Funny how things work out. I had planned to buy a Sport II before November but money is extremely tight at the moment and other priorities keep getting in the way.

Then Orlando happened. Prices suddenly shot up locally from $100 to $200 at dealers that I like and respect.

One dealer blamed it all on a large wholesale price increase by S&W right after Orlando. Can anyone verify or disprove that? I'd love to know if that is true or just a dealer's made-up excuse for those new, much higher price tags.

Thanks!

Prices in my area didn't change at all and because of this I can only conclude that your dealer trying to feed you some bull droppings. If you take a look at the following link you'll see that Cabelas is currently selling the Sport II for 599.00. A couple of the smaller local gun shops are asking 649.00 for the same rifle.

Smith & Wesson&#174 M&P 15 Sport II Semiautomatic Tactical Rifles : Cabela's

Dealer is ripping you off, I bought one recently during the "panic", 2 weeks before my friend at the same gun shop, not raised one penny.
There is no panic, the prices are stable.

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Sure you did

I don't know if the wholesale price went up but prices didn't change in my area.one LGS is advertising the Sport II for $540

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Thanks very much guys. Yes, it sounds like my dealer is telling tall tales. Very disappointing given the amount of business I've given them over the years.

So I guess my challenge will be to find a different dealer who will match the $599 street price that I used to see widely advertised before Orlando. I can't just order on-line because I need a MA-compliant version... and Cabela's is useless to me since they don't carry the Sport II in my moonbat state.

It will probably take a trip up to tax-free New Hampshire to one of the border shops that sometimes stock MA-compliant versions. I guess there is going to be a road trip for me in the near future.

Yep. Tall tale. If they are direct with Smith, they can place orders twice a year and would be locked in, otherwise, they buy from distributors. None of the distributors we use have raised their prices. There are no cheap ARs on the wholesale market to speak of. The mid priced guns are gone and the high end are almost gone. Not much panic in my neck of the woods, but in some areas of the country there was a rush. It is eerily quiet right now. When we get closer to November, all bets are off.

The dealer telling the tall tale buys direct. They are, in fact, the largest volume dealer in MA by a country mile... hence my surprise and disappointment. This is not like them at all.

Regardless, most of the decent alternative dealers have raised their prices as well. Playing "follow the leader" maybe?

Lord knows I didn't see Orlando coming. I thought November would be the next big threat/panic and that I had time to get my finances together for an inexpensive back-up AR before then... maybe even being able to take advantage of August's usual "tax-free" weekend in MA. I guess I blew it again.

November and beyond could be the threat & panic situation to beat all previous threats & panics as it could be a double or even a triple loss. God help us all.

All three Cabela's in Idaho are sold out of the M&P, so none of the other dealers will honor the sale price. Other shops have canceled upcoming sales. If you want one here, you'll pay full price of $650-680.

Yeah, $699 seems to be the new street price post-Orlando and even up from there. One nearby dealer is at $749 (and temporarily out-of-stock to boot).

One dealer is at $646, but I just called. Out-of-stock.

Not the end of the world. I'm still in far better shape than most. This was to be a spare or back-up gun anyway. If the price goes back to normal before November, I'll pick one up. If not, no big deal.

Just an FYI, I saw the M&P15 Sport II on sale at Cabelas for $599 and went to my local Academy Sports & Outdoors, who has a price matching policy, and bought it the week before Orlando for $599 (it was normally $699). I did notice that they no longer show the gun online even though the stores carry it. I asked what was up on a chat session and they told me that Academy is not displaying the rifles online in order to show sympathy for those killed in Orlando. Hope this helps you!

Just checked with another LGS. Over a 100 in stock, priced at $556 (I guess pun intended)

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Thanks, but there are no Academy stores in MA and I doubt they carry MA-compliant rifles anyway. Our big disappointment up here is our one Massachusetts Cabela's store. They refuse to carry or import any used handguns and they carry just a very limited selection of new handguns, even very limited by Massachusetts standards. In AR's, there are one or two of them on display down at the very end of the long gun racks but no Smith & Wessons.

The Sport II is particularly attractive to me, not only because of price, but also because it has no muzzle brake (we can't have flash hiders here in MA). The muzzle brake on my Bushmaster is just too dang loud for my sensitive, aging ears.

You know I'm going to move down to your neighborhood someday, right? Might even be knocking on your door looking for a place to crash!

