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I'll admit it... I'm an unapologetic Colt fan. I'd rather have a nice Colt AR than pretty much any other. I believe they're made better than some, maybe not as good as others. But Colt is an American firearms icon and I'm a sucker for that sort of thing.
There's a lot of talk that Colt AR rifles aren't made with quite the same quality as they were, say, 10 or more years ago. Prior to today the newest Colt rifle I have was made in 2010, I think. It's an old-school LE6920 from when Colt was still building the bulk of the military rifles.
On Black Friday I ordered a Colt AR-15 A4 from the Base Exchange website and picked it up at TAFB today. This is a gun that's been on my "want" list for a while. I have two other 20" Colt rifles...an SP1 from 1976 and a Gov't Model from around 1987 and both are in "Mint" condition...they don't get shot. I wanted one to shoot. It's pretty sloppy and wet outside so I haven't had a chance to shoot it. But I have fondled it extensively and looked it over quite well. If this rifle is any indication the worries about Colt putting out sub-standard guns is unwarranted. And I have several other new-production Colt handguns I've acquired over the past year as well and they are all top-notch in terms of quality and reliability.
I didn't clean up the gun for the pictures. It's pictured exactly as it came out of the box and it's quite oily. But, the fit and finish of this gun is as good as I've seen from pretty much any manufacturer. Right up front I'll say the only negative I've found so far is the trigger. It's rough and gritty...but I suspect a good cleaning and some proper lubrication will solve that problem...along with a few hundred rounds downrange. I have no other "cons" to report.
The upper and lower receivers fit quite well together and there is an almost imperceptible amount of play between the two. It's there...but you have to really work at it to feel it. There are no machining marks that I can find, inside or out. The laser markings are crisp, clear and even...exactly as you'd expect from laser engraving. The barrel is a 1/7 twist and it and the chamber are chrome-lined. The M4-style feedramps are very cleanly cut. All of the pins fit very tightly...the receiver pins can be pushed out with an appropriate amount of finger force...no tools required. The standard ambi selector function is crisp and positive from both sides. The A2 stock is solid and the buffer is the standard rifle buffer and spring. There is a trap door in the butt. The upper receiver and carry handle have the trademark square of the Brass Aluminum Forging Enterprises company. The upper rail has the military-style "T" markings.
One thing that really stood out to me was the stiffness of the extractor spring. I don't recall seeing this gold-colored spring on any of my other rifles but this thing is REALLY stout. It looks thicker than what I recall seeing on my other guns, too. I can't say for sure...just going from memory. But I don't recall having such difficulty compressing an extractor into the bolt recess in order to install the pin. I had to fight this one a bit. (NOTE: I looked this up and it seems this spring and insert are heavier. The wire is .026 instead of the standard .022 and the insert is a stiffer rubber, apparently. It was on the internet so it must be true!)
Everything works as it should on this rifle. It's tight, but not so tight that tools are needed to do normal things to it. Excellent finish. Really nice looking gun. Oh...the rifle came with an accessory pack that included on 30-round Gen 2 PMag, an operator manual and (thank goodness) a cheap bicycle-style lock.
I hope to get it out and shoot it within the next couple of days after it dries out a bit (we got 1.3" of rain today).
There's a lot of talk that Colt AR rifles aren't made with quite the same quality as they were, say, 10 or more years ago. Prior to today the newest Colt rifle I have was made in 2010, I think. It's an old-school LE6920 from when Colt was still building the bulk of the military rifles.
On Black Friday I ordered a Colt AR-15 A4 from the Base Exchange website and picked it up at TAFB today. This is a gun that's been on my "want" list for a while. I have two other 20" Colt rifles...an SP1 from 1976 and a Gov't Model from around 1987 and both are in "Mint" condition...they don't get shot. I wanted one to shoot. It's pretty sloppy and wet outside so I haven't had a chance to shoot it. But I have fondled it extensively and looked it over quite well. If this rifle is any indication the worries about Colt putting out sub-standard guns is unwarranted. And I have several other new-production Colt handguns I've acquired over the past year as well and they are all top-notch in terms of quality and reliability.
I didn't clean up the gun for the pictures. It's pictured exactly as it came out of the box and it's quite oily. But, the fit and finish of this gun is as good as I've seen from pretty much any manufacturer. Right up front I'll say the only negative I've found so far is the trigger. It's rough and gritty...but I suspect a good cleaning and some proper lubrication will solve that problem...along with a few hundred rounds downrange. I have no other "cons" to report.
The upper and lower receivers fit quite well together and there is an almost imperceptible amount of play between the two. It's there...but you have to really work at it to feel it. There are no machining marks that I can find, inside or out. The laser markings are crisp, clear and even...exactly as you'd expect from laser engraving. The barrel is a 1/7 twist and it and the chamber are chrome-lined. The M4-style feedramps are very cleanly cut. All of the pins fit very tightly...the receiver pins can be pushed out with an appropriate amount of finger force...no tools required. The standard ambi selector function is crisp and positive from both sides. The A2 stock is solid and the buffer is the standard rifle buffer and spring. There is a trap door in the butt. The upper receiver and carry handle have the trademark square of the Brass Aluminum Forging Enterprises company. The upper rail has the military-style "T" markings.
One thing that really stood out to me was the stiffness of the extractor spring. I don't recall seeing this gold-colored spring on any of my other rifles but this thing is REALLY stout. It looks thicker than what I recall seeing on my other guns, too. I can't say for sure...just going from memory. But I don't recall having such difficulty compressing an extractor into the bolt recess in order to install the pin. I had to fight this one a bit. (NOTE: I looked this up and it seems this spring and insert are heavier. The wire is .026 instead of the standard .022 and the insert is a stiffer rubber, apparently. It was on the internet so it must be true!)
Everything works as it should on this rifle. It's tight, but not so tight that tools are needed to do normal things to it. Excellent finish. Really nice looking gun. Oh...the rifle came with an accessory pack that included on 30-round Gen 2 PMag, an operator manual and (thank goodness) a cheap bicycle-style lock.
I hope to get it out and shoot it within the next couple of days after it dries out a bit (we got 1.3" of rain today).
