What makes a Colt a Colt?

AR/M4 AR General Discussion
1

What makes a Colt LE6920 better than most other AR’s? I’m sure some will argue and don’t have the expertise to disagree but I’ve heard that was the one to get!

Still I ask for a specific reason and not here to debate that. So here is my question. Is it the components inside the Colt that make it a Colt, or the entire thing as a completed puzzle?

I have a PSA AR 15 pistol stock. I have a Colt LE6920 with $1,000 in upgrades. Things like a Geissele 2 stage trigger, Gunfighter ambidextrous handle, blah blah. List goes on.

At age 57 I never realized how empty my world was until I was in introduced to a SBR! It’s everything I never knew I wanted in an AR 15…

But I don’t have the inclination to do a tax stamp and all the other crap I have to go through to be able to take the 6920 lower and attach it to the PSA upper as that is my dream weapon I can already tell!!!

Yes I have the play stock for the pistol, which gets me close enough to know an SBR is what I desire! I have no clue why ANY moron could tell me why that gun would be illegal, but again, not here for that and there’s enough articles cussing the government on that subject already!!! I still had to vent about it… :slight_smile:

But point is, the pistol is now going to be my everything gun, my carry gun, my truck gun, my nightstand gun, my…

So if I strip the PSA lower, and fill it with ALL of my 6920 components, will I have a lower that the experts here would all agree is now EXACTLY the same, or 95% there as a colt 6920 lower?

Or is part of it being a “Colt” lower receiver the empty stripped “frame” itself as well?

Thanks!!!

2

IF the PSA lower is in proper spec, and you put Colt parts in it, it should be fine functionally.

Colt gets recommended because they have been building, developing and refining the AR for almost 60 years. It’s their knowledge, their OEM supplier product selection, their QC and their legacy supplying the mil/gov. So I would say its both the components and the sum of the parts when they build a rifle. My $.02.

3

Thanks for the fast reply!!! But maybe I didn’t get my point across as articulately as I wanted :slight_smile: I know it will be fine functionally because all the parts are interchangeable. I guess my bottom line question is, would it be considered a “Colt lower” as that’s what I’m trying to achieve? I don’t wanna pay for a tax stamp to actually use it so by interchanging the parts would you say its now actually as close to a Colt as you could get, or does it not really work like that and the housing is part of it all as well!

4

It won’t be a Colt lower unless it’s made in Hartford and has the pony roll mark. :wink:

5

Yep, if ya put good parts into your PSA lower and attach it to a Colt upper, it magically becomes a Colt (the magic just doesn’t go far enough to change the roll mark).

…warning, this post may contain sarcasm…

If you want a Colt lower, then buy a Colt lower. They’re quite inexpensive, and have gotten down to ridiculously inexpensive on a regular basis.

6

First, please tell me you’re trolling us!
Secondly, no it wouldn’t be considered a Colt. It would be a frankengun. If Kia were to start putting Mercedes engines and transmissions in their cars would you consider them to then be Mercedes?

7

Geez… for some reason I think everyone is misinterpreting what I’m trying to say here. Let’s try another way. If I keep my stock PSA lower or I take all of the parts from my Colt lower and transfer it all to the PSA lower, are the lowers equal or is the PSA with Colt parts way superior?

For some reason some people are interpreting this question as I want to actually turn it into a Colt “legally” LOL. No it’s not going to actually be one, my point is if a PSA lower has all of the Colt parts from its lower, are they now equal to an actual Colt lower?

8

That’s what I wanted to know thank you. I don’t want to buy one because I already own a half dozen AR’s and enough is enough. And I already have one here thats been upgraded, so why not just transfer the parts out and into my PSA? And correction, I’m not adding a PSA lower it to a Colt upper, I am adding a colt lower to a PSA pistol upper

9

In a single word, no. PSA has had a history of not always being in spec with the dimensions on their lowers.

10

Maybe I don’t fully comprehend the question yet after all.

If you completely stripped a fully in-spec PSA lower down and re-built it with Colt or BCM parts (presuming you’ve got the knowledge/skill to do it damn well), it should be “functionally” the equal of a Colt or BCM lower assembly, but it’s still a home-built lower assembly.