Anyway... remember I need MA-compliant so it can't be a free state Sport II that I pick-up. Truth is that there may still be a pretty darn good stash of Sport II's down in Little Rhody for a halfway decent price... but they are not MA-compliant... so they are useless to me.

I would not do well in prison.

Come on in!!

I know. I figured I'd see if it was the same in my area. I'm not interested in the Sport so I didn't follow the pricing. At first I thought maybe your dealer was a low volume seller so if prices did go up a little he may have had no choice but you said he's a high volume seller so chances are he didn't run out of stock, he just increased his prices

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I'll consider that my standing invitation!

The dealer in question is very high volume by anyone's standards. He buys in large quantities and sells at an enormous rate. Trust me, he didn't run out because he didn't order enough. He ran out because demand right now is crazy through the roof.

One plausible explanation for the sudden large price increase: He normally buys direct from S&W. It could be that he has been forced to turn to distributors temporarily to try to meet demand. That could account for the clerk's explanation of a large wholesale cost increase post-Orlando... although it's also possible that I'm being too kind.

I should also note that the clerk said the same wholesale cost increase happened on the Ruger AR-556 as well... with roughly the same retail price increase as with the Sport II.

New owner here but Ill throw in my recent experience. I was able to get Gander Mountain to match the $599 Cabelas price even though not in stock. Looking to lightly mod it now :-)

I've been thinking about getting a Sport as I enjoy shooting my S&W 15-22. KyGunCo just sent me an ad for them for $599 so I assume they have them in stock. The ad also shows a Colt .556 for the same price (M4 Expanse with no rear sight). I never heard of that one but I guess Colt is trying to compete with that price point. Their Ruger 556 shows Sold Out at $599. There is also a Bushmaster listed for $734. I have no real experience with these guns but the prices aren't any more than a handgun. What would you riflemen do? The only thing I am sure of is that if I wait, the price will only go up.

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Dennis
He's got a gun!

It should have gone up only $50. I got mine right after San Bernardino and I paid $530 for it.

The only thing I'm wondering at this point is whether the local price for a MA-compliant model will return to normal ($599 or a little less) anytime before November. That's about all I want to spend for a back-up to my Bushmaster.

To Mr Pokeyman: There is a lot to know before buying yourself an AR. I don't necessarily recommend a Sport II as your first and only AR. It's a basic economy model for sure... and at best, you only get what you pay for.

Today, 6/30/2016, the S&W website lists the M&P Sport II at $739.00 MSRP.

Good thinking TTSH. Maybe I'll look into that Bushmaster. I haven't seen any negative stuff about the Sport though. It just seems kind of cheap for a rifle, but, that might be a good thing. They sure are selling a bunch of them.

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Dennis
He's got a gun!

I got mine for $499 + FFL + s/h from whatever online deal, some Kentucky dealer, a month or so ago.
Whittaker Guns, just looked up the invoice.

My new local FFL go-to guy charges $10 for handguns that he doesn't carry (which makes him GTG for any used, older gen or surplus pistol), and $20 for anything else. Shipping was $12.99, so grand total was approx $533, give a couple pennies, out the door.

My FFL makes his own AR's to sell, and even he laughed. He said normally he would have tried to talk me into one of his own, but with that deal, he couldn't in good conscience. He did ask me to keep him in mind for various uppers and if/when I wanted to upgrade.

I'm not in MA and this deal is past, so it doesn't help you much. But it was after the Cali shooting, prior to the Orlando one. I suspect we'll see another deal or two down the pipe before the election. That only makes sense- I'm not an AR guy, but the political uncertainty, coupled with a good price finally got me to buy. That uncertainty will only increase, and there are plenty of folks like me (not sure they want one, but very sure they don't want to lose any chance to own one).

Look around. I got one last week at Cabelas for $599. They were also on the Internet from respected dealers for slightly less.

Oh, please don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to point you at any particular brand or point you away from the Sport II. Not at all. That's for you to research and for you to decide. My only point is that more money is likely to get you a better AR. They are not all created equal by a long shot. I probably wouldn't buy my Bushmaster again simply because it isn't in the configuration that would work best for me. But I've done a lot of upgrades and I can live with it now.

The Sport II will be a back-up gun for me. I simply don't want to find myself wishing I had bought a back-up AR for myself and the good wife if things go south in a big way following the election in November.

