Colt Halts Sales of Long Guns to the Retail Market

[UWone77]

https://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/colt-halts-sales-of-long-guns-to-the-retail-market/


The long, difficult saga of Colt’s Manufacturing has taken another turn. Firearms distributer RSR Group has sent an email blast to their retail customers announcing that Colt will no longer produce long guns for the retail market.


Check out the link for the email blast. Not sure what this means for Colt Parts, but Brownells stopped selling Colt Lowers earlier this year.

[alamo5000]

Is this a case of mismanagement in a crowded space?

By that I mean keeping up QC and juggling ever increasingly complicated distribution channels (to the retail space) seems like it could be difficult in current times.

I don't follow industry things as close as many of you and I certainly don't know how this company is structured.

[UWone77]

Colt just didn't know where they fit.

They weren't low end, but they weren't high end anymore. Outside of hardcore fans and cloners, the roll mark had diminishing appeal. When PSA and Aero can sell you a complete gun for less than $500, and you're still stuck with carbine gas guns for $1k, it's not hard to figure out how that's going to work out. Over the years they've tried to branch out a bit, throwing Centurion CMR's on uppers, KAC RAS's, other somewhat appealing options, but they were ultimately too spendy in this current market.

If Colt wants to come back, they need to look at the BCM way of doing things. Colt still has the reputation, but they need to figure out what the market currently wants, and it's not 16" carbine gas.
-Offer actual clones, not half baked clones like Troy or FN. Brownells does it a little better, but only Colt has the ability offer the correct rollmarks. They refuse to capitalize on that.
-Bring back the Snake guns
-Offer 1911's that people want... see clones above
-Expand the NFA offerings The 6933 is long in the tooth. Let's see a 10.3 MK18 Mod 0... or a 12.5"

It's almost like Colt has no one inside the industry with their hand on the pulse. I recall a few years ago, they were trying to selling $200 Chineium gunlights that were huge in size, and reminded me of Smith and Wesson's attempt at offering knives...

[Joelski]

This version of Colt is like when Harley Davidson was owned by AMF. There is no good in a bowling ball company making motorcycles and the market is sick of 40 year-old Sporters with an add-on here and there. Harley and Fender both found salvation in employee buyouts and going back to their roots, selling heritage. Colt could pull this off with period correct gun and take Brownell's market share in a heartbeat. Hell, the clonehomo demo will pay handsomely for a 4 prong flash hider, just think what they'd pay for restricted lower rollmarks. As long as the old timers say "Buy a Colt", they will get clicks.

[gatordev]

Completely agree with you both. With what people were paying for SOCOM uppers/lowers and how even after a couple of years, the clone market is still on fire, Colt could beef up at least some sales. But contracting out your lower manufacturing resulting in noticeably lesser quality wasn't the answer.

[alamo5000]

Being relatively new to the game myself I never saw the appeal of Colt outside of what you mentioned regarding clones of historic weapons or whatever. Just an impression from one guy with a thimble full of information to go on, it seems like they are super static. I mean now who wants old school 80's style clamshell hand guards with FSPs pinned on the barrel? Don't get me wrong, I would like one but that's a one trick pony so to speak when you compare it to the other offerings out there. The whole Vietnam era motif is fine but that is what my mind goes to when I think of Colt.

Just as an experiment, go to google images and type in BCM and look at the first page of images, then type Colt and do the same. You couldn't get two different results. Even a quick look at their two websites tells totally a different story.

I don't know who is in charge or how big Colt is, but it seems like they have a crotchety old man that isn't willing to adapt or change things making decisions. It could be that or they have grown far too complacent in their size and 'tradition'.

I don't have experience in the gun world, but I have worked with people in that kind of mindset that I am talking about before. One that immediately comes to mind is a company that wanted to start exporting their stuff internationally... and a lot to Asia. I went and did what I do and then I came back saying 'we need X, Y, and Z'... the response I got was 'that's not how we have ever done things!' In that case we had an old man that would rather insult potential clients (in Asia) rather than be responsive to what they were actually asking for.

Speaking from my own tastes in guns however Vietnam era throw backs and Dirty Harry wheel guns are cool for what they are but they are not the end all of everything I want. In fact those things are far down my list of wants. I would probably think many others feel somewhat the same way.

[gatordev]

Being relatively new to the game myself I never saw the appeal of Colt outside of what you mentioned regarding clones of historic weapons or whatever. Just an impression from one guy with a thimble full of information to go on, it seems like they are super static. I mean now who wants old school 80's style clamshell hand guards with FSPs pinned on the barrel? Don't get me wrong, I would like one but that's a one trick pony so to speak when you compare it to the other offerings out there. The whole Vietnam era motif is fine but that is what my mind goes to when I think of Colt.


