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Posted: 11/20/2012 7:49:26 AM EDT
Recently purchases a new Colt LE6940, had it for two days, never fired it, went to clean/lube it up and when I dropped the trigger guard the left rear ear tab broke off! Not sure if the dealer was messing with it or if it was a defect? Wasnt really sure what to do (new to AR's) so I took it back to the dealer and they shipped it back to Colt for repair. Wondering if they (Colt) are going to charge me to fix this, or if they'll just replace the lower? I just dont have any exerience in dealing with Colt and was wondering if anyone had any feedback? Read some good advice for home fixes if Colt doest repair in the archives, just feel sick about the whole thing and want my new gun back!
http://i962.photobucket.com/albums/ae108/awilmarth/IMAG0191.jpg ETA - Alright you guys caught me, theres enough "old timers" on here that have seen this all before. Yeah, I broke the damn thing, not like Im the only guy to ever do it, or to lie about it for that matter. Just feel like a jackass... rightfully so I guess and my apologies for not being upfront. New to the site/thread thing and wasnt really sure what to expect. Like Ive said from the get go however, I just wondered if anyone had any dealings with Colt (or any other manufacturer) in this manner and what they did with it. Sure, it probably matter whether it was user induced damage or not, but I still just wanted to know. But hey, its all out there now so go ahead and rip me a new one (lots have already), but thanks to the people that had some related feedback. My bad Bederfelt... wont happen again. |
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You will not have to pay for repairs done under warranty if it was a defective part. If your dealer messed with it, one way or another, your dealer owes you a new lower.
They will most likely just replace the lower receiver. As far as "home fixes," the easiest would simply be to use the Grip of Shame Stark Enterprises grip, which covers the trigger guard ears or finding a MIAD fronstrap with integral trigger-guard. Other fixes are possible, but not really worth the time and cost. ~Augee |
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Sounds like an unfortunate drop. Did you take the pistol grip off during the "cleaning"? What height did the gun fall to? Normally that area is well protected and shouldn't just break off. If it just fell off, that is not normal during a cleaning.
Keep everyone updated, I'm sure many here will be curious about this event. ETA: I thought you dropped the lower. RIF and sounds like you only pivoted the trigger guard? |
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If you did not try and drive the pin out in the back and break it yourself then I would contact the dealer
I bought it from.. Colt should pony up and replace your gun. |
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Hmmm, this is normally the story I hear after someone was trying to add a Magpul trigger guard without blocks...
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Recently purchases a new Colt LE6940, had it for two days, never fired it, went to clean/lube it up and when I dropped the trigger guard the left rear ear tab broke off! Not sure if the dealer was messing with it or if it was a defect? Wasnt really sure what to do (new to AR's) so I took it back to the dealer and they shipped it back to Colt for repair. Wondering if they (Colt) are going to charge me to fix this, or if they'll just replace the lower? I just dont have any exerience in dealing with Colt and was wondering if anyone had any feedback? Read some good advice for home fixes if Colt doest repair in the archives, just feel sick about the whole thing and want my new gun back! Looking at what you wrote, I would take it that you had the pistol grip off when you dropped it. Not saying that you did this, but the only time I have seen the ears broken off is by attempts at changing trigger guards without the proper tools.(home gunsmithing at it's best) In your case, hopefully they will replace the lower but if they didn't I wouldn't be surprised. If they don't fix/replace, you can contact http://www.m60joe.com/ |
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My hope is that they just replace the thing; my concern is that if someone did mess with it, they’re going to say it was me and charge me for a new lower. I did not remove the pistol grip during cleaning, just dropped the trigger guard to access the trigger area then I put the gun down on the coffee table. When I picked it up it was broke off. I guess I could have hit it on something, but I don’t remember doing so? Talked to Colt yesterday, the weapon is at the factory but they haven’t looked at it yet (probably another week or so), but will definitely let everyone know what the outcome is.
