[Ricky T]

Maybe the CZ or Dan Wesson crew can teach the Colt people to take those razor sharp edges off the 1911s. Or the Colt people will influence the CZ/Dan Wesson crowd to leave the sharp edges on their guns, to save a few bucks during production.

 

[voodooranger]

maybe they can bring back a hi power?

 

[Dadjoker]

Y’all better not talk bad about my Ruger-556. I really like it. Good price. I also have a Taurus PT111G2. Love it too. As far as that Tolkien is concerned it starts a $750 in my closest store. Looks nice. But my son bought his Remington 700 .223 for around $400.

 

[ras1500]

Good news for CZ and Colt now move colt out of ct before they get taxed to death.

Too bad about Remington Arms. We lost many 100+ year old companies. The northeast was the manufacturing might of our nation everything was made here. The GE wire and cable, GE small appliances, brass shop, producto foundry, carpenter steel, Bullard machine tool and foundry, Bridgeport machines, bodine machines, Farrell foundry and machine tools, ect, it was all here with late 1800’s roots.
The cheap machine tool imports from Japan killed our industry here. It’s our fair trade system.

The worst thing I seen here is our american homeless panhandling the fast food drive thru’s lately. That’s sad.

Ii hear you. I was born in Bridgeport and grew up in Stratford. I watched all those companies go under and get dissolved. Don't forget Singer Sewing Macnine also.

 

[mlin]

maybe they can bring back a hi power?

Neither made BHP before. I am missing something?

 

[5StringFrosty]

ARATA: CZ Customer Service has been fine in my experience. I have a CZ RAMI 9mm with the thumb safety and a CZ 527M Carbine in 7.62X39 made in or before 2014. Both are fine firearms.

After just a few rounds, the RAMI safety wouldn't engage. Sent repaired and returned in two weeks, no questions. The 527M bolt can be reasssembled with a part that can be accidentally reversed and interfere with the safety. Working the bolt chipped the stock. I complained, sent pics and CZ sent me a very nice, new Walnut stock, no questions. I'm pretty sure they eventually came to realize the bolt design should have precluded wrong way fitment because the newer ones don't have that problem as far as I know.

 

[ClayCnty]

I'm hoping CZ/Dan Wesson will improve the fit of the Colt grip safeties. That's my biggest gripe with the Colt 1911 I have.
If product improvement is the goal, I think it has a better chance under CZ than it would with Ruger or some others. My experience with Ruger products the last few years has soured me on the brand. Ruger customer service has been great, but I'd rather not need to use it.

My only concern with foreign ownership of our gun companies is how it might affect a war time production need. Will CZ management be an ally in our next big war? IWhat wpuld happen if we had to greatly ramp up production as was done during WWII? Same goes for all foreign owned manufacturing. Perhaps the Donald was right to bring manufacturing back to the USA. USA manufacturing is only part of the game. Loyalty to the USA is an unknown with off shore ownership and arms production could be compromised in the future.

Then again, we probably have more to fear from those foreign Demonrats than CZ.

 

[Gil P.]

I am gonna be honest ....not trying to be offensive....in my opinion I think CZ are awful...I don't like their designs and I sure hope they don try to create a Colt pistol on CZ input....just go in and manage the facility better and produce more of the current catalog that no one ever sees outside of the internet. Colt products don't need CZ to sell. The already sell out before leaving the factory

I agree with most of what you said, but I don't think CZ are awful. Colt did have them make a pistol in the past. Check out the Colt Z40.

I like the idea of Colt being owned by a human being. Who knows, maybe he'll stop make series 80 1911s if we can convince him to.

 

[BrokenGrunt]

I'm sure CZ-Czech Republic holds to all their standards and does stuff the way they think they should be done, but that doesn't mean CZ-USA is in the drivers seat or has a good handle on everything happening with them or Dan Wesson or whatever. I doubt CZ-USA is sitting around saying "hey, let's buy Colt!", someone on another continent is looking for some value that they see in Colt.

Who knows though, I still don't see what CZ sees in a Colt purchase.

The name. I would guess they are going to do one of two things.

1. Build 1911 pistols with the Colt name at a lower price point than Dan Wesson
2. Build 1911 pistols with the Colt name at a higher price point than Dan Wesson

Or maybe they just wanted the new Python design.

