I just picked up my first AR, a M&P 15 Sport 2. I am wanting to upgrade the furniture to the Magpul SL stock, SL grip and SL handguard.

My problem is trying to decide on the color of the furniture. I like FDE but I see it more than any other color(which isnt a bad thing) and it sometimes looks too light in some pics, also the OD Green looks great in some pics but too dark in others, finally black looks a little plain, on some but at the same time pure badass on some other rifles ive seen.

So what do you prefer? and if you have a pic please post it!

Thanks

I prefer FDE simply because I use my AR15s for coyote hunting. Have nothing against black, OD, Foliage Green or Stealth Gray. I don't know if you coyote hunt, but for those who do, I'll elaborate.

The issue is that canines do not see the color spectrum like humans do. Humans have three color cones and b&w rods. Canines have two color cones and a substantial amount of b&w rods. The world to a canine is mostly the colors blue, tan, and various shades of gray ranging from black to white. The colors are much less vivid, almost washed out, due to fewer color cones in total number.

The two worst colors to have while coyote hunting are blue and true greens. Blue jeans, for example, stand out like a neon light against a natural background. Because canines lack color cones that see true greens, these look like anything from almost black to white, with grays being common.

Note I said true green. Olive drab is a bit different. It is not actually green, but is a mix of yellow and black. Canines see olive drabs as shades of yellow or tan. The lighter true olive drabs work well for coyote hunting, but dark olive drab might as well be black.

FDE is ideal because it is a universal color for coyote hunting. It works very well where I hunt in fields or woods in western Oregon, and it works well in oak, pine, sagebrush and juniper lands in eastern Oregon.

FDE also works well in winter, though it is not white. But much foliage in winter is tan and white seldom covers everything 100% around here except on wide open fields, and even then only if deep enough to cover the stubble. What you're trying to do is break up the outline of the AR15. Of course, it's also easy to just wrap the forend and barrel in white cloth, or swap in a set of stocks that have been spray painted white. (Stealth gray works well in winter too, especially if oversprayed with large blotches of white. Remember canines do not see fine camo patterns due to less resolving power, so too fine of patterns simply blend into a new color. Use large patterns.)

Another neat thing about the Magpul FDE is that it can be dyed with Rit Dye. Do a google image search for: Magpul Rit Dye. Multiu-colors require masking that survives boiling water. Or you can simply spray paint it. Home Depot carries Krylon military flat camo spray paint, and there are plenty of other paints.

My Sport II is set up for low light use. I need to take some images of it under low light conditions to see if the FDE stands out to much. If it does, I might switch to OD or black, or I might add one or two other colors to it to lessen the intensity.

Edit: Brownells has some instructions on how to use Rit Dye on PMAGs and other Magpul products. Just don't make the mistake they did by going too dark on the first pass if you are using multiple dye colors.
Rit Dye PMAGs | World's Largest Supplier of Firearm Accessories, Gun Parts and Gunsmithing Tools - BROWNELLS

Another edit: Here's the RIT color formula pdf file. Their original link went dead, took me a while to find their new link. Note that these colors are on a white base. They will be a bit different on the PMAG light tan (Sand) mags and on FDE furniture.
https://www.ritstudio.com/wp-content...rRit_FINAL.pdf
https://www.ritstudio.com/wp-content...2000_FINAL.pdf
Vintage Colors #RitDye

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I stick to black, mainly because I just use my rifles at the range and use different brands of furniture on the same rifles.The same colors of different brands don't always match.

My S&W is magpul grip and hand stop, but I have a MFT butt stock.

My Daniel Defense has a BCM grip and Magpul butt stock (soon to be replaced with magpul PRS as soon as my A2 buffer tube gets here)

I like to switch parts around and didn't want to have mismatched colored parts.

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M&P15 sport II, Retired Army

There is the problem. You only have one rifle now. These things multiply so you can bet your behind that you'll have another opportunity to go a different color. Pick one that appeals to you most. There isn't really a science behind it unless you are a high speed-/low drag operator. Even if you were, you'd be using spray paint to adapt to different environments.

LOL........... how low have we sunk as alpha males???


whatever happened to those steely eyed "manly men" of WWII ????????

.........today we're reduced to......


" Does this color "furniture" go with my shoes and 'man-bag"?"


.... just funnin!

It's funny because it's true, I'll own that one.

But all this stuff adds up real quick so It's best to just buy what you want.

