That's where I'm at. Already c changing parts and haven't had it a month.Once you get bored with it (see: next week), and start changing parts, the Colt will lose some of its value. Going with PSA or similar will allow you to save a little money, money which will be used next week
Comparing a colt 6920 to a Palmetto build your own kit
- Thread starter bhhacker
- Start date
- Status
maxxhavoc
Member
I never understood the value of a long warranty on an AR, especially a base model AR.
If it runs out of the box, it will run a long time. If something breaks, every part except maybe the barrel can be replaced inexpensively and easily.
And as far as the barrel is concerned, if you shoot it out, it is a good excuse to upgrade it.
And being an iron sight guy, I don't like carbine-length rifles with a pinned FSB. I am slowly in the process of grinding them all down and upgrading to freefloated rails. It's all about the sight radius.
If it runs out of the box, it will run a long time. If something breaks, every part except maybe the barrel can be replaced inexpensively and easily.
And as far as the barrel is concerned, if you shoot it out, it is a good excuse to upgrade it.
And being an iron sight guy, I don't like carbine-length rifles with a pinned FSB. I am slowly in the process of grinding them all down and upgrading to freefloated rails. It's all about the sight radius.
crestoncowboy
Member
- Joined
- Feb 22, 2011
- Messages
- 3,307
A long warranty isn't always a great indicator of quality. A professional model stihl or husqvarna comes with 6 months. A poulan or consumer grade saw typically comes with 2 years. No confusing the quality difference.
The two sorriest piece of crap vehicles I ever purchased new came with "lifetime powertrain" warranties. Back when Kia came on the scene with the rio and later sportage, They offered a 10 year/100000 mile warranty vs ford honda toyota and gms 3 year/36000. I know a few that bought them but none came close to the warranty ending. (Non-transferable btw). Yet most of the mid 90s american and Japanese cars made it well past that 100k mile mark. Most still ran fine when the bodies rotted away
Yamaha, honda, and Suzuki atvs come with 1 year. Bennche and Coleman atvs come with longer. Again no comparison in quality.
Heavy equipment comes with a year typically, I know our case and JD machines did. I see plenty of 70s and 80s deere dozers still in use today.
The two sorriest piece of crap vehicles I ever purchased new came with "lifetime powertrain" warranties. Back when Kia came on the scene with the rio and later sportage, They offered a 10 year/100000 mile warranty vs ford honda toyota and gms 3 year/36000. I know a few that bought them but none came close to the warranty ending. (Non-transferable btw). Yet most of the mid 90s american and Japanese cars made it well past that 100k mile mark. Most still ran fine when the bodies rotted away
Yamaha, honda, and Suzuki atvs come with 1 year. Bennche and Coleman atvs come with longer. Again no comparison in quality.
Heavy equipment comes with a year typically, I know our case and JD machines did. I see plenty of 70s and 80s deere dozers still in use today.
cheygriz
member
CoalTrain49
Member
Personally, I wouldn't want a Colt because of their service record. I hear lots of tragic tales of Colt keeping firearms for months to repair it. Colt builds good stuff and I'm not dissing their firearms. I have 3 Colt 1911's and they're all as good if not better than most 1911's in that price range. I've never had any issues with any of them but I'm really not looking forward to sending one back for repair. I have sent both Sig and Ruger firearms and had them back in 2 weeks. Why not just buy something from a company you know will give you good service when something breaks because they all break sooner later.
Personally, if I were buying an AR tomorrow I would buy a DPMS. The company is the second largest manufacturer of AR's in the US. DPMS builds their own barrels and many of their own parts. I believe they started business building milspec parts for Army contracts. They also get good reviews from owners. I don't own one but I've seen a few 1 moa rifles at the range. I also like the fact that they build their barrels with 1/9 twist. I've always thought the 1/7 twist was too fast for the bulk 55 grain ammo that most people use in their AR's. Who runs 70 grain bullets in their AR's except the military and people who reload?
https://info.stagarms.com/blog/bid/371861/How-Barrel-Twist-Rate-Affects-Ammunition-Choice
https://www.nrablog.com/articles/2017/3/how-to-pick-the-right-round-for-your-ar15-barrel/
Personally, if I were buying an AR tomorrow I would buy a DPMS. The company is the second largest manufacturer of AR's in the US. DPMS builds their own barrels and many of their own parts. I believe they started business building milspec parts for Army contracts. They also get good reviews from owners. I don't own one but I've seen a few 1 moa rifles at the range. I also like the fact that they build their barrels with 1/9 twist. I've always thought the 1/7 twist was too fast for the bulk 55 grain ammo that most people use in their AR's. Who runs 70 grain bullets in their AR's except the military and people who reload?
https://info.stagarms.com/blog/bid/371861/How-Barrel-Twist-Rate-Affects-Ammunition-Choice
https://www.nrablog.com/articles/2017/3/how-to-pick-the-right-round-for-your-ar15-barrel/
Last edited:
cougar1717
Member
Come on Griz - everyone can find "the chart". It's called humor. People took it for gospel for so many years. While it is an interesting list, it leads everyday people to overbuy a 6920 carbine with an upper that **could someday** run full auto.... just like the military!... except it's 16" instead of 14".... needs a FA lower.... and the gas would probably have to be tuned to make sure it actually does cycle FA.
