the M4 and has been manufacturing them in their Columbia, SC plant for years (along with the M240 and M249).
If they buy them . I'd say if any company would buy Colt it be FN . FN owns Winchester , and Browning . So it would make sense that FN would buy them . Or no one will buy them and they will close their doors
@@griz312 True, and I read that Colt also owns the patent for the auto sear that goes into the M4. And FN pays Colt for every M4 they make for the military. Thats what I read from a former employee.
It's official...Colt has completed their decades long slide from relevant firearms to historical relics, all while abandoning those who used to have fond memories of the brand passed from father to son. Nostalgia isn't enough to overcome betrayal. Very sad.
No kidding! In a perfect world I could just drive the 6 hours upper to canada and get my maple leaf lower. Really been wantin one of those for a while!
@@ianspitzmiller7157 If current Cdn government is re-elected in October, they will ban/buy back/confiscate AR-15 and other "assault rifles" - election campaign promise. Better hurry up ...
They all say that. And I have no dought they would use executive action to try. But people do not realize the manpower it would physically take to confiscate over 65M+ semi auto rifles. Not to mention the numerous LEOs and soldiers that have said they will not comply with any order given to do that. They would rely on what troops are willing and feds to accomplish this. And then where are they going to house the millions of law abiding American who will not comply? Answer is....they do not have the capacity both in phycial manpower and space to accomplish this...yet. But like I said, I do think they would try. And once the first gun shots were fired between citizen and government I really think they would have to stop and reevaluate their decision. Now, do I think they would try a ban on new semi autos...absolutely. But with 80%ers, how does that work. Americans can still make their rifles. Are they going to ban mills, lathes, CNC machines and chunks of aluminum and steel? They probably would try. But again, Americans would not comply, and this leads back to the origonal outcome. The first shots fired between a citizen and the feds over and 80% that he completed and would not hand over would ignote a war, either political or actual, that the government would have to address. I just do not see this happening as easy and as fast as these scum liberal politicians think and say it will. But thise are just my thoughts on the subject, you might very well be right. Kind of all depends on how many REAL 2A Americans are out there and willing to put their money where there mouth is so to speak, or if they are just more Elmer Fudds that would give up the second a federal agent came a knocking. I know what side of history I am willing to fight on? Does the rest of America?
A Colt update video would be interesting and needed. With how different things are in May 2023 and Colt pushing out several AR based rifles to the civilian market and to military for the Ukraine conflict, there is a new chapter to add to this story.
Only reason I ever came close to buying a 6920 was nostalgia from my Infantry days. I held one, felt the quality (congrats colt, you put it together right), but then laughed when I saw the $1300 tag. That's when I discovered BCM. I've never looked back
Charging 2500 bucks for a retro M16A1 that they didn't even make should have been the signal for everyone to stop buying anything from them anyway. I know that's an obtuse argument, but Colt lost the plot of what people wanted a long time ago.
I would have bought a colt retro. Heck, maybe even $1500 for one. $2500 is a ridiculous cost for something that 30 other companies already make that isn't of significantly better quality. Shit, I bought an SP5K because it wasn't significantly more expensive than what Zenith was putting out at the time.
Interesting, us govt has never procured them. DoD would never have approved that sale since they already have a part number and a rifle that fit that need.
@@SmallArmsSolutions yeah, they pulled it fresh out the box when we went to the armory for the weapon draw before getting on the busses. They told me to not worry about it being BZOd because we would rezero our weapons once we got in country. Everybody else had Colt M16A4 or M4s.
Seriously, who was buying Colt AR-15s anyway? It's a mediocre version of the AR-15 and Colt was literally charging double what other (better) companies were.
They didn’t even have to r&d for new products, they could have made the originals like the Vietnam carbines years before nodak spud and DD and they’d have sold a ton.
LMT has been my go to for rifles and parts if I want known quality, hard use, duty grade. You will pay for them but they are worth their weight in gold.
I think Colt made a business decision based upon demand, just like any other company would do. In short, the demand for their AR15-platform rifles was insufficient to justify continued production. No big loss to the AR-buying public, since there are literally dozens of other companies making and selling ARs in one configuration or another. Colt was once an industry force to be reckoned with, but no so much these days. Nostalgia ain't what it used to be.
As soon as I heard about the news my first thought was I wonder what small arms solutions has to say about this? I decided to hold off on my opinions until I watch this video because I knew I’d get a no bull**** answer.
