Wtex
Member
I apologize if this topic has been covered a hundred times, I tried the search feature and didn't find anything on it. Other than a different barrel, a dust cover and FA, are these basically the same rifle?
S&W sport vs sport 2
- Thread starter Wtex
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cyphertext
US Veteran
The original Sport came with a 1:8 twist, 5R rifles barrel and a fixed rear sight. The second generation Sport traded the fixed sight for a Magpul folding rear sight. The third generation replaced the 1:8 twist barrel with a 1:9 twist barrel.
The current Sport II is the same as the third generation Sport, with the addition of the forward assist and dust cover.
JaPes
Member
I like to think of the iterations of the semi-slick sided Sport as versions within a generation that kept cutting costs.
Gen1 = No dust cover, no forward assist, A2 chopped rear sight that gave both windage and elevation adjustment, Thompson Center 1:8 5R 1:8 progressive gain twist Melonite treated barrel.
Gen1.1 = Magpul infection.
Gen 1.2 = Went cheap on the barrel because a bean counter finally figured out putting the premium barrel on the entry level rifle hurt profits.
Gen2 = We have to put a full featured upper on the 15 Sport so it can compete with the current crop of entry level rifles: Ruger AR556, Bushmaster, etc...
Gen1 = No dust cover, no forward assist, A2 chopped rear sight that gave both windage and elevation adjustment, Thompson Center 1:8 5R 1:8 progressive gain twist Melonite treated barrel.
Gen1.1 = Magpul infection.
Gen 1.2 = Went cheap on the barrel because a bean counter finally figured out putting the premium barrel on the entry level rifle hurt profits.
Gen2 = We have to put a full featured upper on the 15 Sport so it can compete with the current crop of entry level rifles: Ruger AR556, Bushmaster, etc...
Plazzman
Member
Plazzman
Member
Well that is strange, did not know there was 1.1 and 1.2 version of the Sport. Sounds like a computer software version upgrade. Learn something new everyday.
cyphertext
US Veteran
That seems strange to me, my 1 Gen Sport came with a Magpul folding rear sight.
Japes got it right with the "cost cutting"... it didn't take them very long to replace the fixed A2 style rear sight with the Magpul sight. I believe that the fixed sight was made by LMT, and if I am correct, that was about $130 retail at that time, vs. the $40 Magpul sight.
JaPes
Member
Bingo. The so-called cheap parts weren't inexpensive at all. They were premium parts that weren't popular with purists. It's been a while, I can't remember who made the upper receivers and lower receivers for S&W back then. Aero Precision?
Back then the Thompson Center 1:8 5R Progressive Gain Twist Melonite Treated barrel was looked down upon by the internet experts. If it wasn't mil-spec, chrome lined, it wasn't good. A few of us went out to the popular AR-15 boards with our info about...
- Hot Salt Bath Nitiriding: Get the best aspects of both a traditional CRMoV unlined barrel and a chrome lined barrel without paying a penalty.
- 1:8 twist rate allows a wider use of projectile weights outside of the extremes of weight range.
- 5R Progressive Gain Twist leads to less deformation of the projectile imparting a greater potential for accuracy over distance.
Then we came here... Bill, Grover, Cyphertext, Rebs, and a few more back in those days... gave Phil such a headache.
The original V1.0 Sport was a crazy good value for the $$$ just for the barrel and rear sight. The bolt carrier had and still has the notches in it for the forward assist. Some guys disassembled the upper receiver and swapped the parts out to a full featured upper receiver. They also bought heat shielded standard handguard takeoffs from other people's builds.
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cyphertext
US Veteran
I remember when we all saw the marketing video where the S&W rep stated that the uppers and lowers were forged in house... so then why did my Sport have Anchor Harvey forge markings on it?
nimrod3316
US Veteran
MP Sport
I can't imagine a AR with out a FA and Dust cover needed or not.
I can't imagine a AR with out a FA and Dust cover needed or not.
1sailor
Member
I agree. We should always put un-necessary things on our firearms otherwise, they just won't be cool.
Ruger Nut
US Veteran
Looking at my records, I purchased a S&W M&P15 in Jan. 2007 for $649.33. It was made by Stag Arms but labeled S&W.
I built 4 AR's between 2008-2016. In June 2016 I bought an AR-556. I built 3 more AR's up until March 2020. I sold my M&P15 to my cousin July 2020. We made a deal, that if he ever wants to sell it I get the 1st chance to buy it back for what I sold it to him for ($700).
I built 4 AR's between 2008-2016. In June 2016 I bought an AR-556. I built 3 more AR's up until March 2020. I sold my M&P15 to my cousin July 2020. We made a deal, that if he ever wants to sell it I get the 1st chance to buy it back for what I sold it to him for ($700).
cyphertext
US Veteran
That M&P 15 you bought in 2007 wasn't a Sport or a Sport 2. Those were pretty decent AR's, checked a lot of the boxes on "the chart" back then.
Ruger Nut
US Veteran
You're correct. That's why I call it an M&P15, it's original title.
cyphertext
US Veteran
Ok, just curious why you are posting that in a thread comparing the Sport and the Sport II... And one that is over 4 years old at that?
Ruger Nut
US Veteran
I very rarely come in here. I saw the thread in the main forum and decided to check it out. Is that okay?
Besides, someone had to have brought up a 4 year old post just recently for me to see it in the main forum.
I learned a hard lesson about using the Forward Assist with my first AR-15. I was shooting some ammo that I had previously reloaded for a Mini-14. This ammo always functioned fine in the Mini-14 I had at the time but some of them would not chamber all the way in my AR-15 so I tried to seat the cartridge all the way into the chamber using the Forward Assist. Big mistake. I created the mother of all jams. We liked to never were able to extract that stuck cartridge. As a result of that experience I have never used the Forward Assist since then.
My son who is in the Army tells me he used the Forward Assist during training as the guns they used for training were in well used condition. Just before his unit was deployed to the sandbox last year they were issued new M4’s.
Most of my AR’s have the Forward Assist and Ejection Port Cover simply because it is either because of what my LGS has or because it was on sale.
I am not against Ejection Port Doors. The smooth side Uppers I have brought didn’t come with that option.
Ruger Nut
US Veteran
I was issued an H&R M16-A1 in basic training. There were a few of us that had an H&R. One soldier was issued a GM M16-A1!