I also have 6 combat tours under my belt, that's over six years of my life deployed in hostile countries. Not on a big FOB, out in the sticks as an 82nd Airborne Infantry grunt. I'm pretty steely eyed......

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M&P15 sport II, Retired Army

Hydrolling, 1st- Thank you for your service!!

2nd, it looks like you have the Magpul SL or SL-k stock, how do you like it, are you replacing due to problems? Also what optic are you running on that bottom rifle?

It's the SL-K with the long slim sling hole, I would have preferred the SL that has the QD sling mount. It was on my S&W when I bought it, It's light and slim but I preferred the look of the MFT minimalist stock.
My DD is an M4v11 Pro with an 18" barrel, I want to have the adjust ability of the magpul PRS stock. I have another complete lower coming to my FFL dealer that I'm going to build into a 300 BLK rifle, I'll put the Magpul SL-K on it.

My S&W has the the aimpoint PRO optic, works great! I switch it out with a nikon P-233 every once in a while.

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M&P15 sport II, Retired Army

I'm not opposed to any colors, but my small collection is 100% black.

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John 14:6, Luke 21:11

even the manly men of WWI used camouflage so coloring your weapon/tank/tent to either stay hidden or to get closer without being seen has been common for hundreds of years ..

other colors have a place in their place as some others have said particularly hunting animals that are color blind or see in ways we don't ..

I have all black .. easy color to match and find parts in that color .. if I want to go hunting with it there are color wraps I can put on for the day or week .. that would make it more invisible .. It's my fun gun .. for plinking out to ??? will see how far these old eyes can shoot this summer

Thanks for the replies and votes... gonna go with black. I'll post some pics once I get them in and installed.

I have two M&P15Ts one with OEM black furniture and one with Magpul Foliage Green. Even though they are slightly different it is nice to have a quick reference to tell them apart. Plus the OEM one is used by my girlfriend and she doesn't have the disease, so she likes it as is.

I laugh at myself, remembering how silly I felt hesitating at the parts rack, trying to decide on a black or FDE handguard.

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Registration? NEVER!

hd....... 6 tours......... OK still steely eyed........ ( we need a big thumb up/thank you button)

I'm guilty as well..... my last one is all Magpul "Coyote Tan", 'Dark Earth" or mud brown...... not a lot of desert here; that's why we call it "Penn's Woods".

I will cop a plea in that it was factory!!!!!..... but it does match my boots and "shoot me first" vest...... which I really do wear for all the pockets!!!!!

My carbines have Magpul, the 556 in OD and the 9 in FDE. That's just so I bring the right mags. My CMP guns are all black. Color coding!

Here are my ARs in OD green and FDE Magpul furniture. Might help you decide.




And just for fun, black...but not Magpul

Gotta keep the with matching mags ....... properly accessorized; don't want them to clash!!

just funnin

Now if you have ARs in multiple calibers; say........ .223/5.56 in "FED" for the gun & matching magazines and

..... maybe your .300 Blackout in all "Basic Black" .....

.......... color coding may be just the thing

Bozz10mm- Nice!!! That OD looks awesome. It's crazy how indoors they look super dark almost black, but that pic in the sunlight looks freakin great!!




I picked up my black furniture today on my lunch break. I've already installed the stock, but will get the hand guard and grip on tonight. Pics will follow.

The Magpul OD furniture to me looks better than the FDE. However, as I posted earlier, I went with FDE because of a specific hunting need.

Unique colors for 223/5.56 and a 300 BO would make a lot of sense to help prevent a kaboom by putting a 300 BO in a 223/5.56 chamber. It could be completely different colors for all furniture on separate guns, or at least matching mags and forend for a 300 upper. Perhaps black for 223/5/56 and OD for 300 BO.

I ran into a similar problem years ago when shooting with friends. They all had 7.62x39 AK's, while mine was .223/5.56. The mags would interchange. I ran a piece of red automotive pinstripping tape down one of the embossed rib valleys on both sides of my mags so they could be identified easily.

Another way to separate 223/5/56 from 300 BO is to use completely different mags. Like 30's for 223/5/56 and 20's for 300 BO, or plastic for one and metal for the other, etc. Magpul also makes the latest gen mags with dot matrix embossing so they can be marked 300, etc., by putting a drop of paint in the divots.

Here is a before and after pic of my new sport 2 I picked up a couple days ago.. I love the look and feel of the Magpul SL furniture... Thanks to all who voted and replied... now on to shooting this thing on Sunday and then picking an optic.

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We all have a Magpul AR or two, right?