I'm glad they pulled out. They can't compete with the other rifles on the market and can barely sell what they have anyway. They can, however, sell 1911s and revolvers at reasonable prices, so let them focus on those for now. Also, Colt really needs to get its collective shit together and come up with some all new designs.
They need to bring back the Snake guns...at reasonable prices. They need to either decrease the cost of their 1911s or increase the quality. Springfield beats them out on every turn...or I could get Dan Wessons. The AR15s are a lost cause. They lost the market share. They'll have to do some significant R&D to gain any traction in that market again. Chris said it, they need some new products. At least some cool stuff. I wanted to buy that IAR upper, but the funds weren't there at the time.
The only bad thing about Colt suspending civilian sales is that the media considered it some kind of victory for anti gun crowd.
That's because it is, fuck Colt.
"...the media considered it some kind of victory for anti gun crowd."
Yes they did, if it bleeds it leads, remember?
Damn.... Amen though. I mean the only colt gun I want is the M45A1....but I ain’t paying MSRP lol
Yup! Walmart’s decision to stop selling guns and ammunition is another win for the anti-gunners. I don’t like the trend I’m seeing.
Supreme Overseer, right now there are, but my concern is that there won’t be down the road. I buy my ammunition online in bulk. I know the Dems want to end the online sale of ammunition. Limit the types of guns people can buy, how much ammunition they can buy, the capacity of magazines, etc. and before you know it the 2nd Amendment will only exist on paper.
Colt, they are worse than Harley. Little development of new products, living in the past, resting on their "heritage", and charging a ton for the name. Both comp have received massive government favors as well, interesting.
Screw colt, everything they make, you can get elsewhere for cheaper.
Sounds a lot like Gibson guitars too...
Which is truly amazing, since Harley was on the cutting edge of technology when they were in their heyday.
Khắc cảnh lê I liked your “ worse than a Harley comment, when I first started riding motorcycles, Harley’s were a POS , leaked oil like a sieve, poor detailing, etc
I like Harley Davidson. Colt, not so much.
Yesterday's technology at tomorrow's prices.
It's been fairly well known that Colt hasn't been the gold standard for years. We won't be missing much from them, but they'll be missing a whole lot from us.
@@Spike-13 Ive noticed this as well. Its ridiculous that people cling to a certain brand. Personally I believe theres a very good reason that the military has pretty much dropped Colt, and moved on to the superior FN rifles. Ive shot the FN on multiple occasions, and while expensive, its one of the finest ARs you can buy.
Colt DESERVES to fail at this point
Can you remember the last time Colt did anything innovated?
@@NuclearGrizzly the last innovative firearm colt ever produced was the Colt Peacemaker.
Just put together an Aero Pecision AR and you will have a far better gun.
@@NuclearGrizzly The 901 was pretty damn innovative. Colt monolithic uppers were in development at the same time as lmt. How about the Colt SCW? Colt has R&Ded pretty much everything under the sun concerning ARs.
Its a shame. The name Colt is a part of American Heritage. Colt rode in on the hips with the Cowboys who pioneered this Country. I hope they can survive.
In light of this news, I will be treating colt the same way I have for the last 20 years... not buying anything form them .
Wicked Good Weaponry
Amen!
I wouldn't buy a new Colt product even if I could afford one, but I do want one of those M-16A1 kits that are currently available.
@Richard Johnson Agreed! BROWNELLS IS DA SNIZZ!
Also, Amen to original poster. My friend, you are, and have always been a patriot!
i couldve bought an ar15a3 with their carry handle scope and an hbar in one go, i bought a noveske instead
Cant wait for Palmetto State Armory (a real pro 2A company) to buy the Colt brand and produce cheap AR Lowers with the Colt rolemark.
that would be supreme justice and I would laugh my ass off
As far as Colt is concerned, get woke, go broke.
This is a business decision, not a political decision. You are off the mark on this. Their rifles were overpriced, and were not selling. Do you know anyone that bought an overpriced Colt AR???
@@ronstar7027 I want to give it to Kieth Plymale there that he's right that Colt should have in the general sense should have gone"woke"and did well to protect their civilian market but se la vi. It is what it is. Colt failed and failed and failed.
