S&W M&P15 thoughts.

[RobertFBurnett]

Hello Rifle Gurus,

Wanted to throw out a thread to get your opinions on the S&W M&P15 series rifles.

A little background, I have never owned, shot, or touched a AR15, M16, M4gery, etc. I live in Los Angeles so there are some restrictions on them too. The other day I was at a gun store DROSing my new .44 and someone else comes in asking about ARs, and the gun shop owner says he can get the S&Ws, so that planted a thought in my head. Up until that point I had assumed I couldn't get a new one in L.A, something to do with naming loopholes...So heres the can-o-worms I am opening:

How are the Smith M&P15s? Are they a solid first AR style rifle? I am only going off of reputation so what makes any AR style a good rifle in the first place? The one at the gun store was flat topped so it did not have the handle looking thing...is that a better option to add red dot? Or are the iron sights still good? (Mind you I have seen experienced shooters shooting circles around a fist sized rock @ 100 yards, impressive for me as I am not a great shooter...yet. ) If its nothing spectacular and I am stuck with 10 round mags anyhow I'll just go with a lever action Marlin I wanted...I know they're completely different, but I'm a man of many tastes.

Thank you all in advance for helping with such a noob question,

RFB

 

[MaterDei]

They are fine rifles. They used to be made by Stag but are now made in house by S&W. They seem a bit on the high side, price wise, but other than that they are good to go.

 

[fchavis]

I've got one. I wouldn't trade it for less to save a few bucks. Great fit and finish, very reliable action and it puts the little holes close together on paper.

 

[NetJunkie]

I wouldn't consider them on the high side of price anymore. Check with someone like Bud's for good pricing plus S&W is doing a $100 rebate right now.

 

[Cleck]

After shooting one, they are the only non-colt basic AR style rifle I would purchase. Very nice fit, finish, and function.

 

[arflattop]

I bought my M&P15 in Oct 2007 and have been very pleased with it. Ergonomically, it seems to fit better than other ARs.

 

[JoeCWales]

Mine's been great.
Here's the deal @ bud's.
$100 rebate from S&W
http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/36_763/products_id/53496

 

[RobertFBurnett]

Thanks for the input guys!

Just to add though, what is it about AR's in general that are so pleasing, is it just a great, accurate, repeating rifle?

RFB

 

[W.E.G.]

 

[MarshallDodge]

I have heard a lot of good things about the M&P.

For me the AR is a good platform because it is accurate and there are a ton of aftermarket accessories for it. Anything on the gun can be customized to make it a great battle rifle or a tack driver.

 

[TennVOL]

Oh god...not the chart.

 

[BOONER]

What does fit and finish have to do with the gun jeesh,

it isnt a 10 k trap gun or a 20 k african big game gun

it is a 700 dollar fighting gun

 

[taliv]

Just to add though, what is it about AR's in general that are so pleasing, is it just a great, accurate, repeating rifle?

of pretty much all the guns on the planet, it has the best combination of:
lightweight (in a fighting, non-varmint configuration)
ergonomics (mag changes, basic manipulation for left and right hand use)
ammo (capacity and ballistics)
accuracy

beyond the basics, it's easily customized, easy to maintain, easy to get replacement parts, it's made by 100s of different vendors so you don't have to worry about someone going out of business, etc.

 

[another okie]

taliv has it right. ARs are just fun to shoot. There's not much recoil, they are accurate out to a pretty good distance, they are not hard to break down and clean, and they are very modular, so you can just about anything you want to them. They are much more reliable today than they were 30 years ago. Ammo is not cheap, but it's cheaper than .30-06! They make good varmint rifles and good home defense rifles. And they make hoplophobes furious!

And it's the basic arm of the U.S. military today, so it seems to me we have a civic duty to understand how to use it.

 

[chauncey]

the S&W M&P I have shot on several occasions is a pretty good AR. that said, I thought the Rock River Arms was a better weapon at a better price.

If you really want a S&W, find a gun dealer doing a "S&W days" and take advantage of the $100 discount. a delaer near me had one recently, and with the discount the rifles were $800-$900. now THAT is a good deal.