Which AR-15 for Newbie

[goodoboy]

Hello,

Well, I am doing some research on AR-15 and decided I want to buy a S&W AR-15 for personal/family/home protection, fun shooting at the out door range, and hog hunting (a year from now). And just general target shooting. I have a shot friend AR before.

Rifles | Smith & Wesson I am searching here.

I am on this page and believe I want this one. M&P(R)15 Sport™ II | Smith & Wesson

Needs/Wants:
1 .5.56/.223 caliber
2. ability to add scope, grip, flashlight, etc in the future
3. learning how to clean it the gun and first thing to do and
perform maintenance

Budget
$400 to $700

I plan to visit a few gun stores to review the rifle I plan to buy just to see and hold it.

Few Questions please

1. What is the difference between gas operated and blow back? See attachment.

2. Are the front sights adjustable? I was concerned can not see out of a scope because of the front sights.

3. What ammo do you recommend for target shooting?

4. What are first thing you recommend I do when i first purchase the gun?

Thanks for the help. So far my pick is this one: M&P(R)15 Sport™ II | Smith & Wesson

Thanks alot

 

[snm8510]

1. What is the difference between gas operated and blow back? See attachment.
In the case of 223/556 ARs, you don't have to worry about this. It'll either be a DI vs Piston, long story short on that one, personal preference (I prefer DI). But since you wanted to know, gas operated=uses the gases from the round to help cycle the action instead of newton's 3rd law in the case of blow back (generally blow backs are for handgun rounds or rimfires). The reason why you see blow back as an option is for the M&P15 22 which fires the 22lr.

2. Are the front sights adjustable? I was concerned can not see out of a scope because of the front sights.
Yup, you'll just need a tool found just about anywhere to adjust the front sight post.

3. What ammo do you recommend for target shooting?
Cheapest you can find that your rifle will shoot (which should be all)

4. What are first thing you recommend I do when i first purchase the gun?
Shoot it.. A LOT.. Once you shoot it enough and become familiar enough with it, you'll find what you want to change without having to ask should I change this or that.. It might just be which do I want between the brands/models on that particular thing you want to change..

 

[cyphertext]

The Sport II is a great first AR-15!

Let's answer your questions...

1. Gas operated means that there is a port where the gasses are bled off from the barrel and routed back to push the bolt back. The port sits under the gas block, which is part of the front sight on the Sport II.

Blow back is simply operated by recoil. The .22lr works in this manner.

2. Yes, the front sights are adjustable, but not in the sense of folding them out of the way of the scope. However, with a 4x or higher magnification, the front sight will ghost out and not be seen in the scope.

3. Lots of ammo available. Check with your range first to insure they do not have any restrictions... if no restrictions, FMJ in 55 gr or 62 gr that is brass cased and from a reputable manufacturer will work.

4. I recommend that you read the manual and clean the rifle. After that, put at least 500 rounds down range before you start reading about modifying the rifle.

Good Luck!

 

[Westie1]

The Sport II is a great first AR-15!

Let's answer your questions...

1. Gas operated means that there is a port where the gasses are bled off from the barrel and routed back to push the bolt back. The port sits under the gas block, which is part of the front sight on the Sport II.

Blow back is simply operated by recoil. The .22lr works in this manner.

2. Yes, the front sights are adjustable, but not in the sense of folding them out of the way of the scope. However, with a 4x or higher magnification, the front sight will ghost out and not be seen in the scope.

3. Lots of ammo available. Check with your range first to insure they do not have any restrictions... if no restrictions, FMJ in 55 gr or 62 gr that is brass cased and from a reputable manufacturer will work.

4. I recommend that you read the manual and clean the rifle. After that, put at least 500 rounds down range before you start reading about modifying the rifle.

Good Luck!

Excellent suggestions and info. Only thing I would add, is buy extra mags. I've got 4 that I normally use at the range, plus 6 extra sitting in a drawer at the house. And I plan on getting more.

As to a scope, got a 3x9 mounted on mine. At the 3x setting, there is no sign of the front sight. If you go with a Red Dot, the front sight will be visible. However, that setup is the way it's designed to be.

 

[andy52]

With the availability of AR parts I honestly believe it's better to build or have one built rather than buying one pre made. Most people buy a pre build doesn't matter who the company is Smith, Colt, Ruger, Etc. and then start taking off parts and replacing them with something they like better. Rather then buying parts twice just start from scratch and get what you want the first time.

 

[goodoboy]

1. What is the difference between gas operated and blow back? See attachment.
In the case of 223/556 ARs, you don't have to worry about this. It'll either be a DI vs Piston, long story short on that one, personal preference (I prefer DI). But since you wanted to know, gas operated=uses the gases from the round to help cycle the action instead of newton's 3rd law in the case of blow back (generally blow backs are for handgun rounds or rimfires). The reason why you see blow back as an option is for the M&P15 22 which fires the 22lr.