It’s so much more than just going woke. Colt knowingly makes psa quality rifle and sells it for $1k+ vs the Psa at 650. They don’t offer a modern handgun or ar and their only attempt at a modernized ar was patent theft from lmt lol. Colt is in complete shambles because of their own doing. If you had to google “how to run a company into the ground” a biography of colt manufacturing 1990-2020 would be the top result hahah
Gun owners are in a touchy mood. They sense the potential for impending government interference with their gun rights In that mood, they'll be very resentful to manufacturers and sellers that make any moves to apparently assist the movement to limit gun rights. This will hurt Colt, a lot with civilian consumers. They will angrily abandon them. It was a foolish move.
Colt thinks theyre HK... high prices but with no innovation.
I'm a huge HK fanboy but to say they're innovative is a joke. Their latest gun is a civilian version of a gun that came out in 1965
@@Mr_Clean I agree, nobody steals design ques from HK for a reason. Keltec is probably the most innovative gun designers around... they just design their guns to be as cheap as possible.
Induce panic buying? Beto says he’s gonna take our rifles, Colt says, “why should anyone panic buy our old shit and not a BCM, DD, LMT etc? I know, Let’s tell everyone we aren’t going to sell to the public anymore!” (Colt marketing pats itself on back)
A reasonable theory indeed!
But has had the opposite effect on my purchase decision-making --and I've been issued Colts many years ago. Too bad there's so much executive level market tone deafness. The ignored wisdom and insight contained within this video alone is astonishing to me.
Could be. But fuck Colt. I hope the execs like the unemployment line.
WE THE PEOPLE have the RIGHT to own the same small arms that the military and law enforcement use.
I am of the school of thought that government only has the power of what its citizens have the power to grant its government. If government can do or have it then so can its citizens and vice versa.
@NinjaRider777R you're an idiot if you think he said that
Amen
just because you want the same does not constitute a right. please show where it says that in the constitution.
“Well regulated “ is exactly where it says this. Well regulated was interpreted differently by the founders. Well regulated in todays terminology would basically say, “properly outfitted with powerful, advanced, and well made”
"Colt - Beating A Dead Horse"
Fixed it for you.
Dong Blak I like that title!!
Finally someone "In The Know" is telling the truth of how our Iconic & historically American firearms maker has stomped all over American gun owners. As a small gun dealer & worked in the industry long before I owned & operated my firearms dealership, Colt seemingly has always made it as difficult as possible to bring Colts products to market. I lived this fact from at least 1988-2004 when I closed the GUNSHOP doors forever. Hoorah to you Bro. for telling it like it really is !!!
Commenting just for TH-cam algorithm reasons. This channel needs more subscribers.
bump
Bump
Bump my friends. Bump.
Bump
5 months late, bump
Rip Colt. This is the last straw. You have chosen your side.
Colt lost my business many, many moons ago. There’s plenty of other girls to take to the dance.
Who even cares? I understand the nostalgia of colt for some but this company has been going downhill for so long. Too many other good companies to give business to.
The Colt news is mostly analogous to being told FIAT has decided the US pick-up truck market is glutted so they won't be selling pick-up trucks anymore. I mean, mach nicht, who cares?
@@kenibnanak5554 I would rather push anything than drive a Dodge, just as I'd rather shoot an AK (and I absolutely HATE the AK) than shoot a Colt. The only Colt product that I want is one of those M-16A1 kits that come with everything except the lower receiver, and possibly the barrel.
I have a M-1911, but it is a Philippine made Rock Island Armory. The only problem that I've had with it is "hammer bite" and that's all on me, not the pistol.
I knew Colt had been going down for at least 3 or 4 years now . What I think is scary is someone on a polite side might use this to meet their narrative.
Also Colt still has a Foreign Military sales contract for 47 mill.
Colt came out with a statement saying they are doing this because they are trying to fill LE and Military contracts . I call BS on this statement by Colt . Only because Colt Defense filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. They ran a shit show for LE Agency's . There is no way they have a lot of LE contracts . All your big LE contracts are for DD , LMT , BCM , SOLGW , and Sig . The last big contract they had for anything other Military was the FBI and it was only Barrels.
The statement can be viewed on their website .
Exactly. I gave up on Colt a long time ago.
My FN AR-15s run circles around any Colt ive ever seen anyway.
@Mike Gee - i concur. Both my FN ARs, a modded 16" M4/RECCE and a 18" match grade sporter/DMR, run circles around every Colt ive ever seen regardless of everyones claims that they "set the standard".