 

[fnfalman]

The name. I would guess they are going to do one of two things.

1. Build 1911 pistols with the Colt name at a lower price point than Dan Wesson
2. Build 1911 pistols with the Colt name at a higher price point than Dan Wesson

Or maybe they just wanted the new Python design.

Or CZ military large scale guns sales to US Military/LEO under the Colt name and manufactured at Colt factory.
US military may buy foreign made guns at small quantities (Mk23, SCAR-H, various MP5s) but all standard issued weapons have to be American made. Hence Beretta and FN built plants in America for the M9 and M16A2/M4/M4A1 contract fulfillment. Same thing with SIG Sauer and the M17/M18 contracts.

 

[Oldguy9]

Imagine you own Colt, and all you have to do is keep making the same things, keep the quality up and increase production a little. Every truckload that goes out is already sold. Yet, you somehow screw it up and lose control of the company.
How is that even possible?

I have often wondered that every time I read a story about "Colt struggling." (A long running soap opera!.)
Every little thing they make is scooped up-but they couldn't meet expenses? Really?

 

[fnfalman]

I'm hoping CZ/Dan Wesson will improve the fit of the Colt grip safeties. That's my biggest gripe with the Colt 1911 I have.
If product improvement is the goal, I think it has a better chance under CZ than it would with Ruger or some others. My experience with Ruger products the last few years has soured me on the brand. Ruger customer service has been great, but I'd rather not need to use it.

My only concern with foreign ownership of our gun companies is how it might affect a war time production need. Will CZ management be an ally in our next big war? IWhat wpuld happen if we had to greatly ramp up production as was done during WWII? Same goes for all foreign owned manufacturing. Perhaps the Donald was right to bring manufacturing back to the USA. USA manufacturing is only part of the game. Loyalty to the USA is an unknown with off shore ownership and arms production could be compromised in the future.

Then again, we probably have more to fear from those foreign Demonrats than CZ.

Did you see a production problem with Belgian-owned gun company making small arms for Uncle Sam during the ramp up for the War on Terror?

 

[fnfalman]

I have often wondered that every time I read a story about "Colt struggling." (A long running soap opera!.)
Every little thing they make is scooped up-but they couldn't meet expenses? Really?

They don’t make to sell enough to the civilian market. Their business model is contingent upon big military and LEO sales. Not just US but abroad as well

whenever big military contracts fell through Colt goes through bankruptcy.

HK is the same way.

 

[Oldguy9]

I don't really think it'd be bad for CZ to buy out Colt, but I can't understand why they would want to. Not sure how much Colt is still legally bound to Connecticut, but moving the factory seems a big expense right after buying the company. As Beretta showed, moving to a more gun-friendly state doesn't mean you'll suddenly have the same or better quality, either.
You can look at the ATF sales numbers to see that Colt isn't a major player in the commercial market and hasn't been for many years, even though I like their products. So do you buy Colt for the M4 market and overseas contracts that go with it? Seems sort of pointless at this stage of the M4's life, especially when the Bren seems well received for the most part.

I don't know, doesn't really seem to make sense for CZ to want to buy Colt.
[/QUOTE
Corporate pride? Seriously. And having an iconic name like Colt is a golden talking point.

 

[Oldguy9]

Ii hear you. I was born in Bridgeport and grew up in Stratford. I watched all those companies go under and get dissolved. Don't forget Singer Sewing Macnine also.

Singer, has the unique distinction of making firearms for the Wehrmacht, while we are at war with Germany.

 

[jbade]

what a great thread. i'm hoping that gun control does not end up in the State Dept's hands now...pressure the Czech republic to help us with "our gun problem" by limiting production or shutting factories in exchange for oil, technology, etc. I admire Czech history and their independent thinking, but these days, who knows what the one-worlders will bring to bear.

 

[Dadjoker]

what a great thread. i'm hoping that gun control does not end up in the State Dept's hands now...pressure the Czech republic to help us with "our gun problem" by limiting production or shutting factories in exchange for oil, technology, etc. I admire Czech history and their independent thinking, but these days, who knows what the one-worlders will bring to bear.

History lesson. The west part of Czech used to be part of the Austrian Empire. My family came from there back then. All of my family members from that lineage are highly technically acute. OCD too. Perfectionists. It’s a curse but it’s also a wonderful trait for making guns and all. I was an engineer.

