Not sure if anyone is tracking this review, I am a Fan of the M&P 15, Although I'm not a fan of the sport, it is a decent review.
http://thetruthaboutguns.com/2011/06...rt/#more-49985
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Not sure if anyone is tracking this review, I am a Fan of the M&P 15, Although I'm not a fan of the sport, it is a decent review.
http://thetruthaboutguns.com/2011/06...rt/#more-49985
Eh.. No dust cover or forward assist? I'd still prefer to have them. I do understand though where they're coming from trying to make it affordable.
Two curious statements in that review:
That seems to claim approximately 85,000 rounds on a Melonite treated barrel "without any visible damage." Are they counting severe throat erosion as visible damage? Are they claiming these barrels could go 85k? That would more than double anything I would expect for a Melonite treated 4140 barrel.Quote:
Smith claims that the bare bones approach has no effect on durability. They’ve fed two M&P15 Sport test rifles a combined ~170,000 rounds of various brands of ammunition without any [visible] damage to the Melonite coating.
I've read about the 1/8 twist, but this is the first I've heard of it being a gain twist design. That would be extremely unusual. The only modern firearms I know of using a gain twist are S&W's massive .460S&W and .500 S&W revolvers. Can anyone confirm this?Quote:
The M&P15′s 5R rifling is a 1/8” “gain twist.” The twist starts longer and tightens to 1/8” towards the end of the barrel.
Brennan; if you want the cover and FA; along with the chrome barrel, insulated hand guards, trigger cover, and a few of the other things the sport leaves off, there are 2 decent options. 1) If you have sights or optics, or was planning on buying those extra anyway, then you can find the M&P15-OR (Optical Ready). You can find it on sale for about $750 with a $100 s&w rebate. "Rebates and deals fluctuate and come and go; but they do appear". The sport has never been eligible for the S&W rebate, but all their others have. So, for the same $650, you can get the OR model. 2) You can get the basic model with adjustable sights / carrying handle for about $799 and the $100 rebate when available. So; for not much more, you can get the full fledged M&P15.
And this is the advice I give to a lot of new AR buyers. I really do like my M&P15, but ONLY FOR THE RIGHT PRICE!!! If you're willing to spend the normal $950-$1100 for an M&P15, and won't look around for a sale/deal/rebate, then you'd be better off buying a Colt, BCM, DD, etc... for the exact same price. This also applies to those who are willing to spend $900+ on a Bushwacker, RR, Oly, DPMS, etc... For the same exact amount of money, you could get a much better rifle. The problem seems to be with those that will ONLY buy from a local gun shop. If that's your choice, and they don't have sales, then you will always pay those higher prices. Then again , those local shops won't have the $900 colt. They'll charge $1100 for it. So if you won't order or go online, then price is a moot point.
But if you can get an M&P15 for the $650-$750 price range ($600 for the Sport); then that is a very good price. It's well worth it. But if you can get a rebate or aren't into ordering online or waiting for a sale, and you're willing to spend $900+, you should really consider better options like the colt, bcm, dd, etc... That's only if you're willing to shop around or order online.
Agreed. I think that the Sport is going to be the AR of choice for those who buy locally, and don't shop around for sales or online. With a retail price of $700, the normal price in a LGS will be $650-$700. That will be substantially less than the $850-$950 for an M&P15-OR or the $1100 price of a Colt at the local gun shop. But I guess there are those that simply go to their local gun shops and don't shop around or go online. I think S&W may have hit a home-run for that market of customers. The local gun shop can't afford to put the colt on sale for $900 or the standard line of M&P15's for $700-$750.