Although I do think that overall the Colt 6920  is one of the best rifles available in the market. Bang for buck is very good and it is only a couple $100 more than some other rifles. It is however decidely less than some of my other favorites or that I would pick with a larger budget (around $1000 for the rifle alone was where I wanted to be).

Since my post about my decision to get a Colt 6920 HERE I have received some interesting feedback. AR15 discussions always seem to do that.

Rather than: rehash the chart, discuss the TDP, talk about my drinking the Colt Kool-Aid, argue the merits of a mid-length vs carbine gas system, direct impingement vs piston, or even AR snobbery (I own at least 4 non-Colt AR brands not including my own builds) and why I didn't pick someone's favorite brand, I wanted to point out a few other contenders that I looked at. I didn't choose them due to cost and/or availability but consider them outstanding. In my order:

Disclaimer: There are many excellent brands out there, but these are the ones that caught my eye.

1. LaRue PredatAR 5.56 - I really like this rifle. At $1500 seems to be a great deal. It has all of things that I really like  - lightweight barrel, lightweight rail, 1:8 twist, on a mid-length gas system.  I actually like the fact LaRue builds one of the best rifles on their terms and not what is currently trendy -- for example 1:8 twist, Wylde chamber and no M4 feed ramps. The OBR is my top pick, if only my $ was in that range. The PredatAR was a close second but over my $1000 limit. I  still might sell one of my other rifles to get it.
2. BCM mid-16 - Nobody has anything bad to say about them. They are simply built tough to very high standards. They run ridiculously well in training classes  like the Colts ;) Couldn't find a local dealer to look at or order one though.
3. Noveske Light Basic - This is a beautiful rifle. Attention and detail on every part. Of course, world-renown for their barrels.
4. LMT Defender SOPMOD -  I couldn't find one at a local dealer to look at one (other than the stock). People had led me to believe that they were very affordable, but pricing was as much as some of the other options. CARbine gas system is a complaint for some. The SOPMOD stock is great! I will have to get one these!
5. Colt6720 - Lightweight flat top Colt! No one seems to have seen one, so the details are sketchy. Some say it won't be an F-height FSB. It also apparently is an exclusive to Clyde Armory so there will be no discount (so, $1200 plus whatever it takes to get it to you and through your FFL). The lightweight pencil is a great idea that is becoming popular, but I put together my last "retro" pencil thin 16" for quite a bit less.

There you go - some non-Colt (and 1 Colt) options for an AR. I did consider putting another one together myself but using only 'top tier' stuff and there wasn't much of a price difference between it the 6920. Please note that this list is not all inclusive.

I will do a comparison of the 6920 and some of my other rifles (Olympic, BushMaster-Windham, RockRiver, etc) when I get it.

You read about it here first! (probably)

Local Gun Shop (LGS) Federal Way Discount Guns (Federal Way, WA) will be opening an indoor range this year!!

Federal Way Discount Guns has long been my favorite local shop. They have great prices and also is where my gunsmith (Karl) is. For samples of his work check out the pics of the front and back strap stippling on my HiPower on this blog. Or check out my HiPower gallery: HERE. He also recently added a C&S hammer, sear, and a did a trigger job on it which I will be writing up shortly.

The range will be located minutes away from its current location (City of Federal Way, South  King County, WA) and feature 16 modernly lit and ventilated lanes!

I actually don't have too much information on it yet and I am not sure where they are in the process of making it happen  (permits? building? etc) but was told that they were looking to open during the 3rd quarter this year (2012).

I for one applaud them and look forward to shooting there and hopefully will be a place to host some training classes!

Hello,

Pardon the changes! I am in the process of making some changes and updates to the website to make it easier to use.

The previous theme had some problems requiring that I edit the code to make simple changes. This theme seems clean and is very expandable. I am still in the process of tweaking it, so that it works like I want it to.

The recent updates will also look a little strange, I am reorganizing posts and apparently it flags as a "change" and puts the posts in the box. Oh well, eventually as I stop changing things it will look right.

Hope you like it!

I get asked about multi-state carry quite a bit. Since being former UTAH CFP instructor (my certification expired and I did not renew) I am glad to see that more and more states recognize each other's CCW licenses. In more good news 49 states in the Union issue CCW licenses (post here). Many even recognize those that have licenses from a state other than their home state. Utah and Florida CCW licenses are often regarded as the best to hold since they both issue to non-residents and are recognized by the majority of states (20-30).

Not all is good news though. Not all states issue licenses to non-residents and even more states don't recognize any out-of-state licenses.

To confuse matters even more some states only recognize out-of-state licenses only if they are a resident of the issuing state. For example, Florida is one of those states. In order to use Utah CFP reciprocity in Florida you must actually be a resident of Utah.

There is Federal Legislation pending to provide for National recognition of a CCW license, much like a driver's license is. It is H.R. 822. More information about it can be found in my blog post: HERE. I don't know how far it will get, but we can always hope.

More bad news is that some states have taken nitpicking reciprocity and looking for any small reason to not honoring other states licenses. States usually have a 'similar provisions' requirement. This means that as long as the requirements for a CCW license in state A is "similar" to state B it should be honored. Unfortunately, in some cases this has been interpreted to mean "EXACT." States have been dropped from reciprocity for differences as minute such as:

1. State A's license is good for 4 years and state B's was recently extneded to 7 years. This is why you may have noticed Florida has been dropped from some state's reciprocity.
2. State A only requires x hours of training while State B requires additional hours, or State A requires live fire while State B does not. This is why you have seen Utah dropped from some state's reciprocity.

When traveling you are required to adhere to the rules of the state you are in. Just because your home state allows you to be in an age restricted area (bar) doesn't mean that you can in another. In fact, some states do not even allow you to CCW in a restaurant that even serves alcohol.