Hell, every Colt ive seen in the last 5 years looks like its finish was applied by a special needs kindergarten class a week into Ritalin withdrawal.
Liberals thought they'd scored a victory when Colt ceased commercial sales. We just laughed.
Lol they reason they stopped making them was because there are literally hundereds of ar15 manufacturers and colt couldnt keep up.
I liked how David Hog was celebrating on twitter thinking he won. While the AR market is getting larger, and more people are getting one due to lower prices.
Meanwhile Palmetto Armory enters the stage.
Classic example of "go woke....go broke". We'll see how their attempt to bring back the revolver market with the new Python and King Cobra turns out. Nobody I know likes the "Hillary hole" on the new S&W revolvers.
It’s now more than halfway thru 2024 and palmetto state armory is going strong. They allow almost everybody to get into the AR market due to their prices. Heck, you can get an AR for less than $500 from them, and upgrade it later down the road.
I purchased a Colt lower, upper, and barrel for a clone build, but an FN or LMT lower might be an option in the future. The cloners love Colt branded items, but that’s the only group of people in my experience that want Colt.
Couldnt agree more well said!
Most M4A1s I've seen in the Army the past 4 years were FN. The only Colts I saw were M4 converted to M4A1 in the NG armory
I will keep the Colts I have but will never buy another one.
Still love my le6920 great rifle the prancing horse will never be the same. Thanks solutions.
Yeah, looks like the Company has a bunch of idiots running it...
That being said, my Colt has always been a workhorse of a gun, and i still love it lol.
Love my Bravo, and love my Aero as well. But neither are better.
Honestly I’m glad to see them jump on the sword. Plenty of great manufacturers that want to support the civilian market. Go AERO!
Don't forget about the tons of money Colt dumped into their smart gun program in late 1990's early 2000's.
the new 3 inch colt king cobra looks like a charter arms product.
I thought the same thing
The new Python is even worse. I cringe every time i see those huge ugly cylinder notch lead-ins. Not to mention not having the original v-spring action & other design features that made them the rolls royce of 357mag revolvers.
@@SamSneed0Those v springs would wear out and cause light hammer strikes in double action.
They've been living high on the hog selling substandard garbage for decades. Colt can go ahead and take a long walk off a short pier.
Go back to your Pedialyte you geriatric beetle cruncher.
“Drive-by Bayonetting”
Colt can join Springfield armory, DD and benchmade in the dumpster fire.
DD? As in Daniel Defense? Why? What did they do?
@@magnanimus9692 They wanted universal background checks and the like.
@@thegoatboy102 Oh right you mean the whole fixNICS thing last year. Well to be fair they did retract their statement shortly after making it due to backlash, but talk is cheap.
With that and so many other affordable options for approximately the same quality ARs, I find it hard to justify a DD product.
DD (and other manufacturers that fuk up) could redeem themselves by spending generously to defend and promote the 2A in the political arena. Like they could make a GoA-themed rifle where 20% of sales goes as a donation to the GoA. If their contribution turns out to make a noticable impact on restoring some of our 2A-based rights then they would have redeemed themselves in my eyes.
Magnan Imus a great idea. It would be good to see all the players in the industry step up and do the same. It would show us where they stand.
Fuck Benchmade for cutting up guns, what did Springfield do?
I wanted a Colt for my first AR but after this I went with Bushmaster
Bushmaster has been shut down. Colt has reopened civ sales of AR15
Though I own quite a few Colt AR rifles and a quantity of Colt parts, I say good riddance. Back in 1989/90 when Colt pulled the same stunt it was significant since they were very close to the only game in town. Now it is insignificant since there are so many manufacturers who offer quality guns and parts. My money now goes to LMT and has for quite a few years.
Who needs Colt when you have FN ?!
Colt's quality has been lacking for years. They won't be missed.
You were the one person who I really wanted to hear their opinion on this topic.
In my opinion colt is like hk, yeah they may make decent products but they are over priced and there's a major premium just for the name.
Around the time this video came out i bought a colt AR.
I love it for sentimental reasons sure but for the price i could have gotten something significantly better and thats one of my biggest firearms regrets
Colt. Are you listening ?
Fantastic video. My first rifle was a Colt (seems like yesterday). Naively I thought i was getting the best. A few decades later, I would never buy a Colt again. This just sealed the final nail in the coffin for me.
