One thing I see missing in all the posts, is what's available in the local shops. My Sport II is my first AR. When shopping for mine, I kept seeing the same selection. Everybody had Sport II's and DPMS. Not everybody had Colts, DD's and the like. S&W I knew, DPMS didn't. So in my case the choice was easy. Go with the SportII and spend the rest on ammo.

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Peace was my Profession