DoD Press Release:

Colt Defense LLC, West Hartford, Connecticut (15QKN-15-D-0102); and FN America LLC, Columbia, South Carolina (W15QKN-15-D-0072), were awarded a $212,000,000 firm-fixed-price multi-year contract for M4 and M4A1 carbines for the Army and others, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 24, 2020.  Bids were solicited via the Internet with six received.  Funding and work location will be determined with each order. Army Contracting Command, Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey, is the contracting activity.

I’m not sure what this means, except that for the Army, it will be Colt for the foreseeable future for M4s.

I published Colt: The Gunmaker Who Can’t Shoot Straight, and thought that would be the end of it.  Today Janes published this.

Colt Defense have unveiled their new CK901 assault rifle, chambered in the Russian 7.62 x 39 mm cartridge, at Eurosatory 2014 in Paris.

Speaking to IHS Jane’s , a Colt Defense representative stated that the CK901 has been ordered by the Yemeni Republican Guard to replace their existing AK-47s.

According to Colt Defense representatives, the CK901 was designed for military customers in countries that use the AK-47, or AK-47-based rifles, and therefore still utilise, manufacture or possess large stockpiles of 7.62 x 39 mm ammunition.

The distinctive feature of CK901 is that it can be fed from all types of standard and non-standard AK-47 pattern magazines. Colt has thoroughly tested the rifle on all available steel or polymer magazines to assure reliable feeding of cartridges, the company stated. The company also offers the weapon with a US-made 30 round magazine manufactured by US Palm.

The CK901 is a gas-operated rifle based on the existing Colt Modular CM901 multicalibre (5.56 or 7.62 mm NATO) weapon family debuted in 2010.

The firearm uses the direct impingement gas principle with a rotary bolt locking mechanism. The weapon is equipped with a monolithic upper receiver, fitted with an upper and lower M1913 Picatinny rail and side rail attachment points.

I don’t like the 7.62 X 39 mm cartridge, but that’s a matter of personal choice.  Frankly, if I were going to choose such a caliber for this type of weapon, it would be a 300 Blackout.  In the mean time, I’m quite happy with my Rock River Arms AR-15, 5.56 mm.  I’ll follow Eugene Stoner rather than Kalashnikov, and if I get another Stoner-style rifle, it’ll be a .308.

But even if you do like the cartridge, Colt has almost run itself out of business by sucking at the teet of government contracts, so much so that they lost all respect for QA in their product line, and jettisoned most products except what they were providing to the government.  When is the last time you saw a Colt Python for sale at a reasonable price?  As for that matter, have you forgiven Colt for dropping the manufacture of double action revolvers?

So if they can’t have the U.S. government contract for M4s, apparently they’ll go chase the foreign government market.  How sad.