Posted: 1/1/2012 8:01:10 PM EDT
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First time post and buyer here so please forgive my ignorance if it's showing. (Note I did try to search this topic on this forum but didn't get anything that pitted these two models against each other).
I am ready to purchase my first AR and have done a fair bit of research. Seems like a solid plan is to buy a Colt and I like the M4 style with collapsible stock and shorter barrel. Lookkng at forums, and seeing what's new and/or like new on gunbroker or gunsamerica I seem to have narrowed to the LE6920 or the 6920MP-B. Relatively close in price ($1100 ish) and appear to be nearly same from what I would care about. So my questions are: 1. Are the magpul upgrades something I might do anyway or is that just all preference stuff? 2. Is the LEO roll mark really a bad idea or is the "mystique" worth anything on resale for example? 3. Is there another Colt I should consider in the range? I know the basic 6920 is roll marked Sporter which I agree with those who say its not a very compelling designation. I had sort of decided previously to buy a Bushmaster C15 or maybe even the new C15 Super Light but lots of reading seems to indicate that they are probably not as good a value as a Colt all things considered. Any input is greatly appreciated. |
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I'd pick the LE6920, due to the rollmark. I don't know if it will be worth more in the future, but I like it better than Sporter. Some people are the opposite.
The Magpul stuff is not my favorite. I do like that rollmark, but it seems that the "M4" rollmark will be widely used on future Colt carbines. Since this is your first AR, I'd get one in standard configuration and change stuff later as you like. Or keep it stock and buy a second one to mess around. Both Colts you are looking at will shoot the same. You just have to find what looks better for you. The important thing is that you will be getting a Colt 
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All the Colt 6920's, be they marked 'Sporter', 'LE', or 'M4 Carbine' are identical, Colt's are all inspected the same using the same parts, the only differences being the rollmarks and obviously the MagPul furniture in the case of the MP variant. I own all three of the rollmarks and would say buy whatever 6920 you prefer, in the end you'll have the standard by which all the rest are judged...
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The standard AR15.com members answer to like your typical question is to get both.
The markings are just personal preference and there had been a lot of LE6920 made since the assault weapon ban years, that is the model which the authorities don't want us civilians to have so it was the most desirable model since the ban years, as for future value nobody have a crystal ball so we really can't tell if it would be worth more in the future. Maybe get the LE model now because they're easier to find now than later, then when you need another AR later get the one with the new "M4 Carbine" marking. I have a SP6920 with the Sporter roll mark because of my long time 40 years as a Colt owner, most of mine was marked or with model name Sporter. My first one was my SP1 (1971) not marked Sporter but SP stands for Sporter as indicated from its documents and factory box label, AR-15A2 Sporter II rifle ('84), A2 Sporter II carbine ('85), A2 HBAR Sporter ('86), Sporter Lightweight carbine ('91), and Sporter Target model rifle ('91). Most people don't like the Magpul MOE furniture me included, I don't like the styling of their handguards but I have a MOE grip and MOE buttstock on my plinker carbine (not a Colt), my favorite Magpul products are their MIAD grip, CTR buttstock, and PMAG mags. If you don't like the MOE furniture you could get the California model SP6920 except you just have to replace its Bullet Button mag release which is unique to all California versions, newer SP models now have the Colt-Rogers SuperStoc buttstock with a friction lock to prevent any movement or rattling of the stock, if you don't like it, it's easy to replace it with a standard M4 stock body. You won't get disappointed with Colt this is the original standard by which all others are judged in the AR world, it is the closest semi auto rifle which our military had been and currently using (M16A1, M16A2, M4, M4A1 carbine), materials, manufacturing process and inspection are the same, same workers that made the military weapons, common parts comes from the same parts bins at the factory. For myself I'm sure there will be another Colt carbine in my future, any roll marks would be acceptable for me as long as it is a good deal. 
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Thanks much. Again not knowing a lot here (note I am an experienced shooter but first foray into AR land) I sort of assumed that the MP-B was the way to go since it has the appearance of the "upgraded" model. But I guess I am hearing it's all personal preference and more than not seem to NOT like the magpul furniture.
Is the standard collapsible stock on the LE a good one? Since I'm new to all this I think my concern is more that things like stock, grips etc. work well and are quiet (ie no rattles or loose fits), trouble free and at least decently comfortable etc. Regarding actual firing operation my assumption here is that by buying Colt I should have a weapon that I can shoot out of the box and not need to spend time off the bat tweaking and they if I maintain it properly it won't need all sorts of service, adjustment, etc. In reading some of the Bushmaster posts it appears that some of theirs need various parts etc. adjusted to make them work properly (staked whatever that means). So I am correct then that in the Colt line my 3 options here are MP-B, LE and then the standard 6920 rollmarked Sporter? |
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Quoted:
...................SNIP......................... Regarding actual firing operation my assumption here is that by buying Colt I should have a weapon that I can shoot out of the box and not need to spend time off the bat tweaking and they if I maintain it properly it won't need all sorts of service, adjustment, etc. .........................SNIP................... I've been shooting Colt AR's for 20 years. Of the 14+ Colt AR's I've shot, not one of them needed any "tweaking" - they all shot reliably straight out of the box. I can't comment on today's Bushmasters, but in early 2000's I had a couple of them that also performed very amicably straight out of the box. Have you considered 6721 or 6720? In my opinion, 6920 is the least balanced AR I've handled, due to the barrel profile upfront. Although 6721 is heavier (it's an HBAR), it is actually balanced better. 6720 is basically a 6520 with a flat top - very light and handy. |
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By balanced here you're referring to the front end of the 6920 being too light since it's got the smaller profile barrel? I assume here the concern is in rapid fire the tip of the muzzle will creep upward after each round if the front end is too light?