You did extremely well for yourself. Ordering one in probably wouldn't work for me, especially with the MA-compliant thing. On top of that, my preferred incoming transfer FFL would be more than a little miffed if I transferred in a gun that he carried or could get. Don't think I'd want to do that to him.

Against all odds, I'm probably going to have another chat with Cabela's in MA and see if they are willing to bring one in for me at the sale price. They have not been willing to do any such favors for me in the past, but who knows?

I know I am in the minority here, but no dealer is ripping-off anyone. Everyone prices his stuff at what he thinks the market will bear. Right now panic-buying fools have increased demand. If the demand increases, you can expect the prices to rise. If you don't like someone's price, buy somewhere else.

These guns were so hard to sell before the shootings, all the dealers around here had big sales/discounts on what they had in inventory just to get rid of them. After the shootings, the discounts were removed and the prices went back to MSRP. . .at least that's what they all tell me around here, and we have a ton of LGS's.

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Dr. B

My LGS builds to fit, using a custom lower and high-end uppers & parts. They can't keep up, even at a price I can't even say, much less pay.

If there are more "events" before November, there won't be anything to buy, no matter who wins. December, well, that could be another story, as people scramble to find the last bits, or dump what they though was an investment. I think the question is - do you want / need one badly enough to take the risk. A good AR will not remain stable in price. In November, it will skyrocket or drop. Just my 2 cents.

I'm new to the platform.

Can you expound on that, or point me in a direction that will?

I tried this myself but they called Cabelas and since they were sold out they told me to pound sand. LGS wouldn't match or go down either. Eventually got lucky with an online order from Whittaker Guns for $549.99. Worked out for me.

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Proudly own 6 S&W firearms.

Scoobysnacker,
The sport 2 will serve you fine. The only differ in it and upper end mp15's is the finish in the bore and the hand guards. Don't fall for the above rhetoric!

Like the Apple Lisa? It cost $10,000 in 1983 (about $24,000 in today's dollars) because it had a GUI and a mouse. It also used it's own style of floppy discs to operate (no hard drive at all) which were flaky as it gets. The Apple IIe cost less than $1400 and would do everything the Lisa would do better. But it didn't have a GUI or a mouse. $8,000 extra for a mouse and a GUI? Doesn't seem worth it to me. You could run the same programs for far less with the IIe.

This is just one of 1,000's of examples. Please cite specific reasons the Sport II is inferior if you think that it is. If there are legit issues I'd like to know what they are. But "you get what you pay for" is a marketing guy's dream phrase. It's like "Shampoo, rinse, REPEAT". That one word on shampoo bottles made millions for the companies that used it. I don't wash my hair twice and it seems to come out OK. Why repeat?

I very much respect particular advice but saying you get what you pay for??? Did you happen to notice the price of Japanese cars in the 1970's compared to American cars? The Ford Pinto cost $2,062 in 1972. Forbes has called it one of the 14 worst cars ever built. The Toyota Corolla sold for $2,109 the same year. Were they equal quality? The same year the Chevy Vega cost $2,746. You decide. Did those people buying American cars get what they paid for? Americans went with Japanese cars in a huge way for a reason. Better fuel economy was just part of the reason. Higher quality overall (they lasted far longer than the American cars) was also a big reason.

I'm not saying you're wrong about the Sport II. I'd just like to know why that it's true that the Sport isn't a good choice as a AR-15. I just don't believe that you always get what you pay for.

There are far better sources than me to give you advice if you are looking to buy any AR above the most basic economy models. Beyond that, I better not say anything more. It's starting to get real ugly in this thread. I already regret having started it.

I didn't mean to make it ugly at all. I'd just like to hear actual details on why what you said is true. I just don't believe that you always get what you pay for. There are too many examples where that isn't true. If there's a reason why the Sport II is sub par I'd really like to know what it is.

I would think you might have gathered by the whole point of this thread that I am actually out to buy a Sport II... so why would you think that I consider the Sport II sub-par? I do not go out and intentionally buy sub-par firearms.

The Sport II is, however, a very basic economy model AR. Few people I know would argue that point. It is not a LMT or a Noveske. It does not have any premium features or high end components that I am aware of. But so what? I said I'm in the market for a basic economy model AR and the Sport II should fit my needs for a back-up AR perfectly.

Please go back to the first few posts and understand the purpose of this thread. It was not to argue value or features. It's purpose was to figure out what's going on price-wise with the Sport II... no more, no less.

