By Paul Markel

Colt's new SP901 Modular Carbine, chambered in .308 Winchester, will also accept standard AR upper receivers.

They are one of the top ten most recognized names in world. Heck, even my grandmother could tell you that the name "Colt" is synonymous with guns. Hollywood scriptwriters love to throw around words like "Colt" or "Colt .45", not that they have any idea what they are talking about, but they like the sound. Stop any man on the street and play the word association game. You say "Colt" and nine of ten will say "guns". When I was a young man the name Colt meant two things to me; the M1911A1 pistol and the AR-15 rifle. Both of these were highly sought after firearms. The first centerfire pistol I ever trained with was a U.S.M.C. issued M1911A1. Back then purchasing a Colt .45 pistol was almost rite of passage into manhood. You weren't really a dedicated shooter until you had bought your very own Colt .45ACP pistol. In my case, when I was of age the first Colt I purchased was the Lightweight Commander. Over the last two decade things have changed. Colt Manufacturing Company has been plagued with setbacks and internal issues. Where Colt was once the name in .45ACP pistols and AR-15 rifles, today that is no longer the case. During the previous decade while other gun makers have expanded their lineup and introduced new products, the Hartford, CT Company has stagnated. At the 2010 NRA Annual Meetings and Convention I spoke with my good friend Wiley Clapp in the Colt booth. Wiley was promoting an M1911 style pistol that Colt built to his specifications. I asked him flat out whether Colt was serious about servicing the commercial gun market and Wiley assured me that they were. Six months later I was fortunate enough to be a participant at a Colt sponsored event held at Gunsite Academy in Prescott, AZ. The folks at Colt wanted to highlight several upgraded and new products for the print and television media.

The author and other industry folks run the M1911A1 Rail Gun at Gunsite.

I spent the majority of last week working with a new Colt Rail Gun M1911A1 pistol, an M4 Match Target carbine and their brand new SP901 Modular Carbine in .308 Winchester. First of all, I am pleased to report that the historical Colt quality remained consistent. Despite their fading in the minds of the commercial gun buyer, I don't believe that there has ever been a question of quality. It's been a question of availability. "My customers have simply stopped asking for Colt guns." Said Mike the manager of Cook's Gun Shop in Biloxi, Mississippi. "It's been so difficult to get Colt products to sell that buyers just learned to look to other makers for .45 (ACP) pistols and black rifles." Therein the problem lies. Colt Manufacturing Company has some new blood in the corporate offices as well as many older employees loyal to the brand and motivated to see that they succeed. A new marketing manager and CFO, as well as their engineering team, are dedicated to winning back the American gun buyer. Sitting around sharing adult beverages with several firearms industry media folks, we all came to a similar conclusion. We want Colt to succeed. We are in their corner and are cheering from the sidelines. Colt Firearms are as much a part of the history of the United States as Chevy or Ford. Think about it, if your first truck was a Ford even though you now drive a Dodge you wouldn't want Ford to go out of business. If Ford went out of business you wouldn't be bumming rides to work every day. If Colt stopped selling guns we wouldn't stop shooting, but we'd be disappointed nonetheless. In addition to the Colt M4 Match Target carbines you can look for a straight up Mil-Spec "Sporter" version of the M4. Other than the absence of selector lever and shorter barrel, these are identical to the military versions. Our look at their .308 Winchester rifle was really just a sneak peek. At the upcoming SHOT Show they will unveil their "Modular Carbine" to the world. This is not simply a rehash of the AR-10, but a uniquely designed rifle that will accept standard AR-sized upper receivers. The SP901 through use of a specially designed adapter will feed .223 Remington and similar sized ammunition with standard AR magazines. You'll have one lower that will in essence allow you to shoot myriad calibers from the varmint-sized .204 Ruger to the big game .308 Winchester. This is an exciting proposition to be sure. Colt Manufacturing Company is in a position to write their own ticket. They are the authors of their own destiny. I think most of you will join me in saying that we are looking forward to their comeback. As always, time will tell. Keep shooting straight and shooting safe. Mr. Markel is a former United States Marine, Police Officer, and has worked as a professional bodyguard both in the U.S. and overseas.A Subject Matter Expert on Small Arms and Tactics, Markel has provided instruction to law enforcement and U.S. Military troops. As a recognized author and writer, Paul has penned several hundred articles published in numerous professional journals and trade periodicals. To train with Paul, contact Firearms Training Associates at 330-390-0230 or email firearmtraining556@gmail.com.