Quoted: Well, that goes to show if people searched the EE, they wouldn't stand for the prices some of the dealers are charging and those same dealers wouldn't be able to drive up the prices.

Or maybe it goes to show that a lot of people are NOT paying as much for Colt LE6920s as some people are assuming they are paying, but have actually shopped around for a good deal, like an honest-to-god Responsible Consumer.

You guys might want to read his whole ad thread before you get too excited.  I don't think SteyrAUG is even accepting new orders until he clears his current list..

Quoted: Quoted: Well, that goes to show if people searched the EE, they wouldn't stand for the prices some of the dealers are charging and those same dealers wouldn't be able to drive up the prices.   Or maybe it goes to show that a lot of people are NOT paying as much for Colt LE6920s as some people are assuming they are paying, but have actually shopped around for a good deal, like an honest-to-god Responsible Consumer.

Well, quite a few people bit the hook from SAW.  They had a few dozen at the beginning of the week and were sold out by the end of the week.  They were charging around $1400-$1500 for each.  So I'd say quite a good number of people didn't search around or just didn't search in the right places for a good deal.  I've heard the same about a lot of different dealers selling out despite of inflated prices as well.  I may have ass-umed, but I did so with quite a bit of evidence.  

Like I said, I'm glad you got a good deal.  I hope more people around here find a similar deal.  I like Colt.  I also actually like SAW.  I just think their prices reflect demand and the good deals are getting harder and harder to come by at this point.  With the ban having only sunsetted less than two months ago and Colt waiting to see how the elections turn out/to clear their stock of the post ban models/stc., the prices are not going to come down for at least a couple of months to come.  I think another reason people are grabbing Colt rifles no matter what the price is because the election is at such a dead heat.  If Kerry wins, we can be sure any rifle is going to be hard to come by much les something as scarce as a Colt.  I gues some people are thinking that an overpriced M4 is better than no M4 at all.  

I'm sorry if you took offense to my first post, I really didn't mean for it to sound a-hole-ish at all.  However, current prices are way up and the evidence shows people aren't caring about how high the prices are for whatever reasons.

Quoted: You guys might want to read his whole ad thread before you get too excited.  I don't think SteyrAUG is even accepting new orders until he clears his current list..

Well, looking at SteyrAUG's posts, it looks like Colt LE models are going to be somewhat hard to come by for the near future.  I thnk those who paid $1500 for a 6920 might actually have gotten a very good deal as far as the current situation is concerned.  It looks as if the truly good deals are going to be few and far between for the next few months.  After that, we'll have to see.

I've posted this once before...

I'm not a Colt basher, but this was interesting. Just a very cursory search on Google.com yielded the following information about Colt's owner:

Donald Zilkha never really planned to get into the gun business. In 1993 he turned 42, and had yet to make his own fortune. Success was expected of him: his family built one of the biggest banking empires in the Middle East before conquering New York. He worried aloud to friends that his father, a philanthropist and banker, disapproved of him. Zilkha was looking for a chance to prove himself, and suddenly there it was. Colt's Manufacturing Co.--known to the world as Colt--had fallen on hard times and could be bought for next to nothing.

His family, Zilkha told others, was appalled. His mother, a board member at the Metropolitan Opera, thought it a dirty business. His billionaire uncle refused to help. But Zilkha defied them. He was a city kid enthralled by cowboy legends. He was also a shrewd businessman, and he thought he'd found a way to make the guns profitable and "respectable." Colt had helped America win two world wars; it wasn't like owning some cheap handgun maker. Zilkha would buy up Colt's competitors for military weapons, Wall Street style. Later there were other ideas: "smart guns" that would make the world safer, Western theme parks for kids. He just might become a modern Samuel Colt.

Now here he was, in the summer of 1999, sitting in his office 46 floors above midtown Manhattan, listening on the speaker phone as Colt executives told him the dream was dying. Colt was deep in debt and paying more than $300,000 a month in legal fees. The bank wouldn't loan him any more cash. With school shootings dominating the news, Zilkha's private investors wanted nothing more to do with guns. And if he didn't come up with $4 million in a hurry, the nation's oldest gunmaker would be forced to close its doors. So Zilkha did what he had to do. He and his partner, John Rigas, secretly put up $1 million of their own money so that Colt could hastily build 1,100 modified assault rifles for the civilian market. They knew those guns were in high demand--even though they're banned in several states. The rifles gave Colt a cash infusion so it could pay its factory workers. But it wasn't enough; the money ran out, and Colt soon announced it would have to stop making most consumer handguns.

--------------

CMI (Colt Manufacturing, Inc.) is owned by New York banker, Donald Zilkha, who still maintains his Iraqi citizenship. Unfortunately, while Mr. Zilkha owns CMI, he *does not* own the name "Colt". That belongs to the State of Connecticut. The State gained ownership of the name when the companies previous owners went bankrupt in 1994 owing the State of Connecticut pension fund $11,000,000.

Zilkha's arrangement with the State required him to keep the ailing company in Connecticut for ten years, which included the manufacturing of any gun that had ever been produced in that factory....or pay the State $11,000,000 they lost in the previous bankruptcy. Apparently Zilkha has come up with an exit strategy that will allow him to both move the company's manufacturing to friendlier, non-union, ground and leave the companies creditors sucking wind. Zilkha is now negotiating with the State to finally buy the name "Colt".