The reason Colt was such a name for so long is because they had the TDP and they had the manufacturing ability to consistently make parts to spec. That was a huge deal for a long time. As CNC machines became better, cheaper, and easier to program, people started copying the TDP, but it still wasn't "THE" spec. This is also why Colt machine guns are worth so much more...they worked out of the box from the factory and didn't require any tinkering, unlike Form 1-ed 3rd party jobbies or those that didn't have the manufacturing prowess.

Nowadays with CNC being so good and everything be computer driven, Colt can't rely on build quality for its sales. It's a shame, because while their AR catalog wasn't very deep, they still made some good stuff. Their SOCOM barrels are absolute shooters.

[Joelski]

Colt survival plan (AKA: Pipe dream because nobody knows how to steer the ship)

Merge with Remington: Freedom is coming around. Marlin's quality is getting better, as is Remington's.
Bring the salvageable Bushmaster lines in-house, tank the rest.
Make a competent, public model of the Remington ACR. Include different calibers and barrel lengths.
Offer a Warfighter line of period correct clones from each decade; XM, A2, M4, Mk 18 largely based on the same lower, just add rollmark.
Revive the Python and Anaconda: nostalgia sells or we wouldn't have Indian, Triumph and Norton making a comeback. Indian is HUGE!
Market the shit out of the heritage/Colt name - Even Fender's custom shop provides a Certificate of Authenticity for provenance.
Offer a true custom shop experience; Bill Wilson didn't get rich by selling one gun with no custom options.
Lose the low end shit. Offering shit creates a perception among groups of buyers who can be swayed by an emphasis on quality.
Speaking of quality, fix the customer service issue.

[UWone77]

Before the AWB sunset, and a short time after, Bushmaster, Oly Arms, and Colt were pretty much all you could get. Like gator mentioned, Colt had the TDP, and was heads and shoulders above the rest. Technology caught up, and Colt never changed.

[UWone77]

Colt survival plan (AKA: Pipe dream because nobody knows how to steer the ship)

Offer a Warfighter line of period correct clones from each decade; XM, A2, M4, Mk 18 largely based on the same lower, just add rollmark.
Revive the Python and Anaconda: nostalgia sells or we wouldn't have Indian, Triumph and Norton making a comeback. Indian is HUGE!
Lose the low end shit. Offering shit creates a perception among groups of buyers who can be swayed by an emphasis on quality.


These would be my main suggestions. They would be easy to do, and wouldn't require a ton of retooling or machining.

Giving people what they want is a concept beyond what some can comprehend. Even the North Face is re-releasing old jackets from the 90's that put them on the map... people will pay big $$$ for nostalgia.

Low end market is the most saturated. The race to the bottom has been won. People with money still buy guns, but they want high end stuff, not the cheap crap.

[Joelski]

The reason Colt was such a name for so long is because they had the TDP and they had the manufacturing ability to consistently make parts to spec. That was a huge deal for a long time. As CNC machines became better, cheaper, and easier to program, people started copying the TDP, but it still wasn't "THE" spec. This is also why Colt machine guns are worth so much more...they worked out of the box from the factory and didn't require any tinkering, unlike Form 1-ed 3rd party jobbies or those that didn't have the manufacturing prowess.

Nowadays with CNC being so good and everything be computer driven, Colt can't rely on build quality for its sales. It's a shame, because while their AR catalog wasn't very deep, they still made some good stuff. Their SOCOM barrels are absolute shooters.

Another factor was the Vietnam war. During that time Colt poured metric shit tons of R&D into fixing the notorious reliability problems and made another metric shit ton of BTDT true believers. Those guys came home and told everybody to get their hands on a Colt if they wanted an AR (of course a lot of knock-off stuff back then were kits). It also helped that there was no internet where guys can research prices, gain knowledge and form purchasing opinions based on their learnings.

[voodoo_man]

...you mean that decades of non-innovation, sticking to dogma and refusing to change with the times and technology, has stifled Colt's growth as a company?

I'm so shocked.

Shocked I tell you.

Maybe they can do this one little trick, I know its really, extremely, risky...listen to their customers.

[SINNER]

It’s what happens when Union leeches suck every penny of profits out of a company. Should have never got in bed with the parasites at the UAW.

[MoxyDave]

Typical case of resting on your laurels. Especially in this space, you MUST innovate to stay alive.

