M&P15 SPORT 2 or M&P15T

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Plate-Shooter

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Wanting to buy one of the two. Want to know the real differences between the two and if the extra money for the Tactical model is worth it! If theres already a forum about this please give me the link! Thanks!
 
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Depends on what you're going to use it for.
I have the Sport and the TS.
The TS has pretty much everything I would put on a gun anyway, except an optic, so it all came in one tidy package. A few years ago, it ran $1150 on sale and the dealer threw in 6 more PMAGS and 250 rounds of 55gr. AE.
 
I would go for the T, not having the FSB is a huge plus and the 1:8 vs 1:9 rifling is nice. If the extra money isn't an issue I wouldn't hesitate to get the T over the Sport 2. As an aside the TS is more expensive than the T but with that you get 1:7 rifling, a 13" handguard and chrome-lined bore, perhaps something to look into.
 
The differences are that the T has a free floated rail and a 1:8 5R twist barrel, and the Sport has the A2 front sight with a 1:9 twist barrel.

At twice the price of the Sport, I don't think the 15T is a good buy, especially now that the T comes with a UTG pro quad rail and Magpul MBUS. If it still had the Troy goodies, it might be a different story.

If you like the way the 15T is set up and could add a free float guard yourself, take a look at the Colt LE6920 OEM2. For what I have seen on the price of the 15T, you could come out ahead going this route.

Colt LE6920 OEM2 at G and R Tactical

Or, Aero Precision has a similar offering... Guarantee you would come out ahead going this route. Wouldn't cost much more than if you were to buy a Sport, cut down the front sight and free float it.
OEM MID-LENGTH 16" RIFLE | Brownells
 
MMT said:
I would go for the T, not having the FSB is a huge plus and the 1:8 vs 1:9 rifling is nice. If the extra money isn't an issue I wouldn't hesitate to get the T over the Sport 2. As an aside the TS is more expensive than the T but with that you get 1:7 rifling, a 13" handguard and chrome-lined bore, perhaps something to look into.
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The handguard on the T is like a cheese grater. I put some squid rings on the Troy 13" and it feels really nice.
 
I think the guard on the TS feels great (but doesn't grate). I bought a package of the squid grips based on some of the comments I had read (before I ever received the TS) and I'll probably never use 'em.

If I hadn't waited so long I'd have returned them. C'est la vie.
 
blues7 said:
I think the guard on the TS feels great (but doesn't grate). I bought a package of the squid grips based on some of the comments I had read (before I ever received the TS) and I'll probably never use 'em.

If I hadn't waited so long I'd have returned them. C'est la vie.
Click to expand...

The TS handguard is far and away better than the T. The T is just a quad rail.

Save the money, get the Sport. The only real advantage is the 1:8 twist if you really want that barrel.
 
I would agree with cyphertext, if you could find a Colt OEM2 in stock that would be far and away the best choice if you are also considering non S&W offerings. A mil-spec rifle like the Colt or something close to that (like the TS) are better rifles than the Sport 2, but they won't make you shoot any better so don't buy a costlier rifle if that means it will limit how much ammo you can buy, training you can afford, etc.
 
I bought another brand rifle. It has a quad rail forearm, and plastic covers were included for three sides. It has flip up front and rear sights, a cleaning kit with rod, and an included sling. It cost more but to me it was well worth the extra money.
 
What's the difference between the 1:7,1:8, and 1:9 rifling? Which is the best? And what's the difference between the chrome lined and non chrome lined? The TS has caught my eye now.
 
Smarter folks will have more to a add, but the way I understand it:

1:7 might stabilize heavier bullets better. (75 gr)
1:9 might stabilize lighter bullets better. (55 gr)
1:8 is a nice compromise and handles both well.

There are endless arguments about chrome lined vs. nitride treatment (S&W). Both are better than no lining or treatment.
 
Plate-Shooter said:
What's the difference between the 1:7,1:8, and 1:9 rifling? Which is the best? And what's the difference between the chrome lined and non chrome lined? The TS has caught my eye now.
Click to expand...

No disrespect but you should probably spend a little time on google getting answers to these rudimentary questions if you don't yet understand the basics. A little homework will go a long way in furthering your knowledge of the AR platform.

Sites like this one, (for example), will provide you some basic info to start mastering the concepts involved. Then you can much more efficiently narrow down the scope of your search based upon your particular needs and wants.
 
