I have heard that the law enforcement version of the AR, the one that is stamped for govt/law enforcement only, is better quality than the civilian version, ie. tighter fitting, better stock, trigger etc....any truth to this?

no

they are exactly the same but can have preban accessories and/or shorter barrels. of course you can upgrade the trigger on any AR.

Colt, or perhaps I should say the great state of Connecticut, uses the very same left-overs and floor sweepings from their military contracts to lovingly craft AR's for both you and your local lawman.

Gotta love them Colts!

Ya, that didn't sound right anyway.  just wondering because I can buy a LE version but I have to go through the chief and stuff, not sure he would even sign...kind of a hassle just for a flash suppressor, retract stock and bayo lug...wellll, maybe it would be worth it.

After a close inspection of both, there is no apparent difference between the two quality wise.

  A partner has an LE only, and it is very lose between the upper lower, I mean maybe an 1/8" gap between em.  My postban Bushy and RRA barely move at all.  Maybe it's just that particular weapon.  Not sure what model it is,  haven't seen it in a while and he's in Afghanistan till Oct.

Nothing different.  I guess that LEOs can get their ARs for a cheaper price.

The quality of a LEO gun is the same as a Joe Q. Public model.  The only difference is the LEO version can only be sold to cops with department letterehead and have pre-ban features.  The price is relatively the same as the post-ban model.  The prices may be a hair cheaper for the LEO model, but not signifcantly less for the most part.

Actually- there are differences other than the peban type features.
An obvious difference is the buffer.
LE and military come with a metal buffer, most regular civvy ones came with  a plastic buffer.
This may have changed recently with the new Colt post ban M4. The ones I saw had metal buffers.
Another difference is the FA cutout in the receiver.
Colt also is now making its rifles with two push pins. The LE ones sometimes came this way, sometimes they didn't. No rhyme or reason I know of. Same with the pin diameters. "Floor sweepings" maybe.
The majority of parts are the exact same as the military version and, as far as I know, the parts similarity between them is increasing.
But, as I stated, the differences were internal and the pre ban features.

Hope this helps-Mike

IIRC in Colt's,

LE= chrome chamber
Mil= chrome chamber and bore

It's interesting to go through all of the old Colt model number designations and see all of the different variations.  

Some diehard collectors have been compiling records of what variations occurred in specific production runs, and they're finding a lot of interesting stuff (from old SP1's with full auto bolt carriers to pre-bans with push-pins).

Does Colt actually supply the military anymore?  I thought FN had the current contract for M16s.

marvl,

I think Colt is the sole supplier of the M4 carbine.