Click pictures for a larger version.
Forward assist (top), empty case deflector (bottom).
Flattop upper receiver for easily mounting optical sights.
Sling attachment points.
Bayonet lug.
Magazine release.
Cleaning kit.
Nylon web sling.
Troy soft rail covers.
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Colt has been in the AR-15/M-16/M-4 business
for almost fifty years. The AR-15 platform has proven itself
around the world and here at home as an excellent fighting
rifle. It also serves very well as a hunting rifle, and I have
several that are chambered in 223, 5.56mm, 300
Blackout, 6.5mm
Grendel, and 50 Beowulf
that have never let me down in the field. However, here we are
looking at the fighting rifle side of the AR; the purpose for
which it was designed.
There are many brands of AR-15 rifles on the
market today, and the truth is, most are pretty darn good. I
have several brands of AR rifles, and all have proven reliable,
with a few being match-accurate as well. The variations of the
AR-15 are almost endless, with many configurations purpose-built
for a specific need. The most popular style today is the one
that closely mimics the M-4 that serves most of our nation’s
military forces. While it is expensive and troublesome to own a
full-auto short-barreled M-4, the sixteen inch barreled
semi-automatic rendering can be owned by most who desire to own
one.
With dozens of brands from which to choose,
many shooters want to own a genuine Colt, and that is the
carbine that is featured here. As noted, Colt has been at this
for a while, with millions of rifles produced for military and
civilian needs. What makes this particular Colt special is the
factory-supplied Magpul and Troy Industries accessories. The
Magpul buttstock and pistol grip are superior in ergonomic feel
and ease of use, compared to the mil-spec parts. The
six-position Magpul buttstock is easy to adjust, and is not
prone to adjusting itself by being bumped against something. The
Magpul pistol grip feels much better in my hand than the
mil-spec grip, offering a more hand-filling feel to it. The
Magpul trigger guard is larger, making it easier to access the
trigger while wearing heavy gloves. The Magpul vertical
fore-grip is an accessory often added by AR users, and it comes
from Colt with this rifle. The Magpul folding rear sight matches
well with the standard mil-spec front, and is adjustable for
windage correction. It folds easily and deploys quickly. The
LE6920MP-R comes with two thirty-round Magpul magazines.
This Colt also wears a Colt-marked Troy
Industries aluminum quad rail hand guard. The hand guard has
plenty of Picatinny rail to accommodate optics and accessories,
and has soft plastic rail covers to protect the hand from
abrasion.
The trigger on this Colt is mil-spec, and
released crisply with just under five and one-half pounds of
resistance, as measured on my Lyman digital gauge. This Colt
carbine has a chrome-lined 16.1 inch M-4 profile barrel with a
one-in-seven-inch twist. The muzzle is finished off with a Colt
closed-bottom birdcage flash suppressor. The carbine wears a
sling attachment loop and a bayonet lug beneath the front
sight/gas block. Unlike many AR-15 rifles on the market, the
Colt 6920MP-R rifle is well-balanced, and weighed in at six
pounds, thirteen ounces on my scale. Overall length is variable
between thirty-two and one-half and thirty-five and
three-quarters inches, depending upon the position of the
six-position buttstock.
For accuracy testing, I mounted my mule; the
Leupold Mark 4 8.5 to 25 power target/tactical scope. This scope
allows me to get all the accuracy that I possibly can out of a
rifle/ammo combo. From a solid rest, it eliminates most of my
human error, and allows me to see just how well a rifle will
shoot. Velocity testing was done with the chronograph set out
twelve feet from the muzzle at an elevation of 541 feet above
sea level, approximately. Temperatures hovered around the
eighty-three degree Fahrenheit mark during all velocity testing.
Relative humidity was fifty-five percent. Velocity readings are
the average of several shots fired, and the results are listed
in the chart below. Velocity readings are listed in
feet-per-second (fps). Bullet weights are listed in grains. FMJ
is a full metal jacket bullet. HP is hollowpoint. V-Max is a
polymer-tipped varmint bullet. TSX is a Barnes Triple Shock
homogenous copper hollowpoint bullet. The handload listed uses
the TSX bullet with 24.5 grains of Ramshot TAC powder, a
Remington small rifle primer, and Winchester commercial .223
Remington cases. Accuracy results are listed below in inches,
and are the average of five groups with each type of ammunition.
The best groups fired are shown in the pictures, but this rifle
was very consistent in its accuracy. Accuracy testing was done
with the rifle resting in a Target
Shooting, Inc. Model 500 rifle rest, to eliminate as much
shooter error as possible. The rifle was allowed to cool between
each brand of ammo tested.
Ammunition |
Bullet Weight |
Velocity |
Accuracy |
Stryker V-Max |
55 |
2829 |
1.40" |
Lake City M855 |
62 |
3017 |
1.12" |
Hand Load TSX |
62 |
2743 |
1.25" |
Winchester USA FMJ |
62 |
2792 |
2.10" |
Buffalo Bore HP |
77 |
2670 |
0.91" |
Buffalo Bore HP |
69 |
2852 |
0.81" |
Black Hills HP |
69 |
2545 |
1.29" |
Wolf Gold HP |
75 |
2648 |
1.30" |
Cor-Bon HP |
69 |
2529 |
1.33" |
For function testing, I tried the loads
listed above, in addition to a few others that I had around,
including 55 grain FMJ commercial reloads, Israeli NATO-spec,
and some Eastern European brass-cased ammunition. I tried no
steel-cased ammo, as I do not shoot that stuff in my rifles.
Functioning was one-hundred percent, with every round feeding,
firing, and ejecting perfectly. I used the thirty-round Magpul
P-MAG as well as Vietnam war era Colt twenty-round magazines.
Again, no malfunctions of any kind were encountered. Perfect.
Accuracy, as listed in the chart above, was
superb. This is exceptional accuracy from a short-barreled
fighting rifle, and is a testament to both Eugene Stoner’s
design, and Colt’s execution of that design.
This new Colt carbine allows the owner to buy
the rifle already outfitted with the most popular accessories on
the market, instead of buying a rifle and then changing out
parts to get the best configuration. There are other rifles on
the market that come equipped with Magpul and Troy accessories,
but now these upgraded features are available on the genuine
Colt. This rifle is also available with a bullet button magazine
release for sale in California.
The Colt LE6920MP-R carbine is a rugged,
reliable, easy-handling, and accurate choice for those looking
for a good 5.56mm fighting rifle. This Colt is built right, and
built in the USA.
Check out the extensive line of Colt firearms
and accessories at www.coltsmfg.com.
For the location of a Colt dealer near you,
click on the DEALER FINDER at www.lipseys.com.
To order a Colt rifle online, go to www.galleryofguns.com.
To order quality 223 and 5.56mm ammunition,
go to www.buffalobore.com,
www.theamericanmarksman.com,
and www.luckygunner.com.
Jeff Quinn
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Click pictures for a larger version.
Shirt available in many colors and gun brands available from this
website.
Accuracy.
Buffalo Bore Sniper ammo proved to be the most accurate in this Colt.
Troy Industries Picatinny accessory rail.
Magpul MOE vertical fore-grip, pistol grip, buttstock, folding rear sight.
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