I just bought two of those bad boys today. Would have bought three if funds would have allowed. I'll just sit on them and see what happens with the market. SW is a quality AR. All you guys who talk about BCM and Spikes having better this or better that may be right; or maybe not. However, I doubt hardly any of you will ever use your AR in an environment where it matters if your steel is 4150 or 4140, if your barrel is a 1:7 or 1:9 twist, etc.. Even the guys who go to combat are using ARs that the BCM, LMT, Spikes and other "mil-spec" crowd would consider inferior. I have had the M&P AR-15 Optics Ready model in the past and kicked myself for selling it. It is a fine rifle. I paid $1,100 for it at Academy during the height of the craze in May 2009. I don't think it is a stretch to see those prices, or higher, in the not-so-distant future.
But I digress, I talked to my local gun shop who has an account with CDNN. They are a quality outfit. CDNN is selling these for below their cost. Recently a distributor was selling some Bushmasters for $425 and some Taurus handguns, autos I think, for $200 that retailed for $675. He bought one to see if this was the real deal. When he saw they were, he called to order ten more and Academy had bought them all up.
I think we are seeing the effect of the initial Obama scare and the aftermath of him pulling a slight of hand. I guess for better or for worse he decided to steal our healthcare instead of our guns. But make no mistake, if we don't get the House back in November he will run of things to occupy him and eventually be forced to loook our way to pacify the far left who are very angry at him right now.