The Hartford Horsey is undergoing quite a bit of change now.
It’s been steadily slimming down the headcount, with the last round of layoffs last week totaling 75 people. So I hear.
Also, importantly, I am hearing they are moving away from vertical integration (manufacturing their own parts) and moving towards subcontracting. I don’t know what that means for QC and hardcore Colt customers.
I hope Colt can steady the ship in a market characterized by slackening demand (no panic buying) and maybe have enough cash to diversify its product line (with a new non-1911 pistol).
We live in interesting times, especially now that Remington is shopping around for DIP financing ahead of a Ch11 re-org.
I buy Colt because I know Colt makes their own parts. If they do this, they are actually validating what the gun shop A holes say “aw they dont make their own parts”
Just stick to 1911s and ARs. Not hard.
The Colt Expanse and that outsourced abortion should have learned them.
I dont want a Colt Glock clone. Or another Freedom Group style lack of quality.
I mean I have all the AR stuff I need but it seems like I wont be able to name drop the 6920 so easily.
Well, 1911s, ARs and SAAs, with maybe an occasional “Legacy” run of other classics–stick to doing the things that built their brand and doing 'em well. And by classics, I mean faithful repro of original designs, not that back-birth outsourced abortion they called the “Model 1903” that wasn’t even compatible with real M1903 parts, maybe one or two “Legacy Line” models a year with regular rotation.
The other thing that doesn’t help is how Colt’s been deliberately debt-loaded by its various owners over the years as a deterrent to hostile takeover… don’t remember if it was Daniel Watters or one of the others, but one of the oldtimers over at GunHub who’s been in the game longer than many of us here have been alive dished some interesting dirt a while back.
IMHO they should license the full TDP for all their products to selected quality makers (let’s say, BCM), allow/require those makers to have a “Colt (TDP) Inside” sticker/laser mark on their rifles, and just walk away to enjoy the royalties in the company’s effective twilight years.
Most of all I’d like see the Colt 901 design continue at a company with a bright future and the ability to keep operating through up and down swings. LMT would be a natural but the MWS is too close in concept. So BCM would seem a logical fit, especially given that they don’t currently have a .308.
Colt has been going under since I was a kid, and that’s a long time. I remember when Winchester packed it in, and I was into those as much as my budget (minuscule) at the time would allow. The world didn’t end.
I’d sort of like to know what earth-shattering kaboom would result if Colt’s went under now?
John Boyd (and Charles Darwin) had some things to say about that.
There’s nothing wrong with subcontracting provided your vendors are properly vetted and surveilled. Almost no one makes 100% of components in house and most companies don’t mix their own elastomers or own their own foundries…
I was told about Colt outsourcing their lowers years ago. I don’t see any shock in them doing it with other parts, especially if they maintain solid QC and continue to make barrels and a few of the other pieces.
Not to bitch at you. But, honestly, I don’t think they’d find many buyers. There is a lot of TDP prints out there should one look around and there are plenty of good companies, BCM for example who have figured out the secret sauce of the TDP and are doing as good or better than Colt. BCM, Sionics, SOLGWS, LMT, DD, KAC, and others have a following for quality for a reason after all. if I was Paul at BCM and Colt came around offering to “sell” me their TDP I’d probably tell them to go **** themselves and counter offer to sell them my TDP since my guns are held to a higher tolerance. The companies who could benefits wouldn’t give a **** anyway since Frank Fudd don’t know the ****ing difference anyway.
That said. I would be very interested in seeing more done with the 901. That rifle interests me in many ways and I think could have a lot of promise.
Nothing major, just end of another era. Kind of like when SIG changed. It was nice to be able to buy Colt or SIG by name and have a known quantity as far as reliability. Makes shopping a little harder is all.
Used to be “Get a 6920 and done.” Maybe not anymore.
You could get a 226, 220, 239, or a 228 and not think twice. Now…not so much. They inherited the former Kimber guy(or other way around?) and lost track with the mediocre 556, the multitude of gimmick guns, etc.
The MCX is interesting and I wish the Mk. 25 didnt have the anchor on it.
I also miss the SSG3000. They were selling them at Wal Mart next to the Remington fudd guns at close out prices, I had the money, could have easily gotten the proper Mcmillan stock, but foolishly passed on it.
I dont mind innovation, but it shouldnt come at the expense of consistency
Then you get into 922r and ITAR territory, not to mention whatever export restrictions Canada has… I’d love if I could get a genuine C8 URG for the GF’s loaner iron to use while she’s visiting, but I somehow don’t see the pencil-pushing-pencildicks on either side of the border allowing it to happen.
I don’t have the thread link handy, but I have read claims on here that Colt’s overall quality package goes beyond the military M4 TDP. I don’t have any independent knowledge of this. It may be that someone like BCM already has as good of a data package; but I don’t know. Selling their whole TDP & trade secrets to someone, or licensing it, would ensure that builder X had the data to build as well as Colt. And I think anyone who has bought a new Colt, and a new rifle from some other top maker (BCM, LMT, DD) has seen the difference in cosmetics and not selling banged-up stuff as new. So to me it would be a win-win to know you have the entire secret sauce, along with a maker that realizes civilians buying $1k-3k rifles want something that isn’t battle-worn (or lazy packing department-worn) as new.