View Full Version : S&W MP15-OR
cherokee5425
09-08-09, 19:15
Hi, about a year ago I bought a S&W MP15 Optics Ready. I have only about 100 rds thru it and really like it. I have read on other forums about a guy whose S&W MP15 Blowing up. I was just wondering what experiances members here have had and would appreciate your opinions on S&W MP15's. Thanks very much.
Here's a link to the forum about the MP15 that blew up on the 27th round.
http://www.defensivecarry.com/vbulletin/defensive-rifles-shotgun-discussion/80841-s-w-m-p-15-exploded.html
My first AR was a S&W MP15OR. I bought it from Budsgunshop. I had no problems with the transaction.
The rifle currently has a little over two thousand rounds in it without a single misfeed or malfunction that was the rifles fault. My first day at the range, I double fed it once by riding the charging handle part way and recharging it to create the double feed. In all fairness I haven't run it very hard either.
With the stock trigger group I get 2.5-4 inch 10 shot groups at 100 yards with PMC Bronze and Privi Partizan 69 gr OTM (all .223). Optic is a Eotech 512 with an el cheapo Mako 5x magnifier. I get worse groupings, about 4+ inches, using Remington (green and white box) .223 ammo.
I got rid of the large steel gas block that the gun comes with because it makes the rifle extremely front heavy and replaced it with an aluminum one. I also free floated the barrel with a YHM diamond cut spectre length rail. I probably wouldn't buy YHM again though, it's good for the price, but as some other forum members put it, less refined than most other companies offerings.
The rifle will not kaboom on you.
ETA: unless as others have mentioned, bad ammo or maybe bad luck.
Run poor quality ammo that is prone to bullet setback and you can obviously blow anything up.
huntwithfoxx
09-08-09, 20:36
Hi, about a year ago I bought a S&W MP15 Optics Ready. I have only about 100 rds thru it and really like it. I have read on other forums about a guy whose S&W MP15 Blowing up. I was just wondering what experiances members here have had and would appreciate your opinions on S&W MP15's. Thanks very much.
Here's a link to the forum about the MP15 that blew up on the 27th round.
http://www.defensivecarry.com/vbulletin/defensive-rifles-shotgun-discussion/80841-s-w-m-p-15-exploded.html
Wow.I was just looking at a S&W M&P 15 OR yesterday for 799.00 + tax.Now I don't know if it would be worth it.:confused:
It can happen to any rifle.
goodoleboy
09-08-09, 21:06
The S&W MP15 isn't the Cadillac of ARs, but they are far from the Clunker either. My best advice is to consult the infamous comparison chart. The S&W's bbl steel is of lower quality than some of the competitors, but unless you plan on running the absolute shit out of it, you'll probably never know the difference.
I don't own a MP15, but the reason isn't because of the performance, I just don't like the logo on the mag well (which seems strange, because I own a Colt 6920), but I just didn't like the S&W MP15 logo.
The MP15 barrel definitely heats up faster than my DDM4. At this point in the evolution of my weapons knowledge, I definitely would strive to buy top tier rifles...DD, LMT, BCM, Colt, Noveske, KAC, Larue. The extra money is worth the peace of mind.
The barrel wouldnt stop me from getting one unless your going to take it to war and i still wouldnt hesitate. An average citizan wouldnt shoot it enough to know. I had one for a year now and havent had any issues at all. My freind has a colt that i shoot with and the colt isnt any better than mine, actually mine is more accurate and the upper and lower is tighter.
I have one. I run it pretty good - ~150 rounds a week; ~3,000 so far. Not a hiccup that was the guns fault.
The barrel wouldnt stop me from getting one unless your going to take it to war and i still wouldnt hesitate. An average citizan wouldnt shoot it enough to know. I had one for a year now and havent had any issues at all. My freind has a colt that i shoot with and the colt isnt any better than mine, actually mine is more accurate and the upper and lower is tighter.
I agree with you. I don't have a problem with mine at all. It has zero problems. It is my first AR that I learned from. My only point is that many of the upper tier ARs have come way down in price. I purchased my DDM4 for $1300 which is equal to or slightly more than the S&W MP15T. So price-wise if things were similar, I would take a DD over the SW any day.
My MP15 is next to my bed. That should tell you how much I trust it.