[fledge]

Turns out, this article conflicts other reports. The latest is that colt is fulfilling a contract and halting civilian sales till November.

I’m sure we’ll know a lot more before the weekend and who is fired over the PR snafu.

[Stone]

Oopps. "Turns out the earlier reports were wrong, all wrong. I guess all we can do is play you a song."


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfLV_hSj_uE

[UWone77]

Turns out, this article conflicts other reports. The latest is that colt is fulfilling a contract and halting civilian sales till November.

I’m sure we’ll know a lot more before the weekend and who is fired over the PR snafu.

November has a tendency to become, first quarter 2020, and so forth. Waiting on this a little more to see what actually happens.

[UWone77]

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. (September 19th, 2019) – There have been numerous articles recently published about Colt’s participation in the commercial rifle market. Some of these articles have incorrectly stated or implied that Colt is not committed to the consumer market. We want to assure you that Colt is committed to the Second Amendment, highly values its customers and continues to manufacture the world’s finest quality firearms for the consumer market.

The fact of the matter is that over the last few years, the market for modern sporting rifles has experienced significant excess manufacturing capacity. Given this level of manufacturing capacity, we believe there is adequate supply for modern sporting rifles for the foreseeable future.

On the other hand, our warfighters and law enforcement personnel continue to demand Colt rifles and we are fortunate enough to have been awarded significant military and law enforcement contracts. Currently, these high-volume contracts are absorbing all of Colt’s manufacturing capacity for rifles. Colt’s commitment to the consumer markets, however, is unwavering. We continue to expand our network of dealers across the country and to supply them with expanding lines of the finest quality 1911s and revolvers.

At the end of the day, we believe it is good sense to follow consumer demand and to adjust as market dynamics change. Colt has been a stout supporter of the Second Amendment for over 180 years, remains so, and will continue to provide its customers with the finest quality firearms in the world.

Very respectfully,

Dennis Veilleux, President and Chief Executive Officer

[gatordev]

I get his point, and I'm glad that Colt is getting contracts to help keep them going and keep jobs for the employees. But I fear the message will get distorted once the internet gets a hold of this.

[UWone77]

Must be a lot of LE contracts somewhere, because most of the LE agencies in my area have moved on to other manufacturers.

I can't imagine Colt is selling a ton of MIL guns either.

[gatordev]

I'm guessing at the point they're at now, anything is better than nothing.

[voodoo_man]

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. (September 19th, 2019) – There have been numerous articles recently published about Colt’s participation in the commercial rifle market. Some of these articles have incorrectly stated or implied that Colt is not committed to the consumer market. We want to assure you that Colt is committed to the Second Amendment, highly values its customers and continues to manufacture the world’s finest quality firearms for the consumer market.

The fact of the matter is that over the last few years, the market for modern sporting rifles has experienced significant excess manufacturing capacity. Given this level of manufacturing capacity, we believe there is adequate supply for modern sporting rifles for the foreseeable future.

On the other hand, our warfighters and law enforcement personnel continue to demand Colt rifles and we are fortunate enough to have been awarded significant military and law enforcement contracts. Currently, these high-volume contracts are absorbing all of Colt’s manufacturing capacity for rifles. Colt’s commitment to the consumer markets, however, is unwavering. We continue to expand our network of dealers across the country and to supply them with expanding lines of the finest quality 1911s and revolvers.

At the end of the day, we believe it is good sense to follow consumer demand and to adjust as market dynamics change. Colt has been a stout supporter of the Second Amendment for over 180 years, remains so, and will continue to provide its customers with the finest quality firearms in the world.

Very respectfully,

Dennis Veilleux, President and Chief Executive Officer

https://media.giphy.com/media/gBpY4p7bbhsiI/giphy.gif

[aisahoga]

I don't know who is in charge or how big Colt is, but it seems like they have a crotchety old man that isn't willing to adapt or change things making decisions. It could be that or they have grown far too complacent in their size and 'tradition'.

[VIPER 237]

I don't know who is in charge or how big Colt is, but it seems like they have a crotchety old man that isn't willing to adapt or change things making decisions. It could be that or they have grown far too complacent in their size and 'tradition'.

Dang what a necro post. Fyi colt has long since returned to the commercial market.

[UWone77]

I don't know who is in charge or how big Colt is, but it seems like they have a crotchety old man that isn't willing to adapt or change things making decisions. It could be that or they have grown far too complacent in their size and 'tradition'.

Don't worry, the old guys at CZ are in charge now.

[Joelski]

Don't worry, the old guys at CZ are in charge now.

Damn Boomers! [:D]

"Buy a shotgun"