For all intents and purposes the Colt 6933 is exactly the same as the Colt 6920 with 4.5" less barrel length and a larger gas port hole. Why is it $450 more?
I really want one, but for that price I can buy a 6920 and have the barrel cut down myself saving hundreds of dollars.
Aside from collector value (which is irrelevant to me Scottryan, don’t bother), is there any downside to this approach? Assuming the obvious such as the barrel is cut correctly, gas port opened to a correct size, etc.
When Colt lowered prices on their AR’s this Spring, the NFA side of the house did not see the cuts. Why? One battle at a time. I think you will see them lower the NFA prices at some point.
Just buy the upper and slap it on a 6920 lower? That shouldn’t cost more than $1200 tops, less if you shop around.
The 6933’s have had a number of different roll marks (like most Colt models). I’m almost certain that the current 6933’s have the same roll marks as the current 6920s (M4 CARBINE).
You may not be happy with that gas port size depending on how you run it. A 6933 is a bit much for some with a can. There are other possible solutions available.
Friend of mine has a 6933. Nice little SBR. Shoots well, reliable so on. But he paid a premium for that factory built SBR. After all of the add-ons, he spent quite a bit more than I did for my LMT. Of course mine is on a Form 1 and his a 4. Mine is engraved, his isn’t. Even if I did it all over again, I’d still form 1 my LMT.
I haven’t looked at 6933 prices for awhile but there were several places selling them for $1200 . Heck my 6933 was $1250 6 years ago. I saw two for sale by individuals in June for $1000 both sold the same day they were posted.
Botach has them for $886. Oh wait, that’s only for law enforcement. For some reason they must cost more to manufacture for mere civilians. They might want to figure out what’s causing that or else they could end up having financial troubles.
If you have a guy you trust to do it right, it’s optimal. You can get it ported a little leaner than factory. Colt’s are gassed pretty good, but I’d still like to shave a few thousandths off since I don’t shoot weak ammo.
But I’m still curious why there SBRs in general are more expensive than their longer counterparts (that require more materials and machining time to make)
That would be higher up in Colt. What do you think Colt sells M4’s for? Less than what most think for a contract run. A non FA SBR may be more of a hassle than a large run of FA guns in a contract. The added foot work per weapon is higher.
Smaller market and demand usually means higher cost for the consumer. Just the way it is, whether it is valid or not it’s true. Besides, most people build their SBRs it seems.
OK, but to the tune of $200+? The only thing Colt is accomplishing by charging civilians more is giving their competition an edge. It’s their company and they can do what they want, but how’s that working out for them?
True, but the cost of the extra paperwork is the same for Colt, regardless of whether the rifle transfers from the retailer to a LE officer or a civilian.