Plate-Shooter said:
What's the difference between the 1:7,1:8, and 1:9 rifling? Which is the best? And what's the difference between the chrome lined and non chrome lined? The TS has caught my eye now.
Click to expand...

There is no "best"... it depends on what you will be shooting. For the majority of shooters, any of those twist rates will work fine. If you are going to shoot 55 or 62 gr, the 1:9 twist is good. You don't need the 1:7 unless you are shooting the longer, 77 gr. rounds.

I prefer the salt nitrided barrels like on the Sport and the 15T. You get protection like chrome lining, but it is a metal treatment process that changes the metal, not a lining. Some say it will last longer than chrome lining, others say it won't.

The TS is a great rifle, as long as you want that config and would not want to change the rail or flash hider. It has a pinned and welded flash hider which makes it more difficult to change in the future. I'm not saying it can't be done, just more steps to remove the welded flash hider.
 
cyphertext said:
There is no "best"... it depends on what you will be shooting. For the majority of shooters, any of those twist rates will work fine. If you are going to shoot 55 or 62 gr, the 1:9 twist is good. You don't need the 1:7 unless you are shooting the longer, 77 gr. rounds.

I prefer the salt nitrided barrels like on the Sport and the 15T. You get protection like chrome lining, but it is a metal treatment process that changes the metal, not a lining. Some say it will last longer than chrome lining, others say it won't.

The TS is a great rifle, as long as you want that config and would not want to change the rail or flash hider. It has a pinned and welded flash hider which makes it more difficult to change in the future. I'm not saying it can't be done, just more steps to remove the welded flash hider.
Click to expand...

Well said, brother.

As Cypher said, if you're going to pay a premium for the TS over any other particular model, make sure you won't be looking to make changes to the platform which have already been "upgraded" from a more "basic" rifle.

For example, I've made modifications to trigger, optic and recoil spring which were not "upgrades" that were already included in this build as shipped from S&W.

If I were to have gone to the expense of making such changes as Cypher alluded to in his post above, it would have been money wasted when I should have either purchased a more "basic" rifle to upgrade...or pay for a more highly customized rifle that already came with those features. (Or, if so inclined, build it oneself.)

The main thing is to flesh out what you're needing and be able to articulate the reasons why.
 
blues7 said:
No disrespect but you should probably spend a little time on google getting answers to these rudimentary questions if you don't yet understand the basics. A little homework will go a long way in furthering your knowledge of the AR platform.

Sites like this one, (for example), will provide you some basic info to start mastering the concepts involved. Then you can much more efficiently narrow down the scope of your search based upon your particular needs and wants.
Click to expand...
It seems to me that he will get more useful information here than the results of a Google search will provide.
 
RevDerb said:
It seems to me that he will get more useful information here than the results of a Google search will provide.
Click to expand...

I guess the point I was trying to make was that rather than type a dissertation in response to his question, to which there is no one "right" answer, it might be worthwhile for him to spend a little time on sites like the one that I linked to, (augmented by others he might come across via google), so that he would have a better understanding of the platform and not need to be spoon fed pat answers such as "this is best" and "you should buy this one" etc.

I certainly don't think my reply was disrespectful nor indicated an unwillingness to share info or help him with his quest as I continued to do in a subsequent post.

As for getting "more useful info" here...I don't doubt it. The members here have been supremely helpful in both adding to my knowledge and lightening my wallet. ;)
 
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RevDerb said:
It seems to me that he will get more useful information here than the results of a Google search will provide.
Click to expand...

For things like twist rate? Google will give you waaaaay more information, technical specs etc. that you really need in order to learn more about the platform etc.
 
Sport plastic handguard
15T free float quad rail

Sport A2 front sight
15T folding front sight and low profile gas block

Sport barrel 1/9 twist
15T barrel 1/8

Is the 15T worth about a $300 retail difference? Well... that depends on how valuable those differences are to you. If buying the Sport but want a free float quad rail and folding front sight, you'll have close to $300 in parts and tools or parts and labor. You'll not notice the barrel twist rate difference.
 
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i have a 15T and absolutely love it!:D

not a fan of the A2 sight and what it takes to get rid of it and changing the Sport to a free float handguard.

yea, the 15T's handguard is a bit of cheese grater but i put rubber grips on it and i LOVE the etched S&W logo and name on the handguard.
 
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