Thank god the guy (at Cabelas) I was working with put a hold on my rifle for me! I called him on Tues of this week and he said they had 4 M&P 15T's, 2 M&P 15ORC's, and one bushmaster AR15.

When I arrived to get the rifle all they had was mine in the back and one of the M&P 15ORC,s left! I also purchased a EOTech Holographic sight, 511.A65, and mounted that. They had a promotion on ammo if you buy 300 or more rounds you get a free cabelas dry ammo box. So I bought 300 rounds of .223 Remington .55gr. Have not shot it yet, just going thru the manual and getting familiar with it. Its been a long time, since mid 80's, when I spent some time in the Air Force since I have fired this style of rifle.
Now looking to get some extra mags and a sling or harness like the military uses. Any ideas?

I dont think I can post pics yet on this forum?? But when I can I will try. Sorry for the long post, but I have wanted one of these rifles for a long time and now have one. Very anxious to take it out and see what it can do.

Thank god the guy (at Cabelas) I was working with put a hold on my rifle for me! I called him on Tues of this week and he said they had 4 M&P 15T's, 2 M&P 15ORC's, and one bushmaster AR15.

When I arrived to get the rifle all they had was mine in the back and one of the M&P 15ORC,s left! I also purchased a EOTech Holographic sight, 511.A65, and mounted that. They had a promotion on ammo if you buy 300 or more rounds you get a free cabelas dry ammo box. So I bought 300 rounds of .223 Remington .55gr. Have not shot it yet, just going thru the manual and getting familiar with it. Its been a long time, since mid 80's, when I spent some time in the Air Force since I have fired this style of rifle.
Now looking to get some extra mags and a sling or harness like the military uses. Any ideas?

I dont think I can post pics yet on this forum?? But when I can I will try. Sorry for the long post, but I have wanted one of these rifles for a long time and now have one. Very anxious to take it out and see what it can do.

congrats on your purchase...you will love it!

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SWCA#2208
KK4EMO

Congratulations on your purchase! As for mags, a lot of people swear by the Magpul Polymer Mags (PMags). They may be a bit hard to find. CProducts makes a mag with an orange, anti-tilt follower (Magpul follower) that is good.

Thanks! I will look into the CProducts mags. Been lookin at all sorts of stuff that would make sense to add as well.

The H&K mags are great, but a little heavy and (some say) overly complicated. A little on the high price side, but I love their feel and have yet to have one fail.

Steve

Congratulations,
There are a lot of slings out there. many different options. Try a gun show so you can see mounted slings and have them demenstrate proper use and technics of carry.
EoTech is a great sight system.
AR's like a lot of lube so check it , lube it, and shoot it.
Magazines. CP products are very good. Stay away from the cheaper versions . All of the cheap mags will have feed issues.
Only military grade issue will give trouble free service..
Have fun.
I have a M&P 15 as well as Bush Master , DPMS, & Rock River.
If you go to a training scession and shoot 2,000 rounds in 2 or 3 days to Colt, M&P will not let you down. Rock River is right there. The other brands out there will have various issues. All minor but a FTF in real combat or self defense is not acceptable.

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TDR911 Sigma Laser Systems

Thanks for all the great info. Keep it coming. There is a gun show this upcoming weekend so I will check that out and see what everyone has.

Congrats on your new AR...Just beware they're like a disease, once you have one you'll want another. I bought the ORC about a month ago and now have the FT on it's way this week . I have a few extra brand new C Products 30 round mags for sale, if you're interested email me...Good luck with your new toy

Dave

jcall- You'll find out how little time it takes to burn through 300 rounds soon.

Here's a link to help you post pictures not as difficult as it sounds. first store the pictures on your computer then down load to photobucket. http://smith-wessonforum.com/e...0103904/m/3011047303

Congratulations on snagging one of the really nice makes of the AR15.

S&W has done a really great job of late building a fine, fine AR . . . and you'll soon discover the addiction!

I picked up an OR version in February and it has performed flawlessly.

Sadly, I have been smitten with the bug to "improve" on the weapon . . . like so many do. Like Harley's no two seem to end up alike, and there are a lot of options out there, made by many fine aftermarket companies, of goodies that will truly personalize your carbine!

