Colt Teetering On The Brink Of Bankrupcy

[Drail]

If anyone attempted to produce a gun like the Colt Python the labor costs would drive the price to absurd levels (if you could even find enough fitters who could actually do it). It was not a mass produced firearm like the guns we buy today. It cannot be built with mass production techniques - not even with CAD/CAM. Just look at the junk S&W is turning out now using their modern CAD/CAM techniques. The action on that revolver was hand fitted like a fine Swiss watch by guys who spent many years learning how to do it. Those guys are either in a retirement home or have passed away. Colt would give the fitters a box of parts and tell them to fit them perfectly - even it it takes all day to make ONE. Sadly, those days are long gone. The only reason that Colt didn't expire years ago was Govt. contracts and consumers who would buy a Colt just because of that little horse stamped on it. Just like Harley Davidson. The reason these old American iconic companies keep getting bought out over and over is because the investors know that the product, however unworthy, will still sell to an uninformed market because of the name stamped on it. Then they run it into the ground again and someone else buys the name. It's a very different world now. People buy the name and expect the old quality. It's not there anymore.

 

[Springer]

Just bought a 6920, first ar I have not built, for a great price. Quality is good, runs good, and it's accurate. Glad I have one if they do go under.

 

[M67]

Bankruptcy could be a good thing, I'd love to be able to buy a new Python.

If Colt was smart they'd start producing them again and do a tie-in to the Walking Dead. But they're obviously not smart since they've run the business into the ground . . .

They sold all the machines year ago and as said below, those workers are long gone.

There's a reason why they stopped producing them. They weren't great when they axed them, and if colt follows tradition, they wouldn't be great if they came back

If anyone attempted to produce a gun like the Colt Python the labor costs would drive the price to absurd levels (if you could even find enough fitters who could actually do it). It was not a mass produced firearm like the guns we buy today. It cannot be built with mass production techniques - not even with CAD/CAM. Just look at the junk S&W is turning out now using their modern CAD/CAM techniques. The action on that revolver was hand fitted like a fine Swiss watch by guys who spent many years learning how to do it. Those guys are either in a retirement home or have passed away. Colt would give the fitters a box of parts and tell them to fit them perfectly - even it it takes all day to make ONE. Sadly, those days are long gone. The only reason that Colt didn't expire years ago was Govt. contracts and consumers who would buy a Colt just because of that little horse stamped on it. Just like Harley Davidson. The reason these old American iconic companies keep getting bought out over and over is because the investors know that the product, however unworthy, will still sell to an uninformed market because of the name stamped on it. Then they run it into the ground again and someone else buys the name. It's a very different world now. People buy the name and expect the old quality. It's not there anymore.

Yup, and when Colt used more and more machined parts and less fitted parts, the actions went to hell and they even looked cheap on the inside


Colt should have died decades ago when the name wasn't tarnished and the quality was good. But they just love hooking the dead horse up to defibrillator to get every ounce of life left

 

[Arthur Dent]

Its 2015, time to expand the portfolio and send the union packing.

How, exactly, does the poor decisions of management fall onto the unions and the workers?

 

[BugI02]

Hmm, the owners pull way too much money out of the business to invest elsewhere, management makes horrid decisions, and it's the union that needs to be sent packing. Join the race to the bottom!

Yep probably Vietnamese made Colts. No unions in the workers paradise. And they're certainly familiar with some of the product lines

 

[MrPeabody]

This is ashame. I have a Colt DA Army and I love it. I always wanted a Peace Maker, but never found one I like. Sad part it they haven;t made anything in the past 40 years that I felt like I had to have except the Python..... To bad...

 

[Amishman44]

Is it Colt Firearms that's in trouble or Colt Industries as a whole?

Colt has sucked up to big government and gotten away from serving the people (at least the one's who demand a good R&D program) where their 'off-season' (non-warring) time is spent! Maybe Colt was hoping the military would go back to the 1911 or something...either way, no company can rely on just one buyer for their goods...especially in today's competitive market! Too many company's are now producing the same guns Colt once made (many of which have improvements over their original designs) making them more desirable to their markets.

 

[cosermann]

One word - mismanagement.