DISCLAIMER: I am only talking about being in the same vicinity of alcohol. Legality aside, it should be obvious that the consumption of alcohol and CCW'ing is a bad idea.

If it sounds like a lot of fuss it is because it is. When I traveling I ALWAYS consult with the laws of each state. Easier said then done?

The best two resources for beginning CCW research laws that I have found are (not surprisingly) Utah's and Florida's reciprocity websites. They each have links to the State(s) in question that you can click on and go to directly. Occasionally, a State's link does change. If it is bad you can fish around the provided link and can usually find the new one. Florida is a little different in the fact that it is issued by the Dept of Agriculture.

Links:

1. Utah Dept of Public Safety Reciprocity Page
2. Florida Dept of Agriculture - Conceal Carry Reciprocity Page

I hope that you find this useful. Let me know!

Well, I my wife has claimed my 'go to' rifle is now hers. It was a lightweight RRA that I put together. I can't complain, it replaces her past favorite - an Inland M1Carbine from CMP. It is a great rifle, but ammo is a little spendy (looked at the price of Speer Gold Dot 30 Carbine?)

I have other AR15s but nothing that I want to use as my 'go to' rifle. I started pricing out what I wanted, and those quickly rose to more than I wanted to spend or simply was too long of a wait to get. At the top of my list was a Noveske or BCM. Surprise! My budget (less than $1000) is less than my want list. I need to compromise want vs need.

Putting together a BCM seemed to be in the same ballpark as an assembled LMT or Colt. My local shop is a big Colt dealer (I think they are direct) and have good prices. Very few people will say bad things about the quality (and QC) of a Colt. Sure, sure, there is that whole name/price thing but they have come down dramatically over the years to be competitive. And yes, I have seen a few 6920's that shouldn't have been shipped out. Overall, however, they build a great product. Incidentally, this will not be my first Colt (I had an HBAR previously).

To reduce cost I will forgo free floated barrel and 6' of rail. This means I will not be able to attach my tactical Cuisinart for making margaritas. Again need vs want. I joke, but the $300'ish price difference between a 6920 and 6940 goes a great distance to paying for an EOTech and BUIS.

Time is also a consideration. While I don't need it this week, I want to get it well before November. There is that whole election AND end-of-the-world thing. lol. Despite what happens with either prices and availability will (excuse the pun) shoot up.

Colt especially sells everything they build. My shop had 4 come in this week. Two were pre-sold and the other two sold within a couple of hours. I apparently missed them by a day. I see them in stock online, if I want to pay $200 - $400 more. I will wait and support my local shop too. BCMs are hard to get also.

Before anyone gets upset about getting a Colt, I do own several other brands of AR rifles and I have staked my share of castle nuts and keys. The price spent upgrading parts (BCGs, stocks, buffer springs) can be put towards a new rifle and I still have my range rifles. I just want a low frills goto rifle where I don't have to do anything. Except for a place to put my batteries, an EOTech with BUIS and SureFire flashlight,  the rifle will stay stock.

Will it be worth the extra $ vs a 'tier 2' rifle? I think so, but  I will let you know.

Here is Colt's spec page: Colt Carbines

For folks that didn't know, I am a big fan of the Steyr pistols. Highly underrated! If you search there are a few posts about my S40.

For fans or those looking to get one now is the time to have your dealer source one (through there normal distributors) I just got the Steyr newsletter and they have just received a shipment of new pistols:

New Shipment Just Arrived!

We just received a new shipment of pistols from Austria including long awaited M40-A1, M9-A1, and C9-A1 models.  Most dealers have been sold out for a while, so see your dealer soon as these are sure to go fast as well.  We also received 9mm threaded barrels and some HS.50's in both single shot and the new magazine fed M-1.  Be sure to check our website, as many other items arrived as well.

Finally an end to Seattle's madness started by Mayor Nichols. This illegal gun ban in parks violated state preemption. Seattle was warned by the AG, ruled against in court, and on appeal. The city not giving up and apparently having lawyers that can't read opined that the Legislature didn't mean to preempt firearms and clearly set the exemptions for local municipalities, even though that is exactly what they did.

By declining review the WA State Supreme Court has ended Seattle's legal battle for an illegal law (figure that one out) also ending this particular waste of taxpayer money.

Still on Seattle's books? It is illegal to sit with an open umbrella. No kidding!

http://nraila.org/news-issues/news-from-nra-ila/2012/washington-supreme-court-puts-an-end-to-gun-ban-in-seattle-parks.aspx

This long needed legislation heads to the Governor's desk. It will protect the names and addresses of ccw'ers. Sheriffs have been relunctant to turn over the info, but a NEWSPAPER sued for the info. The court ruled that ccw'ers had no expectation of privacy and ruled for the newspaper!

http://nraila.org/legislation/state-legislation/2012/03/oregvion-chl-confidentiality-bill-heads-to-governor.aspx?s=&st=&ps=

I was browsing around for AR parts and ran across this:

http://battlecomp.com/index.php?main_page=page&id=5

NRA Instructors are included on their discount page.

Details:

To qualify for LE/MIL/PS/NRA discounts, please submit the respective credentials via email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by fax to 650.403.4527. Please include a valid email and/or contact number if submitting documentation via fax. Once your credentials are received, we will contact you on how to proceed placing an order through our web store utilizing a discount.

EOTECH (L3) Trainer Pricing Forms are now available in DOWNLOADS.

The price list looks REALLY good (at least on the items I am interested in) and they have added quite a few items including shotgun forearm/lights and Insight products.

The last time I ordered I was referred to my local sales rep who I faxed my form to and they then sent it into the factory for completion.