Colt Announces It Will Discontinue Retail Sales of Long Guns

[Bartholomew Roberts]

Colt is no longer offering rifles for retail sale.
https://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/colt-halts-sales-of-long-guns-to-the-retail-market/


Ah Colt, the company that brought the Single Action Army, 1911, and AR15 to market and yet still managed to go bankrupt while everyone else made huge profits selling their products. Maybe this “break” will allow them to focus on their core products like the All American 2000? Or maybe some new-fangled, polymer, striker pistol? :eek:

[MTT TL]

Can't really say I am surprised. They were always more of a pistol company anyway. Too bad their current line up pistol designs are over 100 years old. I guess if Ford rolled out the Model T tomrrow for $100K each people would buy a few but it is unlikely they would sell many.

[Polinese]

The bonus for me is that my agency now has to find a new patrol rifle. For the third time in less than a few years. Love it.

[HiBC]

While I certainly could form a bunch of negative thoughts about the decision...

Its not difficult to see it might be a sound business decision. The courts have awarded arge settlements against AR-15 manufacturers after shootings. (Update! Not true!! The lawsuits were dismissed)
That,IMO,is wrong,but it has happened.

You have to sell a lot of AR-15's to pay the legal bills and the settlement .

Didn't Bushmaster get hurt after Sandy Hook?

I don't know for sure,but likely Colt is a Union Shop,which will have an effect on labor costs.

Its feasible to set up a low overhead shop with a Manufacturer FFL ,buy parts and receivers and build quality AR rifles,top ends,etc. with $15 to $20 an hour wages ,and a small workforce. AR assemblers.

A week's vacation,no pension,,no decades of seniority.

In a low tax,low cost of living state,instead of Connecticut.

Colt has a lot of competition in the market,and Colt (I guess) has a higher overhead.Even if they can compete ,they will only have a fraction of the market
Add to that the potential for liability...sentiment and questionable future for the AR-15..Maybe insider info on what Congress may do...

Cutting the AR-15 MIGHT make good business sense for Colt.

[MTT TL]

The courts have awarded arge settlements against AR-15 manufacturers after shootings.

I am very curious about this. Can you please name one or two of them?

[HiBC]

MTT TL OK,after doing a little research,I was wrong in that the Firearms Manufacturers have (fortunately) been protected by a 2005 law that has lead to the dismissal of the lawsuits.

No problem. Per this linked article,legal expenses have cost the manufacturer big bucks.

I guess I've heard a lot about the lawsuits being filed,but the dismissal has been small news.

I think maybe the lawsuits will continue,with new angles being tried.


Anyway,I was wrong about settlements awarded. That's good.

https://www.revealnews.org/article/3-lawsuits-attempt-to-hold-gun-makers-sellers-liable-for-shootings/

[Polinese]

I think colt's problem (besides relying on the military contracts they subsequently lost) was they simply didn't offer a wide variety of products and what they did offer they charged too much for. They charged extra for that pony on the receiver when you could buy an equivalent or potentially better rifle from someone else for less money.

[Geezerbiker]

Colt has made a lot of dubious business decisions over the years and I find it amazing they have lasted this long...

Tony

[std7mag]

Heck, i forgot they were still in business.

[bamaranger]

I really doubt if Colt can keep the lights on by solely selling pistols retail. If they have some military contracts to keep them afloat, they may survive, but I wonder how long Colt will be around.

[Bartholomew Roberts]

I wonder how they are going to “focus on military contracts” when they didn’t enter the NGSW competition and already lost the pistol contract? They don’t make a GPMG or precision rifle and lost the M16 contract in 2013.

Are they going to sell to foreign militaries?

[fourbore]

The problem with colt is the products are marketed and sold as-if they were selling rare collectors guns. The market for OVER PRICE collector guns is not big enough to support a company the size of colt. There are only so many stupid and rich people in the world. In general sucessful people are also smart consumers.

I was interested in the WWI and WWII clone 1911's. Saw one, it looked ok, then i saw the price. INSANE!! Basically a loose fit, low cost parker finish for a million dollars each.

My, purchased new, 1911 gold cup needed a barrel and bushing to bench test almost as good as a Springfield Range Officer. For 2x the money, 1/2 the accuracy. I could and did get an STI. Pitiful, and it like a big secret on the internet. Fanboy liars - AFAIK.

I hate the lockup on DA colt revolvers. Again, dont ask the fanboys.

So; 1911 is neither accurate or reasonably priced, the DA revolvers suffer poor lockup. The SAA is another million dollar gun for the stupid rich. This is the new focus? Lotsa luck.