I remember reading somewhere where Larry Vickers said the S&W was a"best buy" in the AR market. Which I could find the source as it always runs through my mind when I look at M&Ps.
justin_247
09-09-09, 08:47
I remember reading somewhere where Larry Vickers said the S&W was a"best buy" in the AR market. Which I could find the source as it always runs through my mind when I look at M&Ps.
I doubt he's saying that now that he works with Daniel Defense and now that the DDXV can be had for around $1000.
Wow.I was just looking at a S&W M&P 15 OR yesterday for 799.00 + tax.Now I don't know if it would be worth it.:confused:
Oh come on! Some guy with less then 10 posts posts this, and your going to change your mind? If you can find a OR for 799 take it. I absolutely love mine! And like people above me have said you put bad reloads into any AR and your going to have a problem in any gun, even a Noveske.
Would you mind telling me where you found it for 799.00? I would snap it up in a second.
Wow, I have an M&P15OR also, it's at S&W getting the gas block aligned. I couldn't zero windage without going about 10 clicks to right. It's been sitting in the shipping room for 1 week now. I've been calling and can't get them to throw it on a truck and give me tracking. So now I'm wondering.. are they intentionally holding because there are issues with these? I've got about 500 rounds of Remington UMC and the posts linked below says it's not so reliable.. not sure if they mean umc though.
So these M&P's can't be trusted to be safe?
http://tinyurl.com/n7d4y7
http://tinyurl.com/nn3gtl
RetreatHell
09-09-09, 13:23
Look, I have no intentions of buying an S&W M&P15, for personal reasons that I won't go into, but that have absolutely nothing to do with a fear of it blowing up or having some sort of catastrophic malfunction... I just don't want one. It's just not the rifle for me.
That said, there are a lot of users here who are apparently very satisfied with these rifles, as they are always constantly stating how pleased they are with them... to me that means that they are very decent, reliable rifles.
Not to mention that Costa and Haley from Magpul Dynamics are currently running them (last I heard they are still testing and evaluating them anyways), and while I'm assuming that S&W are one of the many companies that pay those guys to run their guns and gear in order to test and evaluate its durability, reliability, etc (and yes I'm sure it helps S&W sell more rifles when guys see Costa and Haley using M&P15's), regardless of any of the politics of that stuff I guarantee that the Magpul guys are running the living shit out of those guns.
I cannot remember exactly what Travis Haley said here in a thread on the subject, but (from what I remember) when speaking about the M&P15 he was/is evaluating for S&W, he basically said that it's a good rifle and it performs very well.
Although companies pay Magpul Dynamics to test and evaluate their guns and gear, I seriously doubt that they would jeopardize the credibility and integrity of their company by saying only good things about a company's guns and gear simply because that company paid them to test and evaluate it. I would also imagine that they would only say good things about a particular firearm or piece of gear they were testing if it was in fact a good piece of kit. If something they were testing and evaluating completely sucked ass, they most likely wouldn't even bring that product up in any forum or other media venue whatsoever... they would likely just keep their lips sealed regarding it.
These are all assumptions on my part, of course.
But if you are thinking about getting an S&W M&P15, and after reading about one guy's gun exploding you don't won't to buy one any more, I think that's just stupid. I mean seriously guys, it's one person's gun and we don't know all of the facts, regardless of his pics and statements about ammo and what "really happened." There's just no way to know all of that very pertinent info for sure.
Now if you don't want to buy one of these rifles because of what the chart says about it, that's fine and understandable... maybe you would prefer a carbine that's all "blue" and is of higher quality. But please don't let this one post make up your damn mind for you. Do some more research and think for yourselves.
looked at the photos. Isn't this what happens when you have a barrel obstruction? Like a squib round?
After sifting through the threads it seems more of an ammo issue than the ARs.
cherokee5425
09-09-09, 17:16
Thanks for everyone input. I realize I don't have alot of post's but I read the post often and learn alot form them. I also feel that the fella who's S&W MP15 blew up can probably be traced to his ammo. Anyway, Thanks to all.
I recently bought a S&W M&P15a. I got a good deal on it and thought it would be a better value than a Colt. I shot about 150 rounds of .223 Rem ammo and it ran fine. Accurate, very light and handy. I then started shooting Federal and Prvi 5.56x45mm ammo out of it. That's when I noticed a problem. The gun shot and ran fine, but if I tried to manually extract a live round using the charging handle, I had a lot of difficulty extracting the live round. It seemed like the cartridge was stuck in the chamber, even though when I pulled the triiger, the gun would cycle and eject the empty casing without any problems.