BUIS, grip, sling, stock, forend, all FDE with a black foregrip (don't make it in FDE, or at least not at the time).

I wound up with a black MOE foregrip on my Sport II, and it's very comfortable. I also added a rail section for a light.

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Registration? NEVER!

I'm getting very tired of "Magpul Mania." Every time someone buys a gun, they MUST IMMEDIATELY go out and buy 73 Magpul items.

Enough already.

How many Magpul items does my AR-15 have? ZERO. Thank God and praise my late father.



--------------------------

The MOE handguard is nice though...and I'm Magpuled out. Well, except for mags, maybe.

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Registration? NEVER!

Simple fix.... Don't click on threads titled "what's your favorite Magpul color".


I don't see a problem with buying affordable, made in the USA, items. Not that I need to justify anything, but all three items were less than $100. The Magpul stock fixed the annoying sloppy rattle on the factory stock. The slimmer hand guard gives my smaller hands a much better grip on the rifle and it has a heat shield which my sport 2 did not have. As far as the pistol grip again, it fits my hand better and to my eye all three items drastically improve the look.

To each their own...

No Magpul? But the sport II comes with a magpul flip up rear sight. Even S&W likes magpul........

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M&P15 sport II, Retired Army

were you not aware that the AR platform is like Legos for adults?

You mean they are not LEGO's ??? now your going to tell me there's no Easter Bunny !!!

I buy what I think looks neat. I don't care what the cool thing is at the moment. Meaning, is it currently hip to rice out your gun? Or are we in the phase where a 7lb mil spec trigger and GI mags makes you more of a man? Who gives a rat what others think. Get what you like. If you want them big chrome 24's on your primer black 94 S-10, go get them. I'd say it would look dumb, but what would it matter what I think?

My FDE .223/5.56 has transmorphed into a 300 Blackout

I shoot .223/5.56 and 300blk from the same M&P Sport lower. The .223/5.56 is the original black as are the mags. The 300blk fore grip and mags are sand colored so as to not put the wrong caliber in the wrong barrel, just being safe.

That cannot be overemphasized. Images of AR15 5.56/223 kabooms and sometimes carnage to human flesh are posted on the internet frequently, showing this is a serious problem for those not paying attention to what they are doing. Color coding uppers and magazines to make one safer when using 300 BO with AR15s is good. I might add this applies to the 300 Whisper too, though it is not as common apparently as the 300 BO.

(I went a step further. My 300 BO is a bolt action, not an AR15. I mainly did this for simplicity, no issues whatsoever with cycling an action, and to be as quiet as possible. But it also means less chance of mixing magazines, though I still have to pay attention to ammo segregation.)

I was going to post up a pic of my AR dressed in Magpul FDE, but you did it for me.

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America First

You guys are aware that Magpul dropped FDE mags, right?

While this is true now, the marines just adopted the M3 pmag in coyote tan. This will definitely come to civilian market but who knows when. You can still buy gen 2 fde mags.

I hunt hog and coyote at night so they won't see the color my AR and probably don't care if they did see it. I don't think they know what it is anyway. They run if they see/smell/hear a human not the rifle. They think I'm carrying a stick.

Anyway, I like all black and I'm sticking to it. It's always in fashion, elegant and matches my shoes. As long as I find a matching pair.

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Si vis pacem para bellum.

I occasionally toy with the thought of painting my black MOE handguards in some sort of camo pattern.

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Registration? NEVER!

Black..Wait and FDE..

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Well..............I'm not SWAT so Black is out. OD & FDE are good. Most research on cam comes back saying the world is mostly shades of brown and tan any season. So..................
TADA, mine is;

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Yeah, the FDE mags will be on the shelf awhile. The MCTs are about to ship from my distributor. I'm just glad I can still get sand! Tie die is my next project color.

Most of the US Army uses OD Green as does the US Marines. But you can go to most of the supplier web sites and look at all of your choices. Remember though, most of the magazine colors will be limited to black, sand or coyote (which has replaced FDE), at least as far as Magpul is concerned. My Sport 2 was all black furniture when I bought it. I have since replaced all of the black with FDE from Magpul. Even found a few Gen 2 FDE mags to complete the rifle. And I will post pictures soon. Look and see, find what makes you "gun fire" and you will a happy gun owner.

Sling (not in picture) is also FDE (MS4)

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Roscoe
S&W M&P 15 Sport II

I'm sorry, are you saying the Army uses OD green furniture on their rifles?

Having just retired not long ago I would have to disagree....

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M&P15 sport II, Retired Army