I'd be in the camp saying the Colt is NOT worth the extra $200. So I'd say go with the PSA.
However, the S&W M&P 15 Sport II is another excellent option. MSRP is $739, but they list on Bud's gun shop for around $669 (Cash price $649)
I will respectfully disagree.
I don't think I'd compare a 6920 for $850-900 to a s&w sport II for $670. The colt is very much worth it depending on what you do with it. Gonna shoot 100 rounds once or twice a year? Buy the smith. My neighbor has one and it is a nice shooting, accurate rifle.
gonna run it hard? Use it for home defense? Colt all the way. The smith 1/9 won't do well with something like hornady 75gr TAP.
dont get me wrong, I like smith. They've definitely upped their game in the last 8 years. And for the price, it's a bang for your buck. I think it just depends on intended use.
If nothing else, the colt will hold its value. Granted, if FHRC gets elected all EBRs will command big dollars.
Do you want a rifle that will actually work or are people more concerned about looks?!? Get out and actually use it and you will pick up scratches and scrapes. Take a couple legit AR classes where you fire 800-1,000rds and see how many scratches/scrapes you get. There is no comparison in quality between a Colt and PSA(I own a PSA FWIW). Get out there and shoot the darn thing!! YMMV
At the risk of being accused of having a one track mind...Back up rifle??? Yeah, I got a few back up rifles.
The Colt of yester-year? I totally agree with you. The Colt of today? Not a chance. I had a buddy that bought a brand new 6940 a few years ago and the finish on the rifle was spotty and the upper and lower didn't even look like they matched. When he called them about the finish issues, they pretty much just said you get what you get and if you want something else you'll have to return to the dealer and buy another one. Horrible customer service, they're just banking on the Colt name these days. The quality is not what it used to be at all.
Yeah, they let the lemon out. Everyone does. But seemingly not with the frequency of some other companies.
But at the same time, way way more frequent than others that are same price point as a Colt. (LMT, Noveske, BCM, etc)
I think people get too wrapped around the axle on what name brand the rifle is instead of being able to say I've got X,XXX rounds through that rifle without a hiccup give or take a 500 rounds.
I'd take OneBadV8's info with a grain of salt. He IS a brand snob, after all.
I agree, but certain brands have a reputation based on this premise. And some brands used to have that reputation, but have decided to solely depend on it instead of living up to it.
I agree completely. Colt has been around long enough to have its ups and downs, but one thing I'll give them credit for is that they've made a solid rifle pretty much the whole time. We can gripe about what they had to do with pin sizes, or bolt carrier group cuts, or whatever. They're the big name out there and have a big target on their back because of it with the Feds.
If I were to take PSA for example, I don't argue with people when they gripe about their lower end rifles having this or that spec instead of what they wanted, but ultimately the rifles shoot and run well. I've got several PSA's and I stick with their premium stuff and it's all ran very well. I've got a Del-Ton dissy that by all accounts on the internet should be complete junk, but I'd bet my life on it without question. Even having said that, the rifle in the closet intended to protect my family should the need ever arise in the middle of the night is my only colt.