I am currently looking at the MP15 sport 2 and the Colt expanse. Both are the same price.

I am quite new to these type of firearms, but not new to firearms in general.

Any opinions? i am looking for a good AR type platform for shooting on the range, something i can personalize and upgrade with a scope etc.... My main concern is a reliable firearm.

Can you offer any opinions, i am just trying to learn. My LGS said both are the same, horse apiece.

I have the Sport 2 and put over a thousand rounds thru it with no problems. Easy tok add to and upgrade with some
hardware. Never had a Colt so I can't say anything about it.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk

The Colt Expanse has many non-Colt parts in an effort to keep the price down, but it is still more expensive that the S&W.

Assuming that you are looking at the newer Expanse that includes the forward assist and dust cover, the major differences are that the Sport gives you a salt nitrided barrel over the plain steel barrel of the Expanse. The Sport also has the rear sight included.

The Expanse gives you a faster twist rate, and a different barrel steel (which is no real advantage in semi auto rifles, especially when the barrel is unlined or untreated.)

The Sport is built by S&W, with S&W standing behind the product. The Expanse is contracted out to Bold Ideas. Have no idea what the customer service and support is like for them.

All puffery about the brands aside, the Colt Expanse is made for Colt under contract, so how much of the "pony" gets incorporated into the Bold Ideas product is anyone's guess.

But the stark reality is that Colt has already gone through bankruptcy and after losing the M-16/M-4 contract to FN, could find its way back there again and how interested is the successor going to be in supporting the products of the former-Colt?

S&W may have flirted with bankruptcy in the 2000's, but found its way once again and is today profitable and with excellent customer service and support.

I considered all of these things when it came time to buy ARs as gifts for my sons and I decided to go with the S&W.

I've been shooting an Expanse for about a year. Good quality, no problems or jams, and the non-chrome-lined bore seems to be slightly more accurate than the lined bores in my other Colts, although all shoot very well. While the S&W is probably an excellent gun, you will almost assuredly have easier resale and better resale value with something that has a Colt name on it, regardless of who actually made it.

Is resale even a factor when considering a budget AR-15?

And I disagree... consumers have become a little more savvy about purchases due to the amount of info available at their fingertips. Folks don't buy just because there is a pony on the side anymore.

I respect your opinion, cyphertext, but this is not something I'd waste effort arguing.

My LGS just had colt and S&W. Its the only 2 i looked at. I could ruger in the mix too. Like i said, just looking to get a quality sport rifle that will last. SW seems to have a great product, own a number of their handguns. I just never thought they were a black rifle company and that's my mistake.

Everybody and their brother makes a black rifle today...

Honestly, get the one that moves you. Looking at those 3, I would probably go:

1. S&W M&P 15 Sport
2. Ruger AR-556
3. Colt Expanse

This is if the price is equal. I give the Ruger a slight edge over the Expanse simply because it has the rear sight included and is ready to shoot right out of the box. There are a couple of things with the Ruger that I am not a fan of... but I know several people who have them and are very pleased with them.

This is not unique to Colt. Any chrome lined bore is likely to be less accurate that a quality non-chrome barrel. This is because the way the chrome lining has to be applied so that just the bore and not the whole barrel is plated, the plating will not be of uniform thickness, so the barrel will be "rough". The military sees the corrosion resistance and increased barrel life (particularly when the gun is used in fully automatic fire) to outweigh the loss in accuracy.

So long as Colt stays out of bankruptcy, I would wholeheartedly agree.

It is a factor I was aware of when I bought my S&Ws. In fact, both gun shops tried to move me "upmarket" to Colt making, in part, that very argument. It was unavailing in my case because in my entire life, I have sold two rifles that I bought.

In 1979, I evaluated my needs for a self-defense rifle that I could use to hunt in an emergency. I settled on a Ruger Mini-14. I still own it. It is still my principal self-defense rifle. Unless something catastrophic happens, it will be my self-defense rifle when I reach the point I can no longer hold a gun.

The S&Ws were for my sons, who like their father have yet to sell any gun they have every bought. So, a value that can only be realized by selling something never intended to be sold has little value to me.

M&P15 Sport II, or any M&P15. MCSO office here bets deputies lives with it.

The Sport II was the top selling rifle in the USA last year or at least that's what I've read. There's a good reason for that. You get a quality rifle for entry level prices. There are a couple of things that could be better notably the heat shield or lack of one. That and the front grip could be one of the modular systems we see today. Both things are easily replaced. That's the only two modifications I've made to my Sport.

S&W backs the rifle with a lifetime warranty and AFAIK they actually make it. Colt doesn't make their rifle.

It's a buyers market and a lot of that is driven by the quality of the Sport. To me the choice would be clear. I guess it was clear enough when I bought mine. I picked the one I thought was best. I actually waited a long time for a deal like the Sport. I could have bought a real Colt 30 years ago but always thought the price was too much about the name. They certainly make quality rifles but I guess I'm a cheapskate at heart. I want something for nothing (doesn't everyone?).

Seriously I think the Sport is the best deal to ever come along for an entry level AR. I have since acquired another AR but I wanted to learn on something I trusted. I saw too many entry level AR's that I thought weren't good enough.

This is the S&W board.........so buy a Colt? This is a S&W board so but the S&W, it's a great gun for the money.

__________________
Still carrying my S&W 642

Flip a coin. Either will do what you want.

Or . . . since this is an S&W board, buy the Sport. Mine is a great little rifle that's been 100% from day one with no modifications whatsoever (well, except the addition of a SPARC AR red dot). Have a couple thousand rounds through it without a failure.

I also have a very inexpensive Del-Ton Sport that's been very reliable except for a couple of steel casings stuck in the chamber. It has so many rounds through it now (approaching 10K) that I probably need to replace the barrel.

__________________
Or something like that . . .

I would choose the Sport II over the Expanse. The Expanse may have Colt's name on it, but it is not a thoroughbred Colt.

OP, Entry level anything is entry level. The cost is relative
to what your receive. Higher expectations equate to higher dollars spent to guarantee your expectations.

I would advise not dumping a significant amount of money
accessorizing an entry level AR platform.

Have you shot a Sport? Entry level or not it's a fine rifle. I have more expensive AR's. I like the Sport better.