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I know thats how it sounds, and thats why Im worried about what Colt is going to do. Like I said though, I only had the thing for two days and never even shot it, why would I be messing with the trigger guard??? My thought is that maybe the dealer was trying to customize to make it more sellable, but hell I dont know. All I can do now is sit on my thumb and wait.
And Im sorry, should have clarified "dropped." I was implying that I swung down the trigger guard. |
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unless there is an obvious flaw in the lower i'd expect a repair charge for a replacement lower.
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Anyone have a link or pic to these "blocks" that are used when changing out the trigger guard?
Thank you |
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How did you drop the trigger guard? By using the spring detent on the forward portion or by removing the roll pin at the aft portion? I don't see how the tab just broke itself?
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Hmmm, this is normally the story I hear after someone was trying to add a Magpul trigger guard without blocks... Sounds familiar to me also. The problem with a new lower is the registration. Anybody can tell us how this is handled by Colt and the dealer? |
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How did you drop the trigger guard? By using the spring detent on the forward portion or by removing the roll pin at the aft portion? I don't see how the tab just broke itself? I dropped it using the spring (fore) portion, as you are supposed to. Like I said, Im inclined to think the dealer was trying to customize the gun for resale and they effed something up. Either way, Im sure Colt is going to say it was my fault and charge me for the repair... I just wondered if anyone had any similar interactions in dealing with Colt (any repair issues). |
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Hmmm, this is normally the story I hear after someone was trying to add a Magpul trigger guard without blocks... Sounds familiar to me also. The problem with a new lower is the registration. Anybody can tell us how this is handled by Colt and the dealer? I was told by the dealer that if Colt sent a new rifle I would just have to go through another background investigation and register the new gun. Im not sure how they handle the removal of the previous registration. Once I hear something from Colt or the dealer I will be sure to post. |
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According to Federal law, the receiver can simply be swapped out with the new one sent thru the mail/UPS/FEDEX, etc straight to the owner.
I'm not sure if State laws may vary on this as to whether some specific State registration requirement might exist. |
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Hmmm, this is normally the story I hear after someone was trying to add a Magpul trigger guard without blocks... Sounds familiar to me also. The problem with a new lower is the registration. Anybody can tell us how this is handled by Colt and the dealer? I was told by the dealer that if Colt sent a new rifle I would just have to go through another background investigation and register the new gun. Im not sure how they handle the removal of the previous registration. Once I hear something from Colt or the dealer I will be sure to post. There is no "registration" in most areas of the USA. I think you are referring to filling out the 4473 at your FFL. However, as EVR has already mentioned, the manufacturer can send a new replacement lower directly to your home. There is no need to go back through your FFL. Some just want to handle it that way. |
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There you guys go, blaming the OP when he just came for some advise. I'm surprised that anybody even asks for advise on this forum. Maybe it was just a defective part like he discribed. It is a Colt after all.
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Recently purchases a new Colt LE6940, had it for two days, never fired it, went to clean/lube it up and when I dropped the trigger guard the left rear ear tab broke off! Not sure if the dealer was messing with it or if it was a defect? Wasnt really sure what to do (new to AR's) so I took it back to the dealer and they shipped it back to Colt for repair. Wondering if they (Colt) are going to charge me to fix this, or if they'll just replace the lower? I just dont have any exerience in dealing with Colt and was wondering if anyone had any feedback? Read some good advice for home fixes if Colt doest repair in the archives, just feel sick about the whole thing and want my new gun back! Do you have good pictures of the broken tab? Pictues of the roll pin sides? |
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There you guys go, blaming the OP when he just came for some advise. I'm surprised that anybody even asks for advise on this forum. Maybe it was just a defective part like he discribed. It is a Colt after all. Lots of people come here for advice and get great advice. Some people come here for advisement too and their advisor advises them well Breaking a trigger guard is almost always because someone wanted to play WECSOG. People are initially doubtful, especially with little information and zero pictures, because they've been here a while and they've seen people try and pass of their mistakes. Could the shop have messed with it? Sure. Or it could've been the OP. Or it could've been a rare manufacturing defect. Again, little info, no pictures. I would imagine that Colt will take a look and see if there are any impact marks around the t.guard or on the roll pin. |
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Like I said originally, all I really wanted to know is if anyone had dealt with Colt in terms of repairs; like how long does it usually take them, if I have to pay for it, how much does a new lower even cost, etc. I stated what happened on my end, believe it or no, but I just want to know specifically about Colt.
