Colt's price increase.......or not!

[RandyColt]

I've been reading a lot of stuff on the net about ....."Colt's big price increase....about 30%"........ and I am begining to think some people are spreading crap, although I'm not sure what their motives are.

A dealer friend of mine just showed me a Spring 2005 catalog from JSC one of the larger distributors located in NE PA and with warehouses scattered around the country and the Colt dealer prices were not all that bad, I didn't have an old catalog to compare or a calculator handy but the new prices look like about 10% from what I remember from the last catalog he showed me, not 30%. In the gun industry price increases usually happen at or about the time of the SHOT Show so the companies can hand out new price lists at the show and the new price is effective on any orders written at the show or after.

Let's face it everything goes up, except ammo which in some cases is cheaper than 10-15 years ago. Colt's are still the best buy for the money in my opinion.

[paul45]

well...first , I am a huge Colt fan, so I agree with you on your very last sentence. However...last year a SS Gold Cup's MSRP was 1116.$.....Right now the MSRP is 1400.$ . That is a 25% increase. Darned if I can remember the old MSRP on XSE's...but now its 1100.$ And that is for a blue one! A SS XSE MSRP is 1200.$! So maybe 30% is high ,but the price took a pretty doggone jump in my book and in my area...One last example...a local store has had 3 SS XSE govt models for 720.$ for about 6 months now. Another local store just got 3 XSE's in and the price is 910.$ ! Needless to say ,my partner got one at the 720. price and I am getting almost desperate to scrape up the cash so I can catch up !!!

[Nikolai]

Greetings,
Price is relative and vary by location/geography. Here in California, I've seen no Colt's under $1000. In a recent post, price for a blued NRM has gone from $549 to $749, with no deviation between models or features. I don't point my finger at Colt, as increase will be acrossed the board.

However, $1000 for a basic pistol isn't something I will ever indulge in, especially on the Colt samples I've personally examined. Workmanship was poor, finish was shoddy. You guys outside California have it nice, with cheap, decent Colts to buy. We, for one, do not. I wouldn't be so quick to judge fact and/or opinion as "crap."

Geography matters greatly when it comes to firearm prices. Don't assume since in your area things are only slighter more expensive in price, that they're like that everywhere.

-Nikolai

[RandyColt]

Nikolai,
Anyone that lives in Kalifornia, New Joisey, Massashushits and a few other anti-gun states you all have my sympathy. But wholesale prices are the same everywhere, your local dealer in Kali can buy wholesale from JSC or Davidsons or Lew Horten at the same price my local dealer here in PA can. The point I'm trying to make is Colt is not responsible for the price jumps we see on GunsAmerica and in some isolated areas.

Paul,
As far as MSRP goes I've never seen a dealer be able to charge MSRP for a gun. just like you said An XSE for $720 and an XSE for $910 which one are you gonna buy? I would guess that that $720 XSE was bought at a 2003 price, even here in PA last year the cheapest I saw was $775. I just bought a XSE Lightweight Commander last weekend and it is sweet. I got mine second hand for $725 from a freind who only shot 14 rounds thru it.

[SAWBONES]

No unrealistic Colt devotion here.
For a 1/3 price increase, there ought to be a 1/3 QC (quality control) increase, but I don't think it's happened. For the time being, I like Springfield Armory as a better value.

[Nikolai]

No unrealistic Colt devotion here.
For a 1/3 price increase, there ought to be a 1/3 QC (quality control) increase, but I don't think it's happened. For the time being, I like Springfield Armory as a better value.

Greetings,
My thoughts exactly.

-Nikolai

[paul45]

No unrealistic Colt devotion here.
For a 1/3 price increase, there ought to be a 1/3 QC (quality control) increase, but I don't think it's happened. For the time being, I like Springfield Armory as a better value......no unrealistic Springfield devotion here either. I prefer not to buy a Brazilian product.

[paul45]

Nikolai,
Anyone that lives in Kalifornia, New Joisey, Massashushits and a few other anti-gun states you all have my sympathy. But wholesale prices are the same everywhere, your local dealer in Kali can buy wholesale from JSC or Davidsons or Lew Horten at the same price my local dealer here in PA can. The point I'm trying to make is Colt is not responsible for the price jumps we see on GunsAmerica and in some isolated areas.

Paul,
As far as MSRP goes I've never seen a dealer be able to charge MSRP for a gun. just like you said An XSE for $720 and an XSE for $910 which one are you gonna buy? I would guess that that $720 XSE was bought at a 2003 price, even here in PA last year the cheapest I saw was $775. I just bought a XSE Lightweight Commander last weekend and it is sweet. I got mine second hand for $725 from a freind who only shot 14 rounds thru it.
I think I would argue that it IS Colt who is responsible for the price jumps. Who else would be? Do you think that Ellett Bros. ,Lew Horton , and Davidsons got together and decided to increase the MSRP on their own? The dealer doesnt change the MSRP, the Manufacturer does. Anyway, I'm thrilled that you got a nice LW Commander at a good price!

[texagun]

There's certainly been at least a 30% price increase on Colt's here in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area in the last few months. It's reflected at both the stores and at the gun shows. Colts are not even competitive with Springfield Armory or Smith and Wesson pistols anymore. They are pricing themselves out of the market....at least until their quality improves drastically. :mad:

[SargeMO]

In a recent post, price for a blued NRM has gone from $549 to $749, with no deviation between models or features.

No joke- this is the straight stuff. In fact, we have a local dealer who has raised the price on the same gun (NRM '91 Commander) three times in the past six months. When I "called" him on it he said "The price on these guns has gone up quite a bit." I guess he didn't recall that I had been in there a couple of times before.

I said "The price on that one sure as hell has- you've only had it for 8 months. I guess Colt is sending you a bill every month for the privilege of stocking it?"

I do not begrudge Colt, or any other company, necessary price increases to stay competitive in the market. But Colt does this every so often, and then, amazingly enough, they can't fill orders for awhile thereafter. Same thing happened with their revolvers several years ago. Big price increase- and then you couldn't order one.

This provides the greedy with all the excuse they need to gouge prices, and feed the frenzy with the notion that "Colt ain't making any more"- or they're going out of business.

Colt makes a good 1911, and I prefer the brand. Too bad that they, and the people that sell them, engage in business tactics that hurt Colt in the long run.

[paul45]

And...hasnt about all the big manufacturers had fairly big price increases lately? Lets see...Kimber did, Sig is doing so now ,of course Colt...did not Dan Wesson go dramatically up? Did not SA go up? Also, I guess we all have been hearing on the news about our "friends" in China buying all the steel they can find, especially stainless steel and thus driving up prices.

[SIUFLSR]

Paul45. Can you e-mail me that guns shops name and number for those XSE's? Might have to take back some of these cans for the deposit.