Tell me the good and bad of the S&W M&P15 magpul

I have an M&P 15, had it for a couple of years now and it's been nothing but great. If you can get a discount on one then it's that much better. The MOE version comes already loaded with a few upgrades which is nice, the only downside being that the handguard doesn't allow you to attach a dizzying array of accessories to it, but if you're like me and that's not really your thing, then it won't matter. You can always change that later if you want. But I say if you like it, go for it and don't look back. It's a good rifle. Good luck!

I have a M&P15 OR. Great rifle. It's rigged with a 3x9x40 scope because it's set up as a predator rifle. It's light and handy and I'm not going to hang gadgets/junk off it. I have a free float tube coming and that's all I'm changing on the basic gun.

The MOE version comes already loaded with a few upgrades which is nice, the only downside being that the handguard doesn't allow you to attach a dizzying array of accessories to it, but if you're like me and that's not really your thing, then it won't matter.

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It's pretty easy to attach rail sections (sold by Magpul) to the MOE handgaurd. You can hang mall ninja accessories off of it until your heart is content.

I have a MOE model, and it's been absolutely flawless. Seeral thousand rounds down the pipe, and not a single malfunction...

S&W is the best of the consumer brands. It should serve you well. And the Magpul gear is great (If not my personal choice).

For the money I like the slightly less expensive M&P15T (811041) with the free floating quad rail (because it's free floating, more than railed), MagPul MBUS front & rear sights, and 1:8 twist 5R rifled Melonited bbl. The 1:8 twist on the T vs. the 1:9 twist on the MOE gives you a little more versatility with heavier bullets. I also like the Melonite surface treatment & 5R rifling better than hard chroming a conventionally rifled bbl. Otherwise I'd save some more money by buying an M&P15 Sport (you should be able to get one for well under $600 with your employee discount), and adding the MOE Furniture Kit myself for $80. The Sport has the same bbl. as the higher priced T as well.

The good: they are cheap, they have a properly staked gas key, a melonite coated gov't profile barrel, and 5R rifling. Pretty good quality for the money.

The bad: They don't have chrome lined barrels, they don't have a HPT and MPI bolt, and the twist is 1/9 instead of 1/7, so you can't shoot some of the heavier bullets.

Read up a bit more on the melonite . Only thing harder is a diamond.

The good: they are cheap, they have a properly staked gas key, a melonite coated gov't profile barrel, and 5R rifling. Pretty good quality for the money.

The bad: They don't have chrome lined barrels, they don't have a HPT and MPI bolt, and the twist is 1/9 instead of 1/7, so you can't shoot some of the heavier bullets.

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Sir, you are confused. All S&W M&P15 production for the past several years has HPT/MPI Bolts. The two models (Sport & T) with Melonite 5R rifled barrels are 1:8 twist. The other models have conventionally rifled 1:9 twist barrels which are indeed hard chrome lined.

I just bought the same gun you're looking at. This is my first AR, so my opinion isn't worth much. But my friend who is very knowledgeable tried to talk me out of it before I got it. But after he shot it, he was very pleased.

I'll throw my two cents in about it. The M&P-15 is a very good AR for the money. If you are a fan of the platform and looking to spend less than $800ish there are few others with as good a reputation and probably no others with as good customer service. Given the criteria, I would suggest you buy one.

MAGPUL makes some very nice AR accessories and the quality is pretty darn good too. My only suggestion is check online for prices. Cabela's and other box stores aren't known for having the best prices on most guns. Even with your discount, it maybe cheaper to buy it elsewhere. Then buy it wherever you get the best deal or prefer to do business.

My M&P 15 MOE has performed flawless. Ran it at a Kyle Defoor Carbine class and had no malfunctions or issues. I did put a MI handguard on mine. I think if it can be found for a good price then its good to go. If its up near 1k then I'd look at BCM or Colt.

henschman said:

The good: they are cheap, they have a properly staked gas key, a melonite coated gov't profile barrel, and 5R rifling. Pretty good quality for the money.

