by RK Campbell | Contributing Editor
Fitted with a Specter Gear Patrol Sling from Brownells and the TruGlo scope, the Colt Expanse M4 is ready to do the business.
The AR 15 is America’s rifle. The black rifle remains popular with shooters for many reasons.
The rifle is used primarily as a recreational shooter and owned for simple pride of ownership, as good a reason as any. Competition is important, especially the popular Three-Gun matches. Many hunters field the AR 15 for use in varmint hunting. Others use the rifle for pest control and some use the rifle, with proper loads, for taking medium-size game. Many others rely on the rifle for home defense and as a ranch rifle. With takeover robberies and home invasions commonly in the news the AR 15 rifle gives the practiced user an edge against armed gangs.
The author found the Colt Expanse handles as well as any AR 15 carbine at close range. Firing from a braced position the author punished the targets at 25 to 100 yards.
Today the market is flooded with inexpensive rifles. There seems to be a race to the bottom in price and sometimes quality. I cannot comment on every type but many of these rifles have a poor reputation. The market is very competitive. Major makers have introduced a price leader with certain features deleted in order to compete in this price range. As an example, Smith and Wesson’s M&P 15 Sport is marketed to compete with low end rifles. This rifle doesn’t have a forward assist or dust cover. Colt has introduced a rifle that will be competitive in the price range below seven hundred dollars.
The combination of Colt and TruGlo gave excellent results.
The Colt M4 Expanse is an attractive carbine based on Colt quality and performance for an attractive price. Initial examination revealed no areas of concern and a favorable first impression. The forward assist and dust cover are deleted; however, unlike the Smith and Wesson offering, these parts may be added to the Colt if desired. I cannot recall using a forward assist in 35 years of firing the AR 15. I would like to have the dust cover, however, and will probably add a cover at a later date. There is no rear sight supplied with the rifle. I would have liked to have a rear sight, but in this price range it is SOP to add your own. The M4 Expanse is a flat top rifle. The handguard is a modified GI type. The front post is a GI type. The barrel is chrome lined and the carrier key is properly staked in place. Barrel twist is 1 in 7 inches, ideal for the most common bullet weight ranges of 55 to 77 grains. The rifle comes in a cardboard box with a single magazine. The trigger is clean enough at 6.5 pounds. In every particular the rifle demonstrates Colt quality. It is simply a rifle with fewer features than the SOCOM. To properly test the rifle I decided to use an appropriate rifle scope. I chose a new offering from TruGlo.
There is no dust cover; however, the cover may be added at a later date.
TruGlo designed their illuminated reticle scope to offer a combination of clarity, precision and speed. The scope is designed to offer a bridge between the speed of a red dot and the precision of a rifle scope. As such there are inherent compromises, but for use at 25 to 125 yards the scope works well. The tube is 30mm rather than one inch. This makes for increased brightness and also a larger range of adjustment. They are offered in 1-4 x 24mm and 1-6 x 24mm. Either will do a good job, and while 99% of my shooting will be covered by the 1-4x scope, consider your needs and the 1- 6x may be your best bet. For my use 1-4x is ideal. The mix of clarity and contrast is good. I find this scope one of the fastest to a rapid hit I have used. The scope has a wide field of view that for some invites shooting with both eyes open. If you are young and can adapt, this is the way to go with red dot scopes and this scope as well when set at 1x. Sometimes you need 4x and the 6x scope allows rapid zooming by virtue of an innovative lever incorporated into the design. The scope is supplied with a monolithic one-piece scope mount. This scope has pre-calibrated adjustment turrets for ranges up to 400 yards.
Firing tests
Colt had deleted the forward assist but if the user wishes they may add the feature at a later date.
I added magazines from Brownells to the Colt’s single magazine. Brownells magazines have won military contests and remain the most proven choice in AR 15 magazines. I have fired this rifle at 25, 50 and 100 yards and fired some 350 cartridges without a single failure to feed, chamber, fire or eject. For the purpose of this review I collected several boxes of appropriate loads for use in evaluating both close quarters efficiency and long range accuracy. I used Tactical Target Systems targets during these drills. The initial firing was accomplished with Black Hills Ammunition (BHA) ‘Blue Box’ 55-grain FMJ loads. Using processed brass, these remanufactured loads are an economical resource for training. The rifle is true to the AR 15’s handling; it is fast and accurate. The TruGlo scope was set at 1x for this work. Quickly bringing the rifle to the shoulder, the Colt gave excellent hits centered in the X ring from 25 to 50 yards.
Black Hills ammunition gave excellent function and accuracy during the test program.
Rapid magazine changes were typical AR 15—very fast and sure handling. I moved to a steel reaction target from Innovativetargets.net to the 100-yard line. With the TruGlo scope now set on 4x and the magazines loaded with the Black Hills Ammunition 60-grain A Max loading I proceeded to keep the gong rocking with the Colt. Firing offhand, quickly, the target took a beating! This would be a great combination for 3-gun competition.
I have enjoyed excellent results when firing from the benchrest with the Colt M4 Expanse. It isn’t as accurate in the absolute sense as the Colt SOCOM, but it is plenty accurate for any shooting chore I am likely to attempt. I have previously enjoyed excellent accuracy with the Expanse carbine, and now I put it to a further test with three loads from Black Hills Ammunition at a long 100 yards. The rifle was sighted in for 55-grain FMJ loads. I used the remanufactured BHA load to fire three 3-shot groups. The results were good, with a 1.8 inch average group. Excellent for remanufactured ammunition!
Black Hills Ammunition remanufactured loads are an excellent resource for any rifle or carbine. The author’s Colt SOCOM lives a diet of these loads.
Next, the Black Hills Ammunition 60-grain A Max loads. Several of my most experienced friends regard this load as their top .223 Remington load and greatly respect its accuracy. I was not disappointed with an average of 1.25 inches for three groups. The rifle is a joy to use and fire with this load. Finally, I used the new 77-grain Tipped MatchKing load. This load is even more aerodynamic than the previous 77-grain OTM loading; however, it will take greater than 100 yards to show the difference. Just the same, this is a great loading with excellent accuracy potential. The single best group of the day was fired with this load, but in the end the average was the same as the BHA 60-grain A Max loading at 1.25 inches. I suspect that a lighter trigger action might make a difference at the football field distance.
In the end the Colt Expanse is a great rifle. Accurate, reliable, well made of good material! The Colt M4 remains the rifle by which all AR 15s are judged. The new Colt Expanse offers a great carbine at a fair price.