[MTT TL]

I was interested in the WWI and WWII clone 1911's. Saw one, it looked ok, then i saw the price. INSANE!! Basically a loose fit, low cost parker finish for a million dollars each.

I imagine you will really hate the 1903 reissue.

[fourbore]

Which 1903, some handgun or the rifle? I have to admit, I needed a google to find the colt 1903. A 1903 colt is not for me.

I will say, a WWI exact clone 1911 as a normal everyday product for a normal price would sell a gun to me. Maybe they could get Uberti to make those and then stamp "colt" and resell them. It worked before.

[MTT TL]

A 1903 colt is not for me.

I don't think you are alone. I am not sure who would buy a 116 year old design of a .32 caliber pocket pistol for $1500, unless it were an actual collectible.

[T. O'Heir]

Colt Firearms is a very small part of Colt Industries. Ending civilian sales of the AR sounds like politics. Just like how the M-16 got adopted in the first place. Too many nut bars using 'em to cause all shooters grief.
However, they've been marketing on the name for years. Just like Browning and Winchester.
"...lost the M16 contract in 2013..." They've been making M-16's up here since our idiot government gave 'em Diemaco in 2005.

[44 AMP]

Stop selling rifles at retail? Didn't Colt already do that, some 30 or 40 years ago? or longer?

Colt hasn't been selling any gun I know of, at retail (direct to the public) in a very long time. They sell to "jobbers/distributors", not to the public.

Ok, went to the linked article, and read as much of the comments as I could stand before the insults, petty bickering and general childishness drove me away.

Depending on who you listen to, its A) fake news, or B) a misrepresentation of what Colt is actually doing.

one statement, sourced to an actual Colt VP said Colt has stopped production of long guns for the civilian market, to concentrate on 1911s (and military contracts).

It seems to me they did that before...also dropping production of DA revolvers, and making the SA a "custom shop" item.

The statement also said that if the market changes down the road, they could revisit the decision.

for me, its a tempest in a teacup
while I love the 1911/Government model, I haven't been a been a fan of Colt since the I discovered, in the late 60s, that a Colt .357 sold for $188 and a comparable S&W was $140. The prancing pony is pretty, but its not worth what they ask for it.

[Dfariswheel]

Late word has it that Colt has gotten some large foreign contracts and needs the production capacity to fill the orders.

The source says that Colt is either going to stop production for civilian sales until the contracts are filled, possibly within 180 days or so, OR is going to very slowly ship limited numbers of civilian sales rifles.

It sounds like this is not a permanent halt of civilian AR rifles.

The good news is, it looks like other then the Russian and Chinese affiliated countries, much of the world is buying American M16 weapons for their military and police.

[44caliberkid]

Maybe Kimber could start making Pythons.

[Tom Servo]

Maybe this “break” will allow them to focus on their core products like the All American 2000?

That gun and the whole mess surrounding it tells us everything we ever needed to know about them as a company. The rest of the market innovated, and they...well, they made that thing. It was overpriced, poorly designed, and they hoped it would sell like crazy because it had the Hartford Horsie on the side.

Frankly, given their appalling treatment of the civilian market, their complete inability to practice any consistent quality control, their total lack of innovation, and the fact the President of their company is personal friends with gun-control advocates, I say good riddance.

[fourbore]

Correct me if I am wrong, but; the 2000 is the basis for the current Chinese army side arm. How many million pistols is that. Yes, screwed up by colt, agree 100% - But; the idea had merit and has been very successful, when not screwed.

[SPEMack618]

I heard that it was a rumor started by an employee of RSR, probably trying to explain why he couldn't get a specific gun to a shop.

This is gonna drive the old guys who buy Colts to resell them up the wall.

[Charlie98]

Colt has been wandering lost in the woods for many years... poor management, poor direction, mix n match of their product line, reliance on contracts, poor relationship with it's labor force. This is just another page in the Crazy Colt novel.

[Aguila Blanca]

I guess I've heard a lot about the lawsuits being filed,but the dismissal has been small news.

I think maybe the lawsuits will continue,with new angles being tried.

Correct. Some of the Sandy Hook parents have taken Bushmaster and its parent company to court in Connecticut, and the Connecticut Supreme Court issued a rather inexplicable ruling that essentially said the federal Protection of Lawful Commerce in Firearms law didn't apply, so the suit could continue. Last I knew, Bushmaster et al had (IIRC) appealed that decision in federal court, and I believe it is still being played out.

So, yes -- the anti-gun forces are still looking for ways around the federal law -- until they can muster enough votes in congress to just repeal it.