I cleaned the gun and the chamber very carefully, and went back to the range, but I still had the same problem. I suspect the gun has a problem with the 5.56 ammo, which is slightly longer than the commercial .223 Rem ammo I was using.
I called S&W this week and they are sending me a shipping label to have it returned to their factory for inspection. In the mean time, I bit the bullet and bought a Colt 6920. The local shop had cut their prices and although it cost a few hundred more than the S&W, so far the Colt has run like a top. The finish on the Colt is not as nice as the finish on the S&W, and the fit of the upper receiver to lower receiver does not seem as tight on the Colt as the S&W.
However, the Colt has a slightly nicer trigger action than the S&W. Plus, the Colt has been very reliable without any of the manual extraction issues that I've had with the S&W.
If I had to do it again, at this point in time, I would pick a Colt over the S&W. I had heard great things about S&W when I researched my purchase, but I think their rifles have had some quality issues recently (perhaps due to the post election rush to build as many guns as possible to meet demand).
The S&W is a good gun and it's finished better than the Colt. However, the Colt seems very durable and I seem to shoot it better. I think this is due in part to the better trigger action.
huntwithfoxx
09-09-09, 20:07
Oh come on! Some guy with less then 10 posts posts this, and your going to change your mind? If you can find a OR for 799 take it. I absolutely love mine! And like people above me have said you put bad reloads into any AR and your going to have a problem in any gun, even a Noveske.
Was there something wrong with my post?Yes I have found one at a gun shop 4 miles from my house.I would rather have a BCM from Grant,but I can't find a dealer willing to help me.
Wow, I have an M&P15OR also, it's at S&W getting the gas block aligned. I couldn't zero windage without going about 10 clicks to right. It's been sitting in the shipping room for 1 week now. I've been calling and can't get them to throw it on a truck and give me tracking. So now I'm wondering.. are they intentionally holding because there are issues with these? I've got about 500 rounds of Remington UMC and the posts linked below says it's not so reliable.. not sure if they mean umc though.
So these M&P's can't be trusted to be safe?
http://tinyurl.com/n7d4y7
http://tinyurl.com/nn3gtl
One thing I noticed about my zero with the MP15: With PMC Bronze and Prvi 69 gr OTMs the zero at one hundred yards is almost at the same place. Maybe about an inch difference. Using this zero, then switching the ammo to Remington UMC green box, the POI is over 4 inches to the right.
I repeated this test with my DDM4 and I didn't have such a large variation. The POI was maybe an inch to the right. Just something I noticed with the different ammo on the different gun.
Was there something wrong with my post?Yes I have found one at a gun shop 4 miles from my house.I would rather have a BCM from Grant,but I can't find a dealer willing to help me.
Yea if you have ever heard the term "confounding variable" the story of this particular gun fits the definition to the tee. you can buy what you want, but anyone that uses this one story as justification against a company is being rash and reactionary.
Buy what you want I don't care.
ThirdWatcher
09-10-09, 02:35
...I suspect the gun has a problem with the 5.56 ammo, which is slightly longer than the commercial .223 Rem ammo I was using.
I'm not saying your S&W is not having issues with yours, but my M&P-15A feeds .223 Remington and 5.56mm ammo reliably (and interchangeably). I don't know if it would matter in this case, but I do keep the bolt carrier group wet.
One thing I noticed about my zero with the MP15: With PMC Bronze and Prvi 69 gr OTMs the zero at one hundred yards is almost at the same place. Maybe about an inch difference. Using this zero, then switching the ammo to Remington UMC green box, the POI is over 4 inches to the right.
I repeated this test with my DDM4 and I didn't have such a large variation. The POI was maybe an inch to the right. Just something I noticed with the different ammo on the different gun.
The ammo might be part of the zero thing. I used a steel rule and aligned on the edge of top rail and extended to the edge of gas block. The gas block appeared to be out of alignment by about 1/32" or so. S&W has it now in their shipping room. I've been trying to get them to throw it on a truck since middle last week. They are busy.
