Thread: Noveske vs. Colt

How much better are Noveske Rifles than say a Colt? Still trying to figure out which rifle I want to get. I really like that Noveses are made in OR, but I don't know if it's worth the substantial price difference. I'm looking for a Basic M4 style rifle, nothing fancy, no rails etc...

Noveske makes a great rifle. His Cold Hammer Forged barrels have a double chrome lining and last very long. Great OR company. Colt has been the standard all the manufactures try to live up to. Hard to beat a 6920 for a basic rifle.

the N4L barrel is one of the two best barrels on the market... cold hammer forged, 2x the chrome thickness, machinegun steel, and yet still incredibly accurate in spite of all that. noveske also pays meticulous attention to detail in assembly, rejecting any parts that are even slightly questionable, and assembling everything perfectly.

but their parts are all subbed.. i used to say they're basically re-branded Stags with better barrels, but they've apparently used a number of other manufacturers since then. their bolts are also not HPT'd.

colts on the other hand, while not as accurate (but still generally more accurate than most other CL barrels), and not produced with any attention to aesthetics, are always built with colt parts, and the bolts and barrels are always HPT'd.

so "better" is relative.

noveske is phasing their N4L barrels into individual sales- you can already buy their 10.5 N4L by itself, and more will gradually become available. don't know about a time frame, though.

personally, my ideal gun would be LMT parts with a noveske N4L barrel.

They aren't really making the same kind of rifle. Noveske is a fancy boutique pseudo-custom shop. Colt is a mass producer. Colt is an EXCELLENT mass producer though, their rifles will be just as reliable and durable as Noveske. Maybe not *quite* as accurate, but it is not that Colts are inaccurate. Free float the barrel and find the right hand loads and they will easily shoot 1 MOA or very close. The accuracy difference probably isn't noticeable without a bipod and high power scope. Unless you get one of noveske's stainless barrels anyway... but I am more of a CHF kinda guy.

Basically it is the difference between a ferrari and a corvette. They both perform great, but the ferrari costs way more than the corvette because you are paying extra for things like a luxury interior.

Personally I am saving for a Noveske, cuz I want the luxury interior. :> Their rifles are just beautiful. Also I like the idea of supporting local businesses. If I was purely interested in price/performance on a basic M4-style rifle, I would probably get a 6920 though.

Well I'll be keeping open sights on it, so I'm sure I won't be telling the difference in the acuracy. It is also not gunna be a pretty gun long after I get it. It's gunna be in the weather and behind the seat if a truck and in a trunk, it will get scratched up quick. I think I'm leaning towards the Colt now. I think Fishermans had them for around $1200.

Noveske is obviously most well known for their stainless barrels. I have used several of their barrels on custom builds and have always loved them. Noveske started producing complete rifles much later in the game. If you are truely just looking for a good shooter I would do a Colt or even a Bushmaster-Stag-Rock River-Etc. All of which will out perform the average shooter. Unless you have specific needs in a custom barrel, or you just really want to impress the rest of the people at the range, a Noveske is not nessecary. Great rifles, just a little over priced for what they are. I would start with a good mil-spec rifle like a Colt, and later in life (if you want) you could utilize your Colt lower, and build a custom upper. Just note that Stainless barrels are super accurate (and actually get more accurate as they break in), but most will have match chambers so they will prefer to eat more expensive match grade rounds, and require much more maintanance and a grueling break in process. I often find myself choosing to shoot one of my Bushmasters or Colts over my stainless guns because they can be used and abused. Impossible to hurt them, shoot em dirty, put them away dirty. Very reliable guns and they are all obviously more accurate than I am.


Save some money and start with a good basic shooter. As you develop habits and preferences, you will learn what is important enough to you to spend the extra money on.

Originally Posted by M.Link

Well I'll be keeping open sights on it, so I'm sure I won't be telling the difference in the acuracy. It is also not gunna be a pretty gun long after I get it. It's gunna be in the weather and behind the seat if a truck and in a trunk, it will get scratched up quick. I think I'm leaning towards the Colt now. I think Fishermans had them for around $1200.

