Was looking around the other day on Slickguns and saw this rifle. It is the M&P15 with a 1:7 twist M4 profile barrel and carrying handle with A2 sights. MSRP of $1269 selling at $890.
Smith and Wesson M&P15 Black 5.56/.223 16in 30rd 1 in 7" Twist
You compare it to the Sport II which retails $499 these days with and MSRP of $739.
People often discuss in this section why the Sport II costs what it does compared to guns like the Colt 6920. The Sport II is not an apples to apples comparison to the Colt as many have pointed out. The Colt used to come with a carry handle but these days comes with Magpul MBUS sights, which is a cost saving measure. The M&P 1:7 seems like a more direct comparison. For some the carry handle will be a turn off for others is is a bonus.
What I find interesting is the price difference between the Sport II and the 1:7 guns. Is it the barrel profile, twist and the chrome linging which drives up the cost of the 1:7 or is it simply economy of scale that drives the Sport II lower?
I believe that the Sport II was spec'd to meet a price point and that the specs were chosen and refined to maintain that price point while meeting the demands of most recreational and commercial shooters. If they could have used the 1:7s spec and still produced a budget rifle they could sell at a profit they would have done it. IMHO I would speculate that S&W could not leverage enough economy of scale to produce the 1:7 to get to the price point of the Sport II or budget rifle range.
Thoughts?