View Full Version : In the last 6 years the cost of a 6920 has dropped, yet it's competition didn't?
In 2007 a Colt 6920 went for about 1300, now they can be had for 1000, what gives?
Better yet you can find $600 6920 uppers from multiple vendors, yet 'similarly' spec'ed spikes (16 LE + MBUS) and stags (2H + $75 upgrade package) cost more even though they are generally thought to be a step behind.
Even BCM, which is usually thought of as being just as good as Colt, is going to run a buyer much more than a Colt.
How is this possible?
-Screwy market? An over production by Colt and a lack of understanding by the masses (who still go by the Stag or Spikes are as good as Colt but w/o the pony premium, even though there is no premium right now).
-Lack of Colt 6920 MSRP?
-Economy of scale? Colt can handle being a big boy as they've done it so long, but the rising stars are having costs rise on them as they attempt to produce a solid product?
-Something else entirely?
What ever the reason, it's great for the informed consumer.
Higher demand, more competition
I just bought one two weeks ago for $1000. But most gun shops list for $1200. On average.
Didn't Colt lose a contract or two. More for the civilian market?
They have been manufacturing them for a long time. The equipment used has paid for itself many times over so the cost should be lower then most competition, thus allowing them to undercut some other manufacturers when they feel the need. They have pretty much ignored the civilivan side for so long that many of us just don't care if it says Colt anymore, whether it be a 1911 or an M4 type. I'm not bashing Colt but for my purposes choose other manufacturers most of the time. I'm not saying I'll never buy Colt but don't currently own any.
Ever thought that they were over-priced in the first place and are now down to where they should have been?
It is very simple........right now there is a glut of product. During the hysteria people that could not even afford a firearm purchased them, ammo, and magazines. Dealers reordered, Distributors reordered and the factories (including Colt) went into hyper mode cranking out firearms, ammo and magazines. All this product is still coming in...............and people are not panic buying right now. Good old supply and demand. Huge supply right now, much, much smaller demand. Prices are falling because of this. The only thing that I still see that has not caught back up is 22 ammo.
It is very simple........right now there is a glut of product.
Then why hasn't bravo company and some of the other companies dropped their prices?
Spikes uppers are still outrageously high, BCM is ok priced, DD is dropping their prices,,,,.
Overall it seems hit and miss. some companies have lowered their prices while others remain high.
My guess with colt is the volume. They sale such a massive number of rifles to military and police they can stand to have a narrow profit margin on each rifle.
One reason for the price is Colt ditched the carry handle.
2 years ago I bought a LE6920 magpul edition for $999 at Sportsmans. This same rifle is now $1149. Costs haven't fallen since and the dealer cost is rising.
Eurodriver
11-17-13, 13:27
Lots of good and valid reasons in this thread.
But competition is a big one. Colt has been selling AR15s for over 30 years. Have they ever included aftermarket accessories before? Not to my knowledge, and if they have it surely isn't as extensive as it is now. You've got FDE and OD 6920s with Magpul furniture and all sorts of stuff available now.
Carry handle is a good piece of info too.
SeriousStudent
11-17-13, 13:42
This made me think, and I dug out some old bank records. I did buy a Colt 6920 at a local gun show for $1289.37 back in 2007. That was a nice sale price, the fellow that sold it to me was a friend of a friend. I honestly don't recall the MSRP at the time, but remember being very pleased with that deal.
I'm glad I'm not the only one wondering this. For years I've been buying and telling others to buy BCM because it's cheaper than Colt. Now, unless you have to have a middy, Colt is the bargain. I never thought I'd see the day. Same with BCGs. I remember when I thought I was splurging big time to buy a Young Mfg BCG for over $200 when a BCM was $100 less. Now BCM is listing for almost $200.
I own a lot of BCM stuff and I think it's great they're so successful. I'm over it though. It's still not HK prices, but owning multiples of both, BCM would be smoking crack to approach HK prices. I love BCM, but I think their prices are too high now. If I didn't have a surplus of ARs, I'd be buying Colt from now on.
I think the lower prices from Colt are more about selling more guns to the low information Bubbas than anything else.
Most members on this board fall into only one subset of the AR market. While we compare Colt to BCM, DD, etc, based on quality, many of the "you are just paying for the name" market instead compare Colt to DPMS, Bushmaster, Delton, etc, based only on price point. Colt is the only company I am aware of that fully serves both markets, and thus has to fully compete against all companies.
There are a LOT of low information buyers out there, and those dollars spend just the same.
Seeing the Colt 6920 showing up at the Walmart stores is something I thought would never happen. I can remember the old days when shooters were mad at Colt and boycotted their products. What a change a few years make! (I give credit to the warriors returning from the desert-thanks by the way). I can see myself owning another Colt in the near future.
FloridaWoodsman
11-17-13, 15:29
Just another thought - Could the fixed front sight be falling from favor?