Mil spec. magazines are fine, but I'd recommend replacing the followers with Magpul's excellent followers and the mags should always run flawlessly.

Better still, Magpul's new polymer magazines seem to have solved the problem most curved magazines have aligning the cartridges perfectly and flawlessly. Everyone seems to be buying these and wanting 'em. They are wonderful!

Unfortunately, they are also hard to find and active threads are maintained on AR15/M4/M16 forums where people alert everyone when a major retailer gets in a thousand or so. They are gone in hours!

Today, Bravo Company got in the green ones (they were out of all the others) . . . but by now these are gone. The gun show guys have 'em . . . but at $30 per magazine vs. Magpul's retail price of $14.95. Ahhh . . . the "joys" of supply and demand when you have an exceptional product.

I've replaced my handguards already with Magpul's new MOE grip . . . a definite improvement in hold and comfort! Here's a photo of my flat top OR version . . . temporarily wearing an old Bushnell Holosight.

Ironically, I've decided in Troy's front and rear flip up iron sights . . . the same company that brands the S&W logo on the Smith sights that are the exact same. Troy has the best reputation on this type back up sights!

I'm goin' slow tweaking mine. As the wise carpenter said, "Measure Twice; Cut Once!"

I DO know that the handgrip HAS to go (I'm going with one that's more ergonomic and that has a battery storage compartment built in). The milspec handgrip didn't bother me in the Army . . . but I'm getting picky in my old age. The flat trigger guard section below the trigger also has to go. Again, it will be replaced by Magpul's excellent rounded one that doesn't have the gap in it just in front of the top of the "pistol grip."

Lots of plans for this baby!

Have fun with your new M&P15 . . . I surely am with mine!

Tom

PS: Here's my M&P 15OR version, pictured with a Magpul magazine in it, and the new MOE handguards . . .

Thanks Tom, thats a great looking rifle you have as well. Called a local guy that deals in accessories, AR15 uppers, and other parts. He had Magpul 30rd clips for $20 (they also had small slits in the side to see the rounds), and CMS? 30rd clips, i think, was the brand for $18. They had stainless steel followers and very good spring action. The case looked mil spec.

He also had the trigger guard you were talking about as well. Might be something I will be adding as well. He did have a two-point harness with the bungee in it. I believe it was made by blackhawk? It was very nice. I am going to get that put on for sure. Thanks for all the info and as soon as I can get some pics I will post. I really need to go out and put some rounds thru this as well. LOL!

Well I went and bought some goodies for the M&P. I got a Magpul 30rd clip (had the see thru window-slit on both sides and a dust cover), a CMMG 30rd Clip with Braided spring and stainless follower. Got both mags for $36. Plus I ordered a hogue grip, forend grip, and a blackhawk single point harness with bungee straps.

The guy I am dealing with had his set-up with these items and it was very comfortable and functional.

Great going, jcall!

I live in a small town with a small dealer plus a big store that has absolutely nothing worth buying + a lot of other junk. Neither have AR goodies.

So, I'm stuck waiting to get to a bigger town on a weekend that's FREE. In the spring its hard to find that kind of free time. I'll be in Athens Saturday with the wife. Then again, its also our grandson's second birthday and usually I spend every minute I can with him and our extended family.

Some things are . . . much more important!

However, if I get a chance, I hope to run by a big gun shop there and see what they may stock.

Like you got to do, I'd REALLY like to see and touch those items I'm considering to make sure they are exactly what I want.

Remember now . . . a thread without pictures is WORTHLESS . . . so when you get her all dolled up, please post a photo!

T.

Thanks Tom - found this guy the other day when reading the "guns for sale" section in the newspaper. He builds AR15's piece by piece for customers and has quite a bit of accessories on hand to get the "feel" for them.

Today he also brought out a couple of his personal rifles and thats when I got to see and get a good feel for what they were like before buying and ordering. One of his rifles had the same magpul guards you did, they felt very nice! That really helps and he is reasonable with his prices. (I also let him know I check the internet for pricing as well). If you get a chance the Hogue grip felt awesome for the price.