Always wanted a Colt rifle but could never afford them. Twice the price of a comparable high quality rifle.
Quite possibly the most underrated channel on the Tube! Thanks 4 the knowledge bombs keep them coming.
Colt removed the bayonet lug because that was part of the description that characterized an "Assault Rifle."
I just bought an FN M16A4 and I couldn’t be happier.
Colt is just sending more business to the companies that care. Competition is beautiful.
Hopefully someone who loves firearms will buy Colt when they close doors, and turn it around.
I would buy a 1200 retro ar from colt if it was truly a retro over 900 from Brownells. Nothing against brownells. But when colt introduced their retro line and try to charge 2500 for a rifle it’s a no brainer to go with brownells. I mean you could buy true older colts for less than they were charged for their new retro line
Meanwhile, Springfield Armory will sell you a Saint series AR and just released their Hellcat pistol for CCW. And they still offer M1As and 1911s. Colt should pay attention.
Curtis Flynn they suck too and did a lot damage to their states’ gun stores
At least Springfield is trying to get back on good terms with the 2A community after their screw up a few years ago.
Just buy an 80% and get the arab guy who engraves rings at the mini mall and get him to put the colt pony on it
lol did that with an 80%, A guy I met on Facebook engraves Colt like a champ 😁
That pony is trying to jump off of the piece of shit rifle. It already is on its back legs.
get him to do the engraving before you manufacture the 80% into a firearm, otherwise the engraver needs a permit or something.
Hahaha
Colt meet Gibson guitars. You guys are going to be great friends.
I am sure business schools is using Colt as an example of what not to do when running a company. Colt did other competing manufacturers of ARs a huge favor by taking itself out of the AR market and probably include reduced sales of their handgun sales as well. It is sad to see the sad state of affairs at Colt but if they go out of business, I no longer feel sorry for the company as they dug their own hole as well nailing their own coffin. This company is so fragmented that I do not think it can be brought back to its glory days.
Colt is just like Walmart to me...Just made more business for Mom & Pop gun stores...And I bet Academy is just smiling .The ammo business just increased
I desperately wanted a Retro Rifle, an A1 like I used in the military, but the colt price was a joke, $2,400 for an AR15A1! So thankful that Brownells came through with the same rifle for $950. A price an average guy can afford.
Well, the "average guy" is still bellyaching about the 950 price. Can't please gun owners is one life lesson I've gotten repeatedly.
They stopped production because they aren't selling. They are way to over priced. You can get a gun of equal are better quality for much less money!
Colt has been very affordable,le6920s have been selling for under 800 dollars.You cant find a better rifle at that price and the more expensive rifles offer trinketts not perfomance.I've had DD, Lwrc,Fn,Lmt ect.They offered free float rails,pistons,chf barrels,nitrided bcgs,enhanced bcgs ect.They were all great rifles but the only Ars that never had a failure was my Colts.I kept the 2 6920 m4a1socoms the 6920 m4 and the Slr107 Ak.
So much for the GREAT AMERICAN COMPANY, RIP COLT! You will never get a penny of my money ever again!!
The only thing Colt makes that I want is their pinned on folding front sight base. If I'm buying a complete blaster I'm going to Sons of Liberty Gun Works or Bravo Company Manufacturing. I have no interest in their handguns either.
Even when colt dies. Someone there is going to keep producing those under different name.
Ive been buying BCM since they started as a company and they have never let me down. Fantastic equipment at extremely reasonable prices. SOLGW is another small AR company that I got hooked into early. They are still rather small and hardly anyone knows who they are. I see them going the way of BCM. Both are THE BEST in the industry and I hope they both continue to prosper!
Around 1977 Colt ceased production of their excellent Woodsman 22 semi-auto pistols followed by their small-frame revolvers a short time later. Around 1991 Colt finally brought out a 44 magnum revolver, almost 36 years after Smith and Wesson and Ruger had introduced theirs. By that time, shooters were no longer interested and were buying the so-called "wonder-nines" semi-auto 9mm pistols. In 1999 Colt ceased production of their remaining double-action revolvers. All I can say about this trend is this, " Colt made their own bed. Now they can sleep in it".