You only have a half dozen ARs? That’s not nearly enough. :wink:

11

Due to state AW laws I have 90’s vintage pre ban registered Bushmaster, Eagle, Armalite, and Colt lowers that I can luckily configure normally as I wish. These are all 100% full of fancy Geiselle, BAD, FCD, Magpul, ALG, Colt and Vltor parts and have many thousands of rounds through them in various configurations and conditions so I know they must be in some sort of spec.

To your point “Colt” means to me correct parts correctly assembled and tested. Theoretically even changing out to a Geissele trigger no longer guarantees the same level/chance of reliability as previously OEM. So any changes you make should be for a defined need, of acceptable proven quality, correctly done, and then fully tested in the conditions you expect it to function.

Given my experience with continually refreshing 20+yr old lowers and shooting the heck out of them in various conditions, I would say putting your Colt small lower bits and good upgraded parts in a PSA lower is just a first step towards a highly reliable carbine. Make sure it is assembled correctly then use it how you expect it to work with the ammo you expect it work with.

Personally and likely most on this board wouldn’t mess with a working 6920 and just buy some new high quality parts for the PSA as we would just be retesting it anyways.

Dennis.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

12

Well have 1 yes and 1 no. I think I’ll let this rest for 24 hours and wait for some others to chime in and see what their opinions are as well :slight_smile:

PSA bad reviews and most of their complaints are based on delivery times and in the “sales” area, not really in the functional area. Still… I am wondering how important a Colt bare lower housing is compared to the PSA!

13

That could very well be the perfect answer I was looking for! So it’s a whole puzzle put together, not necessarily certain pieces that would fit another puzzle perfectly or not? Got it! Taking a step further, you could possibly be saying that leaving a PSA stock is more reliable than one that was changed with a Colt parts?

14

We have been going over this question for like 10 years at least. Just buy quality and all will be good in the world. Buy cheap junk and you’ll be let down. Colt is great. If you don’t like it, get something else.

HT

15

PSA would not be considered a junk. Colt I have already stated is considered top notch. Sorry but absolutely nothing you said that I can see pertains to my question, but hey, thanks anyway!

Ps: If it has been discussed soooo many times, even though a search turned up little, then I would have assumed that you should have an answer readily available???

16

Here is the thing Plumber, Colt machines their lower forgings to fall within a specific size range according to a set of blueprints. Those blueprints simply put are the official blueprints for their 6920. Other companies can then purchase 6920 carbines and through extensive measurements across a range of 6920 carbines come up with the blueprint size range that determines in specification. In the end there are other companies that go even narrower than Colt just as there are companies that fall outside of the Colt specification range. If a company wants to be taken seriously they will produce parts that work in Colt lowers that sit on both sides of the specification spectrum.

17

Nope. Unfortunately PSA isn’t known for their build quality and QC. I have personally taken apart 2 PSA uppers with barely finger tight barrel nuts and received on sale Premium BCGs with not fully seated peened pin ends. Everything worked fine after they were corrected but it doesn’t exactly build confidence in their claimed quality parts. Sadly, they probably would have worked fine as well without correction for casual shooting where the occasional failure and mediocre accuracy wouldn’t matter.

You seem to want a guarantee of quality from piecing stuff together when that guarantee comes from the person or company doing the assembly and their reputation. It’s up to you to decide what quality guarantee you are willing to settle or pay for…

TANSTAAFL

Dennis.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

18

Thank you sir for another in-depth explanation like Dennis. These are the type answers I am looking for from the experts that roam the halls on this website!

Thank you thank you thank you

19

Fully understood and duly noted. But no, I wouldn’t overthink this. I’m not looking for any guarantees or anything that specific. It’s just a very simple general question. Since I am unable to use the lower I want to use without purchasing a tax stamp, and I have to use the PSA lower, like it or not, would I be better off stripping the Colt lower and replacing the parts in the PSA with Colts. That’s pretty much it in a nutshell. I’m not trying to imply anything other than that. And additionally, once I did that, would it make it almost identical to the colt lower.

20
  1. Keep your Colt parts in your Colt lower.
  2. Buy this LPK https://charliescustomclones.com/products/colt-m4-semi-auto-full-lower-parts-kit-lpk and put it in your PSA lower.
  3. Ask a Mod to close this thread.
    :dirol: