Replace just barrel or entire upper?

[opngrnd]

Easy route? Sell current upper at fair price and buy new upper. No gunsmithing, no buying tools, and someone else gets to get into their first AR at a decent price. There's enough life left in the upper to be someone else's first carbine.

[ace4059]

Doesn’t S&W still have a lifetime warranty? I know they use to have great warranties and I remember S&W replacing barrels that were shot out for free. They even replaced some of the guys AR 5.45 barrels. Even Stag will do a free barrel replacement on their guns if you shoot it out.
I would inquire about the barrel to S&W when accuracy degrades.
Just a thought.

[sinister]

If you can change the oil in your car you can change a rifle barrel. Way cheaper than buying a new upper and selling off the old one. New bolt at the end of your third barrel.

Once you have the tools you can do your others if you ever shoot another out.

Quick fix:

quick fix.jpg

[turnburglar]

I don't get the impression that the OP is the type that can or would change the oil in their own car.


OP- 5k rounds is just getting the party started with a nitride barrel. Dont replace anything. Just keep shooting.

[17K]

Those nitride M&P barrels are generally super accurate and cut correctly. I went through a sheriff’s department few of them this past year and they were all still running fine one the original wore-out springs and car buffers.

[LowSpeed_HighDrag]

Plenty of great barrels that also come with heads paced bolts on the market. Criterion, noveske, ballistic advantage, etc. Can really make a mediocre upper into a great upper, both reliability and accuracy wise. It's not hard, but you need the right tools for sure.

[MSW]

There’s a money & time commitment to home gunsmithing, so the easy way is to send it back to S&W when the barrel won’t hit crap, or buy a barrel & send it to John Thomas at Retro Arms work—no financial relationship—just a satisfied customer. There are several threads on him here & the Retro section of TOS.

Back in the day, I took an armorer’s course & invested the time & money because I enjoy doing it. But, I have seen people who screw things up based on YT video, then bring bubbified parts to get it done proper at a local store.

[DoubleW]

Just send it in to S&W. They’ll replace it for free and ship it back. Use that lifetime warranty they advertise. I know a guy who shoots out his M&P barrel every couple of years. He sends it in, they rebarrel it and ship it back. Free of charge, no questions asked.