Having trouble deciding which M&P 15 to purchase

[Tanglefoot]

Could someone explain to me the difference in the M&P 15, I've seen a lot of varieties and I'm not quite sure what the difference is. I'm looking to purchase one within the next month or so and would like to get the most bang for my buck.
Yes seeing as I'm more of a pistol man in this will be my first AR of any sort I would like to get opinions on which AR-15 would be best to personalize and also I would like to know which one is worth the money.

 

[TexasM&PBandit]

Having trouble deciding which M&P 15 to purchase

I'm no expert. But Bang for the Buck, M&P Sport II 5.56MM 16" Barrel MagPul MOE -LOK 10305. Has better furniture, and I ain't talking about a recliner. $499 delivered if you look.



Hard to beat that!!!! However, if you don't want Bang for the Buck someone else can chime in.

Good Luck!

Bandit.......

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ChattanoogaPhil]

The best bang for the buck is usually the model that best meets your wants/needs out of the box.

The two issues I see here most often with newbies are those who buy a Sport and soon discover they want a free float handguard and a folding front sight to remove it from view with their red dot optic or low power magnified scope at 1-2x.

Handguard and front sight options are worth the effort to understand prior to purchase.

 

[Kadonny]

It's hard to detail all the model since there are quite a few, but as Chattanoogaphil said the biggest thing to think about is if you want a specific type of rail and if you want the A2 front sight post. Once you decide on those issues, choosing a model is easier.

 

[wayne2356]

I bought a Sport I Magpul edition and 3 months later changed the rail and butstock for other Magpul products. Upgraded

I wish I had bought a AR without the front sight ... but its fine

1st) Decide what you want to use the gun for
2nd) price range
3rd) possible add on's or accessories you might want to add

 

[cyphertext]

I like the black ones... get the black one.

You basically have said something along the lines of "I like Fords. Which Ford should I buy?" with no info on how you intend to use it. Couldn't tell ya if a Ford Fiesta or an F150 would be more suited to your needs based on the info provided.

 

[Dad_Roman]

Oooo....Oooo....I like the black ones!

 

[hugger-4641]

I had to learn some of this the hard way also. I bought a stock MP Sport II for $500. Only after this did I educate myself about the various options and configurations available for the AR-15 and realized that I wanted some different features. I've since "built" an inexpensive custom AR to suit a specific purpose. I have about the same investment in it as the Sport II except: It has chrome lined 1/7 barrel, 15" free float key mod hand guard, tactical light, folding vertical grip, and plenty of places to add other goodies if I want to like laser, flashlight, illuminator, etc. You can buy the M&P T that already has the free float guard and a few other features for about $1000. Or you can spend even more if you want to pay for certain type of finish or a name like Colt, Sig, Daniel Defense, etc. Nothing against those brands and I've shot a few of the other "high end" names as well. Other than fit and finish, they don't perform any better than the Sport II. If I could do it all over, I'd still buy the Sport II because it serves a different purpose than the one I "built". What has already been said here is true; figure out what you want to do with the rifle and then buy or build one that suits that purpose. Or you can just buy something and then keep throwing money at it to change features and accessories until you are happy with it.

 

[ChattanoogaPhil]

Just wanted to add... there's also lots of very experienced AR shooters who wouldn't have an AR without the A2 front sight. So it's not like the A2 front sight is just a purchase mistake by newbies who don't know any better, but rather for the newbie to be aware of front sight options and how that dovetails with handguard choices.

 

[C J]

You can get the optics ready Sport II which doesn't have the front sight post and it costs about the same as the regular Sport II. As far as the handguard goes I have no problems with accuracy with mine without the free floating design. I did find I wanted a better handguard to attach things to and to deal with heat issues better. I spent about $30 on a basic Magpul design and a few more dollars for the tool needed to change the handguard so it wasn't exactly a deal breaker because I replaced the OEM handguard.

As for the front sight post I don't think I'd want a rifle without one even though I thought I might for a short time. Being able to fall back on iron sights is a big plus IMO. You just never know what a red dot might fail and that includes models that are very expensive and durable. I just like the idea of having a backup.