 

[AA&E]

Yep probably Vietnamese made Colts. No unions in the workers paradise. And they're certainly familiar with some of the product lines

Is one of your ancestors having served as a bullet stop count as familiarity with the product line?

 

[Drail]

I have to wonder how many Americans would buy a Colt product if it was manufactured in Southeast Asia. You know, just because of that cute little horse stamped on it. Colt would probably charge the same price as the current production models even if they were built with foreign labor. Almost nothing would surprise me anymore.

 

[Indynic]

I have been impressed with the 1911's I have seen come out of Colt as of late. If you have not seen a recent production Colt 1911, they have stepped up their game. The competition has forced them to, there are way too many 1911 mfgr's on the market for them not to put out a great product.

 

[RegularGuy24]

That sucks

 

[Robjps]

I have been impressed with the 1911's I have seen come out of Colt as of late. If you have not seen a recent production Colt 1911, they have stepped up their game. The competition has forced them to, there are way too many 1911 mfgr's on the market for them not to put out a great product.

The problem is they make like 4 guns total.

 

[223 Gunner]

The problem is they make like 4 guns total.

Exactly, and the firearms they do make, other companies make them better. Why would I buy a Colt?

As far as 1911's go, I like Smith's better as well as Kimber (I know, there is a lot of Kimber hate). AR's, Bravo Co., Daniel Defense, Armalite, all make a better rifle than Colt.
I own a few AR's, all in the price range of a 6920 or more expensive, had plenty of chances to buy a 6920, but choose differently every time.

 

[Mgderf]

They have the designs, just evidently not the skilled labor or tooling.

I absolutely love my 1903 Colt Pocket Hammerless in .32acp.
I'm sure, if they resurrected that line, or any of the "Snake Guns", they could have a decent chance at a turnaround. That is assuming of course that they build quality pieces again, and don't charge an arm, a leg, and a left testicle for them.

I would buy another 1903 Hammerless today if they made one...

 

[longbow]

Someone will buy the name and tooling and Colt V2 will running in a better State.

 

[Robjps]

They have the designs, just evidently not the skilled labor or tooling.

Colt's last few pistol attempts have been utter failures not sure they have the designs. Their "new" rifles are nothing special either.

 

[M67]

Someone will buy the name and tooling and Colt V2 will running in a better State.

Not if Remington buys it

The money it would take to get Colt running where a lot of people would like it to be, with the quality a lot of people expect from them, personally I believe it would be too much to make it worth while.

New machines to make double action revolvers, along with the training and redesigning, new machines for the single action revolvers to make them in larger quantities plus more skilled workers in making them. Hiring people who can actually design something new that people would want and that would work compared to just making what Colt wants to make. Too much of an investment especially if they don't know how the new revolvers will be and it would be a long and expensive process to make workers into excellent skilled workers.

Too much risk. I'll say it again, Colt probably should have failed and went under when they had dignity left decades ago

 

[SMiller]

Exactly, and the firearms they do make, other companies make them better. Why would I buy a Colt?

As far as 1911's go, I like Smith's better as well as Kimber (I know, there is a lot of Kimber hate). AR's, Bravo Co., Daniel Defense, Armalite, all make a better rifle than Colt.
I own a few AR's, all in the price range of a 6920 or more expensive, had plenty of chances to buy a 6920, but choose differently every time.

What's wrong with a 6920? How are other AR's better?

 

[Indynic]

Colt's last few pistol attempts have been utter failures not sure they have the designs. Their "new" rifles are nothing special either.

You are right, they need to expand their offering. If they can't come up with a good, new design on their own, maybe they should mimick what Springfield did with th XD, XDm & XDs. Those are outstanding products just re-badged SA.

It would suck to have to resort to that, but they need to get in the polymer framed game. I'm no expert on gun sales, but by just seeing what is on gun store shelves, which seems to be primarily polymer framed, striker fired pistols, I'd would have to imagine that is the fastest growing market segment. Even Sig & HK have recently made new entries with the 320 & VP9.

Plus, it would benefit them to make a gun in that $500 range that most of these polymers are at. That could widen their target market and, if successful, could create brand loyalty from customers making more expensive purchases in the future.