M&P Sport and sustained combat

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In what scenario does an angry mob care to go out to a rural farm? ...and care to engage in a prolonged action....when the farmer doesn't even have enough loot to afford a $1K AR. So, I'm guessing there's no Rolls Royce in the garage. I mean, what's the imaginary motivation?

OP, not to say you don't want a nice rifle for use on your farm; but to start your criteria with the delusion that a mob would care enough about you or your farm is a serious stretch.

Have you heard of the literary device called "paralipsis"? It's been used since ancient Greece.

/end rant.
 
Well Saddlebag Preacher, I will never question any reason anyone wants a firearm. Frankly it isn't my concern. I would have never believed that turmoil could strike domestically, until I had seen first hand what happened after Katrina. I will not ever roll my eyes for anyone's reasons or fears. Good for you for wanting one for defense. The M&P Sport is a fine rifle and I honestly believe it will serve you well if ever the time comes. As with any, practice, practice, and more practice will be your best friend. Let me know what you decide.
 
"In what scenario does an angry mob care to go out to a rural farm? ...and care to engage in a prolonged action....when the farmer doesn't even have enough loot to afford a $1K AR. So, I'm guessing there's no Rolls Royce in the garage. I mean, what's the imaginary motivation?"

Read news and blog accounts of what happened during Argentina during the last decade as they underwent economic collapse. Ferfal's blog is a great place to start. A rural farm, if even moderately isolated, is an easy target. What might they want? Food, fuel, tools, tangible resources.

Regarding the sport - I decided on them after a prolonged mental debate going back and forth between a sport and a mini-14 (newer series). Folks on the internet always gripe about the price of a mini and its poor accuracy. I found the price of the rifle itself very competitve (you can get a brand new tactical from CDNN for $599) and the accuracy great according to people that actual owned them and bench tested them - any limiation on accuracy would probably be due to me, not the mini. I decided on the sport due simply to parts availability and ease of parts replacement. It's my understanding that it's far more difficult to replace a firing pin in a mini for example. Everybody seems to have an AR, parts are ubiquitous, and my neighbor has a side business building custom AR's and would help me out.

So, I think you dead nuts on with motivation and couldn't go wrong with the sport.
 
In what scenario does an angry mob care to go out to a rural farm? ...and care to engage in a prolonged action....when the farmer doesn't even have enough loot to afford a $1K AR. So, I'm guessing there's no Rolls Royce in the garage. I mean, what's the imaginary motivation?
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Actually, farm equipment can be as expensive as a Rolls Royce and is not infrequently stolen - tractors, combines, trailers, livestock - all of these things have value and if you need them to operate a farm, it doesn't leave a lot of spare cash to plan for less probable contingencies.
 
Actually, farm equipment can be as expensive as a Rolls Royce and is not infrequently stolen - tractors, combines, trailers, livestock - all of these things have value and if you need them to operate a farm, it doesn't leave a lot of spare cash to plan for less probable contingencies.
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Yup. A Massey 8690 tractor runs $245K.

massey-ferguson-8690-06.jpg

Other large farm equipment like that can easily cost more per unit than the average house. Most people have no appreciation for how expensive industrial and agricultural machinery is.
 
If you are that worried about a little dust getting in the action as it hangs in the rack in your truck window just put a piece of painters tape over the port with one of the ends folded back over to form a rip off tab.
 
The OP's question is valid in my mind. He simply wants to know if the M&P would withstand a gun fight if needed. I agree that it would. As some suggested, testing the rifle with a 1 or 2 day course OR just fire 300 rounds throught it to confirm. Shoot to test contributes to the fun of firearms. I know you didn't ask but this thought crossed my mind......... Living on a farm with wide open space,I would want something with a little more range to it, say a 7.62X51MM or .308 LR. I'd go more of the battle rifle fit.
 
Read all the replies, most were valid... Considered the scenario, and yes, there might come a time when defending your holdings becomes a necessity (hurricane Andrew is long enough ago that most may not realize just how bad things got down here afterwards.... thank heavens I lived north of that area....). Reliability as well as utility are prime considerations in a weapons purchase for defensive purposes -and it's very smart to consider them long before the issue becomes reality.

As for myself, a Vietnam vet, and former cop.... all things considered, when it comes to defending your holdings, I'd rather be somewhere else.... I've got a pretty good idea of what it might actually require and I'd really like to live the rest of my years without such stuff. I really did like the part that you'll be able to find your choice of weapons "laying around" if a real conflict occurs. The dead and dying won't even notice.
 
Gee, haven't you seen all the end world, alien invasion, zombie, power out for 15 years shows on TV, they gotta be real..:banghead:

OK, before this gets silly, I was just asking about the real world durability of the gun. I may have mispoke about the mob, but I think a real possibility of the city hoopdie-gang pulling up in a couple of cars with 5 or 6 guys carrying some gas cans and their street bought sk's and ak's headed for my 200 gal gravity fed gas storage tank. I'm not really scared of anything, just wanted to be a little more prepared.

Look, I see people getting shot EVERY night in Louisville and the weapons used are always more than I can afford. They show the glocks, sigs, and recently high capacity shotguns and AK's seem to be the choice now with taped together mags. So I'd be a little behind with my Markin 336 or my Auto 12 guage. I'm not talking about fighting a war, just an armed tresspass.

And yes, my neighbors are thinking the same thing. We already carry CCW, some of us have military/LE training, but we are getting older so upgrading is a reasonable thing.

And yes, I have a farm and can't afford $1000.00 right now. That's the real world, drought this year..so on and so on. I'm sure eventually the mall ninja's would eventually realize that McDonalds uses beef, and beef comes from cows, and cows come from....gasp...a farm.:eek:

I'm sure it will never happen, I trust in the One who created me, but I just think preperation is good.

Thanks for the replys.
 
Depending on who you talk to, an M&P sport will either run for 10K rounds like a flawless top without so much as walking near a bottle of remoil... or it will jam up solid halfway through a 100 round magazine...

Personally, knowing that the weapon came originally without certain features that were later added in to resolve issues... and then were taken back out to save money during manufacturing... I'd want the features.
 
If you make it past the first gunfight you'll have more than enough options to choose from.

But don't let common sense get in the way of any SHTF fantasy scenarios......
 
I don't doubt people are running M&P rifles in competition.

S&W rifles look like a god buy for the money. There are cheaper ways to get into an AR but none involve a warranty.
 
I saw Los Angeles on fire, so wanting to prepare seems reasonable to me.

What I don't get, though is the comment, "...McDonalds uses beef...". Now that's crazy talk.
Mauserguy
 
ClickClickD'oh said:
Depending on who you talk to, an M&P sport will either run for 10K rounds like a flawless top without so much as walking near a bottle of remoil... or it will jam up solid halfway through a 100 round magazine...

Personally, knowing that the weapon came originally without certain features that were later added in to resolve issues... and then were taken back out to save money during manufacturing... I'd want the features.
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Do you believe a forward assist and dust cover, plus a couple cents worth of chrome lining are worth several hundred dollars?

I prefer Melonite, and have never used not needed FA or DC.

Keep the features.
 
A mini is probably better for neglect. By this I mean riding around in the dusty cab of truck, no PMCS/lube for an extended period of time. AR is probably better for abuse (think high round count but reasonable use of lube and cleaning). For 99% of all uses, either will suffice nicely.
 
while a sport very well may hold up why settle for a cost cutting bonanza when a PSA can be had for similar money without sacrificing sub-optimal material usage or corner cutting testing?

doesn't make sense to me at this day and age.

while I absolutely understand budget I also understand value.
 
I live on a ranch in west texas, so this may not apply to you. I haul my ar around everywhere on the ranch. It rides on the 4 wheeler and in my truck. It goes a while without being cleaned. This is an extremely dusty environment and an ar without a dust cover becomes useless pretty darn quick. If I ever leave the dust cover open by accident when I'm out working cattle or sheep, It won't even begin to chamber after the first shot. And before anyone chimes in with "you're probably not lubing it correctly" I use break free clp and keep it lubed properly. I'm just not one to buy something that is lacking an "important to me" part because it is 100 bucks cheaper than the next one. I believe del-ton has one similar for around the same price with a dust cover. I'd buy that one.
 
SpentCasing said:
while a sport very well may hold up why settle for a cost cutting bonanza when a PSA can be had for similar money without sacrificing sub-optimal material usage or corner cutting testing?

doesn't make sense to me at this day and age.

while I absolutely understand budget I also understand value.
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Depends on if the OP wants to wait a month.

The PSA IS NOT similar money. Close, but this isn't horseshoes or hand grenades.
 
After seeing people try to get the Sport to quit running, and Guns and Ammos torture test, I am confident S&W have the rifle right. It is designed to run with no dust cover or FA. If you have not read it, check out the Guns & Ammo AR magazine (red cover with an HK MR556 on the front). They ran thousands of rounds through it with so much as wiping it down in the desert. It never faltered. The reason was explained that since S&W now makes uppers,lowers and most other parts in house, the tolerances and fit of the parts can be better than a lot of others who have to buy lowers from one of the handful of companies that make them. Who knows. I have a friend, who is an instructor and custom rifle builder, he tried to stop a Sport from running under normal to combat conditions. After a four day torture test( consisted of pouring fine sand and dirt in the action and water in the action) it kept running. It actually impressed me. He is also a veteran of the sandbox and could not believe the reliability.

To make a long story short, I have seen mil spec M-16's and M4's fail under less and I have seen some that should have failed that would not. Do I think there is a difference in these and the Sport, yes.. but the Sport is a lot tougher than I ever imagined. I would rather have a DD or HK, but the Sport has the budget reliability market pretty much covered.
 
Its going to come down to which side has more fire power than what type of rifle you have. Since the mob will probably have ARs too, whoever comes out in higher numbers flinging more lead is going to win.
 
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