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Like I said originally, all I really wanted to know is if anyone had dealt with Colt in terms of repairs; like how long does it usually take them, if I have to pay for it, how much does a new lower even cost, etc. I stated what happened on my end, believe it or no, but I just want to know specifically about Colt. It could take just a couple of weeks to a few months to get anything back from Colt. Contact Colt for repair and/or replacement cost in your particular instance. Did you remove the trigger roll pin at the rear of the part as was asked previously? That will take A LOT of guess work out of the equation on our part. |
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According to Federal law, the receiver can simply be swapped out with the new one sent thru the mail/UPS/FEDEX, etc straight to the owner. I'm not sure if State laws may vary on this as to whether some specific State registration requirement might exist. I sent an M1A back to Springfield Armory a few years back for repair and they sent me a new rifle (receiver and all) to my door. |
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Like I said originally, all I really wanted to know is if anyone had dealt with Colt in terms of repairs; like how long does it usually take them, if I have to pay for it, how much does a new lower even cost, etc. I stated what happened on my end, believe it or no, but I just want to know specifically about Colt. It could take just a couple of weeks to a few months to get anything back from Colt. Contact Colt for repair and/or replacement cost in your particular instance. Did you remove the trigger roll pin at the rear of the part as was asked previously? That will take A LOT of guess work out of the equation on our part. I did not remove the roll pin, it fell away with the broken ear. Uploaded an image of the break with OP. Didnt take any pics of the broken piece. |
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There you guys go, blaming the OP when he just came for some advise. I'm surprised that anybody even asks for advise on this forum. Maybe it was just a defective part like he discribed. It is a Colt after all. I find your user name humorous seeing how this thread is about a broken TG ear. Generally when people break the ears they have to use the grip of shame... http://starkequipment.com/ |
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I did not remove the roll pin, it fell away with the broken ear. Uploaded an image of the break with OP. Didnt take any pics of the broken piece. Looking at your updated pic, all I can say is I would be very unhappy if that were my NIB Colt. Not sure how that was missed from the factory. Someone Bubba'd that trigger ear. |
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There you guys go, blaming the OP when he just came for some advise. I'm surprised that anybody even asks for advise on this forum. Maybe it was just a defective part like he discribed. It is a Colt after all. I find your user name humorous seeing how this thread is about a broken TG ear. Generally when people break the ears they have to use the grip of shame... http://starkequipment.com/ Haha, true. God, that grip is disgusting. |
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Do you have pictures of the outside of the ears, on both sides?
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As was said, it might depend on what the roll pin holes look like as to how Colt deals with it. They might replace it no questions asked. May ask for a small replacement fee or charge full price. Hard to say. I do know what the smith is likely to think no matter what the truth is. Did you send the other piece in with the rifle?
When I sent a defective VZ58 back that required replacement, I had to fill out another 4473 form and get another background check. Apparently that's not the case for all though. I'm surprised to hear that you can get a different receiver with a different serial number without filling out new paperwork. Records won't be accurate. Wish I would have inquired about that if it's legal to do. |
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When I sent a defective VZ58 back that required replacement, I had to fill out another 4473 form and get another background check. Apparently that's not the case for all though. I'm surprised to hear that you can get a different receiver with a different serial number without filling out new paperwork. Records won't be accurate. Wish I would have inquired about that if it's legal to do. Few years ago I sent a rifle to Arsenal for evaluation (oversize chamber). Instead of replacing the barrel they sent me brand new rifle straight to my door. |
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it sounds like he pushed in the spring loaded detent on the front of the trigger guard which allows it to hang pivoting on the rear roll pin. if it happened as described it sounds like the ear was already broken and fell off with the trigger guard and roll pin
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Weird that the other end of the rollpin didn't stay in the hole requiring tapping it out to remove the broken ear if the pin was fully inserted.
