Colts Hold Their Value Better than Other Brands?

[ALCOAR]

KAC kit alone doubles, or triples in value the minute they discontinue something.

There are $1k KAC TTs on various online EEs as I type I'm sure. Only within the last few years did they discontinue the QD cup lowers, now they go for $1k already.

Granted this is largely due to a relatively small, extremely loyal consumer base. I've yet to also see a HK firearm that hasn't maintained, or rose in value over the years outside of recent production handguns. Again, most likely due to a smaller, very loyal consumer base.

I'd venture to guess as to say that PSA or "poverty pony" as I hear them called currently has the most brand name recognition from the buying masses. That won't make them hold their value in the future though.


Perceived rarity, or quality is what will determine what firearms hold their value the best (or increase), and Colt doesn't have a monopoly on this imo.

[Thrasos]

To the "uneducated" gun buyer Colt rings a bell and might likely get top dollar somewhere down the road. Anyone on this site would raise an eyebrow if it was a jacked-up price, but some guy at a gun show hears Colt and sees the roll mark and he's sold. Not bashing Colt at all and I have a couple myself, just that saying certain words or names get someone's attention.

A decade or so ago I was at a gun show trying to sell an M14-clone (to fund other projects, as is usually the case). It was a Polytech receiver but with all non-Chinese parts. It had been built by Warbird's Custom (an M14 'smith/guru of sorts). USGI chrome lined barrel and USGI bolt, the whole nine yards. Had two guys come up and ask what it was. "M14 semi" I said. They each took it and looked straight at the receiver....."Oh, it's not a Springfield. Thanks anyway." Both guys did/said almost the exact same thing. Forget that it was worth a good deal more than a standard SA M1A, they looked no further than the receiver. So yeah name recognition is good, and that is up to and including Colt.

I agree with ABNAK. In the age of the internet, any informed buyer is not going to pay top dollar for a Colt AR, unless sentimental value comes into play. Many don't even consider Colt in the top tier of AR companies and would rather pay more for a KAC, HK, DD, and even more boutique-y brands like LaRue, Wilson Combat, PWS, and GGP. The market is over-saturated with enhanced/beyond mil-spec stuff, and buying a Colt for a premium is like buying a Toyota at premium prices. They're reliable, I get it, but for the vast majority of folks, buying something from PSA for a few hundred less will suit their needs just fine.

Now, if you have a Colt 1861 Navy, that's different...

[RHINOWSO]

But honestly, most gun buyers are uneducated. Why else would stores sell out of every AR on the planet during the gun crazes?

It's emotional and Colt still brings a premium.

People on the forums typically forget that we, at most, represent <1% of the American gun owners. If that many.

[Renegade04]

Depends. Is the item a rare item (HK P7, 416, etc)? Colt is a common AR that sells for well under $1k and can command $3k-$4k (all the while still being produced). So yes, true. ;-)


C4

Not all true. It all depends on the Colt model and when it was made. Early pre-ban Colt's are the more valuable, but it all depends on the model, when it was made, how many were made, and how hard it is to find them up for sale. I have seen some early (1963-67) Colt SP1s sell for over $3000. I see Colt SP1 carbines around $2500. Carbines like the AR6320 are rare as only 297 were made and only a few were available to the public (after law enforcement orders were filled). The AR6320 can fetch upwards to around $2500. R6520s and AR6520s are beginning to command higher prices as availability is getting slimmer. There are a lot of factors that will determine what a particular Colt will bring in value. Of course, you have to remember that actual value is much different from market value. Depending on the market, in regard to supply and demand, some ARs can bring a lot more than they are really worth due to uneducated panic buyers. Several years, I saw a lot of cheap ARs selling for over $1K. It was ridiculous. In 2008, I paid $1300 for my LE/Restricted marked Colt LE6920. It is not worth near that these days. I would be lucky to get $900 for it in stock form. Personally, I do not buy my Colts for future selling or making a huge profit off of them. They are there for a place in my collection. I plan on adding more older models (pre-ban) when I can afford and find them. My goal is to save some of these models from being stripped down and sold for parts. Too many guys are parting older Colts out and that drives up the prices as it results in fewer complete original rifles that may be available.

