I sold my last AR (a pre-ban Colt A2 HBAR) back in 1988 and have regretted doing so ever since. I'm in a financial position to be able to aquire another AR and I've been trying to decide what to go with. After some research and shopping I decided to go with a S&W M&P15 Tactiacal. I found one for $1150 out of state, $1210 with shipping & FFL transfer fee - that equates to a local purchase price of $1100 and sales tax. S/N is in the SM68xxx range and it left the factory in July, 2009 (no issues with the current M&P's that I've been able to find - seems like they worked the bugs out early). From what I've read here and on other forums it seemed like a good deal. It should arrive next Tuesday. Pretty excited!

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M&P15T M&P9 M&P9c SW1911 4506

Great decision. My brother-in-law has had his "T" for 6 months and loves it! Absolutely no problems.

I finally took delivery a few weeks ago on my M&P15 "VTAC"...$1,645. Best shooting rifle I have ever shot. I like this VTAC more than my 2 Weatherbys!!

My M&P15T is due to arrive tomorrow, a day earlier than expected. That should add a little happy to Monday. []

I also ordered up a few extras - not needed at this time but they were easy enough on the wallet to justify.

I have a couple of extra ladder style rail covers coming so that I can keep the unused rails protected. I rather liked the feel of these low profile covers.

I ordered up a Magpul PMAG. The M&P only comes with one magazine. This is likely more than sufficient for the type of shooting I plan to use this AR for in the short term it's always good to have a spare magazine on hand.

I also ordered a vertical front grip. Nothing special - it's a CAA BVG. I wasn't going to even bother with a vertical front grip as I'm comfortable using the foregrip to steady this type of rifle. I have never tried to use a vertical grip and thought it might be interesting to see if it's something I would make use of. The CAA was only $19 and it's warranteed for life. Cheap enough that I won't miss the $$ if I decide to go with something nicer in the future.

Finally, I ordered up one A Primary Arms M4 style red dot optic (reviewed very well by some AR15.com forum members). While there's an overwhelming majority that says 'buy quality, buy once' I'm merely interested in finding out if this type of optic would be useful for me. Again, between the price and the very positive reviews it seemed like a good option. Time will tell.

I plan on adding a tactical light and rail mount at some point in the near future. I'll wait until I have decided whether or not I'll use the vertical grip as this will affect how and where the light will be mounted.

I'll post pics tomorrow or Tuesday!

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M&P15T M&P9 M&P9c SW1911 4506

New hardware in the house!



I won't be able to get to the range for another two weeks... it's going to be a slooow two weeks

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M&P15T M&P9 M&P9c SW1911 4506

So far I'm very pleased with it! I cleaned and lubed it this evening so it's ready to go to the range. I'm going to try to get to the range this weekend if at all possible (busy weekend, not going to be easy).

The trigger on this particular gun is much better than I'd expected. The other M&P15's I've handled to date have had a serviceable trigger with a fair amount of creep and a perceived increase in weight before the trigger breaks (stacking?) - not much different than by brother-in-law's DPMS or the Colts my dad and I owned way back when. This one exhibits a little creep (very little) and weight seems to be consistent. It's a crisp break, very consistent / predictable. Assuming it's as accurate as indicated in the various M&P15 reviews to date this will make a better target gun than my Colt was. I really like the trigger!

Mine didn't come with the 3 handguard rail covers pictured with the M&P15T on S&W's site and other marketing material. Rather it came with 3 ladder style rail protectors. I'll be calling S&W tomorrow to see if they have any of the handguards. No big deal if not - the ladder protectors and rail system work well as a forearm stock. The magazine that shipped with mine is a Magpul PMAG - nice! I have another 3 PMAG's on the way, 4 should be plenty.

It did not come with a sling mount other than the one on the collapsible stock. I'll inquire about this with S&W tomorrow as well. No hurry on my part as I haven't decided whether or not I'll install a sling or what type I might use. It would be nice to have the option out of the box though.

The upper/lower receiver fit is pretty tight with just a hint of play. The fit is about the same as I remember with my A2 HBAR - feels just right to me.

The finish on the receivers is the nicest I've seen on any AR - fine and smooth, no tooling marks visible anywhere.

I'm definitely one happy camper at this moment! Can't wait to shoot it!

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M&P15T M&P9 M&P9c SW1911 4506

Spent some time this evening dry fire practicing, familiarizing myself with the trigger. As stated above it's definitely nicer than any standard AR trigger I've used in the past. After working with the trigger for a while this evening I find there's a bit more creep than I'd first noticed. It's still very minor and the trigger breaks consistently / predictably. It should make target shooting enjoyable!

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M&P15T M&P9 M&P9c SW1911 4506

Couple new pics with Primary Arms M4 red dot installed:

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M&P15T M&P9 M&P9c SW1911 4506

Added a vertical grip and some additional rail protectors:

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M&P15T M&P9 M&P9c SW1911 4506

Here's a few shots through the M4 sight:









There's also a 2 MOA dot reticle (not pictured)

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M&P15T M&P9 M&P9c SW1911 4506

We (my boy, my wife, an I ) just returned home from the range. The 15 and 25 yard ranges were deserted. Everyone's zero'ing their hunting rifles this weekend so it was difficult to get a slot at 50 or 100 yards. We grabbed a slot at 100 yards just before we left and ran the first 100 rounds through the M&P. The iron sites are just a little off - about 3 inches high and 2 inches left at 100 yards. The red dot will require a bit more adjustment - it's about 9 inches low and 2.5 inches left at 100 yards. All three of us showed very consistent results with all shots placed within a 4 inch group in the same area high and left as described above. I'll have a spotting scope with me next trip out and dial the irons and red dot in. This was mostly a functional test and a dent in the break-in. 100 rounds won't tell you too much but, as expected, there were no failures of any kind. Very pleased so far!