10 years ago, when I became financially stable enough to finally buy my dream gun (AR-15), I wanted a Colt. It was the end all be all for me back then. I looked and looked, through several cities, and they were simply not available in stores. Online they were going for $1500 or more. I ended up with a base XM-15, having heard at the time Bushmaster was legitimate. 10 years later I regret nothing.
Supreme Overseer ....Sig makes a really nice AR platform gun. I have the M400 Enhanced.
Even nowadays, I wouldn't mind having a Colt rifle. However, there isn't a good justification to purchasing one unless it is a good price. Heck, I bought a noveske upper and piecemeal a lower together of high end parts for what most Colts are going for.
@Supreme Overseer I'm a big fan of Sig handguns. I've looked at their ARs but I've never been able to justify replacing my trusty Bushy. I looked a Sig recently for an AR pistol setup, but I ended up going with a mish-mash setup with Anderson, Spikes, and PSA parts. It was a lot cheaper and it's just a range toy anyways.
@@rustyshackleford17 I'm a bad grudge holder, and when companies do things like this I tend to cut all ties and search out people who I feel deserve my business. I'm honestly glad I couldn't afford one back then, because now I'd be mad I bought it.
Colt rifles have not been made for a long time. The Colt company now is Colt only in name. The quality of Colt rifles are not what they were under the original Colt company.
colt new logo, "the sway back plow horse"
At least they had the good sense to bring the Python back. Hurray!
So what it comes down to is that the reason Colt shut down its AR15s is because they can no longer compete.
Fantastically enlightening video. How do you corner the market with the colt SAA (best single action pistol in late 19th century), python (arguably best DA revolver), 1911 (most iconic pistol of all time) and the AR (best rifle system and top 2 most iconic military rifle along with the AK) and manage to fuck up this badly? If colt was an athlete it be known for blowing massive leads
I only had three firearms from Colt. I feel bad but I just had to sell them. I don’t feel bad about selling them I just feel bad that somebody else has to have their products now. Will never buy a cult again. What a giveaway company. I hope everybody gets rid of their products and never supports them again
What a wonderful presentation & explanation of the current status of Colt. I almost recently bought a 6920 b/4 Colt's announcement, I'm so happy I waited. Thank you for all you do. I hope that your health is good. God Bless You & your family & friends.
So i would like to stick my $.02 in about CNC. Yes they are technically "push button" however you can still get excellent fit and finish from CNC IF you have someone who has the want to make an excellent product. CNC has its own sets of skills that like anything you have highly skilled machinists handling a mill/lathe or you can have an operator whos there just to have a paycheck.
People used to buy a Colt 1911, and then spend $300 to do things to it that Kimber included out of the box, for less.
Sights, grips, trigger, tuned action, things they knew people wanted for years.
Thanks for the insight on Colt. I will always love my SAA's and AR's from Colt. You should have been the director of management in my opinion.
In a sane world......
I appreciate the time & insight Chris. Well done. I stayed with Colt through all the years, but unfortunately that will no longer be the case. They have lost my business for life.
I'm so bummed, i was planning on getting an LE6920 with Income tax
Money and greed and appeasement are the great DOWNFALL of men and corporations...displacing HONOR and LOYALTY..great video
Great video Chris keep up the good work. Proud to be a Patreon supporter
Thanks for an excellent presentation of the Colt problem. It explains a lot. I've always been a Colt fan and I have a Colt M-4 that I love.
Like the Harley Davidson of the gun world. Only at least Harley is finally evolving rather than withdrawing
@Thystaff Thywill Its the image.....the dream...
I guess you answered my question I was thinking I have many pistols I was going to get a colt not anymore thanks for this video.I look up your vids before I purchase anything gun related and why you don't to this day have millions of followers is completely crazzy.I honestly think you are one of the best channels on TH-cam period.thanks for all that you do.
I'm halfway done... And all I can say is damn... I want to be in the room when Colt watches this. They need to take this video to heart. We all want them to succeed but stop making stupid decisions my God.
Not everyone wants them to succeed. They have no right to, this is America.
@@MickeyD2012 good for you I guess? I'm glad you felt the need to let us all of us know.
Why do WE want them to succeed? They are sell outs. Duh
@@marcalley7840 because we take pride in America and Colt is one of the oldest firearms brands... Some don't want to see an American brand (cough cough Remington) become a joke... When I talk to friends and gun owners oversees they love Colt and associate it with America and quality. Whether it's the old West and the colt single action... Ww2 and the colt .45, or colt m16s and m4s. I want to see them get their shit sorted out with good management like Brownells has. America already is seen as a joke oversees... But they like our guns.
