I have owned a few colts over the years.  That in mind I made no hesitation in snagging a $1295 6920 LEO carbine new from SAW sales and a 6721 reciever as I wanted a rifle marked AR15A3 but don't like the 6721 upper.

Anyhow, in the mean while I picked up a used 6920 circa 1995.

The 1995 colt is what you would expect.  Nice fit, nice finish.  The AR15A3 6721 reciever is also top notch and flawless with one of the nicest anodizing jobs I have seen. Of note, both of these are marked Colts Manufacturing.

The new 6920 is marked colt defence and I am here to tell you it does not measure up to the other two colt products mentioned above.  There is at least 4 colors.  The lower and upper do not match, the carry handle matches neither and the small parts do not match.  The rear sight block is loose and can be rotated loosely almost 1/4 ".  The handguards look crappola side by side to the older colt, but are tight and functional I suppose.  The upper receiver and bolt carrier look like they were cast in a sand mold.  The T numbers were painted and the excess whiped off with a snotty kleenex leaving white residue in the picatinny grooves and down the side of the upper receiver.  The pistol grip looks like an Afgan made it in his mud hut.  The roll mark of the reciever markings and the pony are deep on one end shallow to non-existent on the other.  The FSB is also a product of poor casting and very poor flash clean up.  

If I were you guys, I wouldn't waste your money.  All in all, I kinda expected this.  I suppose Colt defence has cut some corners in the beauty department to meet the demands of a military at war.

Having said all of that, I am satisfied with the rifle and very satisfied with the AR15A3 receiver.

Does your circa 1995 6920 look like the one below? A2 handle w/front sling holder 'below'?

gunbroker.com/auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=23719540

I am very surprised on the issues with your new 6920.

Quoted: The T numbers were painted and the excess whiped off with a snotty kleenex leaving white residue in the picatinny grooves and down the side of the upper receiver.

This bugged me on my new 6920, but I was able to clean it up fairly easily by running a lightly oiled patch through the grooves.   I didn't notice any of the other problems, but I don't have the other rifles to compare to.

BLASPHEMY!      Thou Shalt Not Colt Bash!



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The fit and finish on my 6920 are incredible.  Marked "Colt Defense" and could not find a problem one!!!  Sorry you got a "bad apple", but to say that all are this way is a bit of a stretch.  If someone posts that their Chevy was a lemon, are we to stop buying Chevys?   It happens, and unfortunately, when buying sight unseen, you might get one - this is the nature of buying unseen.  More prudent advice would be to ask as many questions as possible before purchasing or to have the dealer/seller send pics of the actual rifle.  With the 6920's demand, many skip this process and take whatever they can get.  I hope that you didn't, then came on here to bash a manufacturer (or a batch by a manufactuer) bc of lack of due diligence.  I'm sure there are many posters here who could claim that their rifle from X manufacturer (or a batch) was substandard, but remember, the exception does not prove the rule.  Caveat Emptor should be the rule.

Not a flame and certainly not wanting to bash any manufacturer; there are enough of these threads going around.

48thHighlander,

I was just curious how you came to the conclusion that your 6920 lower is "circa 1995"? Did you confirm this with Colt?

I only ask as I do not believe that the 6920 was not even introduced until three or four years after that.

Is the finish black or the older grey?

I may be wrong, I am going by memory here, but I do know that my 1997 Colt LEO catalog doesn't even list the 6920.

Quoted: 48thHighlander, I was just curious how you came to the conclusion that your 6920 lower is "circa 1995"? Did you confirm this with Colt? I only ask as I do not believe that the 6920 was not even introduced until three or four years after that. Is the finish black or the older grey? I may be wrong, I am going by memory here, but I do know that my 1997 Colt LEO catalog doesn't even list the 6920.

I'm no expert, and this auction may be incorrectly labeled, but I ran across it earlier today:

www.gunbroker.com/auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=23719540

The officer that sold it to me told me it was bought in 1995, so I am not absolutely sure.

Yes, that is the rifle.  What do you mean incorrectly labled?

Quoted: The officer that sold it to me told me it was bought in 1995, so I am not absolutely sure. Yes, that is the rifle.  What do you mean incorrectly labled?

I meant maybe the seller incorrectly listed it as a 6920.  I don't know them well enough to tell just by looking at it, so I was speculating.