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Weird that the other end of the rollpin didn't stay in the hole requiring tapping it out to remove the broken ear if the pin was fully inserted. Yea that |
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Could be that it was slightly cracked from the factory, and when you unlatched it and set it down it had enough leverage to snap off.
I don't know know why you would think it was the dealers fault, unless the rifle sported an upgraded/winter trigger guard that wouldn't have come on a colt. if they don't replace it the easiest fix is like the others have said, stark, or magpul grips that cover it up. |
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I know thats how it sounds, and thats why Im worried about what Colt is going to do. Like I said though, I only had the thing for two days and never even shot it, why would I be messing with the trigger guard??? My thought is that maybe the dealer was trying to customize to make it more sellable, but hell I dont know. All I can do now is sit on my thumb and wait. And Im sorry, should have clarified "dropped." I was implying that I swung down the trigger guard. That's how I read it. That suggests the ear was cracked when you got the rifle and broke completely off when you moved the trigger guard. With the cracked ear, it would have only been supported at one of four corners once you disengaged the front. The trick will be convincing Colt that you got it cracked . . . The risk of breaking off the ears is one of the "tips and traps" discussed in the AR15 Complete Assembly Guide, which is well worth the purchase price and time to read. |
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I have found that most of the time problems can be with the roll pin itself..squash the pin a bit with vise grips then install..with a little oil it should go in snug but smoothe.
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In case you don't get a replacement. With my LMT I used the Magpul Miad with the integrated trigger guard on the grip. I installed grip and trigger guard combo. I then cleaned up cracked ear and used JB Weld and pressed down to hold in position. I used a hair dryer to help with the curing. Once done I used a Birchwood marker to help cover repair area.
It's held up solid but could break off again if I removed pistol grip. |
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In case you don't get a replacement. With my LMT I used the Magpul Miad with the integrated trigger guard on the grip. I installed grip and trigger guard combo. I then cleaned up cracked ear and used JB Weld and pressed down to hold in position. I used a hair dryer to help with the curing. Once done I used a Birchwood marker to help cover repair area. It's held up solid but could break off again if I removed pistol grip. got a pic of this repair? |
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I know thats how it sounds, and thats why Im worried about what Colt is going to do. Like I said though, I only had the thing for two days and never even shot it, why would I be messing with the trigger guard??? My thought is that maybe the dealer was trying to customize to make it more sellable, but hell I dont know. All I can do now is sit on my thumb and wait. And Im sorry, should have clarified "dropped." I was implying that I swung down the trigger guard. That's how I read it. That suggests the ear was cracked when you got the rifle and broke completely off when you moved the trigger guard. With the cracked ear, it would have only been supported at one of four corners once you disengaged the front. The trick will be convincing Colt that you got it cracked . . . The risk of breaking off the ears is one of the "tips and traps" discussed in the AR15 Complete Assembly Guide, which is well worth the purchase price and time to read. Yeah, at this point, I guess I really dont even care if I have to buy a new lower, lesson learned I guess... I just want my freaking rifle back. 12/21/12 is coming up and what am I supposed to do when the zombies attack??? Anyone have an idea what Colt will charge me for a new lower? I would assume they could/wpuld just charge me for a stripped lower and then just trx parts, or discount the price of a complete? |
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That looks exactly like my LMT lower The reason why my lower had a cracked ear was because I did not support the opposite side when trying to remove the roll pin to replace with a Magpul trigger guard. If your lower came that way the roll pin would still be there with the rest of the factory trigger guard. It looks like you tried to remove the roll pin and trigger guard and during the process you snapped the ear off. I don't think Colt will replace the lower and for a fix there is only a cosmetic fix http://www.team99.org/images/guns/commando/lmt/crack.jpg What'd you do for a fix? Sounds like there are a lot of grip fix options, but Ive also touched based with m60joe regarding the repair. |