@@corycarlson8712 colt has been a joke for decades. Greed put them down. Also the sales reps stating we need our products on the top shelf of this case. About half the shops I know don't carry them. Even the new king cobra is about 250. Higher than a Smith 686. That's dealer. I take pride in my country not a greedy manufacturer.
Thank you for your time Brandon. Very informative video too as always Mr. Bartocci.
Not just betrayal of the American gun owner. Betrayal of the American warfighter. How do you go decades with an unchanged design, as the owner of a sole-source contract, while simultaneously price gouging the US military.
Thank you for another great video!! and thank you to your quest and i fully support gun dealers such as him.
Remember the screws on the lowers of ARs ? That was it for me.
What is this about? I never liked colts but what do you mean screws on the bottom of the lower
Another extremely informative and helpful video on the saga that is Colt today. I'm very happy I was able to purchase a COLT M4A1 SOCOM when I did. It is a tragedy that Colt senior leadership and senior management can not seem to find their way toward a viable business model.
@@jmsena I put the WILSON trigger group in it and it seems to be doing well. I have a Geissele in my LMT MWS .308. I'm using the latest Eotech, the green reticle, with the 3X magnifier.
It's a political roll over to please the anti-gunners, if anyother big gun companies go down this road it will set in motion something that could be hard to come back from, this is a big mistake on Colts part, even if colt isn't what it was and its to do with being competitive
Better watch smith, ruger, dd, robarm
They just scored a 42 million dollar contract with the DoD, it's not political just economics.
From what I understand, Colt hasn't been making military weapons for years. FN got the contract for the M4 and has been manufacturing them in their Columbia, SC plant for years (along with the M240 and M249).
Can Armalite get “AR-15” trademark back from Colt?
If they buy them . I'd say if any company would buy Colt it be FN . FN owns Winchester , and Browning . So it would make sense that FN would buy them . Or no one will buy them and they will close their doors
Nope, Armalite sold the Trademark and colt officially owns the patent since the 70’s.
@@griz312
True, and I read that Colt also owns the patent for the auto sear that goes into the M4. And FN pays Colt for every M4 they make for the military. Thats what I read from a former employee.
I’m talking about the name. The AR-15 patient has expired. Everyone is making a AR-15. The “AR-15” name can still be sold though.
Why would they want it. Been sell out junk for years.
I held a Colt AR 15 once the Panther DPMS next to it felt way better
colt hurts themself very often. i'm going to dd, giselle, ARs
It's official...Colt has completed their decades long slide from relevant firearms to historical relics, all while abandoning those who used to have fond memories of the brand passed from father to son. Nostalgia isn't enough to overcome betrayal. Very sad.
I wish I could step into a parallel universe where only Diemaco exists and below the 49th parallel @ that.
No kidding! In a perfect world I could just drive the 6 hours upper to canada and get my maple leaf lower. Really been wantin one of those for a while!
@@ianspitzmiller7157 If current Cdn government is re-elected in October, they will ban/buy back/confiscate AR-15 and other "assault rifles" - election campaign promise. Better hurry up ...
They all say that. And I have no dought they would use executive action to try. But people do not realize the manpower it would physically take to confiscate over 65M+ semi auto rifles. Not to mention the numerous LEOs and soldiers that have said they will not comply with any order given to do that. They would rely on what troops are willing and feds to accomplish this. And then where are they going to house the millions of law abiding American who will not comply? Answer is....they do not have the capacity both in phycial manpower and space to accomplish this...yet. But like I said, I do think they would try. And once the first gun shots were fired between citizen and government I really think they would have to stop and reevaluate their decision.
Now, do I think they would try a ban on new semi autos...absolutely. But with 80%ers, how does that work. Americans can still make their rifles. Are they going to ban mills, lathes, CNC machines and chunks of aluminum and steel? They probably would try. But again, Americans would not comply, and this leads back to the origonal outcome. The first shots fired between a citizen and the feds over and 80% that he completed and would not hand over would ignote a war, either political or actual, that the government would have to address. I just do not see this happening as easy and as fast as these scum liberal politicians think and say it will. But thise are just my thoughts on the subject, you might very well be right. Kind of all depends on how many REAL 2A Americans are out there and willing to put their money where there mouth is so to speak, or if they are just more Elmer Fudds that would give up the second a federal agent came a knocking. I know what side of history I am willing to fight on? Does the rest of America?
