Because the new Colt M4 Carbines are not milspec. Most new Colts on the market today are no longer built by Colt with all Colt parts. They're assembled by Colt with aftermarket parts so it's hit or miss how many original colt parts are on any given Colt M4 rifle. These difference are explained in detail on Small Arms. Solution website and his You Tube videos. They are still good rifles, just not 'Colt' military LE spec'd rifles according to military procurement specifications. This why they are also now branded CR6920 Colt Rifle vs LE6920 Law Enforcement.
He confuses me. It sounded to me like colt has always outsourced certain aspects of their AR's like the barrels but they were maybe finish turned in house or something. The new guns he says may be mil spec but aren't made per the M4 TDP strictly so they could be of the same quality but it's not guaranteed. I have no dog in their AR game anyhow but I definitely called and verified their 1911's are made in house. I'll continue buying the 1911's and hopefully the anacondas until they get outsourced or until CZ has them styled like gas station knivesIt's a legit quality 5.56 barrel and it can shoot both .223/5.56, but after Colt lost their military contract and initially quit the civilian market they quit making all their parts in house. When the craziness started again, they realized they could make better margins by selling the 'Colt' name and limiting production. You do have a legit Colt, it's just not the LE6920 version you may have been expecting. It's still a keeper, Colt still May or may not be able to survive in this market. That's why I bought one and why I paid over MSRP for the Colt Python 2020. They will be great keepsakes to give to my grandkids in 20 years
As a Colt Factory trained Armorer since the mid '90's, I can assure you that Colt has outsourced some parts of it's rifles since Day 1. Quite a few Ar-15 manufacturers that have been around for a while actually started as Colt subcontractors and still manufacture top quality parts for their own brand name and other AR-15 manufacturers.He confuses me. It sounded to me like colt has always outsourced certain aspects of their AR's like the barrels but they were maybe finish turned in house or something. The new guns he says may be mil spec but aren't made per the M4 TDP strictly so they could be of the same quality but it's not guaranteed. I have no dog in their AR game anyhow but I definitely called and verified their 1911's are made in house. I'll continue buying the 1911's and hopefully the anacondas until they get outsourced or until CZ has them styled like gas station knives
It's good to hear from someone that works there. Bartocci was saying it wasn't made per TDP based on markings like M4 not being present on all uppers and you know how anal collectors are. I get people being mad at Colt for waiting so long to pick up Mlok and other modern trends but lots of the hate I figured was undeserved for the AR's but I knew it was undeserved for the 1911's.As a Colt Factory trained Armorer since the mid '90's, I can assure you that Colt has outsourced some parts of it's rifles since Day 1. Quite a few Ar-15 manufacturers that have been around for a while actually started as Colt subcontractors and still manufacture top quality parts for their own brand name and other AR-15 manufacturers.
Not all current Colt AR-15 parts are made in-house, either.
ALL of the parts in a Colt AR-15 have to meet Mil-Spec, irrespective if it's a LE marked rifle or not. That is one of the things that Colt has prided itself on since the very beginning, and why they charge the premium.
As to the caliber designation on the box vs. what the rifle is marked as, it's a marketing tool so as to NOT confuse first-time AR buyers as to which ammo to buy and use. The firearm markings prove that , in fact, it meets Mil-Spec for the 5.56 NATO cartridge.
It will safely handle both 5.56 NATO and .223 Rem ammo.
The real difference in a .223 Rem chamber and a 5.56 NATO chamber is the length of the neck/leade, with the 5.56 chamber having a longer neck/leade which allows using a longer bullet without running into sky-high pressure issues.
The cartridges, both .223 and 5.56 NATO have the same physical dimensions, but the 5.56 NATO is loaded to a higher pressure level.
A few years back, it was not uncommon for unscrupulous dealers to get Colt AR-15's in, remove the Colt BCG, and replace it with an aftermarket BCG, sell the NIB AR-15 as a Genuine Colt, then sell the Colt BCG at a premium.
Not all aftermarket BCG's are built to the same quality nor does every one undergo the same testing that Colt (per their .gov contract) does on each and every BCG.
@rustyshackleford, I went through my first recertification as a Factory Trained Colt Model O (1911A1/1991) Armorer just after Colt switched over to CNC machining and absolutely loved the parts interchangeability with vastly improved tolerances. The newer 1911A1/1991 pistols are consistently more accurate and last longer than the older ones.
I'm with you, I hope that CZ will keep up with manufacturing technology while keeping that pistol as-is.
Ed