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