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Thread: M&P 15 Sport Review

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    M&P 15 Sport Review

    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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    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.
    Last edited by Brennan; 06-15-11 at 12:09.

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    Two curious statements in that review:

    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.
    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.

    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.
    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?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Brennan View Post
    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.
    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.
    "Born Wild; Raised Proud"

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    Quote Originally Posted by SomeOtherGuy View Post
    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.



    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?
    If that is truly the case, that leaves alot of potential for some serious accuracy out of that barrel. I hope Smith hits a homerun with this one.

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    Quote Originally Posted by christcorp View Post
    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.
    I actually own a M&P15OR, that's why I just think this is a little ridiculous when you can buy a better M&P for around the same price.

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    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.
    "Born Wild; Raised Proud"

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    I'm seeing a definite trend emerging here and on other boards. Everyone who actually owns and has shot a Sport loves it. The Sport has been on the market for three months, it's been flying off the store shelves and not a single malfunction has been reported by any of the owners or reviewers. That is highly unusual. I don't know of any other new weapon that has performed this flawlessly from the first production run.

    The only criticism that I've seen of the Sport has been from people who don't own one and haven't shot one. Most of the criticism seems to be based on the assumption that, because of the price, the rifle can't be as good as the traditional, overpriced versions of the AR.

    The review linked by the OP seems to answer the question of whether a dust cover is really necessary (it's not). The scallop in the bolt is all the forward assist that you should need. If you need to exert more force than that, you shouldn't be forcing the issue.
    The BCG is standard LMT. The upper and lower receivers are 7075 T6 aluminum forged in house by S&W. The barrel has the same rifling as the Army's sniper rifle and melonite treatment has been demonstrated as early as 1967 in Army tests as providing wear resistance greatly superior to untreated barrels and close to chrome lined barrels.

    So, I'll take the Sport. In fact, I'll take two for the price of one Colt, Noveske or other "superior" model and, if I alternate shooting my two Sports, I strongly suspect that they'll both still be shooting when the "superior" model has given up the ghost.

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    The lower on the sport is nice with a built in extended trigger guard.

    I think the sport for the avg joe who wants an AR but doesnt want to spend gobs of money is a good choice. Heck SW has lifetime warranty

    I love my S&W not a single issue reported...dirty russian ammo doesnt affect its performance at all..its just asking...give me more

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by christcorp View Post
    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.
    Very well said.

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