Colt LE6920MP-R 5.56x45mm NATO M-4 Carbine Factory-Equipped with Magpul & Troy Accessories

by Jeff Quinn

photography by Jeff Quinn & Boge Quinn

June 5th, 2012

 

 

 

 

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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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.