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ETA - Alright you guys caught me, theres enough "old timers" on here that have seen this all before. Yeah, I broke the damn thing, not like Im the only guy to ever do it, or to lie about it for that matter. Just feel like a jackass... rightfully so I guess and my apologies for not being upfront. New to the site/thread thing and wasnt really sure what to expect. Like Ive said from the get go however, I just wondered if anyone had any dealings with Colt (or any other manufacturer) in this manner and what they did with it. Sure, it probably matter whether it was user induced damage or not, but I still just wanted to know. But hey, its all out there now so go ahead and rip me a new one (lots have already), but thanks to the people that had some related feedback. My bad Bederfelt... wont happen again. I guess this is why a lot of guys that come here get called out.... Starky, see why now? "There you guys go, blaming the OP when he just came for some advise. I'm surprised that anybody even asks for advise on this forum. Maybe it was just a defective part like he discribed. It is a Colt after all." |
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You will not have to pay for repairs done under warranty if it was a defective part. If your dealer messed with it, one way or another, your dealer owes you a new lower. They will most likely just replace the lower receiver. As far as "home fixes," the easiest would simply be to use the Grip of Shame Stark Enterprises grip, which covers the trigger guard ears or finding a MIAD fronstrap with integral trigger-guard. Other fixes are possible, but not really worth the time and cost. ~Augee I did it once. I fixed it by cutting the lower in half with a dremel and throwing it away. Not kidding. |
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ETA - Alright you guys caught me, theres enough "old timers" on here that have seen this all before. Yeah, I broke the damn thing, not like Im the only guy to ever do it, or to lie about it for that matter. Just feel like a jackass... rightfully so I guess and my apologies for not being upfront. New to the site/thread thing and wasnt really sure what to expect. Like Ive said from the get go however, I just wondered if anyone had any dealings with Colt (or any other manufacturer) in this manner and what they did with it. Sure, it probably matter whether it was user induced damage or not, but I still just wanted to know. But hey, its all out there now so go ahead and rip me a new one (lots have already), but thanks to the people that had some related feedback. My bad Bederfelt... wont happen again. This kind of dishonesty should result in a ban. |
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There you guys go, blaming the OP when he just came for some advise. I'm surprised that anybody even asks for advise on this forum. Maybe it was just a defective part like he discribed. It is a Colt after all. I find your user name humorous seeing how this thread is about a broken TG ear. Generally when people break the ears they have to use the grip of shame... http://starkequipment.com/ They really should rename that grip and make it official. |
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Installed an OEM triggerguard in my A1 (NoDak) replica. Got the roll pin in without drama, and it was carefully supported underneath.
For all that, I was scared shitless while I did the work. It's a classic case of a 5 minute job if all goes according to plan. Moon |
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There you guys go, blaming the OP when he just came for some advise. I'm surprised that anybody even asks for advise on this forum. Maybe it was just a defective part like he discribed. It is a Colt after all. I just wanted to quote this again |
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There you guys go, blaming the OP when he just came for some advise. I'm surprised that anybody even asks for advise on this forum. Maybe it was just a defective part like he discribed. It is a Colt after all. I just wanted to quote this again one more time.... |
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Things happen, buy me a beer and I will forget it ever happened. But don't let it happen again.
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ETA - Alright you guys caught me, theres enough "old timers" on here that have seen this all before. Yeah, I broke the damn thing, not like Im the only guy to ever do it, or to lie about it for that matter. Just feel like a jackass... rightfully so I guess and my apologies for not being upfront. New to the site/thread thing and wasnt really sure what to expect. Like Ive said from the get go however, I just wondered if anyone had any dealings with Colt (or any other manufacturer) in this manner and what they did with it. Sure, it probably matter whether it was user induced damage or not, but I still just wanted to know. But hey, its all out there now so go ahead and rip me a new one (lots have already), but thanks to the people that had some related feedback. My bad Bederfelt... wont happen again. Shit happens. Don't worry about it, just learn from it and drive on. It can be fixed (glued/welded) or the lower could be replaced. Chalk this one up to a learning experience and continue on with life. |
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