Good luck when you go to Athens if you get time to look around for more "additions" . You are right about "more important things" Family is always number one.

When I get the new items I will put up a pic too. If you have anything you are looking for let me know and I will ask if he has it and what price. It might save you some searching and hassle. Thanks again.

The braided wire magazines from CMMG are probably the "Immortals" series. They are actually supposed to be 29rd mags. Several companies now make polymer 30rd mags. About the only ones that are definite "stay away froms" are the ProMags. Fusil is another maker of steel mags. The HK mags are said to suffer from springs wearing out prematurely and HK will not sell the springs as a seperate part. Thus if your mag dies, you're supposed to chuck a 50 dollar mag for want of a two dollar spring.

The EoTechs can be problematic if someone has any degree of astigmatism, in that case, the image is likely to be fairly blurry, esp compared to an Aimpoint's single dot. I got rid of mine for this reason.

Becareful of AR15 builders. If someone is assembling complete rifles, they're supposed to be paying an excise tax to the ATF, most builders don't, and thus are probably in a state of noncompliance.

Since batteries tend to fail, particularly lithium ones dying suddenly (which is what EoTech suggests running in their units), Back Up Iron Sights (BUIS) are always a good idea. Battery life on an Eotech is also shorter, or at least that was the case on the one I had, than on something like an Aimpoint, being measured in days and not in years.

A surplus nylon M16 sling costs between two to five dollars. For simple "sling" use, this suffices. VTAC and many others make more complex and expensive offerings that you may or may not want to buy. Most of these, like collapsible stocks, are only needed if you're wearing armor and other gear that might get in the way. If you're not, then it doesn't really matter.

Magpul's MOE handguards are meant to be a cheap and light platform for attaching rails if one desires. They're likely not as melt resistant as factory double shield M4 handguards. Nor are they as durable a means of mounting rails as something like a Surefire quad rail or one of the various more expensive free float rail options. They are however cheap and light. I have a set on one of my CMMG M4 clones.

Some of the .223 sold by Cabelas is factory reloaded ammo. Use of this probably voids your warranty.

Hello, I appreciate the info. My CMMG mag holds 30rds just fine, must not be the one you are referring to. I will probably get another couple Magpul's anyway. Lets be honest when buying accessories looks do count for something and the Magpul is a good looking magazine and is very functional. I got the two different mags to see what I liked and the price was right.

Looked at some other sights and the EoTech was a good choice and the right price. My eyesight is fine so should work great. All is clear when I look thru it. I also carry a spare set of batteries if needed, not going into combat so they should be fine. Also, the M&P 156T, what I have, comes with the fold-down battle sights which is one reason I bought it.

Believe me I am always leary of meeting people that do this kind of work. He is not building me a rifle and he is very knowledgeable of the weapons functions and capabilities. His prices are very reasonable as well. But he is a outlet that I can go to for trying out the accessories before I buy them to get the "feel" for them. It saves me time from hunting this stuff down and searching the internet only to find what I want is "out of stock". Trust me there is value in getting to see the item, being able to purchase right then, and take it home and use.


I get your point on the slings, but to each his own. There are alot out there.

Tom T. has the Magpul handguards I was talking about and I thought they looked great. They obviously will not fit my M&P 15T, but they were on another AR 15 rifle and looked great and were very functional for the price. Unless your firing a full auto the heat resistance they provide should be fine.

The .223 ammo is new not factory reload, I will shoot that stuff later.

Thanks again for the input it is appreciated.

H&K mags are a bit on the expensive side but the springs can be bought from H&K USA for about $5 each. They are out right now and said it would take 30 days to get some in.

Check out these guys for mags. I got two SS w/teflon coating 30rd mags and the build quality is nice. Very fast shipping also.

https://www.44mag.com/

https://www.44mag.com/prodinfo.asp?number=CPS30BB

Hello, thanks for the mag info. I will be able to get my mags local and for the prices he charges I am gonna stick with that. I should be getting my Hogue grip on Wed along with another couple Magpul 30rd mags ($19.00 tx included). I just cant beat the prices.

Now I just need to get some time and shoot this thing!