Many feel that Colt is the gold standard, and I might agree. I own other weapons but when I take my Colt out, I never even think about possible failures or tinkering with this or that. It just shoots, and there is value in that. I hope the price keeps dropping and I'll buy another.
Just another thought - Could the fixed front sight be falling from favor?
Yeah, I'd say it already has over the past few years. More people are going with a 3 gun type set up; long 13-15" tubes, either fixed rail mounted fronts or folding. Only difference is 14.5-16" middy chrome vs rifle 17-18" stainless. At least that's what I'm noticing.
I'd say if Colt got into the middy market, as NongShim mentioned, they would retake the market. Especially since they hold the TDP.
I think the others are simply overpriced. They knew they could raise prices when the scare was on and they did. Since most of their parts and materials are outsourced from the same list of manufacturers (with varying degrees of QC) I doubt their costs are much if any higher than Colt's.
I see no reason (other than the middy) to buy anything else at this point.
RogerinTPA
11-17-13, 18:39
I bought my first 6920 over 6 years ago for 1250 ish. I think that the availability of so many quality AR manufactures (Colt, DD, BCM, LMT, Noveske & KAC) out there, and Colt finally paying attention to the civilian market, prices have fallen to all time lows, despite the temporary upticks in prices for mass shootings and election events. The last push from Finestein proves that her AWB bill is going nowhere for the foreseeable future. Get em cheap while you can.
I think the others are simply overpriced.
When you have companies like remington that are owned by a private equity firm, and ruger is publicly held, the focus is on profits at all cost.
I think colt is still privatly held?
It's a reflection of extreme demand at some points which drives the prices up and results in such a large amount of buying that almost anyone who was considering buying one winds up buying one. It gets to a point where almost anyone who was considering buying an AR has bought one, and finally the supply catches up and surpasses the demand. Then prices start to drop, sometimes fairly low.
This is of course an oversimplication.
I hope demand continues to climb. The more folks into rifles and pistols the better for us all. I've never seen a rifle take off like the M4 has. Everybody wants one...or two...or...
Back in 2008 I made my first AR15 purchase and it was the S&W M&P15. I wanted the Colt LE6920 but my gun shop was asking 1,600 for it and the M&P15 was under 1,000 dollars. The M&P15 wasn't a bad rifle by any means IMO. I sold it due to financial struggles. I was happy in 2011 when I noticed the Colt 6920 had come down quite a bit in price. My gun shop had the LE6920 with the LE markings on display and the price was 1,195 and that is what I was after. However I ended up with a NIB SP6920 which I'm still happy with and also my newer LE6920. I figure if I want something proven, why not go with a company that has been in the business the longest of just about any AR manufacturer. Its also nice to see Colt offering several different configurations and open up to the commercial market rather than just focus on military and law enforcement.
Colt has been selling their rifles to the military for $800ish and making hand over fist money. Their profit is in bulk sales.
Then why hasn't bravo company and some of the other companies dropped their prices?
Spikes uppers are still outrageously high, BCM is ok priced, DD is dropping their prices,,,,.
Overall it seems hit and miss. some companies have lowered their prices while others remain high.
My guess with colt is the volume. They sale such a massive number of rifles to military and police they can stand to have a narrow profit margin on each rifle.
If you notice you will see that the companies that have had the largest price drops are the companies that can crank out volume. Colt, S&W, DPMS, and Bushmaster come to mind. Smaller production companies like BCM, Noveske, and Daniel Deffense can't crank them out as fast................so their price does not fall as fast. There is nothing magic here. Just good old supply and demand,...........and competition.
I think a large part of the reason that Colt is beginning to pay attention to the civilian market is fear of losing military and LE contracts and not having anything to fall back on. I remember reading a few articles not too long ago accusing Colt of price gouging the military and their competition, primarily FNH and I believe Remington, were very happy to throw out some bids trying to low ball Colt. Since military contracts have been their bread and butter for a long time now, losing them and not having other markets to fall back on would be devastating. The sudden emergence of an updated and modern website, more civilian customer support, and ARs and other products that target more of the current gun-market fashions such as Magpul parts and being more commonly available at a competitive price illustrate that.
HackerF15E
11-22-13, 09:28
LE6920s are on sale at GT Distributors this week for $895!
So much for prices not continuing to fall!
I think "now are the good old days" with respect to AR-15s.
It really is about to be the 'good old days' in that regard. At this point anybody buying a Bushmaster or RRA should provide themselves a kick in the junk if they paid more than the cost of a 6920 for a worse carbine.
I think another reason is that the newer or smaller companies are offering a larger product line. By offering as many variations as Daniel Defense or Bravo Company it has to cost money both in manufacturing and inventory. These companies are giving people what they want like a multitude of barrel lengths and profiles. I think the AR market is slowly righting itself. I know Colt has been and may still be the gold standard but it's as basic a carbine as there is. It should be less expensive than something with many more options of compareable quality.
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.5 Copyright © 2024 vBulletin Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.