Colt was long heralded as the gold standard of AR-15s for decades. Their lack of innovation and modernization ended up costing them that title as other manufacturers started putting out better products for less money. The newer EPR reflects these ongoing issues with Colt. At its core, it is a solid, dependable patrol carbine, but at the end of the day, it is a $1200-1400 rifle basic carbine with an M-LOK handguard and a carbine-length gas system. In today's market, you can get better optioned, reliable rifles from reputable companies for half that price.