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M&P15T M&P9 M&P9c SW1911 4506

Awesome! I have the same rifle and love it. I put on the Eotech 512, a foregrip like yours, a hogue grip (what a difference!), and a Magpul trigger guard. I have around 700 rounds down mine. They are very accurate rifles. While yours is still new, try Slip 2000 EWL lubricant. I switched from CLP and noticed quite a bit of difference in the quality of lubrication.

Sounds like your having a good time shooting with the family too.

Thanks for the suggestion - I'll look for Slip 2000 EWL at the local shop tomorrow.

We had a great time on Saturday! My wife doesn't have the same level of interest as my son and I but she does have fun at the range and she shoots well naturally. She has a definite preference for single action triggers and likes shooting my old CCW, a 9MM Star Firestar (great little pistol, trigger has smoothed out nicely, over 2000 rounds and not a single failure to report, weighs a lot for its size - current CCW is a KelTec PF-9) so I gave it to her. She seemed to enjoy shooting the AR. My son definitely enjoyed that! Though I've been teaching him gun safety since he was very young he's just now starting to shoot and he's showing some natural ability as well. He takes instruction and applies it well too. It's nice sharing with him something I remember fondly my father sharing with me!

I'm adding a few goodies to my AR this week: a Magpul CTR collapsible stock, a V-TAC 2 pint sling with quick disconnect swivels, and a Surefire tac light on a Viking Tactics offset rail mount. I've always liked the stock A2 style pistol grip so it'll stay for a while. If I decide to swap it out later the Hogue is the only aftermarket grip that appeals to me (similar size, width, and angle to the A2) - it felt very good on the Ruger AR-556.

After this first trip to the range I'm sure I made a good choice with the M&P15T. I'm looking forward to getting back to the range this weekend!

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M&P15T M&P9 M&P9c SW1911 4506

I haven't been able to find the Slip 2000 EWL in the local gun stores near me. I may have to order some online. While out shopping though I handled another Ruger AR-556 and really liked the Hogue grip - same grip angle and similar size to the A2 grip but the palm swell is what sold me. I picked one up and installed it - a definite improvement over the standard A2 grip! Thanks for the nudge! I'm really pleased with the improved ergonimics from the Hogue grip and CTR stock.

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M&P15T M&P9 M&P9c SW1911 4506

Glad you like the hogue grip. The feel and the palm swell is what sold me too. I love it. I ordered the Slip 2000 EWL off thier website. You wont be disappointed with this product.

Placing order this evening

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M&P15T M&P9 M&P9c SW1911 4506

Having read your comments here about the M&P 15T, my wife decided to follow in your footsteps. She got hers Monday evening and Tuesday it got taken to the range. From what I hear, we are going again this afternoon. I think she really likes it.

When it finally got to be my turn to "test" it, I discovered that a 16 inch barrel doesn't give anything away to a 20 inch at 200 yards.

Anyway, I just wanted to say thanks for your posts.

I'm glad to hear your enjoying yours as much as I am mine. I'm very pleased with its accuracy.

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M&P15T M&P9 M&P9c SW1911 4506

Welcome to the club They really are awesome and accurate rifles. At our range I have no issues hitting the 500yd target consistently with my S&W MP15T and an EoTech. Enjoy. (Wait until the accessory bug bites)

I just ordered one Tuesday. I should be picking it up sometime next week. I hope that accessory bug does not bite like a Black Momba.

Congratulations! I hope you're as satisfied with your M&P15 as I am with mine. Good luck dodging the accessory bug - not an easy thing to do.

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M&P15T M&P9 M&P9c SW1911 4506

I've done some more shooting with this rifle and it will place sub 1" groups at 100 yards consistently if I'm up to it (my best 5 round group at 100 yards so far is 7/8"). I'm not as consistent as I'd like to be but I'm definitely shooting well with this rifle most of the time! I have a 4.5-14X mil dot scope on the way I'll spend a good bit of time at the 200 yard bench next range visit.

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M&P15T M&P9 M&P9c SW1911 4506

Welcome to the EBR club (Evil Black Rifle) These are some really great rifles! You will enjoy it I am sure.

Just make sure when you get it, clean it, lube really well, and fire away. I switched to Slip 2000 EWL lube and it made a big difference in function and ease of cleaning.

Give us a range report when you take it out.

I just picked up my new M&P 15T and I'm very happy with it so far, just have to clean it. The lower has some thick lubricate on the sides, I'm having to clean off. I was thinking about trying some #9 to get the stuff off. I was just wondering what your take is on this stuff and does your lower say 15T on it? I will be taking it out to the range next week. I look forward to setting up the BUIS, at 50 yards. I was wondering how much adjustment did it take for your BUIS. I'm looking forward to hearing some replys or PM.

I have added a FVG and rear sling plate to my M&P 15T. I will be using a Black Hawk One Point Sling.