Not affiliated with this company, just wanted to share my recent experience FYI.

Bought a new Sport II on Thursday, 9/29 and rifle arrived at my FFL in South Carolina on Tuesday, 10/4. Four business days. No hassles, weapon in perfect shape.

That's not a bad price ($619.00), considering the current AR prices. But, for a few more $$$, you could have bought the Colt Expanse, with the forward assist and dust cover ($669.00).
Happy shooting!

The S&W M&P-15 Sport II does come with both a forward assist and a dust cover - or at least that's how both of the ones I have came out of the box.

And the one I just bought was $599 at the Grand Opening sale at Gander Mountain's Frisco, Texas, store.

CONGRATS on your new Sort II. I got one last month at my LGS for 615$ Cash + tax so looks like we both god a goo deal

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9mm Shield

Now that is a great price. Bummer no Gander Mtn near me Congrats

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9mm Shield

I've bought guns in the past from them. They came fast and in perfect condition. I also have no financial relationship with them.

Yes, I do know this. But, if you know anything about the COLT EXPANSE, there are (2) models; one minus the forward assist & dust cover, and, the other model with the forward assist & dust cover.
For the price difference the Colt is, I would buy the Colt ALL day long over the S&W.

I always check their prices first, but many times they are out of stock, and I have to go elsewhere. Good luck with your Sport II

It was only available at the one store in Frisco, Texas, and only for the five days of their Grand Opening sale. Regular price is $699.

My LGS is $679 and a month ago they were $649. Prices seem to be rising weekly as we get closer to the election.

Disabled1 wrote:
Well, if you knew this, why did you write:
If you already knew the Sport II came with these things, why would you have said that for a few dollars more someone could get the same things with a Colt?

Why pay more for the same accessories?

The plain language meaning of your post was that these things were available on a Colt, but not on a S&W Sport II (even though they were).

Because, the Colt is a BETTER built AR. It will hold its value, or, even go up in value over the Sport 2.
And, in PLAIN language, I knew they were available on BOTH! Except for the Expanse model that does not offer the forward assist & dust cover. The one I was referring to, did!
Some peoples children!

What makes you think this? The Expanse uses a whole lot of different parts than the LE 6920, and it is not built by Colt... So all of that Colt QC that we hear about regarding the LE 6920 may or may not apply to the Expanse.

I don't think the Expanse is any better than the Sport or the Ruger... just different corners cut, or features, to arrive at the same price point. Add the extra cost of the rifle itself, plus you have to buy a rear sight and I think the Expanse is over priced and charging a premium for the Colt name.

I personally think that the Ruger, Colt Expanse and the S&W Sport II are all inferior in terms of spec and build quality to the Aero AC-15.

AERO AC-15 Complete Rifle | Primary Arms

I often recommended the Sport II when it was $499-$525 but as the price moves up to $600+ there are better options IMHO.

Agree... I would look at the mid length gas system Aero rifle at Brownell's.

AC-15 5.56X45MM NATO 16" MID-LENGTH RIFLE | Brownells

Yes I also like a mid length gas system on a 16". I listed the one at Primary Arms because it is $10 and comes with the rear BUIS and a Magpul mag but if was my $$ I would get the mid length gas.

Didn't notice that it came with the BUIS... Lots of options today. More choices than when I bought my Sport back in the day!

Yeah almost too many options. LOL You really have to look at what each vendor is selling. When Brownells put the Aero complete rifle on sale I had to double check if it had a mid length gas system because the others I had seen had carbine length. In the end a Magpul MBUS will cost you $30 and the mag is $10 so you are paying an extra $50 for the gas system. Not the end of the world.

If I was looking for a new 16" I would get one of these. 16" lightweight Recce and throw a stock of choice and a BCM or Aero keymond rail. Then add some Aero sights. That would bring the cost of the rifle up to about $1350 give or take but that is almost double what the Sport II is going for but you would have one hell of rifle. LOL



AR-15 OEM RECCE MID-LENGTH LIGHTWEIGHT 16" RIFLE | Brownells

One of the things I see a lot here on the forum is people buying the Sport II because if its low level price point but then they end up changing out a ton of stuff like the handguard for a rail, the grip and the stock etc... and end up spending pretty close to the cost of some of the higher end rifles like BCM.

A greater truth has never been spoken! If you are going to start swapping stuff, get something like @WFSig mentioned where you can customize from the get go.

Oh, and I bought a Sport and Colt from Gun Buyer, transaction was very smooth and I would buy from them again.

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Still carrying my S&W 642

I didn't say ANYTHING about the infamous 6920. That rifle is in a class all by itself, IMO.
So what, the Expanse is subbed out. It still uses Colt parts with the Colt name. And, its value will still be better than a Sport. Go look on Gunbroker.com.
Overpriced or not, I would choose it at the listed GUNBUYER.COM price all day long over the Sport 2.
But, I agree with WVSig about the AERO AC-15. I would buy THAT before the Expanse, because of the fact that it's a great foundation to build the type of AR that I want!

Actually, that is questionable... they may or may not be Colt parts. They are different parts than what are used on the 6920 and the rest of the Colt line... that is my point. Seems like folks are willing to pay a little more for the Colt name, but if it is subbed out parts and subbed out assembly, is it really a Colt?

I would think that Colt could have built the Expanse using the same FCG, same BCG, and same handguard cap, but with less testing to reach their price point. Maybe batch testing instead of every bolt being HPT and MPI. But instead, they sourced different parts and who knows what level of testing.

Again, not saying it is a bad rifle for a basic entry level rifle, but I think it is overpriced for what you get and I'm just not sure that the quality is the same as one expects from the Colt name. I just don't see the value in it. If ya want the Colt, skip the expanse and buy one of the OEM models and dress it how you want it.