If you are buying it as a truck gun why not a BM/RRA and a LOT of extra ammo?

I have two BM's, both great shooters but don't have the accuracy or fit and finish of my Noveske.

I would not use a Noveske as a trunk gun. D: Noveske is for bringing to PR and 3-gun competitions to make everyone else jealous. For a trunk gun I would use something cheap that I won't cry too much about if it gets stolen. Like a Remington 870 or something. If I just had to have an AR-15 for a trunk gun, I would probably get something like a CMMG bargain bin rifle.

Hmmm FORD OR CHEVY

personally i prefer Chevy

It's not just gunna be a truck gun, and when it's in there it will be locked in there (a cable). My cousin had a Bushmaster and had a couple problems with it...kinda turned me away from them. I'm kinda the kind of guy who would rather save for an extra month and buy something top shelf than buy something that is just pretty good. I want something to last me forever. I spent $250 on a knife 8 years ago and I still have it in my pocket now, if I would have spend $100 it would probably have broke or worn out by now. I had a 16" Colt HBAR and loved it, I think I'll probably stick to Colts, after hearing there is no real reason to spend more on a Noveske. And I prefer Ford, never will buy another Chevy : )

you know what they say about F O R D i won't say it so i won't get bubble gummed


I don't own a Novenski but i love the fact that they are top quality barrels made in oregon

I have been very pleased with my Colt .

you could always get the best of both worlds get a colt and install a Novenski barrel

I've got a bushmaster with over 10K rounds, well maintained, no issues with the exception of days with extreme use. Only mod to the action is a one piece gas ring. Awesome guns. I will say I have seen variations in who they get their uppers from, which leads me to believe other parts as well may be substituted as demand increases. I have seen Alcoa, Keyhole, and even the birds head uppers on bushmasters from the factory.

More importantly, that guy said bm. that means turd.

Jon make some incrediable barrels... even my carbine without maginified optics shoots good groups, and my precission rifle shoots sub-moa and its not even broken in yet So if I was spending your money, I would purchase a Noveske rifle.

The single most unreliable AR15 i've ever seen was a colt.

Noveske makes a great product... It wouldnt be a choice for me. Anything but a colt.

Originally Posted by MrNiceGuy

The single most unreliable AR15 i've ever seen was a colt.

Noveske makes a great product... It wouldnt be a choice for me. Anything but a colt.

you do realize that colt, in fact, makes one of the most reliable ARs money can buy, right?

1 example of a weapon with a fixable problem does not make the other 10,000,000 examples bad. it doesn't even suggest it. just because you had a bad experience doesn't justify smearing a good name across a global audience.

i've never owned a colt, and don't care for them as a company. bubblegumty customer service, elitist attitude. but i do recognize the quality of their weapons.

Originally Posted by MrNiceGuy

The single most unreliable AR15 i've ever seen was a colt.

Noveske makes a great product... It wouldnt be a choice for me. Anything but a colt.

could have been user error or second hand colt or High round surplus parts rifle.

My first colt was a old sporter 2 carbine that i bought at the gun show i did not realise at the time that it has a oly barrel on it . That did not matter since it was 100% reliable and accurate every thing else was colt.

Both choices are good. I went with the Noveske. When I was in the service, we had Colts and they were very, very reliable.

Wish I had one, but I don't need 2 ars. If I DID need 2 and had the room, these would be the 2 I'd get.

Colt makes rifles to meet a spec. Noveske makes rifles to exceed the spec.

"I'm looking for a Basic M4 style rifle, nothing fancy, no rails etc..."

Sounds like you're about to buy a Colt 6920, Bravo Company AR, Daniel Defense AR, or LMT AR for around $1100-1300.

Given what your after I would suggest a Colt. The quality is good and for a mass production AR. Colt's have the best resale value.

It doesn't sound like your needs require a Noveske at this time.