The bad: They don't have chrome lined barrels, they don't have a HPT and MPI bolt, and the twist is 1/9 instead of 1/7, so you can't shoot some of the heavier bullets.

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1/7 barrels overstabilize some 55 grain and lighter bullets, which causes faster deceleration, loss of accuracy, and a reduction in reliable expansion.

I've used the issue furniture for 22 years, and I've yet to understand why Magpul is considered an "upgrade." In this specific case, the furniture doesn't function any differently, and brings very little to improving the operators use of the carbine.

Accuracy is barrel, ammo, and optic first and foremost. Furniture is just customizing the fit, which basically means the shooter doesn't have to perform as many repetitions to get used to it. Practice long enough, however, and their skill level overcomes any slight mismatch. Humans adapt.

There's no guarantee that the shape of the Magpul product is optimal, either. You'd have to go thru a lot of different variations and ammo to prove it. What's left is that it doesn't look "issue," which is in the beholders eye. The Magpul handguard is just a style copy of the FN Para handguard, which was issue. So much for that.

Some of their products offer serious upgrades in performance - Pmags easily come to mind. That doesn't mean they won't offer a product just to sell it, however. Iphone cases aren't really a tactical accessory on a product that doesn't protect the screen.

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Yeah lots of people do not have good results shooting heavier than 62 grain out of a 1/9 barrel. 1/8 is the perfect twist for the AR IMO... it will stabilize anything from the 55 grain surplus to any of the heavier stuff that will still fit in an AR mag. I wish there were more 1/8's out there, and I wish somebody would make a chrome lined GI profile one in that twist.

As for the guy who said S&W's are now being HPT and MPI tested, do you have a source for this info?

Yeah melonite is better than a plain old CM barrel in that it will last longer, but it still doesn't last as long as hard chrome plating, and doesn't have the same friction and corrosion reducing properties.

As for the guy who said S&W's are now being HPT and MPI tested, do you have a source for this info?

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S&W reps, a former S&W exec who's a friend, and the MP marked bolts in my S&Ws.

Yeah melonite is better than a plain old CM barrel in that it will last longer, but it still doesn't last as long as hard chrome plating, and doesn't have the same friction and corrosion reducing properties.

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What S&W calls Melonite is Black Nitride. Nitriding actually does reduce friction, inhibits corrosion, and doesn't have the dimensional variances caused by plating an over sized bore down to size. AAC is using nitride on their .300 Blackout barrels, and THR member rsilvers (head of R&D for the Blackout at AAC) has stated in another thread that AAC is getting 60% greater life from nitrided bores than hard chromed.

Yeah it reduces friction and corrosion somewhat, but not as well as chrome lining, which is why I said it doesn't have the same properties. Get both dirty and run a cleaning patch down each, and you will definitely know which one has the chrome lined barrel.

It is not accurate to generalize that chrome barrels are inaccurate. There are a lot of high quality chrome lined barrels out there turning in sub MOA groups. The FN SCAR, LMT MWS, and Criterion's barrels for the .308 AR and M-14, to name a few. In fact Criterion states on their website that they get no reduction in accuracy with their CL barrels over their CM versions. Interesting that AAC is reportedly getting longer life out of nitrided barrels than chrome with .300 BLK. I wonder if that has to do with the velocity of that particular cartridge. I have heard differing accounts on the relative life of the two.

Interesting that AAC is reportedly getting longer life out of nitrided barrels than chrome with .300 BLK. I wonder if that has to do with the velocity of that particular cartridge.

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LWRC has stated that they also get longer life on their nitrided 5.56 / .223 Barrels.

It is not accurate to generalize that chrome barrels are inaccurate.

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Never said they all weren't. Just said nitriding eliminates the possibility of dimensional variance.

Yeah it reduces friction and corrosion somewhat, but not as well as chrome lining, which is why I said it doesn't have the same properties. Get both dirty and run a cleaning patch down each, and you will definitely know which one has the chrome lined barrel.

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That's a broad generalization too. HK has used nitriding on their rifle barrels for decades now. Nitriding has to be done properly, just like hard chrome lining.