Colt LE6940 M4 Carbine Review

The Colt LE6940 is Colt’s answer to the popularity of an M4 style carbine, and the demand from both law enforcement and skilled private citizens for a top quality AR-15 carbine from a leading manufacturer.

Colt has spared no expense in creating this rifle, and you’ll see that even though it is marketed towards law enforcement, there is no reason at all a private citizen should not consider buying one for themselves.

We’ll review the Colt LE6940 so you can decide if it is the right tactical carbine for you.

The LE6940 is marketed first to law enforcement.

While AR-15 style rifles and carbines are common patrol rifles today, at one time they were not, and Colt introduced the LE6940 with features like a monolithic upper with quad rail at a time when they were somewhat rare.

Unless you live in a state that restricts your right to keep and bear arms based on arbitrary cosmetic and ergonomic features, there is nothing about the LE6940 that restricts private citizens from owning one.

With that in mind, it is a long American tradition to own the same kinds of arms that our military and police might use, and for good reason.

They are common, readily available, proven to function well in adverse conditions and well supported with parts and aftermarket components.

Given that, the LE6940 is really for anyone who desires a superior AR-15 style carbine, and is willing to pay whatever it takes to get it.

The Colt LE6940 review revealed that it has the usual things you’d expect on an AR-15 style firearm including mil-spec trigger, full auto bolt carrier group, a chrome lined 1:7 twist barrel, A2 flashhider, and the like.

Inside, it is a pretty common and stock AR-15. Even the furniture isn’t much to write home about, and again is pretty much standard fare. However, what isn’t standard fare is the monolithic upper and fold down front sight.

On most AR-15 uppers, the handguard is a separate piece, and it is more common for the top rail of various free float handguards to not perfectly align with the top rail of the upper receiver. It may be a bit taller, or a bit lower.

If you are bridging your scope between the upper and the handguard, this will affect accuracy, to say nothing of just looking bad.

A monolithic upper, while more expensive to make, solves all these problems, by making the free float handguard an integral part of the upper, giving you a consistent top rail all the way down.

The backup iron sights (BUIS) that Colt ships with the LE6940 are also superior to most BUIS on the market.

The rear sight is a superior Magpul fold down sight (earlier versions shipped with the same MaTech rear sight used by the US Army), while the front sight is built into the forward gas block and also folds down when not in use.

This allows the user to choose from a scope or red dot, or to  use the highly serviceable irons.

The Colt LE6940 breaks down like any AR-15 style rifle. Push the rear takedown pin on the receiver to pivot the upper up for normal cleaning duty, or both pins to completely remove the upper.

It is important to first remove the magazine and ensure the chamber is empty before breaking down your gun for cleaning.

You may also remove the bolt carrier group and charging handle for further cleaning and lubrication.

With the upper removed or pivoted upward, the trigger group reveals itself for cleaning and lubrication.

No further takedown is needed unless a qualified gunsmith is repairing or replacing parts on the gun.

Maintaining the LE6940 is also very easy. Once field stripped as described above, simply lubricate moving parts with your favorite gun oil, and use a soft toothbrush to clear any debris or powder residue in the action.

From time to time you made need to conduct a really deep cleaning using dental pics or cotton tipped swabs to clear out carbon buildup, but you’ll be many thousands of rounds into operation before you get that far.

Otherwise, simply use clean burning, quality ammo, and remember to keep the bore clean, and gun lubricated regularly, and you’ll find the LE6940 will perform like a dream.

It is likely that the average user with clean and lube this gun more than is actually needed, but it never hurt to have a clean gun!

Because it is based on the time and battle proven AR-15 action, the Colt LE6940 is one of the most reliable, safest rifles you can get on the market today.

When the gun is loaded, applying or disengaging the safety is a simple matter of flipping the selector switch with your thumb or a finger.

The robust safety is easy to engage and disengage, but difficult to accidentally release.

The direct gas impingement operating system is extremely simple and clean operating when used with quality ammunition.

You should avoid cheap, dirty steel cased ammo imported from Eastern Europe. Your gas system and barrel life will both be for the better.

Otherwise, clean and lube after every shooting session and you’ll find this gun will give you decades of performance.

Like any AR-15 style rifle in 5.56mm/.223, this is easy shooting with negligible recoil.

The M4 style adjustable buttstock makes it possible to quickly resize this gun for various shooters, and an in depth Colt LE6940 review revealed that it will in fact fit most people, although some found changing the standard A2 style pistol for something a bit more ergonomic made a huge difference in comfort.

Because it has a built in quad rail, you can easily add a vertical or angled foregrip to improve comfort and performance.

If you aren’t going to be using a foregrip, be sure to make use of the rail covers we talk about below for maximum comfort.

Along with the usual things, like a Magpul PMAG, cable lock, owner’s manual, Colt also ships a set of rail covers to protect your hands on portions of the quad rail that do not have accessories mounted on them.

This is a nice touch, as quad rails are more affectionately called “cheese graters” in some circles, due to how unpleasant the can be to shoot with.

No Colt LE6940 review is complete without looking at the accessories available for it, and boy are there a lot of them!

The monolithic quad rail ensures that you can mount pretty much anything under the sun on there, ranging from foregrips, to lights and lasers, and even the odd novelty item like a bottle opener.

Because the LE6940 was designed to accept tactical accessories, you’ll find if it mounts on a Picatinny rail, or can be made to mount on one, you can put it on your rifle.

If you aren’t a fan of the stock pistol grip and M4 buttstock, those are readily replaceable, but you are stuck with the quad rail, unless you change out the entire upper.