Does Colt Have A Future?

[tpelle]

I've been thinking about this lately. If you go to Colts Web site and look at their product offerings you will see that it consists of the following:

The 1873 revolver.
Various models of 1911.
The AR15/M16 in various configurations.
The M4 carbine.

Now, every one of those firearms, except for the M4, is pretty much in the public domain, and there are numerous other companies manufacturing them. The M4 first came into being in 1994, and is the only product that is still under the protection of Colts patents. Patents are usually issued for 20 years, so they will run out next year, won't they?

IIRC, the government mistakenly released the M4 technical package several years ago, and Colt had to defend their exclusive rights in court. But it seems to me that the cat's out of the bag, isn't it?

With no other exclusive product in its lineup, what is Colt going to do next year? With other companies building the same guns and doing it for less money, is Colt even going to exist in a couple of years?

[FortTom]

I've been hearing rumors of Colt's impending doom and death since joining the military in 1975. I really think they'll get by.

FT

[tpelle]

But they've been getting by entirely on the M4 and their exclusive right to manufacture it. And that's about to expire..

We'll, gotta go. The granddaughter is playing soccer in 45 minutes on the football field behind Highlands.

[Stickman]

I hope she does well!

Regarding Colt and their demise, I think this is why we are seeing a much larger move into the commercial market in the past couple years. They still don't understand the current market, and release oddballs like the Vietnam retro carbines... which they made a joke of by using their existing supply of A2 uppers instead of A1 uppers. I think their use of the current stock is another example of missing the market as well. Folding FSBs that look like cheap YHM products are another disaster as well.

In the end, they are still Colt, and are still a powerhouse. I think it would be easy for them to regain lost ground if they had an idea of what the market actually wanted, but they won't do that until military orders stop coming in, and at that point they won't have the money to invest in new concepts and ideas.

[tpelle]

I agree. I wish they would bring out some new products. However I don't think there's a lot of room for innovation in the rifle market. Pretty much everything that stretches the envelope in the AR world has already been done by someone else. Same with shotguns - which would mean butting heads with some of the leaders in the sporting clays world. That leaves handguns, and I do believe that there is room for some innovation there.

I personally would like to see them come out with a 1911 the same size as the Browning 1911-22, but chambered in .380 Auto. Of course the issue really is that, unless whatever they build is "patentable", then anybody with a set of micrometers, a CAD computer, and a CNC machine can steal their thunder.

I believe that rifles have reached pretty much a development peak, and things will be pretty static until somebody comes up with something really new - something on the order of changing from loose powder and ball and going to a self-contained cartridge. Or maybe the transition from black powder to smokeless. One thing that I believe that would be an earth-shaker would be the integration of electronics into the rifle - a set of power rails and a data buss built into a Picatinny rail that would integrate all of the peripherals - sight, rangefinder, etc., and the whole thing would be powered by a Lithium Ion battery in the buttstock, maybe. Imagine looking through the optical sight and having it automatically adjust for range. Maybe be able to record images and send them back to HQ. I don't know - and maybe the Military is already looking into this stuff. But having a common rail interface like that under patent might just keep the contracts rolling in for a while.

I hope they're looking at something like that.

And by the way, they got beat really bad in the soccer game. But it's only for 4 and 5 year olds, and some of them seem to not have it figured out yet - like which goal they're supposed to kick the ball in to.

[UWone77]

I would love for Colt to bring back their revolvers, even if it's just through the Custom Shop. Oh what I wouldn't give for a NIB 4" Stainless Python or a King Cobra.

[lamarbrog]

The 6920 is still the "gold standard" of the AR15. I honestly think they could remain in business for a long time and do well selling nothing but 6920s at a retail price of $1100-$1300. (Which they already do.)

Folks on this board who think that Colt is heading for rough times don't understand the market... spending too much time around internet AR connoisseurs, and not enough time around the gun buying public.

Everyone has heard of Colt. People who are not even "gun people"... heck, people who have never even touched a gun, recognize the name "Colt" means something in the gun word. They might associate the name with any number of firearms, but it always means the same thing. When people think of Colt they think quality, tradition, legacy, craftsmanship, skill, and dependability.

A family member decided to buy each of his sons an AR15 a few years ago. He didn't know much about guns... he bought Colt. It didn't matter that he was paying 50% more than the other rifles on the rack and he had literally no idea regarding any specific quality differences between them. He knew the Colt name, and knew he wanted what that Pony stands for in his mind.

People see a BCM, LMT, or Noveske, the brands we think of as "high end rifles" and say "I've never even heard of that funky off-brand piece of junk" and lay their money down for a Colt.

They're going to do just fine...

[Rodman24]

There's always a future in the past.

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