"Fighting Carbine" vs. "Hobby Grade Carbine"- know the facts

[Craig]

Same factory, not necessarily the same standard. Ikor once made the point that the Colt is built to a standard, not a price point. The latter is definitely the case with many of the civilian market rifles.

I'm largely happy that its the same factory because I can't imagine them having different lines manufacturing different parts. The difference will probably be in the testing and assembly. If the 'raw' parts are built to the same standard, I'm happy to torque, tighten or stake, if that's where the shortcuts are going to be.

With regards to the Colt point, I totally agree, but they are also built to a strict standard, no better, no worse. I'm happy to accept better though, so if that means a hammer forged barrel, or a coating better than chrome, I'm all for it. That could also go for a mid-length gas system.

But, the top end of that list is where I'd spend my money if they were all readily available, not in the same order though.