Alright guys, hopefully sometime this year I'll be able to pick up my first AR. I've looked at a lot of the offerings that are out there and right now it seems to me that the S&W M&P15 sport is going to be the best fit for what I need. I figured I'd come to the masters to see if there was anything I needed to know that might change my mind.

I vote do a little bit more research on Ar15's. When you feel like you learned a few things , pick out what parts you want and build your own rifle. You can get some decent parts for good prices. Also, when the gun is fully built, you will know they gun pretty well and for me, I love the gun just a bit more knowing it wasnt pre-built buy someone at a factory

I considered building my own, but considering my general newbishness I figured I might be better off getting something that had a warranty still...

 

Nothing wrong with the M&P Sport; many here sing its praises.  

Dont do it!

Because.........?

 

I have a M&P 15 ORC that i bought 6 months ago.... been shootin the shit out of it. 1000+ rounds and not a single hiccup yet, no FTF, FTE, Nothing. Eats everything i load into it.  solid rifle for the price, just my opinion

I'm a noob to AR's too, and I had the dilemma of whether to buy a complete rifle or to build my own, and I sorta took the middle option: I "built" my rifle from components.  Got a complete lower, stripped upper, and bought the BCG and CH separately.  That way, I could get the parts I wanted, but didn't have to take the risk of building it for my first rifle.

Can't really tell ya how well it worked because I haven't gotten it in yet, but just giving you another option.  I have high hopes lol

Do it!

Many choices you can go.

1. buy complete rifle, have a warranty and no fuss on building. But when you do have to strip it down for lube and maintenance which you will need to do, you will still have to find info/guides on how to do this either way.

2. buy a used complete rifle, (not sure if they have warranties that transfer on some), cheaper, has a few miles on it/breakin already done for you.

3. buy parts and build it yourself, one way is buying from the EE on the top right, or parts from the official manufacturer.

I was in your same shoes about 2 months ago, I had 2 complete rifles I had my eyes on, I was also looking for budget S&W, and Windham Weaponry (Bushmaster before) since they are local to me in Maine, both I believe are around the $600'ish range out of box minus optics/do dads etc. But after reading here and more research in a weeks time, I decided to build, for several reasons.
1. better parts, with more customization.
2. more experience and knowledge on the rifle and less chance of me doing something stupid,
3. its in my dna to take shit apart (as a child sometimes not being able to put it back together), I enjoy using my hands and building.

What I finally ended up building was: a PSA AR-15 basically.
Specs:
PSA light weight middy upper, 1:7 twist, CHF machine gun steel (same stuff used in M249's)
PSA Lower Stripped
PSA LPK+Geissele SSA
PSA H Buffer
EOTech 552 (used from the EE and very happy)
Magpul CTR Stock/HG/AFG/Grip/BUIS/Rail for 90Lumen light I bought from gunshow which works also on the shotgun/glock

Simple, nothing fancy, fast, short/med range (HD/Range/Plink), I bought/designed around what I can carry and defend and get out quick.

Note: it seems that many parts and pieces are backordered, I would suggest getting on the ball soon, else you will have to wait for several months for something to even be in stock before shipping, complete rifles can also be bought quicker but at a co$t and maybe not something you initially wanted. Complete rifles also might be more than a built rifle give or take shipping into consideration. I was aware it would cost more with what I finally made but I am also happier then buying complete. Everyone is different. Hope this helps.

Shoot straight.

i just got the railed version this week. love it so far.  couldnt really afford it, but pulled the trigger anyway.  glad now that i did.

LOL, cause you wanted me to talk you out of it!

If you're going to buy a $650 rifle and put a $400-$600 optic on it, I personally would just spend the $1000-$1100 on a nicer stick and just shoot irons. But that's just my opinion on the matter.

