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COLT vs ROCK RIVER

armilite
A friend of mine called me today and told me that he was approached by some LEO that was selling a Rock River AR15 personal rifle,( configuration unknown ) for $875.00. My friend told me he could buy a Colt AR15 M4 configuration for $1100.00. Here is the main question he was told by the LEO that Colt had been sold to some conglomerate and that their quality is now suspect. My question is has Colt been sold recently ?? The Leo had been told this by some FFL. Even if this was true I told my friend I doubt very much if the quality would suffer at all. As far as his deal with the LEO on the Rock River I mentioned to him that the prices are coming down and that if he wanted to wait a little bit he could most likely buy a new one at that price. Now if the LEO wanted to come down a bit that he should consider it. On the Colt side I told him that although the Colt was not a great deal it would hold its value in the long run.
I'd appreciate any comments and the answer to the Colt being sold question. Thanks in advance Curt
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Comments

11 comments

Date Votes
  • perry shooter
    Rock River makes some very good firearms. FWIW
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  • quickmajik
    I agree with Perry shooter, RRA makes top notch rifles. But as far as the quoted price I need details to say how good of a deal he is getting..

    Yes RRA makes rifles that are better then colt. if it is chambered in 556, the bore is crome lined and hasnt been shot out, chances are the rifle is just as good as a 6920.JMHO.
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  • armilite
    I know that Rock River makes some very fine rifles and I think I have one around here some where or at least I had one. I'm going to say that the Rock River is in very good shape and has not had the barrel shot out of it. I'm not questioning the quality of the R.R. but I know it would help if I new the exact configuration of the R.R.. My concern or his as he knows much more about Colt than R.R. is if Colt was sold and I'm trying to find that out here, should he be worried that their quality might take a dip. I would say probably not.
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  • cwi555
    quote:Originally posted by armilite1015
    A friend of mine called me today and told me that he was approached by some LEO that was selling a Rock River AR15 personal rifle,( configuration unknown ) for $875.00. My friend told me he could buy a Colt AR15 M4 configuration for $1100.00. Here is the main question he was told by the LEO that Colt had been sold to some conglomerate and that their quality is now suspect. My question is has Colt been sold recently ?? The Leo had been told this by some FFL. Even if this was true I told my friend I doubt very much if the quality would suffer at all. As far as his deal with the LEO on the Rock River I mentioned to him that the prices are coming down and that if he wanted to wait a little bit he could most likely buy a new one at that price. Now if the LEO wanted to come down a bit that he should consider it. On the Colt side I told him that although the Colt was not a great deal it would hold its value in the long run.
    I'd appreciate any comments and the answer to the Colt being sold question. Thanks in advance Curt


    A rock river arms is a good rifle. The purchase you refer to was in 1994 when colt assets were sold off to Zilkha & Co.

    Colt was pretty well hosed between 1994 and 2004. (though I doubt they really recovered that much).

    Bushmaster gave them a bloody nose as well. Colt tried to sue Bushmaster over the M4 designation and lost.

    Given your options, the RRA (if in good condition and not a frankengun) would appear to be the most viable option.
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  • armilite
    CWI555

    Thanks for the info. that's what I needed to know. I didn't realize that it was that long ago. I was under the impression that it had been sold recently and I just missed it. And thanks for your opinion I usually buy mine to be used and really don't consider the resale or collective value. I will let him know as he is supposed to call me back later tonight. Thx again, Curt
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  • shilowar
    One thing to make sure of with the RRA is that the barrel is chrome lined....NOT all RRA's have chrome lined barrels...hence their cheaper price...not that I am an expert I only know this because several friend went on a feeding frenzy and bought RRAs during the beginning of the AR binge...and their rifles did NOT have chrome lined barrels...

    otherwise they appeared to be good quality rifles for a very reasonable price
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  • partisan
    Rock River's AR is a good gun, but the king of the AR's is still the Colt. Most people won't pay the price a Colt commands so they convince themselves that one of the less expensive copies are better. Go with the COLT!!!!
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  • geeguy
    I just bought a RR A4 model with the 2 stage trigger, hoge grip, sling, M1 sight, extra swivel, chrome barrel, new in box for less then you are stating.

    I also own an older Colt heavy barrel A2. I like the RR much better due to the trigger. I don't shoot AR-15 rifle enough to be an expert on AR15's, but in talking with the people at Camp Perry and at my local club, they rave about RR AR-15's.

    Best of luck
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  • fordsix
    RR milspec parts ...colt non milspec parts... what would you want[?]
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  • shoff14
    quote:Originally posted by fordsix
    RR milspec parts ...colt non milspec parts... what would you want[?]


    Actually, you have it a little backwards and here is why.

    RRA - High shelf lower, non milspec, Colt - Low shelf, milspec lower
    Bolt carrier - RRA, semi auto, MP test bolt, but not milspec
    Colt full auto carrier, MP and HPT tested, milspec bolt
    Barrel, most RRA barrels now come with 1-9 twist, not HP test, and probably not MP tested, mostly 4140 barrels
    Colt barrels - HP and MP tested, park under the FSB, 4150 barrels, 1-7 twist, making it milspec

    The Colt is much closer to milspec then any RRA ever was.

    RRA does make quality products though, I can't complain one bit about the stuff I have from them.

    I don't think he could go wrong with either one. Before I would buy the Colt though, I would make sure that it has the M16 bolt and not the crappy semi auto bolts they sold them with before. I would also check the barrel markings to make sure of what he was getting. RRA has a thread over on Ar15 that will tell you what the barrel is by the code.

    Both of the weapons will hold their value, for the most part depending on how much he shoots it. One will just be worth more then the other. I think in 6 months we will see Colt weapons below 1000, its already getting close. The market has been flooded with them and at times Colt was the only rifle you could find.
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  • sandwarrior
    I think Rock River has established itself as a quality builder and parts maker for the AR rifle. That right there will hold value. As far as the Colt is concerned, they farmed a lot out during the late sixties and even seventies. I carried a General Motors M16-A1 most of my time in the Rangers '81-'85. I remember seeing some other off brands as well. In five to ten years, if you did worry about price, I think you'll see RRA standing right up there holding it's price. Colt is a name that goes way back and that's what they ride on. Their quality control is as good as it needs to be, but not really getting any better. Most of the innovations with the AR's haven't come from Colt anyways. They'll hold their value...for $300.00 extra cost. RRA is going to hold it's quality just as well.
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