I am a Proud New Member of the Forum Family. I have several New M&P AR 15-.223/.556. TODAY I PURCHASED A BRAND NEW M&P 15 5.45X39 from a buddy of mine and Know nothing about it! Good or Bad...I would appreciate any help and/or recommendations, Good or Bad about this Firearm! Its never been fired and I am pretty sure the. 223/.556 is the preferred firearm. I would like your thought s as to whether or not I made a good purchase or wasted my money?! Also, my. 223/.556 both have Eotechs so I'm thinking I would like to add a good reasonably priced magnifier scope and any other accessories that would be beneficial. I need to buy bulk ammo but not sure where to find it. Just any help Good or Bad is Greatly Appreciated.
Thanks in advance for your time and help!
GREAT FORUM BY THE WAY!


Together, we stand as ONE!

Breathe man... breathe... Welcome aboard!

5.45 X 39 is the round used by the AK74. You'll be able to find surplus Russian ammo quite a few places. Just do a Google search. For example:

Click Here


The key to Russian ammo is to determine whether or not the ammunition uses corrosive primers. I'm not a reloader. I think some berdan primers are corrosive? Someone who knows will clarify.

Anyways, if you choose to shoot ammo with corrosive primers make sure you clean the rifle right after your range session. I can't confirm, but some people advise bringing a bottle of Windex. When you're done shooting, while at the range, spray the Windex into the barrel & action to neutralize the corrosive salts. When you get home, field strip & clean everything.

I think you found a unique M&P 15. Surplus bulk 5.45 X 39 ammo is more affordable that comparable .223. IMO, the least expensive AR practice with a major caliber rifle cartridge without having to shoot a M&P 15-22 .22lr.

As for inexpensive optics, dots, magnifiers, etc.. check out the house brand at Primary Arms. It's no Eotech, but for plinking and fun it will do.

I just started shooting my M&P 15R and am having a tough time with ammo that I bought from Aimsurplus Surplus Russian 5.45x39 ammunition. Features a Steel core 53grn full copper plated steel jacketed bullet, lacquer coated steel case, and berdan primer. Every 4th or 5th round fails to fire, probably due to light primer strikes. I posted a question about this here on the forum and will try to get to the bottom of things.

Welcome to the club and congrats on the new rifle, and as far as ammo goes you may want to read this

DPMS: AR-15 Rifles, Parts and Accessories.

I also have a S&W 5.45X39, I watch 3 sites for ammo and was able to get 500 rounds of Tula for $106.00 delivered to my front door. I stay away from the russian manufactured military ammo as most of it is corrosive primed! I also pickup SilverBear when I can find it usually $7.99-8.99 for 30 round box. The 5.45 handles just like the AR-15 in fact if you can't find more 5.45 mags you can use 223/5.56 mags just remember that they will malfunction when you get to the last few rounds. I put a Vortex Red dot on it and it co-witnessed perfectly with the front sight. I really like it due to the fact that the ammo is so cheap. The 3 places to watch for deals are Natchez, Graf&Sons & Midsouth Shooters supply. Graf&sons is out right now just keep checking them. I order from Midway occaisonally too so check them out too.

I've had 1500 Russian 7n6 corrosive rounds through mine. I clean with straight Ballistol and have not had a spot of rust. I am not crazy about cleaning every spec of soot. Be careful about areas where the oil gets burnt off like the bolt lugs and flash hider. Keep the parts well dampened with Ballistol and they wont rust. For good measure I always finish up a range trip with 5 or 10 Silver Bear or Wolf non corrosive rounds to blow out the gas tube. The previous poster was correct about the magazine issue. Others are working on this. Check out "Variants " on the AR15.com forums for more discussions about this rifle. Enjoy, they are a blast to shoot. Especially at $145 for a thousand rounds. My best 3 shoot 100 yd group with a scope was 1.5 inches with the old surplus. My rifle doesn't shoot as well with the heaver current production Wolf and Silver Bear. I think it might be barrel twist rate.

Thanks for the info....I became concerned the minute I began loading mags...Not a Good Fit!