The Sport is ok for the money, BUT I highly recommend saving up and buying a Colt 6920 or LMT Defender in the $900-$1000 range. You won't be sorry.  
 

because!

i couldn't talk you out of it, great rifle at a great price

i think you should get what you want the first time.

i was going to drop about 600-800 on a rifle, then as i read more and more i saw what you were paying for.

is the barrel 4140 Chromolly Steel? 4150? does it matter to you?
what about m4 feed ramps? what about chrome lined barrel?

there is an article on here that talks about all the specs of all the rifles (at that time) and breaks it down to make things a little more clear as to what you are getting.

I was surprised at what i read.

i think for the money, if you are not getting a colt, the cmmg and bushmaster are some damn good rifles. I personally bought a colt, why u ask, because i wanted to buy only 1 rifle, i didnt want to take on a build, and i know that when it comes to SHTF situation, i know my colt will not let me down. but i am also a brand whore.

for the money i couldve got 3 or 4 guns, but i like quality, and i love my colt.


Link

i think that is the link that breaks it down better, some people on here are gun nutz and they did some serious leg work. there is a bunch of info on here, takes a while to find, but still good info.

i dont know when it was last updated, but it teaches you a lot, especially about what you are paying for, it might make it easier to part with more money when you see what it is going towards

Yeah, I've talked to a lot of guys that basically said, "well, once you start adding stuff on, you might as well start with the best rifle you can get in the first place." While I get the concept, I'm not coming from a place where I can just make a quick jump from a $600 rifle to a $1,200 rifle. Would I love to have a Daniel Defense V3, Barrett Rec7, or some other AR that's sweetness incarnate? Absofreakingloutely. But like I said, it's just not realistic for me right now.

 

Nothing wrong with the Sport.  I personally don't like the fact that they are missing the dustcover but it's not a deal-breaker.  It's really just me being vain and picky.  Kind of like buying a new car and being annoyed with it all the time because you were too cheap to add the power windows and door locks for the few hundred extra.

I see nothing wrong with the Smith's.  I think the new Magpul edition they have is really badass.  If I were to buy the Sport I would shoot the shit out of it, and eventually change out the upper receiver for one with a dust cover...............You know,....when you add all of your other mods you will want to have by then.

Think of it as buying a modern AR Stoner proto type rifle without forward assist and dust cover as they were originally built, a piece of history.

For what you are looking for and what you are describing, sounds like the Sport is the right choice. The problem is going to be locating one in stock. The last 3 I've found were sold before they were checked in.

The S&W Sport lacks a forward assist, dust cover, and chrome lined barrel, I may not "need" those features, but want them on my AR.
For about $150 more than the S&W Sport, the Windham SRC has those features; Wal-Mart sells them for ~$800.
The Windham also has M4 feed ramps, 4150 barrel steel and a lifetime warranty.
If you don't mind typical AR features missing, go for the S&W Sport.

There is a lot of truth to this.  There is nothing wrong with the Sport, in fact it is probably one of the better true entry level options.  However, for 0-200 you will do just fine with iron sights and you really open up a lot of options as your budget inches toward $1000.  Personally, the only thing missing from the Sport that concerns me is the chrome-lined barrel.  It aides in cleaning and improves extraction reliability –– two big things in my book.  For me, you get the best "bang for the buck" by buying factory built complete uppers and factory built complete lowers, but not necessarily a complete rifle.  Using that method you can put together something really nice for just under a grand.  Look at PSA, PK Firearms, DS Arms, AIM, Rainier, and Surplus Arms and Ammo.

Edit: was not aware that the barrel was melonite.  That said, the Sport is a fine choice.  I would probably still build my funds to get closer to a grand and get a bit higher grade, but that's just me.

I just got MY M&P Sport Yesterday





will SHOOT it tomorrow



am VERY happy to Finaly find one IN STOCK.... its my 3rd AR15...



Just get what makes YOU happy and Can afford... then go BALLISTIC like i have and own WAY TOOOOO MANY





LOL
Stav


 

The M&P sport has a Melonite lined barrel instead of chrome lined. I am sure it does pretty well.