I'm not saying your S&W is not having issues with yours, but my M&P-15A feeds .223 Remington and 5.56mm ammo reliably (and interchangeably). I don't know if it would matter in this case, but I do keep the bolt carrier group wet.
Hi ThirdWatcher - When I took my gun to the range, I always made sure the bolt and bolt carrier group was very lubed (dripping with lube), and the chamber clean and free of carbon and debris. Unfortunately, I still had problems manually extracting live 5.56 cartridges. Hopefully S&W will be able to diagnose and correct the issue.
RetreatHell
09-10-09, 11:39
Hi ThirdWatcher - When I took my gun to the range, I always made sure the bolt and bolt carrier group was very lubed (dripping with lube), and the chamber clean and free of carbon and debris. Unfortunately, I still had problems manually extracting live 5.56 cartridges. Hopefully S&W will be able to diagnose and correct the issue.
It should still be able to easily extract any round regardless of how nasty looking and filthy the chamber is. My chamber on one of my carbines has got all sorts of crud in it and it's good to go.
The only thing I might have tried before shipping it off to S&W is adding the BCM extractor upgrade kit (minus the black rubber o-ring, as it doesn't likely need it) and see if that fixed the problem. I wouldn't have put any more effort into it than that though, since it's a new rifle and everything. You were right to ship it off to S&W though, hopefully they will resolve the issue for good.
BTW I would go ahead and buy the BCM extractor upgrade kit anyways after you get your M&P15 back from S&W, as it's always great to have that added reliability.
Thanks for the tip RetreatHell. I will look into the BCM upgrade kit.
Do you think I should test my S&W M&P15a without the black rubber O-ring in place on the extractor? My Colt 6920 does not have the rubber O-ring and it extracts fine (manually and when firing).
RetreatHell
09-10-09, 15:09
Thanks for the tip RetreatHell. I will look into the BCM upgrade kit.
Do you think I should test my S&W M&P15a without the black rubber O-ring in place on the extractor? My Colt 6920 does not have the rubber O-ring and it extracts fine (manually and when firing).
Well, I was only referring to the BCM extractor upgrade when I said not to include the black rubber o-ring around the extractor spring, because it probably wouldn't need it. But if it was having a difficulty extracting, or you felt that the extraction was a little "weak," after installing the BCM upgrade kit, then I'd go ahead and use the black rubber o-ring.
However, if the bolt that came with your S&W M&P15 has an o-ring around the extractor spring, I would just leave it there since it came that way from S&W.
My reasoning for that is simply because when I asked a similar question to a much more experienced shooter on this forum about an internal part of my KAC rifle, he told me to just leave it the way it came because Knight's Armament included it, so that probably means I should just not mess with it.
So I'm basically just passing that same info on to you now. But I don't think it would be that big a deal if you just wanted to see how it performed without the o-ring in place, as you can always put it back on there easily.
Thanks RetreatHell. If I get a chance to go to the range this week, I'll try it without the O-ring.
huntwithfoxx
09-10-09, 19:37
Yea if you have ever heard the term "confounding variable" the story of this particular gun fits the definition to the tee. you can buy what you want, but anyone that uses this one story as justification against a company is being rash and reactionary.
Buy what you want I don't care.
I wasn't using that story for anything.I thought it may have happened some more.But,either way,you don't have to act the way you are.
richard_p54
09-12-09, 12:23
Good thread guys. I just got a S&W M&P15OR. I am not worried at all. Has anyone checked into other weapons that have gone Kaboom besides the S&W?
For instance:
http://www.quarterbore.com/ar15m16/ar15kaboom.html
I think I have read somewhere about a Bushmaster also......Anyway it is not just the S&W Ar's.......Anyway, Like this site this is my first post
I talked to S&W service dept while my m&p15OR was in for service, realigning the gas block.. should have it back monday. Anyhow, I brought up this subject. He said it's very very rare. Maybe 4 times a year, all S&W firearms. No fatalities. He said if it's an AR typically the lower blows out and bolt, causing no injuries. They inspect in lab, if it looks like it's a metallurgical issue, they go to next level to verify. I'm guessing mag particle and x-ray. If it's an ammo issue, which is typically the source responsible, result details goes to the ammo company to resolve. He said they usually replace firearm or cash back. Again, this is very very rare and not an S&W issue.
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