Probably the wrong forum to get an objective opinion, but considering getting my first AR15. I'm not going to be doing any running and gunning, or tricking it out. Just looking for an decent out of the box AR15 for defense and plinking before we're not allowed to get them. I've read about all the differences between the two (twist rate, fwd assist, dust cover, etc.). The MP15 Sport seems to be more readily available and has been in production longer. Not sure what kind of warranty the Ruger AR556 comes with.

I am sure the Ruger rifle is a fine firearm and they stand by there warranty and customer support.

I purchased my S&W Sport last February. At the time, I also looked at several others to include the Ruger. To my recollection, it seems the Ruger was a couple of hundred dollars more than what I paid for my NIB S&W.

Price was my deciding factor for me since I had the same requirements as you described in your post. I paid a total of $582.00 to include sales tax. It was purchased from a nearby firearms store.

There will be some bias since it's a site dedicated to a certain brand but I will say that people here tend to give other brands a fair shake. Asking about another brand won't be a problem here.

Now, if yow come on here bashing the parent brand of the web site or one of it's products without a solid basis as to why, then there is a good chance there will be a problem. An example of what is acceptable would be like the issue some where having with the barrel on the M&P10. If you wish to see what I'm talking about, mosey on over to that sub-forum and take a look.

In any case, from what I've seen, the Ruger should be a fine firearm as well. It depends on what you are looking for in a firearm. Warranty? Well, I can't say how they are and they don't have a specific written warranty. This is what in the back of my 10-22 manual:

WHY NO WARRANTY CARD HAS BEEN
PACKED WITH THIS NEW RUGER® FIREARM
The Magnuson-Moss Act (Public Law 93-637) does not require any
seller or manufacturer of a consumer product to give a written
warranty. It does provide that if a written warranty is given, it must be
designated as “limited” or as “full” and sets minimum standards for a
“full” warranty. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. has elected not to
provide any written warranty, either “limited” or “full”, rather than to
attempt to comply with the provisions of the Magnuson-Moss Act and
the regulations issued there under. There are certain implied warranties
under state law with respect to sales of consumer goods. As the extent
and interpretation of these implied warranties varies from state to
state, you should refer to your state statutes. Sturm, Ruger &
Company wishes to assure its customers of its continued interest in
providing service to owners of Ruger® firearms.

Take it for what it is worth...

Buy what you like. An AR-15 is built upon standardized dimensions. Stay to AR-15's manufactured by major brand name manufacturers with the financial resources to fully support customer service requests and you'll be good to go.

__________________
-John

I've read people having issues with both, but it is hard to gauge frequency of occurrence without knowing how many are in circulation. With both companies stamping them out like cookies, I'm sure a few bad ones slip thru. For issues not ammo related, both companies seem to have good CS.

All other things being equal, I'm leaning towards the MP15 Sport since its been in production a bit longer, thus more in circulation to flush out design and manufacturing issues. I've also read the MP15 Sport has a better trigger.

Now just need to find one for the right price. Unfortunately, I didn't make my decision soon enough to snap up one of the Friday $599 range kit specials from GM, which sold out in a flash. Thankfully, I don't live in a "compliant" restrictive state.

the 15 sport is on sale from Gunbuyer.com for $499 + free shipping right now.

I bought my M&P15 based on price, finally decided I wanted an AR platform. Went into the store to see what sparked my interest, after pricing the entry level rifles I went with the M&P. Pretty much all have compatible internal parts. Just price and warranty are the variables.

Thanks for the lead! Got one on order.

lol, don't tell that to the Colt boys. I got lambasted on a few other forums for even CONSIDERING a trash gun that wasn't a colt. and I quote "Colt's are the only REAL AR's, the rest are copies, some copies are better than others but still don't measure up to the gold standard that is the original"

Correct me if I am wrong, Colt isn't even the original holder of the design patents, so Colt isn't even "the original".

That was what I was thinking. Armalite is the original, are they not?

Correct, all AR direct impingement 556 parts are standard. Doesn't matter what the company is. However price and warranty are NOT the only variables. Parts quality and raw materials also play a role. We can argue nuances all day but Colt does list what each part is mode of/from and how. Or rather they follow an already set guideline. There are companies that make better and use higher quality parts and they cost more. There are also companies that use MIM or lower quality materials and those cost less. Thinking that an AR is an AR is where all the Internet misinformation comes from. A screwdriver is a screwdriver but there is a difference between a Snap On and Harbor Freight brand. Neither is immune from breakage but a Snap On will outlast a HF in heavy use

correct. Armalite is

not trying to threadjack this thread, but since I'm deciding on the M&P sport vs. the AR556 (my buddy just picked up the AR556) I saw this on backpage... is this as good a deal as I'm thinking it is or would I better off buying new?

I'm trying to talk him down to $650

Ruger AR-556 Carbine $750 - Tucson guns for sale: firearms, handguns, rifles - backpage.com

For that amount of coin, you can get a Colt.

Colt AR6720 AR15-A4 Carbine Semi-Auto 223 Rem/5.56 NATO 16.1" 30+1 4-Position Stock Blk

true, but the colt won't come with $190 (including tax) worth of optics, extra mags and the gun case. and If I can get him down to $650 it gets better