It is expense that a vast minority of Colt 6920 purchasers will ever undertake. The 6920 is a great rifle, but people always want to argue the extremes (ie Colt vs Olympic or DPMS or some other value AR). Most people really didn't ever need those features to just run semi auto. It's even more of a stark contrast with the 6920 being frozen in time so to speak while the commercial market has excelled with improvements that aren't milspec: Nitride treatments, adjustable gas blocks, free float rails that extend beyond the gas block (and allow a more modern shooting technique), grip angles that weren't designed in the 1960's, clean and crisp aftermarket triggers, better slings and attachments, etc.
It is expense that a vast minority of Colt 6920 purchasers will ever undertake. The 6920 is a great rifle, but people always want to argue the extremes (ie Colt vs Olympic or DPMS or some other value AR). Most people really didn't ever need those features to just run semi auto. It's even more of a stark contrast with the 6920 being frozen in time so to speak while the commercial market has excelled with improvements that aren't milspec: Nitride treatments, adjustable gas blocks, free float rails that extend beyond the gas block (and allow a more modern shooting technique), grip angles that weren't designed in the 1960's, clean and crisp aftermarket triggers, better slings and attachments, etc.
crestoncowboy
Member
- Joined
- Feb 22, 2011
- Messages
- 3,307
Yet most every instructor of 2 and three day courses, with multiple students firing 10k rounds has YouTube videos or written articles telling their experience and whose rifles survive courses and who consistently doesn't. with no stock or interest in colt or dd or lmt etc, for free to watch or read. Obviously colt isn't slipping them all cash since.... well, they have been broke for about 20 years. Lol. Their experience and opinion should matter more than mine, or most any other forum member.
CoalTrain49
Member
You've obviously watch some of these.
I'm not in the market or I would. Any brands stand out?crestoncowboy
Member
- Joined
- Feb 22, 2011
- Messages
- 3,307
I try not to offer opinions, just facts or places to look for facts, that said If I were taking a high round course tomorrow I'd take my colt or DD with the other just in case one did fail. If I wanted a backyard plinking gun I wouldn't hesitate on any brand currently made that I can think of, although there are a couple brands ive worked on more than others for premature breakage. The small samples I see aren't big enough to be anything but anecdotal. That's why I say get the opinion of people who see thousands of rounds fired a month. I shoot more than anyone I personally know, and I will never see the rounds fired in my life that they do in a year
I don't necessarily listen to every word they say, I find some of their ideas ludacris. One of the top names once said that any time he or his wife were in the car they had a no windows down rule. No matter where they are. To each their own but I won't live that way. But as far as what breaks and what doesn't, I'll take their word over most. If I wanted to know how a car handled I'd take Tanner Fausts opinion over my grandmothers. (Both long since passed but neither ever drove) wouldn't you?
I don't necessarily listen to every word they say, I find some of their ideas ludacris. One of the top names once said that any time he or his wife were in the car they had a no windows down rule. No matter where they are. To each their own but I won't live that way. But as far as what breaks and what doesn't, I'll take their word over most. If I wanted to know how a car handled I'd take Tanner Fausts opinion over my grandmothers. (Both long since passed but neither ever drove) wouldn't you?
minutemen1776
Member
As a few have mentioned, a 2- or 3-day course will reveal many problems in lesser-quality ARs. Case in point, in 2008 my dad and I took an Appleseed 2-day course, during which most will fire upwards of 400-500 rounds. By the end of the first day, our kit rifles built on Olympic receivers were giving us fits with walking pins, failing springs, extraction issues, and a broken firing pin. Those issues marred what was otherwise a very nice experience. Fast forward to 2016, and a friend and I were taking another Appleseed 2-day course. I used my carbine with an LMT lower and BCM upper, while my friend used my Colt 6920, which he wanted to run because he was prepping to deploy to Afghanistan and would then be issued an M4. We burned through a lot of ammo, and had a lot of fun, but I cannot recall a single malfunction with either gun. Since my experience in 2008 had largely pushed me away from budget ARs, I was very pleased with our results in 2016.
<*(((><
Member
- Joined
- Feb 1, 2013
- Messages
- 2,747
Not discounting your experience in the least. But there has been A LOT of water under the bridge so to speak in the AR world since 2008. Olympic arms never had a good reputation. So yes, you unfortunately not only picked the wrong manufacturer but also picked the wrong time to go with a lessor manufacturer. I bet if you would have went with a Bushmaster (in 2008) it would have performed admirably at that time.
minutemen1776
Member
True, much has changed since 2008. But the lemons still remain. See my post from a few days ago. The CMMG I had was bought in 2014 and the Aero Precision was bought in 2016. Both were complete guns, not kit builds. And yet, I experienced major problems with both. In contrast, though, both Spike's rifles I had were flawless. So, based on my own experience, I have simply concluded that not all ARs are equal, even if they appear so on paper. Some manufacturers just seem to get it right and others fail to consistently do so.
- Status
