Colt CR6920-EC (European Carbine)

In the United States, the opportunity to own modern arms in European specifications doesn’t present itself too often. Arms Unlimited Inc. has made the Colt CR6920-EC carbines available to collectors. Less than 400 of these carbines shipped to Arms Unlimited in April of 2023.

The Colt CR6920-EC carbines are European CIP compliant. CIP is the European equivalent of the U.S. SAAMI (Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute) standards and translates to Permanent International Commission for the Proof of Small Arms.

A few things that make these firearms somewhat unique on the U.S. market are:

  • Caliber .223
  • Lower receiver and upper receiver are serial numbered
  • Major components are marked with US (country of manufacture) and 23 (year of manufacture).
  • Bolt carrier is serial numbered
  • Bolt is serial numbered

The Colt CR6920-EC is packed in Colt’s usual long gun cardboard box.

1

The accessory kit included with the CR6920-EC consists of the following:

  • Magpul Gen 3 10-round magazine
  • Colt AR-15 owners manual (English version)
  • Gun lock
The CR6920-EC comes enclosed in a clear milspec barrier bag.
The carbine ships with the orange chamber block installed in the upper receiver

This is an instance where the barrier bag date is nowhere near the production date of the firearm. The firearm was made in 2023.

The CR6920-EC features a standard composite carbine collapsible stock, A2 pistol grip, Magpul MBUS back-up sight, double heatshield handguards, fixed front sight and standard government profile 16″ barrel with A2 flash hider.

View of the right side with the ejection port door cover closed.

In the image below, you get your first glimpse of the firearm serial number on the bolt carrier group.

Below is a close-up look at the barrel markings which read ” C MP 223 REM 1/7 “

Close-up look at the staking on the castle nut
Overhead view of the white T marks

Beginning with the image below, we start to take a look at the left side of the CR6920-EC. If you look real close, you can see the firearm serial number engraved between the front sight base and the M203 grenade launcher recess on the barrel.

In the image below, unique lower receiver and upper receiver markings become visible. On the lower receiver is the US23 marking which indicates the United States as the country of manufacture and 2023 as the year of manufacture.

Added to the upper receiver is Colt Carbine US23 and the serial number

The firearm serial number is more visible in this image. The serial number is between the front sight base and the M203 grenade launcher barrel mount step.

In the image below of the right side of the carbine, you can see the Cerro Forge mark (Key hole) and the ‘Fire’ and ‘Safe’ markings at the selector.

This image shows the forge mark on the right side of the front sight base/gas block. It is <B>
In this image the ‘M4’ mark is visible on the front of the upper receiver 1913 rail.
Note the use of an ‘ H ‘ buffer.
This photo shows a ‘ 4 ‘ on the left side of the hammer.

In the image below of the right side of the stock, there are three different points of reference.

  • Stock manufacturer CAGE code of 8FW25. The CAGE code belongs to Prudent American Technologies.
  • There is an ‘I’ about an inch left of the CAGE code
  • Made In USA
The carbine utilizes a standard 4-position receiver extension (buffer tube).
Layout of the bolt carrier group parts. You can see the serial number toward the front (right edge) of the bolt carrier.
The extractor is not marked and come with the standard copper color spring and black insert
Visible here is the ‘Colt 2023’ and serial number on the bolt carrier

In the image below, you see the serial number on both the bolt carrier and the bolt.

The bolt is also MPC marked and is visible just to the left of the locking lugs.

In this top quarter image of the bolt carrier, you get a good look at the uniform staking of the carrier key screws that Colt is famous for.

Here is a view of the bolt carrier from the front showing the chrome lining.
Left side of the bolt carrier. There are not any markings or significant features visible on this side.

The charging handle is a standard charging handle with no markings visible.

Inside of the upper receiver showing the application of dry film lubricant
This image shows the dot on the left side of the receiver extension, the ‘ 4 ‘ on the right side and the M4 feed ramps

Overall, this carbine is just a standard Colt CR6920. The .223 caliber and the unique markings are what makes this stand out and attractive to a collector. I would not recommend purchasing this firearm as a shooter although the lower price of it may make someone tempted to.

This is a great opportunity to add a unique model to your collection.

2 thoughts on “Colt CR6920-EC (European Carbine)”

  1. And a hearty THANK YOU for yet another of your continuing reviews of the ever changing Colt Carbine Series !! Sadly, I haven’t seem fit to purchase any of the recent Colt versions, but I always appreciate the opportunity to enjoy your excellent overviews of them, along with many other interesting & related Colt products.

    Best regards, Dom Pastore Jr. / ‘dpast32’

    Liked by 1 person

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