2. Are the front sights adjustable? I was concerned can not see out of a scope because of the front sights.
Yup, you'll just need a tool found just about anywhere to adjust the front sight post.

3. What ammo do you recommend for target shooting?
Cheapest you can find that your rifle will shoot (which should be all)

4. What are first thing you recommend I do when i first purchase the gun?
Shoot it.. A LOT.. Once you shoot it enough and become familiar enough with it, you'll find what you want to change without having to ask should I change this or that.. It might just be which do I want between the brands/models on that particular thing you want to change..

Thank you snm8510 for the response

Few questions please:

1. So the M&P®15 SPORT™ II is Gas Operated Semi-Auto action, does this mean the rifle is Direct Impingement gas driven or gas piston. I am bit confused.

 

[goodoboy]

Hello,

What is the difference between Optics Ready M&P(R)15 SPORT™ II Optics Ready | Smith & Wesson

and M&P®15 SPORT™ II

M&P(R)15 Sport™ II | Smith & Wesson

Thanks

 

[cyphertext]

Hello,

What is the difference between Optics Ready M&P(R)15 SPORT™ II Optics Ready | Smith & Wesson

and M&P®15 SPORT™ II

M&P(R)15 Sport™ II | Smith & Wesson

Thanks

The optics ready version does not include sights... just a railed gas block that you can install a front sight on, and the railed top on the receiver.

Made specifically to use an optic as the primary sighting system.

 

[cyphertext]

Thank you snm8510 for the response

Few questions please:

1. So the M&P®15 SPORT™ II is Gas Operated Semi-Auto action, does this mean the rifle is Direct Impingement gas driven or gas piston. I am bit confused.

Direct impingement. The gases are routed back to push directly on the bolt carrier.

A piston AR has a piston that the gases operate. The piston pushes an operating rod that drives the bolt carrier back. Piston is said to be cleaner, but is proprietary... stick with direct impingement, especially for the first one.

 

[cyphertext]

With the availability of AR parts I honestly believe it's better to build or have one built rather than buying one pre made. Most people buy a pre build doesn't matter who the company is Smith, Colt, Ruger, Etc. and then start taking off parts and replacing them with something they like better. Rather then buying parts twice just start from scratch and get what you want the first time.

A person that is this unfamiliar with the platform is probably better served purchasing the first rifle so that they have customer service and warranty. When you build it yourself, you are your own tech support...

 

[goodoboy]

The optics ready version does not include sights... just a railed gas block that you can install a front sight on, and the railed top on the receiver.

Made specifically to use an optic as the primary sighting system.

Thank you cyphertext for the response,

I am assuming for the M&P®15 SPORT™ II (M&P(R)15 Sport™ II | Smith & Wesson) once I remove both sights, then it will be same as optics ready?

Thanks

 

[goodoboy]

With the availability of AR parts I honestly believe it's better to build or have one built rather than buying one pre made. Most people buy a pre build doesn't matter who the company is Smith, Colt, Ruger, Etc. and then start taking off parts and replacing them with something they like better. Rather then buying parts twice just start from scratch and get what you want the first time.

Thanks andy52 for the suggestions.

At this stage, I rather just buy an AR pre built until I learn more about the mechanics of the rifle. I am not ready at all to start building rifles for sure. Its too early for me.

 

[cyphertext]

Thank you cyphertext for the response,

I am assuming for the M&P®15 SPORT™ II (M&P(R)15 Sport™ II | Smith & Wesson) once I remove both sights, then it will be same as optics ready?

Thanks

No, you can't just "remove the sights" on the regular Sport II... That fixed front sight is also the gas block. If you remove it, you have to replace it with another gas block, either a low profile type, or a railed one like on the optics ready.

There is no need to remove the front sight on the Sport II, unless you plan to use less than 3 - 4 x magnification.

 

[ChattanoogaPhil]

The most common thing I see new Sport buyers change is the carbine length handguard to a longer freefloat handguard.
My suggestion is to understand handguard options before pressing the buy button on any AR. It will also lead to understanding about iron sight options.

Happy AR hunting.

 

[C J]

The first thing to do with any weapon is to break it down as much as the manual suggests and check it for bad parts / badly installed parts - etc.. You don't want a gun that has a part installed wrong that may blow up in your face. I check "every" firearm I buy before I shoot it.

There are better types of ammo for target shooting. Target shooters generally roll their own (re-load) but there are good brands off the shelf like Black Hills ammo. Every rifle is different. If you want maximum accuracy I suggest trying several different types and brands of ammo to see which shoots better in your particular rifle.

For the first AR I'd say buy one pre-built like the Sport II. The warranty alone makes it a good deal. And you won't get burned by a badly built rifle (which I have been although it was an AK and not an AR). My second AR was built by someone but by then I knew a lot more about what I was getting and what to expect.