 

[Rastoff]

Take a look on the S&W site. Scroll through the M&P15s and see which one catches your fancy most. Then have a frank discussion with yourself asking what it is about this particular model(s) draws you in.

Then ask what you want to do. Does that model suit your intended purpose?

Once you've narrowed it down, come back and list a couple models for us. Then we can be more accurate with our help.

 

[MichiganScott]

Put me down as another fan of the A2 front sight. I have it on rifles with both scopes and red dots. I'm even a fan of carry handle rear sights when I get a burning desire to use irons. The one under my bed is so equipped.

 

[Flash_80]

Oooo....Oooo....I like the black ones!

He didn't do nothing

 

[Whitwabit]

I think the best bang for the buck is one of the Tactical models for the first AR .. only thing left to get would be a red dot or a scope .. figure out which forearm you want and find the Magpul or Troy Tactical model you want ..

then after shooting for awhile and finding things you would like on the AR different then you have start the slow process of acquiring parts for a build ..

I bought a tactical model from Bud's and got a great deal with my Veteran discount in my safe under 800 bucks .. my first AR .. now my next is already in the works but I will build this one ..

 

[hugger-4641]

You can get the optics ready Sport II which doesn't have the front sight post and it costs about the same as the regular Sport II. As far as the handguard goes I have no problems with accuracy with mine without the free floating design. I did find I wanted a better handguard to attach things to and to deal with heat issues better. I spent about $30 on a basic Magpul design and a few more dollars for the tool needed to change the handguard so it wasn't exactly a deal breaker because I replaced the OEM handguard.

As for the front sight post I don't think I'd want a rifle without one even though I thought I might for a short time. Being able to fall back on iron sights is a big plus IMO. You just never know what a red dot might fail and that includes models that are very expensive and durable. I just like the idea of having a backup.

Nothing against the A2, I kept it on my Sport II, but you can still have iron sites with a free float hand guard. Some sights like the EOTech and some red dots will let you look right thru and use the irons, or you can use see-thru mounts or risers with other scopes that will let you use the irons too.

 

[C J]

Nothing against the A2, I kept it on my Sport II, but you can still have iron sites with a free float hand guard. Some sights like the EOTech and some red dots will let you look right thru and use the irons, or you can use see-thru mounts or risers with other scopes that will let you use the irons too.

True but to me that defeats the whole purpose of buying a rifle without the front sight post. I guess it's good to have options. I just don't have any problems with my A2 post. I still use a red dot with no problems. What you say makes sense if you want to be able to choose different setups after you buy but IMO a person should be able to decide what they want ahead of time. That A2 sight is on there pretty solid for one thing. No getting it banged around and off zero unless it takes a serious whack. Just saying.

 

[Disabled1]

Build one instead. That way you will have everything on it that YOU want!
BTW, you can build one even better than ANY M&P, IMHO. In fact, better than ANY entry level AR made out there.

 

[cyphertext]

Build one instead. That way you will have everything on it that YOU want!
BTW, you can build one even better than ANY M&P, IMHO. In fact, better than ANY entry level AR made out there.

You will be hard pressed to build a better AR than the Sport for less than $500...

 

[Kadonny]

You will be hard pressed to build a better AR than the Sport for less than $500...

Yup, you just can't buy all parts needed that cheaply. Start addding it up, they total over $500 pretty quickly. The other issue with a build is you want to use better parts when doing it yourself. So you buy a better trigger, a better charging handle, better handguard etc, etc. Before you know it you're bumping up on $1000 not $500.

 

[C J]

hat way you will have everything on it that YOU want

Except a lifetime warranty and a big name company standing behind the whole gun. I thought about building my own but I thought I'd be better off buying from an established gun maker like S&W. They make a pretty good rifle IMO. Mine is accurate and, so far, dependable. Melonite treatment (S&W says their treatment is identical to Melonite without the brand name price tag) has done well in testing. I can't see my rifle rusting that easily. It seems to be treated pretty well IMO. I've been around guns for darn near 60 years. I've seen the good and the bad from multi-thousand dollar Italian shotguns and that's 1960's dollars to throwaway Saturday night specials that rust before you get them home from the store like the 1950's Berettas and Yugo SKS bores which are not chrome lined. The Sport seems to have a good finish IMO.