TTSH, to get back on track, I seriously suspect that S&W builds and ships many fewer MA and CA compliant Sports than free state Sports. That may account for the lack of Sports at your LGS while Arik is tripping over them. That may also account for the price difference. MA Sports are a different sku.

FWIW I appreciate that you MA gun owners have to go through a lot of red tape just to own firearms. My son recently moved to MA for work. He looked into getting permitted to bring his rifles in from Illinois and decided to wait until he could find a house in NH

Thank you for putting us back on track.

I'm sure that is part of the problem. The big MA dealer in question has a great relationship with S&W. If anyone could get more MA-compliant Sport II's direct from the mothership, he could. But he says they're trying everything... but they can't.

This lends credibility to the idea that he is seeking to buy them from distributors (as well as the factory - hence the wholesale price increase his clerk spoke of) and the possibility that S&W is not producing MA-compliant Sport II's in sufficient quantities right now to fill the increased demand. Let's remember that the Sport II is just one AR model they offer and only a small percentage of those AR's need to be MA-compliant.

BTW, another MA dealer posted that he managed to get two of them in the other day. He was all excited. Two. Not two pallets of them. Two guns. They were gone that same day.

I fear this post-Orlando panic may last all the way into November and beyond.

Another thing to consider is that S&W may build a run of MA compliant ARs and then switch the line to build a run in a different configuration. So, maybe they got caught with the line switched to build, say, a different model of MA compliant ARs, or maybe CA compliant ARs. I understand they used to build runs of revolvers, a run of 4" M29s then a run of 6.5" M29s, a run of nickel plated, etc. No one can predict when a jihadist is going off his meds causing political chaos and increasing demand.

Exactly. I'm sure that big MA shop I keep mentioning sure wishes they could see the future. If they could, running short like this might not have happened.

The configuration for the MA-compliant Sport II really isn't all that different than the free state version... just a pinned stock, no muzzle device, no bayonet lug and a 10-round magazine. Just enough to be different.

I do recall way back when that Bushmaster had to stop shipping to MA temporarily due to a shortage of 10-round magazines. Sometimes, it can be as simple as that.

Again friend I didn't mean to imply you were bashing the Sport II. I saw you were going to buy one. That truly was not the point of my post. I'm sorry if I said my point in a way that made you think that. What made me wonder what you were thinking was when you said, "It's a basic economy model for sure... and at best, you only get what you pay for." Clearly it's an economy model. No one would argue that. It doesn't have high end features in any way. But saying "at best you get what you pay for" implies that it is lacking in a particular way. It's hard to communicate over the net and intentions get mixed up from what we mean to say sometimes. But seriously I had no intention of arguing with you about the issue. I really wanted to know why you thought it wasn't up to the job of being the only AR someone owns. I did go into why I think we don't always get what we pay for. It wasn't to argue with you. I was just making a point. Please don't think I meant it in an argumentative way. I certainly didn't.

I'm pretty new to AR's. I have only one - the Sport. I was wondering what you thought about it made it not worthy of being the only AR a person owns. It wasn't me arguing as much as it was me trying to learn from you.

Back on the original subject. I think the AR is bound to go through another round of inflated prices. With both parties now pushing for gun control laws it will only make things worse. Sales were already at record highs for this year. I'll admit to paying too much for my Sport but that was because it was bought during the transition period between the Sport and the Sport II and I was charged with buying my own Christmas present (with money from my kids). That's just how we do things but I needed something to put under the tree.

I seriously would like to know what might cause the Sport (in my case) to not be worthy of being the only AR I have. It was configured just fine for me and all the reviews I saw were positive. I've shot quite a few other AR's that weren't so reliable. So far my Sport has worked flawlessly. I guess I'm still paranoid that something bad is going to happen to it. That's what I was wondering about. I was not trying to argue with you. I tried to make it clear I didn't think you were wrong. I just wanted details. I certainly realize it isn't a titanium allow AR with a can and all coming in at 4 lbs.. I've seen AR's like that up close. I didn't get to shoot it unfortunately. It was full auto too BTW. It was a LEO's duty weapon. The area he patrols is very much a hot spot for possible terrorist activity. They could do a LOT of damage there. I certainly know my Sport is not like that rifle. I just wondered if there was something I should worry about since you said you wouldn't suggest it as the only AR a person own.

Again please accept my apology for sounding like I wanted to argue if that's how it came off. I did not want to argue at all.