Here is a link that talks some about Melonite:
Link

I almost got a M&P sport and I am sure they are great rifles, but not having a dust cover was the deal breaker for me. Even though most say it's really not needed, but for me it was.

For what you want, the Sport is just fine.  Is it mil-spec? No, but it is probably the best "hobby grade" rifle out there in it's price range.  Overlooking the lack of the dustcover (Which is really not required for most applications) and forward assist (Which Stoner's original design never had and early military weapons did not have, but was added at the request of the Army.  If you need to gently nudge the bolt into battery, that is what the big scalloped cut out on the bolt carrier is for, just push on it with your thumb.  If that does not work you're better off sling shotting the charging handle to get rid of the problem round before it makes a bigger problem.) the Sport actually has some nice features.

Thompson Center manufactured 1:8 5R Melonite treated 4140 barrel (not as good as chrome lined 4150 CMV, but probably more durable than unlined 4150 CMV, will handle any round you are likely to encounter and tends to be accurate.)
M4 feed ramps on upper and barrel extension.
Brass deflector.
"F" marked front sight base.
High quality bolt carrier group (properly staked, HPT/MPI bolt, but carrier is a semi-auto carrier)
Mil-spec receiver extension with castle nut properly staked.
Excellent lower receiver (some may not care for the forged integral trigger guard, but it makes the lower stronger and has a similar profile to the Magpul trigger guards)
Comes with MBUS and PMAG, so ready to go out of the box.
For those that it matters to, fit and finish are excellent.
Lifetime warranty and S&W is reputed to have very good customer service.

Only complaint I have is with the handguards.  They work and I prefer the smaller diameter CAR type handguards that are included, but they do lack any heat sheilding.  Not unusable, but definitely wear some gloves if you are going to do any long strings with it.

After you get it and shoot awhile, you may want to swap the slick side upper with one that has FA and a dustcover.  Cheap and very easy to do and no worries about the FA working, as the BCG in the Sport is the same one they use in all of their M&P 15s.

All of this being said, I will caveat that I would probably save another few months and get a Colt for ~$1050, but if you are going to take that price difference and invest into a good sling, a white light and ammo (possibly some training) then you are on track with your choice for the Sport.

The correct answer.

Buying the Sport will get you a factory assembled rifle with a warranty, something you won't have if you assemble one from parts.

How many of the factory-built rifles mentioned as alternatives in this thread have a milspec-dimension receiver extension with a properly-staked nut?

A chromelined barrel gives you no demonstrable advantage over the Melonited 5R barrel on the Sport.  I would also argue that 4150 steel provides no advantage whatsoever over 4140 when used on a non-select fire rifle.  Furthermore, a 1/8 twist is probably preferable to 1/7 for the vast majority of shooters.  You should be aware, however, that the barrel profile on the Sport is slightly heavier than other rifles, which might make a difference to the weight-sensitive.

For the vast majority of shooters in any realistic scenario, the lack of removable trigger guard, dust cover, and forward assist will never make a difference.  However, if the lack of the last two bothers you (it did me), it's a relatively cheap and easy fix.  Handguards are a non-issue; many folks replace them anyway.

I bought mine right after they were introduced, and got it for about $550.  I made a few changes and added a couple things, and I have been very happy with it.  As a matter of comparison, I have owned Colt rifles for nearly 30 years, and have owned rifles from other manufacturers as well.  The Sport is a very good value.

I liked mine while I had it.

I would NEVER hesitate if I found another for sale.

Absolutely no reason not to buy it. Dust cover and forward assist are unnecessary for most any purposes.

If my memory serves me correctly ....

The M16 was originally designed to use a nitro-carburized /melonited barrel and the design was changed because the DOD wanted a chrome lined barrel. It seems that the chroming process was cheaper than the nitro-carburizing process.

Now the nitro-carburizing process is less expensive than the chroming process.

The S&W Sport is a great basic beginners carbine and the price is very good.

Has anyone tried finding parts recently - prices are up - way up - if u can find the parts at all ...

That was a long time ago and far far away.

Just an old man's opinion ...