A Colt update video would be interesting and needed. With how different things are in May 2023 and Colt pushing out several AR based rifles to the civilian market and to military for the Ukraine conflict, there is a new chapter to add to this story.
Colt is doing nothing at all kinda like Bushmaster is with the ACR and AAC is with the 51T mount system that never changed.
Wow, saw your videos years ago and you have over 90k subs. Of course youtube de verified you.
@@humansvd3269 was never verified to start with. However still getting google moneys once a month still.
@@TMHonfire102 That's good then. Love your ak bumpfire videos. Take care man.
How do you only have 35 thousand subs, you are the most knowledgeable small arms channel on youtube. Let's get this man some subs guys!!!!
Thanks for this Chris.
Only reason I ever came close to buying a 6920 was nostalgia from my Infantry days. I held one, felt the quality (congrats colt, you put it together right), but then laughed when I saw the $1300 tag. That's when I discovered BCM. I've never looked back
Charging 2500 bucks for a retro M16A1 that they didn't even make should have been the signal for everyone to stop buying anything from them anyway. I know that's an obtuse argument, but Colt lost the plot of what people wanted a long time ago.
I would have bought a colt retro. Heck, maybe even $1500 for one. $2500 is a ridiculous cost for something that 30 other companies already make that isn't of significantly better quality.
Shit, I bought an SP5K because it wasn't significantly more expensive than what Zenith was putting out at the time.
i love my colt LE6920 its a rock solid AR, it will shoot any type of round I put in the thing, never had a problem with it.
I carried a Knights Armament M16A4 in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Interesting, us govt has never procured them. DoD would never have approved that sale since they already have a part number and a rifle that fit that need.
@@SmallArmsSolutions it was a weird deployment. We also had H&K steel magazines instead of the US GI mags.
@@SmallArmsSolutions yeah, they pulled it fresh out the box when we went to the armory for the weapon draw before getting on the busses. They told me to not worry about it being BZOd because we would rezero our weapons once we got in country. Everybody else had Colt M16A4 or M4s.
This is the best video on colt out there , you squared away. Great job
Samuel Colt is rolling in his grave, to what has become of his company
Thank you again for another excellent video... And for your faithful service of past and present.
Seriously, who was buying Colt AR-15s anyway? It's a mediocre version of the AR-15 and Colt was literally charging double what other (better) companies were.
They didn’t even have to r&d for new products, they could have made the originals like the Vietnam carbines years before nodak spud and DD and they’d have sold a ton.
Lewis Machine and Tool is now my go to. These guys are over priced also but are not commies......yet.
bryan lawless Karl will never go this route, ever
@@SmallArmsSolutions I hope so.
LMT has been my go to for rifles and parts if I want known quality, hard use, duty grade. You will pay for them but they are worth their weight in gold.
@@ianspitzmiller7157 Absolutely agree. So much that I'm a dealer for them.
Well shoot, Im always looking for new LMT dealers? Do you run any kind of store online? Or happen to be in Ohio?
I think Colt made a business decision based upon demand, just like any other company would do. In short, the demand for their AR15-platform rifles was insufficient to justify continued production. No big loss to the AR-buying public, since there are literally dozens of other companies making and selling ARs in one configuration or another. Colt was once an industry force to be reckoned with, but no so much these days. Nostalgia ain't what it used to be.
As soon as I heard about the news my first thought was I wonder what small arms solutions has to say about this? I decided to hold off on my opinions until I watch this video because I knew I’d get a no bull**** answer.
I'm glad they pulled out. They can't compete with the other rifles on the market and can barely sell what they have anyway. They can, however, sell 1911s and revolvers at reasonable prices, so let them focus on those for now.
Also, Colt really needs to get its collective shit together and come up with some all new designs.
They need to bring back the Snake guns...at reasonable prices.
They need to either decrease the cost of their 1911s or increase the quality. Springfield beats them out on every turn...or I could get Dan Wessons.
The AR15s are a lost cause. They lost the market share. They'll have to do some significant R&D to gain any traction in that market again.
Chris said it, they need some new products. At least some cool stuff. I wanted to buy that IAR upper, but the funds weren't there at the time.