I have yet to field strip one or have seen it field stripped to know for sure if there are authenic Colt parts in/on it.

Here is a good comparison of the 6920 to the Colt Expanse.

Picked up a Colt Expanse M4 (CE1000) today

Most of the parts are different on the one in the OP but if you look at the thread you can see that the origin of parts is unknown and the markings on different Expanses are all over the place.

These IMHO are not your fathers Colt. I have a 6920 LEO marked Colt. It was my first AR15. I replaced the grip, stock and the handguards with a Surefire Quadrail which was a nice drop in back in the day. I still have it and it has always served me well. I also have all the factory parts so I can put it back to factory spec if I want to. I am not sure I would buy a NIB Colt these days. IMHO their QC is not what it used to be.

I sent that to Disabled over PM... It just doesn't seem like the parts used for the Expanse are consistent. ARs should not be like a box of chocolates!

Yeah but that is what you get a lot of the time at the lower end price point. That is my number 1 complaint when it comes to lower end rifles. They are designed, spec'd and built to hit a price point so the parts change more than with other price points IMHO. That is why there are multiple configurations of the Aero M4 clone. That is why the S&W Sport II changed vs the Sport I. Some companies do a better job of hiding the changes or at least making them less transparent but most AR15 "builders" are outsourcing parts.

I am sure Colt is using overrun parts from the 6920 builds in some cases, leveraging economy of scale, and outsourcing parts at other times. Either way we know that are not being assembled on the same lines as the 6920.

None of this makes it a bad rifle. It is what it is. Even the 6920s these days are not the same rifles they used to be. My older 6920 came of the exact same lines that the contract guns came off of with the same level of QC. At that time they were a cut above just about anyone else but times have changed.

The Expanse is subcontracted out. Someone else builds it and puts Colt's name on it. If Colt made the parts they can put it together. Why ship it out when all that's left is to assemble? That whole rifle is made buy another company, which is why it's cheaper.

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I am not sure that is always true. Some Expanse guns have LE marked lowers and other "Colt" parts. It is a bit of a mishmash of configurations and parts depending on when it was built. At least that is my understanding.

I don't know what year yours is but since Colt only makes one type of 6920 they are all the same since Colt went TDP. There are some exceptions but most of their rifles are the same. The 6721 and the 6920 have different barrels but all else is the same. Same with the 6720, 6721 and 6920. Three different configurations/barrel profiles but internals and upper/lower is same

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People comparing 6920s rolling off the line today vs ones from the early 2000s see a difference in QC. Colt was the height of fit and finish at one time. Recent reports on 6920s leaving the factory today do not seem to uphold that rep. The technical specs are the same but the quality is not. YMMV

I have had mine a long time. It still has the LEO restricted marking on it. IIRC I bought it in 2006-2007. It came with a carry handle and 20 round mags.

I get that I just don't put much stock into finish. If it doesn't effect reliability or function it doesn't concern me. Most of my ARs are finish challenged.

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To me the name Colt and the overall fit and finish is what people are paying for. These days I just buy BCM or pay a lot less for something Colt like. Once you run the gun finish is not a big issue for me either but how it comes out of the box tells you a lot about how it was built. It is not just finish it is "fit" as well. IMHO

If it looks like poop coming out of the box it makes me wonder who put it together, who inspected it and who let it ship. From lesser lower cost brands I am willing to forgive but at Colt's price points it shouldn't be happening. Poor finish is something I expect from Anderson not Colt.

I always looked at it as just A or just B. Bad finish is just that.... to me. Since it's all made on machine. Machine 1 makes barrels, machine 2 makes hammers....etc... A bad barrel does t mean a bad hammer. At least that's the way I look at it.

Haven't seen bad fit but I don't buy them every year or look at them yearly to be able to compare

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Here is an interesting Sport II alternative if you know how to assemble a lower. $404 Shipped with coupon K8B.



AR-15 UPPER RECEIVER W/ LOWER PARTS KIT & STOCK ASSEMBLY | Brownells

This Brownells’ exclusive Complete AR Upper Receiver is Made in the USA. Chambered in 5.56x45mm NATO and featuring a 16” barrel with a 1:8 twist. The standard A3 13-slot aluminum flat top receiver comes with a 10” handguard utilizing the KeyMod rail system. A low profile gas block, bolt carrier group, charging handle, forward assist, ejection port cover and phosphate finish help to complete this outstanding package. This complete A3 upper receiver will attach to almost any standard AR-15 lower receiver.

This also comes with bolt and charging handle, a DPMS lower parts kit and USGI type stock with buffer tube. It does have M4 feed ramps and the BCG has a nitride finish but the barrel is not chrome lined. You could put it on an Anderson lower $60 or a Aero Lower $80 add a set of Magpul MBUS for $71 and have a complete rifle with a keymond rail from Brownells with a 100% lifetime guarantee for as low as $531+/- based on what you can get a lower for. That is hard to beat. Add to that a LaRue Trigger for $125 and you would have a hell of a budget rifle. OTD around the price of a Sport II.

Nice bit of research, thanks WV.

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Here, a grain of salt.

This is true. But, ask your average AR shooter what they would prefer if they could have either one, a Sport, or, an Expanse? I bet they will pick the Colt ALL DAY LONG.
Just sayin'.............

My vote would be for the Sport, all day long, night too!
Jim

I have a Sport II and I am perfectly happy with it... No problems and fit and finish look good to me... What this thread has turned into is a Chevy vs Ford thread.. The people favoring Sport II are probably S&W handgun users and the people favoring the Colt are probably Colt handgun users.. The bottom line is... You buy what you want and if you are happy with it, that is all that counts.. The name on the rifle doesn't matter as long as it does what it is supposed to...

JMHO

Dave