I'd love to see the source of that; it reads like a bad novel: $1,000,000 out of his pocket to build 1,100 rifles to sell on the market then collect the profit then use the profit to pay workers, when he could have taken the $1,000,000 and paid the workers directly?  Unless they made a profit of $1000/rifle they came up short.

Here, IMO, is a more reasoned history of Colt's (mis)management over the years: Definition of Colt's Manufacturing Company @ WordIQ.com

You know the DEA bought the RRA rifles because they could deliver these rifles cheaper than any other company! That doesn't make them the best(just the cheapest)!

Kind of like the Airlinners you are ridding on(built by the losest bidder)!

You want to trust your life on that kind of bidding?

Not saying that R&R are not quality AR/15's just low end bidding!

I'm sure FN got the bid because then undercut Colts bid!


My colt says Colts Firearm Division,not Colt Defence!

Its a Sporter Target and a real good make!!!!!


They are all just AR/15's but I have to say some are just made a little better than others!!


200,00 or more I just don't know!!!


Bob

Purely for the sake of clarification, the DEA contract was awarded not only to RRA, but to Colt and Sig as well. It's funny that RRA gets most of the press-yet they got the smallest slice of the pie by a pretty large margin.

From FBO Daily:

AWARDS - July 4, 2003

DEA-03-C-0030 - Estimated $115,142,537.00
CARBINE RIFLE
Sigarms, Inc., 18 Industrial Drive, Exeter, N. H. 03833
 
DEA-03-C-0032 - Estimated $85,923,935.00
CARBINE RIFLE
Rock River Arms, Inc., 1042 Cleveland Road, Colona, Il. 61241
 
DEA-03-C-0031 - Estimated $113,639,340.00
CARBINE RIFLE
Colt Defense LLC, PO Box 118, Hartford, Ct. 06141


From USDOJ:

DEA      DEA-03-C-0030      Multi-Bureau      Sigarms, Inc.      06/20/08      .223 Carbines

DEA      DEA-03-C-0031      Multi-Bureau      Colt Defense       06/20/08      .223 Carbines

DEA      DEA-03-C-0032      Multi-Bureau      Rock River Arms 06/20/08      .223 Carbines


Another point of clarification is that in 1998 Colt won the M-16 contract back with an order of 32,000+ units: LINK

Quoted: It's funny that RRA gets most of the press-yet they got the smallest slice of the pie by a pretty large margin.

It helps when you are the ones putting out the press releases and sending out samples to all the gunrag writers.  

Quoted: Quoted: It's funny that RRA gets most of the press-yet they got the smallest slice of the pie by a pretty large margin. It helps when you are the ones putting out the press releases and sending out samples to all the gunrag writers.

Roger that!

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: It's funny that RRA gets most of the press-yet they got the smallest slice of the pie by a pretty large margin. It helps when you are the ones putting out the press releases and sending out samples to all the gunrag writers.   Roger that!

Well I'll shut my mouth on that sir!!And thanks for the heads up CJan_NH!

I'm not totaly stupid just just wonder why anyone would buy into the total RRA Hype!~


You sir are  Jewel!!!   Bob

I'm not totaly stupid just just wonder why anyone would buy into the total RRA Hype!

For what it's worth my builds are made primarily with Colt and RRA parts-with a few LMT parts thrown in for flavor

In my humble opinion RRA represents a solid value for the money. Their lower parts kits are well made, their lowers are generally in spec and are finished extremely well, and their uppers are very well done. Although I run Colt fire control parts and bolts in most of mine, the RRA parts have functioned exactly as advertised. Maybe I've just been extremely lucky, but so far so good.

I am very, very fussy when it comes to fit, finish, function, and overal component quality. For this reason (plus the fact that I'm overly sensitive about Colt criticism) I have been labeled (justifiably) as a Colt snob. That being said, I'd protect my family with a Rock River AR without a moments hesitation. Since I'm not a SWAT operator or a special forces soldier that's about the highest praise I feel qualified to make concerning their overall build quality.

RRA certainly isn't perfect-I've pissed and moaned long and loud in these forums about subtle inconsistencies between lowers and other minor nagging problems that my Colts don't seem to suffer. Considering the difference in price between Colt and RRA however I think a few minor issues here and there aren't the end of the world.

In short, I'll keep buying RRA

Quoted: I'm not totaly stupid just just wonder why anyone would buy into the total RRA Hype.

They got the big .gov contract, so they must be the shit.

So this is the summation of opinion as I see  described above. RRA only got the contract because they were lowest bidders but Colt got there share based on quality. Seems to me to add up to one thing. Somebody is trying to BS us here. Are you saying there are diferent qualifying standards based on final bid price. I think not. Seems to me that all contract rifles would have to pass the standards test first, and then compete on price. Conclusion RRA + COLT + SIG all passed the test. True or false?. I also wonder if  RRA "got the smallest slice of the pie" because they are a much smaller, much newer manufacturer possibly incapeable of filling the entire order. I am realitivly new to these boards but very early on sensed a testosterone induced "my gun is better than your gun" attitude void of factual representation" . I wonder, is there a sight for those more interested in gun facts than opinions? I really don't have an ax to grind (really just want to learn) but man some of these arguments are so pitiful... Slam away!