I tried really hard to phrase the several points you talk about so as to avoid any misunderstanding or confusion... but it's obvious that I was not clear enough. There is nothing wrong with the Sport I or Sport II that I am aware of. They are perfectly good entry level AR's and the fact that I just put myself on a waiting list for one today should set your mind at ease. If I was aware of any serious deficiency at all, I wouldn't have done that. But that doesn't make the Sport I or the Sport II a high-end, full-featured, fully-tricked-out, top-of-the-line AR any more than a Charter Arms Bulldog is a Colt Python. That's just the way it is. It's a very good basic AR. It is not a $2,000 tricked-out LMT (which I will buy the same day I win the lottery).

And I'll repeat again that I am far from the best person to give lessons on what features, materials and components one should look for in a premium AR. That is a very personal thing and it's all about your needs and, more importantly, how much money you are willing to spend. I have my opinions and favorites, but they are very much about my needs which, because of my age and assorted handicaps, are probably not the same as your needs.

In regard to my comment to the effect that "you'll get what you pay for if you are lucky"... I meant that as a grim reminder about the current "panic mode" state of affairs with AR's. I meant it as a warning not to unknowingly pay more than something is worth... and to be careful because some folks are out to take unfair advantage of the panic situation. I believe that at $599+Tx, I'll be getting my money's worth with the Sport II... but if it turns out that I have to pay $749+ or $799+, I'm going to blow it off. The Sport II is not worth that much money to me and I have other better options.

Will I modify and upgrade the Sport II a bit? Probably. It's what you do with an AR to suit your needs and taste. Will I spend a ton of money doing so? Negative.

Again, I appreciate that you seem to think that I am an expert on AR's. Trust me, I am nothing of the sort. I'd tell you if I were. You can probably get much better advice than I could ever give you in 10 minutes on YouTube. Honest!

Ok, in perusing the thread, I get it now. Sport II under $550 OTD, as I got it, a great deal. Over $700 OTD, not so much.

Beyond that, as a first/only rifle, if the primary intended use is for the range and "to have one before they get banned", I'm assuming this or the comparable Ruger model is good to go, right?

What happens if there is a ban of some sort, and you need service on the gun? Any experience regarding past bans- do warranties etc still get honored, or would it be "it's ok to keep it until it breaks, then you're out of luck"?

I realize that's a speculative question, but there has to have been something similar in the past. Thanks

Dang.....

TTSH is finally getting that "Truck Gun" he's always wanted!!!!



My last trip to the LGS.....still plenty of ARs on the wall and still some in back.....no price increases.....

also noting a lot of on line AR magazine "Sales" this 4th of July weekend!!!!!

Now you know damn well that we don't do "truck guns" here in the People's Republic. We could lose our LTC's for life. In fact, a story in the news just the other day reinforced that fact for anyone who might have forgotten.

The Sport II will live in one of my safes just like all my other guns. Might even take it out and shoot it once in a while!

"Lock up my rifle, you say...?"

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642-1, M&P15 TS

So, I just got back from a local gunshow, and there is certainly no shortage of EBR's and Sport II's for sale. Well over a hundred EBR's of all price ranges, with Sport II's going from $599 to $699.
Some dealers appeared to be fishing.
There was no panic, in fact most people just walked on by the tables. Ammo wasn't selling too brisk either, so no panic there.
Are wholesale prices up? Who knows but it wasn't reflected in pricing that I could see, they were the same price some couple of weeks ago, give or take a few $'s.
The few Smith's I saw were ridiculous in pricing, 1500 for a 4 inch ND 629? I'll take 1300 for mine.

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Sure you did

NOW I believe there will be a run on firearms and ammo in the coming months.

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Sure you did

I only just recently topped up all of my plinking and "duty" ammo for the various calibers / gauges I own...and at excellent prices, no less.

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642-1, M&P15 TS

Yes, there is no doubt that 2A is in far more serious jeopardy after today... although most of us felt that the fix was in all along anyway. In any case, I'm on the waiting list for a MA-compliant Sport II at $599+Tax at my local Cabela's. Forty-five of them are supposedly on order. My position on the waiting list is about 2/3rds of the way down (which is not very good)... but I have the advantage of being a poor retired old fart, meaning that if they call folks on the list during the day, and many of them don't answer because they are at work, I win.

Stay tuned.

Well them whippersnappers will just have to learn...

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642-1, M&P15 TS