 

[Centurian77]

Imagine you own Colt, and all you have to do is keep making the same things, keep the quality up and increase production a little. Every truckload that goes out is already sold. Yet, you somehow screw it up and lose control of the company.
How is that even possible?

Spot on. I just see they make all these rediculous different models. Like the specialty gawdy series they do. That's why they are going under. They can't make back what they have to pay those high end gunsmiths to create those things. Should have just stuck with making maybe ten different base model roll marked 1911's all in .45 acp. Then stick with roll marked AR's in carbine or rifle format. Why they decided to cheapen their production which cut demand- is beyond me. Whoever their CEO and executive board is- should never be allowed into any business again.

 

[VoceNoctum]

The name. I would guess they are going to do one of two things.

1. Build 1911 pistols with the Colt name at a lower price point than Dan Wesson
2. Build 1911 pistols with the Colt name at a higher price point than Dan Wesson

Or maybe they just wanted the new Python design.

Years ago perhaps, but though I love my Colt's, I don't think there really IS much to the name anymore. Sure folks might look at a Colt Carbine (since they don't even call them AR15's now, though they're the legal owners of the copyright/ trademark) and some might pay the extra money, but comparing Colt's 20k to the 100's of thousands of other brands? I don't think brand loyalty is that huge of a tie anymore.

Especially if you're spending millions of dollars to do it. Marlin cost Ruger $30mil in bankruptcy, how much will Colt cost? This means you need to justify that you'll make more money over just setting up your own factory, and I think CZ's name is pretty good in general. Colt has upgraded their factory over the years, so there's some value there, but they are also located in CT, and that doesn't seem a recipe for longevity to me.

Or CZ military large scale guns sales to US Military/LEO under the Colt name and manufactured at Colt factory.
US military may buy foreign made guns at small quantities (Mk23, SCAR-H, various MP5s) but all standard issued weapons have to be American made. Hence Beretta and FN built plants in America for the M9 and M16A2/M4/M4A1 contract fulfillment. Same thing with SIG Sauer and the M17/M18 contracts.

Colt's USA contracts are next to nothing, so it's probably mostly exports (to countries that probably think of Colt as the US military gun, amusingly), but CZ has several rifles of their own design too, so not sure how much value that adds.

Now, if this had been during one of the trials for a M4 replacement, it'd be easy to point to it and say "that's why!", but I don't think there's anything around. I assume the deal would also include Colt Canada (Diemaco), which could also be a value added for CZ.

It just doesn't seem like a company would look at Colt, fresh out of it's latest bankruptcy and go for that rather than expanding on their own. Of course, I'm not a finance guy, so I'm just thinking "out loud".

 

[fnfalman]

Years ago perhaps, but though I love my Colt's, I don't think there really IS much to the name anymore. Sure folks might look at a Colt Carbine (since they don't even call them AR15's now, though they're the legal owners of the copyright/ trademark) and some might pay the extra money, but comparing Colt's 20k to the 100's of thousands of other brands? I don't think brand loyalty is that huge of a tie anymore.

Especially if you're spending millions of dollars to do it. Marlin cost Ruger $30mil in bankruptcy, how much will Colt cost? This means you need to justify that you'll make more money over just setting up your own factory, and I think CZ's name is pretty good in general. Colt has upgraded their factory over the years, so there's some value there, but they are also located in CT, and that doesn't seem a recipe for longevity to me.



Colt's USA contracts are next to nothing, so it's probably mostly exports (to countries that probably think of Colt as the US military gun, amusingly), but CZ has several rifles of their own design too, so not sure how much value that adds.

Now, if this had been during one of the trials for a M4 replacement, it'd be easy to point to it and say "that's why!", but I don't think there's anything around. I assume the deal would also include Colt Canada (Diemaco), which could also be a value added for CZ.

It just doesn't seem like a company would look at Colt, fresh out of it's latest bankruptcy and go for that rather than expanding on their own. Of course, I'm not a finance guy, so I'm just thinking "out loud".

It’d give CZ the Avenue to market their BREN 2 and future military arms as Colts made in American factory.

it’d allow CZ the opportunity to make any of their guns in the US to circumvent any foreign import bans or 922r compliance.