I'm looks at some pix of the 6721 and it looks similar upper and lower wise to the 6920. I do like that the 6721 appears to be about $100 less than the 6920s I was looking at! |
Here's my SP6920 Sporter marked carbine with the standard factory M4 buttstock, I just added a Knight's Armament rail and vertical grip, Surefire M951 weaponlight, Aimpoint, LMT fixed backup rear sight, and Vickers two point sling. Quoted:
Thanks much. Again not knowing a lot here (note I am an experienced shooter but first foray into AR land) I sort of assumed that the MP-B was the way to go since it has the appearance of the "upgraded" model. But I guess I am hearing it's all personal preference and more than not seem to NOT like the magpul furniture. Is the standard collapsible stock on the LE a good one? Since I'm new to all this I think my concern is more that things like stock, grips etc. work well and are quiet (ie no rattles or loose fits), trouble free and at least decently comfortable etc. The standard collapsible stock on the LE and on my older Sporter are the military issue standard M4, they're fine, the fit varies sometimes rattling loose, to average slight movement, sometimes snug. On my two Colts SP6920 Sporter and 6721 HBAR carbine both are about average, not too loose and not too snug. Regarding actual firing operation my assumption here is that by buying Colt I should have a weapon that I can shoot out of the box and not need to spend time off the bat tweaking and they if I maintain it properly it won't need all sorts of service, adjustment, etc. All my former 6 and current 4 Colts runs well out of the box, I just verify the reliability for about 600 rounds without any failure of any kind related with the firearm, on my most used Colt rifle that I used for around 15 years, all I did was replace worn springs that's it, never broke any parts on all my Colts. In reading some of the Bushmaster posts it appears that some of theirs need various parts etc. adjusted to make them work properly (staked whatever that means). Early Bushmaster back in the early '90s was good but their current production have plenty of workmanship issues but that is mainly due to their management problems. So I am correct then that in the Colt line my 3 options here are MP-B, LE and then the standard 6920 rollmarked Sporter? That's correct with the 6920 line with the M4 16" barrels, except for furniture and roll markings they are exactly the same. For a general use carbine I won't recommend the 6721 with the HBAR heavy barrel, I have two of them and I basically use it for bench target shooting, the diameter of the barrel under the handguards are thick and heavy, they're not comfortable when carrying for long periods of time. Other models as mentioned by another member the 6720 are with lightweight profile barrels, they're lighter than the M4 barrels of the 6920 series, the 6720 are overall lighter and have a lighter feeling front end than the 6920. If the main use of your AR is carrying it around most of the day the lighter weight 6720 are a better choice, they're also great for women and kids who would have more of a hard time with a heavier carbine. |
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Quoted:
My main use will be carrying it back and forth to a range (not competition just enjoyment) or to somewhere to do some outdoor shooting. No hunting nor am I a LEO. So given that is the heavy barrel better or worse? The 6920 line have a medium kind of weight M4 barrel, and the 6720 have a lightweight barrel and these are both fine for range and outdoor shooting. I would only recommend the 6721 heavy barrel carbine for hunting or bench target use, its heavy profile barrel is slightly more accurate than the other lighter profile barrels, but if I'm given a choice I would rather carry a lighter carbine and carry more ammo and mags. |
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Okay thanks. I've looked at a few pix of the 6720 and two questions.
1. Other than barrel it's same upper/lower as 6920? I think someone said the but just confirming. 2. On one pic I found the hand guard appears to look different than the standard one like on the LE6920. Are these easily replaceable and if so is that an expensive replacement? Looks to me like I'm fairly narrowed to the LE6920 or the 6720. I'll head to my local shop/ range and see if can handle each. |
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Quoted:
Okay thanks. I've looked at a few pix of the 6720 and two questions. 1. Other than barrel it's same upper/lower as 6920? I think someone said the but just confirming. Yes, besides the barrels the upper/ lower are the same as the 6920, of course the markings would be different. Some new Colt models now have the new Colt-Rogers SuperStoc and not the old standard military M4 buttstocks. 2. On one pic I found the hand guard appears to look different than the standard one like on the LE6920. Are these easily replaceable and if so is that an expensive replacement? There are special edition LT6720R with free floating rails but the standard 6720 carbines comes with the same M4 handguards as all the common Colt carbines. Looks to me like I'm fairly narrowed to the LE6920 or the 6720. I'll head to my local shop/ range and see if can handle each. That's the best way of finding out what works best for you, we could tell you a lot of things but there's no substitute for handling it yourself first hand. Good luck. Here's an old thread with pictures comparing different Colt carbine barrel profiles, lightweight, M4 government profile, M4 SOCOM (about medium profile), and HBAR heavy barrels, (see member Molon's post). http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_3_12/516531_SOCOM_Profile_Barrel.html |
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A vote for the LE6920 as you can always customize the furniture quickly and easily later.
The newer roll-marks are certainly eye-catching, but deep down you know there will be another Colt in your future. If not, you're gonna find out.
Whatever you decide you simply cannot go wrong with Colt, and welcome to the site! 
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