View Full Version : Is Colt still making the sporter line?
I was on their website and I couldnt find the M4 Sporter anywhere on there. Usually you can find it under their rifles section but nothing. Maybe its just me.
Look on the Law Enforcement Site. The SP 6920 and 6921 are there.
Your right, I just got a bit confused cause they used to have them on their regular website, not the LE or Military website.
trackstar55
02-21-12, 18:32
Its all confusing.........I love Colt, but a lot of their decisions :bad:
Sporter Line is discontinued, replaced by the new LE6920 with the M4 Carbine rollmark (not to be confused with the older LE6920 with the Restricted/LEO markings). Check the latest Colt catalog and pricing sheet here (http://www.coltsmfg.com/MediaDownloads.aspx) - no more references to the Sporter lineup.
Colt is beginning to understand that the "sporter" name comes with a lot of negative connotations for a lot of folks that have been around ARs for awhile, and as such are moving away from the term.
Colt is beginning to understand that the "sporter" name comes with a lot of negative connotations for a lot of folks that have been around ARs for awhile, and as such are moving away from the term.
I never quite understood why Colt (unsuccessfully) went to court to protect their use of the term 'M4' but then didn't use it themselves in commercial sales.
trackstar55
02-21-12, 20:48
I never quite understood why Colt (unsuccessfully) went to court to protect their use of the term 'M4' but then didn't use it themselves in commercial sales.
You will just end up beating yourself to death if you spend anytime trying to understand Colt. Refer to my posting
"I love Colt, but a lot of their decisions :bad:"
There is no rhyme or reason why Colt does what they do. They have been incredibly successful at being unsuccessful, but somehow still squeaking by (all due to customer brand loyalty and the super huge military contract for the M4 Carbine). If they didn't have the history, they would have been bankrupt and forgotten long ago
I am a history buff....so I have brand loyalty to them. I pray General Keyes will turn them around. I have suggested they do study groups, do surveys at gun shows, customer satisfaction surveys, follow up calls on sales...... Their guns and roll marks from back in the day were just beautiful (especially their 1911 rollmarks) and they got away from it. The dumbest rollmark ever was the "-Series 80- on the right side of the 1911 under the ejection port. Whoever is their graphic design artist is horrible or some legal issues make them do it. But bottom line is that they are horrible to the eye.
I have spoken to General Keyes before and he said he is trying hard to work out the kinks. He was very nice to speak with, but his staff on the other hand can be a bear to deal with. I have been trying to place and order through Keisler's to Colt and the Colt rep at the factory wont return any of Keisler's calls. So I can't get the part ordered.
Kara Royce has been great, but she has been transferred to a different department.....so I have no idea whats going on there anymore.
If I won the lottery, I would try to buy the company! Whats powerball up to?
DeltaSierra
02-21-12, 20:54
I have suggested they do...surveys at gun shows...
Bad, bad idea.
Why doesn't Colt send a representative to this website, and make any marketing changes based on what Rob_S, Iraqgunz, and a few others have to say....
trackstar55
02-21-12, 20:57
Bad, bad idea.
Why doesn't Colt send a representative to this website, and make any marketing changes based on what Rob_S, Iraqgunz, and a few others have to say....
Some information is better than no information............. (i.e. guns shows)
any other ideas?
DeltaSierra
02-21-12, 21:03
Some information is better than no information............. (i.e. guns shows)
any other ideas?
My point is that most consumers aren't aware of what they actually need, so a company making substantial changes based upon the opinions of the unknowing masses would very quickly lead to disaster.
Personally, I would like to see Colt keep doing exactly what they are doing, except for the Rogers stock.
Why "fix" what isn't broken?
trackstar55
02-21-12, 21:07
Im not saying change anything in the manufacturing process.....What I am saying is seek feedback. I understand that people think they need this and that they need that. Well, your right. Most of that is not feasible.
I am talking about feedback on roll marks and feedback about some models. Feedback keeps you in touch with the consumer. It helps you understand where public perception is and what people think the company needs to improve. If customer service is lacking, then it should be addressed, but unless they know, how do they fix it.
The only thing that is broken is their customer service, their crappy rollmarks, their lack of model offerings that made them great in the first place, their lack of marketing, their pimping out their name to crappy guns that Uramex makes.....
And you say there is nothing to fix???????
Yes, their AR-15 quality control is amazing............thats it!
I knew something was up when I didnt see them anymore.I just fired my Sporter today for the first time and already theres "another" carbine from colt. But at the end their all the same just different markings right? Im still new to the carbine, and today was the first time i ever fired one, and it was awesome.
They are trying again, or some people there are. Let's hope these people stay long enough, and listen to enough of the right people, to be productive. I know what I know because they have reached out. I wouldn't know who to talk to there if they hadn't.
The problem is who do you reach out to? Scottryan who will tell you not to change anything, will obsess over some roll mark, and lament any forward movement? or they listen to someone that tells them to move "forward" but doesn't know forward from backward and they wind up with the Rogers stock. Everyone wants to think "oh, Colt should call ME. I'll tell them exactly how to un-**** themselves" but it's not that easy.
Personally I think they should release a "military" line made to look exactly like whatever is being issued at the moment, and should consult the collectors as to what those guns should look like. Nobody else, outside collectors and prior/active looking to replicate their issue gun, are going to buy that line anyway. Then they should be talking to Pat Rogers, and others like him, to inform a hard-use line.
I was, and am, flattered that they contacted me and hopeful that the tour of the plant works out, and I of course believe that I have a good base of knowledge to help them, but there is no way for them to know that and there are others probably more obviously qualified.
I think Colt is doing just fine with what they're currently offering to the commercial market. Four to six years ago I couldn't find a Colt AR for less than 1,300 dollars and I think that's why so many other companies currently making AR-15 rifles jumped on the bandwagon so they could cater to the market Colt was reluctant to do. I don't think Colt is THE brand to go with and all others are horrible but at the same time Colt has been in the black rifle business for much longer than any other AR manufacturer. You can still outfit a Colt with rails, flip up sights, scopes, etc just like any other AR. They may not offer factory built rifles with all the "tacticool" accessories but they offer a damn good gun for now what appears to be a very competitive price. Colt firearms also tend to hold their value because just about everyone, even non gun folks know the name.
I think Colt should do away with the Rogers stock and go back to the standard M4 stock and continue to offer the newer Magpul MOE models. I think Colt is starting to see there is money to be made in the commercial market and people will buy their firearms, even more so now that they've come down in price. When I bought my Colt SP6920 my gun shop had their last LE6920 with the restricted rollmark out on display and I really wanted that one but I ended up with the Sporter markings instead because I wanted one that wasn't touched by anyone else. At first I didn't like the SPORTER marking but now it doesn't really matter. The rifle operates just fine and I'm confident it'll serve me well as my SHTF/WROL defensive carbine, and it still says m4 Carbine on the lower receiver. The M4 is my favorite of the M16/AR-15 family of rifles, even though the 6920 isn't a true M4 with 3 round burst and 14.5" barrel. The term "Colt M4" just sounds good to me too!
Dispite the "negative connotations", I'm one of the few that prefers the SPORTER over the Restricted rollmark. I'm no longer a LEO, and I'm not in the military, so I don't require a restricted rifle to designate, or pretend, my position in life. I also prefer the Rogers stock over the MOE. I guess I've always been a little "different".
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