[SteveW13]

Went to pick up another new Colt. NRM Govt...

The thumb safety didn't work - you had to use two hands to engage it. The face of the safety also looked bad (overly machined). The rear of slide OVERHUNG the frame. Good grief. And third, the rear sight dots were "smeared" badly to the top of the sight.

Needless to say, the dealer is sending it back to Colt for correction. How do these things get out like this??? VERY SLOPPY.

Yeah, I'm irritated.

Steve

 

[John Forsyth]

Must of been a Friday afternoon gun. Mines fit up great, everything looks good, and it shoots.

 

[DHart]

First thing: I love Colts. That said, management there has not instituted proper quality control procedures. Crap gets out that never should have even been produced. Amazing that this happens. One good QC person at Colt (with management directive to catch substandard guns) could put that to an instant END. Why Colt doesn't do this is beyond me. Last thing: I love Colts.

 

[Parker Dean]

One good QC person at Colt (with management directive to catch substandard guns) could put that to an instant END. Why Colt doesn't do this is beyond me.

Well, it probably really take a team of QC inspectors to inspect every gun that leaves.

But anyway I suspect that it is something along the lines of up-front cost for the manufacturing arm that is to blame. If you have a team whose entire job is to inspect and reject substandard work you must also pay these people along with retirement/medical plans. Yet at the same time they provide no increase in direct output per dollar spent. So they look like a drag on the bottom line.

Common sense says that saving money on shipping three times, extra warranty dept work, clerical dept work, and I'm sure I'm missing a lot of other categories, would be less expensive overall. I suspect that it would but those other expenses are charged to other departments so it makes each gun produced look better on paper when you look at just the cost to produce versus the dept that did produce it. Basically the manufactriung dept is pushing some of its overhead off on another department to improve their bottom line.

This sort of thing really comes down to accounting games to keep somebody in mangement happy. Unfortunately it fails to take into account the bad taste left in prospective buyer mouths but since that's a "hidden" expense you'll never get a manager to include that in their plans.

 

[Mark1648]

Steve, it is important that the gun come back to my attention, pls Pm me with dealer name and phone number.

 

[dubb-1]

Mark, Colt is fortunate to have you on the payroll! You are a stand up guy, with some seriously broad shoulders. You are appreciated around here, Sir.

Damian

 

[UdontnoME]

Mark, Colt is fortunate to have you on the payroll! You are a stand up guy, with some seriously broad shoulders. You are appreciated around here, Sir.

Damian

yes, they are very furtunate to have Mark on their team!

 

[ShanePratt]

Mark is a hell of a guy and a man of his word. I wish some local PD other than my small one would get him down here for a demo so I could meet the man behind Colt.

 

[fremont]

since that's a "hidden" expense you'll never get a manager to include that in their plans.

Well, I give Colt credit for making the big changes which have gotten them (and us) to this point....where we can have relatively innane conversations about the quantity of bluing salts in our NRM's recoil spring plug.

It finally took something like **EXTINCTION** to get management's attention, but it did get it in the end. The General and his team, incl. people like Mark, are bringing them back from the brink. As a colleague used to say: "Nothing sharpens a man's focus like a hanging at dawn."

This being said, I am surprised that some of their guns are leaving the factory with obvious defects and sloppy workmanship. I'd be curious to know how they do final inspection. 100%? A statistical sample?

I would hope that the guy or gal who puts the thing together before stuffing it in a blue box would eyeball the gun. Too bad for them that they inadvertently ship it to a dealer who, in turn, sells it to a 1911 Forum member! OUCH

 

[QCMGR]

One good QC person at Colt (with management directive to catch substandard guns) could put that to an instant END. Why Colt doesn't do this is beyond me. Last thing: I love Colts.

This would do nothing. You cannot inspect quality into a product! You need to have a capable process that is in a state of statistical control. If Colt is an ISO facility, they should have a continuous improvement plan in place to make all of their manufacturing processes capable.

 

[SteveW13]

Thanks, Mark. PM sent.

 

[JeffC]

Mark, Colt is fortunate to have you on the payroll! You are a stand up guy, with some seriously broad shoulders. You are appreciated around here, Sir.

Damian

Colt is not near as fortunate as us

.......thanks for being here Mark1648.... you da man!

 

[DHart]

I agree that if you only hire QC people, that doesn't force better build quality in the first place, it only catches problems. Each assembler should be held accountable for letting a substandard gun off their workbench. Something is missing here which needs to be addressed.

And I also agree that Colt has come back a long way.. they're making great guns (for the most part).

And lastly, having Mark's presence here on this board to help facilitate the improvements at Colts through our feedback is fantastic. We're very, very fortunate to have this kind of "connection" with Colt! Go Mark!

 

[pbjk45]

Hello all, long time reader, new member. I've been reading for some time, and wanted to add my $.02.
After owning and carrying several 1911's, I decided to buy a Colt. I had previously owned a Gold Cup I was unhappy with. I wanted a polished blue, basic spec 1911. Around that time Colt introduced their new series 70 and the NRM 1991. Due to cost considerations, I bought the 1991. Bottom line?

I COULD NOT BE HAPPIER WITH THIS GUN!!!

How happy?

I sold a Kimber to get another 1991.

Both guns were range tested with over 300 rounds, no pausing to clean or re-oil. Both guns performed flawlessly, no malfunctions of any kind. Both guns are tight fit, very accurate, cosmetically very good.

So my experience with the NRM 1991 is very good, I'll keep them.

As soon as I can figure out this darn digital camera, I'll start posting pics.

(2) Colt 1991 NRM
Kimber Gold Match Stainless
Colt AR-15 A3
Glock 17