[fourbore]

TTAG was able to speak directly with Paul Spitale, Senior Vice President of Colt’s commercial business line. He confirmed the above. Colt has halted production of its commercial long guns lines and is focusing its manufacturing and sales on 1911s and revolvers.

This is not rumor, it is direct from Colt Senior VP for the commercial gun business. That is based on the link provided by the OP. No more, no less.

The other talk about focus on so-called big contracts, politics, etc all that other stuff is rumor or speculation (or no citation given = same thing).

[Don Fischer]

I am not even remotely a fan of the black rifle. So I saw the title to this and though, Colt hasn't marketed a rifle since the late 70's! Excuse my ignorance. That rifle they sold then was made by J.P. Sauer. Absolutely beautiful. Seem to me Colt has been going down hill for a long time. I can't recall the last time I saw a Colt firearm in a store. Till this thread I wasn't even sure they were still in business.

[Bartholomew Roberts]

It just baffles me that Colt has manufactured some of the most popular American firearms ever designed and yet they can’t seem to profit off of it. Though to be fair, it seems like Colt losing exclusive rights to produce them is usually about where they became popular.

[Don Fischer]

I'm a DA fan but truth is it seem's like today it's auto loaders in demand and I think all Colt makes is the 1911. That has to hurt. I wonder what sells most in auto loader's, 9mm or something bigger. I don't know that colt has ever made a 9mm. Resting on their laurels will destroy them. Many years ago I had a little auto loader in 22 RF, I think it was made by some company called Ace Looked exactly like a scaled down 1911! Even if colt could come out with something like that but a bit bigger it would have to be a plus. Just don't see the volume in DA or SA handguns like there used to be. Self defense pretty much killing them off.

[fourbore]

Ruger sells revolvers like hot cakes. Single action and double action. I own quite a few. The colt revolvers are priced for the crazy rich collectors.

[Jeff22]

So, I found this researching on the net:

18 Nov 2018 Army contract.
Colt’s Manufacturing Company LLC, West Hartford, Connecticut, was awarded an $88,607,109 modification (P00008) to contract W15QKN-15-D-0102 for M4 and M4A1 carbines. Work will be performed in West Hartford, Connecticut, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 25, 2020. Fiscal 2019 and 2020 operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $88,607,109 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, New Jersey, is the contracting activity.

19 September, 2019 Foreign Military Sales contract
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

Total of $130, 531,703.

Colt has $130 MILLION dollars of government contracts to fill. They might be busy for a while

[Don Fischer]

Seem's to me a lot of people went on the war path against Colt when this first came out. I was clueless as all they sold that I ever liked, other than the Colt/Sauer rifle was some of their DA handguns. Not for some reason this look's like they had to give up something and they did. As I said earlier, no big loss for me as I don't like black rifles in the first place! :-)

[natman]

So, I found this researching on the net:

18 Nov 2018 Army contract.
Colt’s Manufacturing Company LLC, West Hartford, Connecticut, was awarded an $88,607,109 modification (P00008) to contract W15QKN-15-D-0102 for M4 and M4A1 carbines. Work will be performed in West Hartford, Connecticut, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 25, 2020. Fiscal 2019 and 2020 operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $88,607,109 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, New Jersey, is the contracting activity.

19 September, 2019 Foreign Military Sales contract
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

Total of $130, 531,703.

Colt has $130 MILLION dollars of government contracts to fill. They might be busy for a while
This would agree with your assessment.

https://www.alloutdoor.com/2019/09/20/colt-clarifies-decision-suspend-civilian-msr-sales/

[natman]

I am not even remotely a fan of the black rifle. So I saw the title to this and though, Colt hasn't marketed a rifle since the late 70's!
Colt sold the Colt Light Rifle, a bolt action in the late '90s. It's understandable that you might not remember it, it had production issues and was only sold for a short time.

[Don Fischer]

Colt sold the Colt Light Rifle, a bolt action in the late '90s. It's understandable that you might not remember it, it had production issues and was only sold for a short time.ut I'll remember to the day I die that Colt/Sauer I handled in the late 70's. Beautiful by any standard, also expensive!

[JJ45]

Just curious-who did they lose the contract to and why? For the M16

[Dfariswheel]

I seem to recall they lost "A" contract to FN America a few years ago, due to FN submitting a lower bid.

Colt is still selling M4 series rifles to the US military, per the above post about a 2018 contract to make M4 and M4-A1 carbines for the US military.

It seems that other then Russia and China and their allied countries, most of the free worlds special ops and a great many foreign militaries and police are buying Colt M4 series carbines.