I am with cyphertext on this one. If I were buying this for someone else I would not get a M&P unless you can get more information. You will be paying for parts he will not end up using. Some of those might be costly depending on what you purchase if he is going to strip the rifle down and build it back up. That however might not be what he is going to do. It sounds like he is an accessory oriented guy. Some clarification is necessary and it might help us help you. When you say this...
I know he wants to build up his own. Adding on rails, red dot sights and a extra grip. Probably more I'm sure... He likes the tactical look.
What do you mean by build it up? For example this M&P 15T has a quad rail with nothing attached to it beyond BUIS, back up sights.
Now this is the same base gun which someone has accessorized.
If you look closely at the 2 pics you can see that the buttstock has been replaces with a Magpul CTR stock. They added and Eotech red dot with a 3X magnifier on a flip mount, a surefire foregrip and a tac light. It is pretty loaded down. Is this what you mean when you say he will "build it up"?
If it is do not I repeat do not get a Sport II. As cyphertext he will have to swap out the flash hider, the A2 gas block and replace it with a low profile gas block to get the rail system to fit and he will still have a lower end barrel vs a 15T or a Vtac.
The sport is not setup with rails to allow your husband to attach things to it without the above modifications. Those modifications are not hard but require about $150+ worth of tools to do quickly and properly IMHO. Plus you are getting a lesser barrel in the Sport. He could buy Mapul drop in furniture but really they are a bit of a compromise and are not made to be loaded down. IMHO
If you believe he really has his heart set on a M&P I would look at 2 rifles. First the new M&P 15T Tactical with M-LOK rail and the M&P VTAC.
I personally would recommend the M&P 15T M-LOK because of the following which I will detail below. You can get it here for $969 and will have to have it shipped to a local dealer who will transfer it to you. Don't get the older quad rail version unless you can get it cheap, $799 because most people are moving away from quad rails. Most people charge between $10 and $25 for this service. Online is often cheaper but you could also order one from the local shop and save the hassle of the transfer process.
Smith & Wesson M&P15 223/5.56 30+1 Rifle - 11600 | CenterfireGuns
This gun will have a 1 in 8" 5R barrel which is desirable and a meaningful upgrade over the 1/9 twist barrel found on the budget sport. It has the Magpul M-LOK system which allows you to put rail sections only where you need them to attach lights, foregrip etc.... and none where you don't. It leaves the rail slimmer, lighter and easier on the hands than the older quad rail.
This gun is ready to go right out of the box but there is tons of room to accessorize. He will add a red dot, foregrip, light if he chooses. It has attachment points for any sling he chooses. He can also swap out the grip, the stock and the trigger without loosing too much $$$ on that process. These are much less costly vs the rail system IMHO because they do not require $150+ worth of tools to do them. This guns is a solid base to build on.
If you buy the VTAC S&W along with Viking Tactical has specd out a lot of the goodies for you. You get an upgraded trigger, stock, grip, rail, sling & light mount. If you love the configuration it is a decent deal around the $1500 mark but if you want to change out any of those you are wasting money which is why I don't recommend it for your husband in this instance unless he was picking it out himself. Chances are there is something he would do differently if that makes sense.
Now with all of that said. If it were me buying this rifle for your husband this is what I would buy him. It is not a S&W M&P but it will allow him to build a high end rifle exactly to his spec. It is a BCM OEM rifle. It does not come with a stock or a rail. It will cost you $899 give or take. Look out for Brownells coupons which could save you $25-$50 with free shipping. They have been running a lot of coupons these days.
AR-15 OEM RECCE MID-LENGTH LIGHTWEIGHT 16" RIFLE | Brownells
This is a RECCE specs lightweight mid-length gas premium AR15. I am a little bit of a BCM fan boy but they put together a nice rifle. Everything about this rifle is premium. This base will allow your husband to put the exact rail & stock he wants on the gun without wasting $$$ on parts he will not use. This give him the maximum flexibility IMHO but it comes at a cost. You are looking at another $300 to $500 to complete this rifle depending on what he chooses. It does not come with BUIS which the M&P 15T M-LOK does. Remember that is before he will add all of the same accessories I mentioned he could add to the M&P 15T M-LOK. You will have to go through the transfer process with this one because it is doubtful your local shop can get these.
The M&P 15T M-LOK will be a better value but the BCM OEM will give him more flexibility. Good luck... I am sure he will love whatever you get him.
