Anyone have a Volunteer XV?

Firebird_SG · Sep 13, 2023

Hi I’m trying to decide if I should get a Sport II or a Volunteer XV.

There’s not a lot of YouTube on this rifle since it’s so new.

Just wondering if anyone here that has any experience with it or has seen one in a local shop to see how it felt in hand or how it compares to the Sport II

Echo40 · Sep 13, 2023

Alas, nearly every variant of the M&P15 aside from the original and the Sport Series have very little media coverage, so it's unlikely that the Volunteer XV will ever receive many mainstream reviews.

Unfortunately, there exists a prevailing sentiment within the greater community of firearms enthusiasts that if you're going to spend upwards of $1000 on an AR-15, then you ought to spent it on a Colt, Daniel Defense, H&K, or some other high-end brand, so despite multiple attempts by Smith & Wesson to offer premium ARs, each has failed due to the proliferation of the aforementioned sentiment.

On the bright side, this has driven down the prices on some of S&W's older ill-fated high-end ARs, so if you shop around you can typically find some really good deals on one of their previous attempts to break into the market. For example, the Volunteer XV looks an awful lot like their older M&P15X and M&P15T MagPul Editions. So if you're interested, then you might be able to find one of those cheaper.

I myself scored a police trade-in M&P15X in Very Good condition for about $650 OTD, despite the fact that its original MSRP was $1349.

WR Moore · Sep 16, 2023

Why don't you go to the factory website and compare the features there?

Just looking at the spec sheet, it kinda looks like they put a little lipstick on an otherwise entry level item for those who won't use it hard.

Firebird_SG · Sep 17, 2023

Forte Smitten Wesson said:
Alas, nearly every variant of the M&P15 aside from the original and the Sport Series have very little media coverage, so it's unlikely that the Volunteer XV will ever receive many mainstream reviews.

Unfortunately, there exists a prevailing sentiment within the greater community of firearms enthusiasts that if you're going to spend upwards of $1000 on an AR-15, then you ought to spent it on a Colt, Daniel Defense, H&K, or some other high-end brand, so despite multiple attempts by Smith & Wesson to offer premium ARs, each has failed due to the proliferation of the aforementioned sentiment.

On the bright side, this has driven down the prices on some of S&W's older ill-fated high-end ARs, so if you shop around you can typically find some really good deals on one of their previous attempts to break into the market. For example, the Volunteer XV looks an awful lot like their older M&P15X and M&P15T MagPul Editions. So if you're interested, then you might be able to find one of those cheaper.

I myself scored a police trade-in M&P15X in Very Good condition for about $650 OTD, despite the fact that its original MSRP was $1349.

Thanks for the reply. I get what you are saying and it make sense.
It’s too bad as you would think that would try to push these but maybe the Sport II sells so well that they really don’t need to…

Firebird_SG · Sep 17, 2023

WR Moore said:
Why don't you go to the factory website and compare the features there?

Just looking at the spec sheet, it kinda looks like they put a little lipstick on an otherwise entry level item for those who won't use it hard.

I did do a ton of research and what I was looking for was how many people bought this and have run a bunch of ammo through and how they like it.

Anyway, here are 2 videos that I found that are the best outside of a few official S&W:

#NEW (SMITH & WESSON VOLUNTEER) UPGRADE FROM SPORT 2? - YouTube

Bench Review: Smith & Wesson M&P-15 Volunteer - YouTube

The second video is the one that is referenced in the first one and is way more technical. It seems to be a little more than lipstick if you watch the second video.

Few points that I found other than the B5 System furniture:
-Barrel has 5R Rifiling like what was in Sport I
-1:8 twist
-Upgraded bolt assembly

Echo40 · Sep 17, 2023

Firebird_SG said:
Thanks for the reply. I get what you are saying and it make sense.
It’s too bad as you would think that would try to push these but maybe the Sport II sells so well that they really don’t need to…

Oh, they try to push them plenty, they just cannot overcome the prevailing sentiment that for the money you might as well buy a Colt or something because they tend to hold their value better.

Sadly, in certain markets, folks care more about the brand name than actually quality, and preconceptions of brand quality are hard to break, so since M&P15s are more recognized as an entry level brand of ARs due to the prevalence of the Sport Series, folks generally don't give the higher end M&P15s a second look.

Anyone have a Volunteer XV?

Firebird_SG

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