I wouldn't worry about changing parts until you shoot a lot. You may find that you don't need to change anything. The only thing I changed on my Sport was the handguard. I wanted one with an actual heat shield. That's probably the weakest part of a Sport. Some say to change out to a free floated design. My Sport shoots really accurate with the stock setup. I can shoot about a 5" group at 135 yards shooting off hand with my Sport. It's going to be a challenge to get one to shoot better than that. You may make it worse instead of better. If the accuracy doesn't suit you as it comes then you might go with a free floated design. I have other rifles that are certainly more accurate because of being free floated but again my Sport shoots plenty good without that. I've seen reviews that say it's going to be hard to make a Sport shoot better just by changing to a free floated design. I'd have to see it to believe it to be honest.

 

[goodoboy]

No, you can't just "remove the sights" on the regular Sport II... That fixed front sight is also the gas block. If you remove it, you have to replace it with another gas block, either a low profile type, or a railed one like on the optics ready.

There is no need to remove the front sight on the Sport II, unless you plan to use less than 3 - 4 x magnification.

Thank you cyphertext for responding to me.

I am concerned the front sights will interfere with scope shooting.

What do you mean 'less than 3 - 4 x magnification"?

I do plan to add a scope on the AR for hog hunting (maybe deer as well). I am not sure what scope I need to get, I haven't read this far into it.

Thanks,

 

[hugger-4641]

I have to agree with CJ's last paragraph since I have some recent first hand experience with this. I did build another AR with a free floated hand guard because I am using it at 300yrds+. However, my Sport II is stock, and IMHO, unless you are shooting past 300yrds, you will not notice much benefit in accuracy from a free floated hand guard until the barrel gets heated up. It will take several rounds for the barrel to heat up enough to make a difference. Of course, the type of ammo and how fast you fire those rounds will make a difference, but for the average shooter, I'd say you would need to fire at least 20rds in quick succession before the barrel would be hot enough to notice any difference in accuracy at less than 300yrds. If you are the typical target shooter who will shoot a group or two and then let the rifle cool while you check results or make adjustments, then you are never going to notice any difference.
If you are the type who is going to empty 30rd mags as quick as you can just for the sake of doing so, then you will want a heat shield and/or a free floated guard to help get rid of the heat, but accuracy is going to be out the window no matter which hand guard you have.

 

[cyphertext]

Thank you cyphertext for responding to me.

I am concerned the front sights will interfere with scope shooting.

What do you mean 'less than 3 - 4 x magnification"?

I do plan to add a scope on the AR for hog hunting (maybe deer as well). I am not sure what scope I need to get, I haven't read this far into it.

Thanks,

If you have a scope that is 3 power, you typically will not see the front sight in the scope. Guaranteed not to see it at 4 power and higher. This is because the focal point of the scope is further out than the front sight is. There is a drawback though... even though you can't see the front sight in the scope, it does block light.

What will be the primary use of the rifle? If it is hunting and using a magnified optic, you may want to consider either the optics ready version, or a rifle with a free float hand guard that covers the gas block and has flip up sights. If you opt for the optic ready version, you can add flip up sights to it, just the front sight should be a metal sight, not the lower cost Magpul polymer type. But if you never plan to shoot the rifle using iron sights, they aren't required.

My setup for hogs is a Sport I. Fixed front sight, flip up rear and I use a Millet red dot sight. No magnification, but I am typically no more than 70 yards away from the hogs.

 

[hugger-4641]

Thank you cyphertext for responding to me.

I am concerned the front sights will interfere with scope shooting.

What do you mean 'less than 3 - 4 x magnification"?

I do plan to add a scope on the AR for hog hunting (maybe deer as well). I am not sure what scope I need to get, I haven't read this far into it.

Thanks,

He means that scopes with more than 3X magnification will make the front sight "disappear" because the front sight is so close to the optics it can't come into focus. So don't worry about the front sight if you are going to use a scope.

In fact, don't worry about the front sight at all. If you go with a red-dot or electronic sight (which usually have little or no magnification), get one that is mounted so it will "co witness" with your iron sights, that way you can use either the irons or the optics as you choose without changing anything.

 

[SweetMK]

Right or wrong, I refused to learn all this stuff.
I just went out and bought a Bushmaster, took it home, and started shooting.

A couple thousand rounds later, I know everything I need to know.

Oh, my plan was to sell the first rifle, and buy what I needed after the Bushmaster "taught" me what I needed to know.

I still shoot the Bushmaster, but, I did buy a second "cheapo" recently at a gunshow. $300.
It is a beater, but, I have had that one apart and back together dozens of times.
The beater shoots great,, looks terrible.
The beater came with a bunch of "extras, even a 22LR adapter.
I was amazed when the beater cycled with bulk 22LR ammo.

So, what I am saying is,, start enjoying, rather than studying,,
you will learn what you need to know along the way!!