[turnburglar]

I mean a buyer COULD pay more money for a used colt..... or they could buy a brand new colt for a decent price....



It's really hard to tell which way these things go. Personally I dont sell or trade rifles, even when a really well off friend probably would have payed top dollar for mine. I shoot them. To me rifles have the inherent "self defense" aspect, but they also are 98% of the time a toy just like a sports car. I think of them as little $2000 porsche's. Just instead of pavement, they get put on steel and paper.

[Mr McSimon]

I mean a buyer COULD pay more money for a used colt..... or they could buy a brand new colt for a decent price....



It's really hard to tell which way these things go. Personally I dont sell or trade rifles, even when a really well off friend probably would have payed top dollar for mine. I shoot them. To me rifles have the inherent "self defense" aspect, but they also are 98% of the time a toy just like a sports car. I think of them as little $2000 porsche's. Just instead of pavement, they get put on steel and paper.

Haha, sometimes I liken my rifles to little custom motorcycles, especially building or tinkering. A tiny fraction of the cost, just as much fun, and you can still get into "the zone" with both too. I never met a gun, or motorcycle, I didn't like, but there's still something to be said about shooting a Colt, just like riding a Harley. Maybe not the most innovative, or responsive, or easiest to use, but certainly the most recognized, storied, and steeped in romance and legend.

[Core781]

I believe Colt Defense guns are still a good investment. Given Colts history of embracing new management and taking drastic steps to improve sales, seemingly endless bean counting, and rebirths, and the undeniable fact that they make the best ARs for the money and 1911s, arguably the best ARs period by my assessment (in their class and often above their class). The landscape of Colt and Colt Defense is too unpredictable to say any product they produce is going to be a poor investment. The 6920 will be a great investment as there will be a new generation produced by the time the numbers are produced for civilian sales. All past generations support my theory. A1s are obviously the oldest and most collectable beyond prototypes, military relics, and Armalite original models... Personally I don't collect, but I am a fanboy and for good reason. If you dont know why Colt Defense ARs are the cats meow, you're not educated enough yet. Don't confuse the Colt Expanse with CD products, I can't speak for Colt Competition, not educated enough on them yet.

[minuteman1636]

Doc Safari you and I are in a parallel existence. I have spent roughly the last year selling off my multi-brand AR collection and buying Colt AR's. I like the nostalgia and the history behind the rifles. I have been buying odd Colt AR variants as well. I am pretty confident that my oddball items like my IAR (1 of 200), 7.62x39 6940 India test (1 of about 25 or 30), 5.56 6940 India test (1 of 25), Mexico 6920, 2017 SOCOM (about 250 made), etc. will go up in value. My shooters in my collection are one standard Colt 6920, a MT6601 Match Target HBAR, a Rock River Arms Tactical Entry and a Palmetto State Armory 18" FN HBAR. An expensive twist to the Colt addiction is wanting them to be complete and NIB or Like New In Box. Sadly I will have to sell them one day. But, in the meantime, I will enjoy them and continue researching them. Feel free to join the Colt M16/AR15 Collectors Knowledge Group on Facebook if you are there. It is a fairly new group but it is Colt dedicated. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1641673639213315/

[Doc Safari]

Sir, I feel for you as you are hopelessly addicted. I am content to own contemporary models, but I have never sought out bona fide rarities. I wish you luck in your quest.

[Razorblade]

Depends. Is the item a rare item (HK P7, 416, etc)? Colt is a common AR that sells for well under $1k and can command $3k-$4k (all the while still being produced). So yes, true. ;-)


C4

No, not true. Perhaps you should check at what some pay for sr15s or even just full ambi lowers during panics.