I picked up my Colt Match Target M4 about a week ago, and I’ve had some time to shoot it since I grabbed it from the shop. Unlike the factory guns which are available right now, this particular version has the Gunsite logo lasered on the right side of the magazine well, which honestly looks pretty cool.
Let’s go over the quick hits of the rifle, the stuff that I didn’t discuss in my previous post on it. Obviously, the tech specs are the same, the upper is monolithic, the compensator is pinned to the barrel, and the stock only looks like a collapsible stock, it’s also pinned in place. All of these features and the fact that the gun ships from the factory with a 5 round magazine instead of the more common 20 or 30 round mags makes it legal in 49 out of 50 states. Guess which state it’s not legal in? That’s right, California. Sorry to all my readers in Cali, but this won’t be on the menu for you until you kick all the hippies out.
This rifle has a lot of features that I really like – the first of which being the compensator. I’m sad that Colt is going to lose the compensator on future versions of the rifle, because this thing works. The rifle balances really well, and when firing rapid shots it just sort of “floats” on your shoulder. There is almost no vertical movement in the sights during rapid shots or transitions. The grip is standard AR fare, which means I’ll probably replace it for something more comfortable.
I am not a huge fan of the factory sights. I’ll probably remove the rear sight and replace it with an MBUS at some juncture, simply because I prefer a large aperture rear sight. That’s pretty much my only complaint about the gun – it’s light weight, the rail system isn’t bulky and ridiculous, the compensator does amazing work, and most awesome of all – it’s a Colt. There is something that is just right about owning a Colt M4.
I love my Colt M4.
🙂
I read the description at the link. What is a “zero adjustable front sight”?
It’s not a .41AE, that’s for sure.
Since I run my stocks at the 3/4 extended position, I will keep my Colt 6920s and consider that rifle an abomination. Especially since I’m also thinking about buying a BattleComp for one in the future. Pinned comp and/or plain muzzle = more money or no options.
Changing out the stock is the same as changing a fixed stock to an adjustable stock. Just remove the fixed stock and put on a MOE or whatever Magpul stock you want.
why in the world would someone in a free state want a ban compliant rifle?
They’re selling the rifle now without the pinned compensator – and the Colt Match Target is a really accurate and generally pretty badass rifle. Plus, I honestly believe that shooters want an M4 or a 1911 that says “Colt” on the side.
So once again, why would I buy this Colt? To get it in the configuration I want, I need to have threads machined onto the barrel and I need to buy and install an entire buttstock assembly. I can buy a Colt 6920 for $1200 on Gunbroker and save myself the time, money, and hassle of installing the no-ban parts. And my AR still says Colt on the side, just like the four 6920s I currently have on the safe.
In all seriousness, this rifle is the same as the 6940 except that it’s been “civilianized” in certain areas. If you were planning on building a gun for 3-gun and wanted a Colt that came with a comp and all you had to change was the stock, this would probably be a better choice than the 6940. If I was buying an AR specifically for competition, I’d go with a match target, otherwise I’d probably buy the 6940.
“If I was buying an AR specifically for competition, I’d go with a match target,”
The Indy 1500 next weekend will have all the 6920s and 6940s I could possibly want. Why would I want this thing “for competition”?
It’s nice to see that Colt’s is timidly sticking its toe back into a market that it totally abandoned to its competition because its management alternates between cowardice and mental retardation, but let’s not kid ourselves that this 49-state, pinned stock, pinned comp, threadless barrel gun is pusillanimous in the extreme; barely a step above the oversize-front-pin abortions that made Colt a laughingstock back in the day.
Both the 6940 and the 6920 come out of the box with collapsible stocks, no comp, and either a rail or a ridiculous M4 handguard. If I wanted to set one of those up for competition, I’d spend a bunch of money buying a fixed stock, a new handguard if it had the M4 one, and a decent compensator.
Pusillanimous or not, the Match Target M4 is a better choice out of the box for a competition shooter that doesn’t want to screw around with their rifle. You’re in the game for about a grand, you’ve got a fixed stock and a great compensator, it’s instantly competitive.
If you want a rifle for shooting fools or that you’re going to use as a platform for a build, then the 6940 or 6920 is a way better choice, I don’t disagree with that point at all.
The lower receiver of Colt MT6400R is roll marked “Colt M4”, just like the military carbines. Differently, Colt 6920 says “Law enforcement” .
For the collector’s point of view “Colt M4” is much more interesting, and it is the worthwhile to spend few dollars to buy a real collapsible buttstock.
Caleb,
Regarding the legality of the Colt Match Target M4 you’re only half-right. As-is, it’s not legal but it could be made so by the FFL that receives it here by the addition of a bullet-button like the one reviewed here:
http://www.scopedin.com/reviews/ar-15-equipment/the-bullet-button-magazine-release/
While we may have to deal with a LOT of BS here there are work-arounds that many here have figured out much to the CADOJ and other anti’s dismay. ^_^
Hard to tell in the picture, the brake looks similar to the Miculek design?
I just looked up images of the Miculek brake and compared it to the one on my rifle, and it’s pretty similar. But then again, they’re both three chamber AR brakes, so how much differentiation can you get?