Quoted:
Quoted: Is Colt producing new AR's for the civillian market? If so, do they have the evil features?
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Yes they are, and they have 2 different lines. The old restricted ones are available to everyone in a non-AWB state, while the "civilian" versions are open to everyone.
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From what I've read the answer is officially "NO". The "restricted" ones, while they legally should be available to everyone, it is my understanding that Colt still prohibits their dealers from selling them to non goverment agencies, and will pull dealerships from anyone caught "grey marketing" their LEO models to civilians. It happens that some dealers ignore that, of course, but they are taking their chances. I suspect the fact that most dealers just figure losing their Colt dealership isn't really a serious issue anymore given they could just switch to another brand. However, it certainly seem that if you look at FFL orriented publications like Shotgun news, you will not openly find anyone selling LEO configured Colt products for civilian sales. What few Colts you will see advertised are all labeled as LEO agency sales only, albiet whether they really follow through on it.. Same official Colt rules are true from what I understand for new manufacture > 10rd Colt labeled magazines.
Also of course even the "civilian" Colt models are not available to residents of CA, as they still have a detachable mag, which by CA rules is still an illegal "assault weapon" since you can't have both a "conspicuously protruding" pistol grip and a detachable mag there. The closest thing to an AR you can buy in CA these days is the horrible obomination called a FAB-10 (or clones thereof) which have a fixed magazine -- you have to push out the rear takedown pin and load from the top with a stripper clip. Blech. As far as I know Colt doesn't build a CA-civilian-legal AR.
Anyway, the continued refusal of Colt to sell to civilians what they want and can legally buy is largely the reason that they've slipped way down in sales compared to Bushmaster, DPMS, Eagle/Armalite, Olympic, etc. My personal opinion is that current Colt management are blithering morons, which given their state of solvency and loss of most of their government contracts, I doubt many would disagree with. Its not just ARs either, they've made similarly silly blunders with their handguns, losing the 1911 market to Springfield, Para-Ordinance and Kimber and essentially bailing out of the revolver market, giving it to Ruger, Taurus and Smith & Wesson. Even their Holley carburator division has seen its competitors like Weber/Carter, Edelbrock and Demon make huge inroads into markets they once dominated.
At any rate... Colt management -- if you are listening... WAKE UP. Colt stockholders -- start holding these guys accountable, demand their heads on a stick until they are either replaced or fix their act!
Well, enough soap box for now...