M&P Sport II Accuracy?

[wdl]

Just bought a Sport II and was wondering what kind of accuracy I can expect from it? The only mods I plan at this time is a improved trigger and a free floated handguard and barrel and some kind of scope, what are Youall getting.

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[Hotshot9]

Sounds like your on the right track to making a more accurate rifle. All the right moves other than your personal touch features like hand grips, butt stock and such. But as we all know the furniture list never ends......haha
Good luck and have fun but always be safe!!

 

[Skeptic 9c]

What kind of accuracy do you expect? What are you shooting now?
The SWaMPy 15s are known for their triggers and accuracy.
Instead of turning the carbine into something else, why not just get a long barreled upper with the features you want? Cross reference brownells.com or palmettostatearmory.com for example.

Geoff
Who notes most ARs can shoot a single hole group at 25 yard zero targets if the gun likes the ammo.

 

[Bozz10mm]

Like most carbines, you will probably see between 2 and 4 MOA.

 

[Kadonny]

It will shoot better than you can

 

[vonn]

Ammo that your gun likes can make all the difference. I try as many as I can and then decide.

 

[wdl]

Like most carbines, you will probably see between 2 and 4 MOA.

Well I haven't much of a chance to do much shouting yet, just to check function. I know it is not going to come close to my Remington 700 that shoots sub 1/2 MOA with it's pet hand load but I am hope I can closer to 1moa., but again it's an entry-level AR.
Thanks for your replies.


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[AR Owner]

When i put my Nikon p-223 scope on and sighted in, I got sub 2 moa at 100 yards on outdoor range in the cold weather using american eagle 5.56 55 grain. Probably could have improved upon that with a good shooting rest and warmer weather to spend time tuning.

 

[Mike G 0351]

Out of the box with Nato 5.56 It probably out shoot you.
Remember it's a Carbine Combat Rifle....

 

[Westie1]

With good handloads, 1 moa is doable especially if you get away from the fmj's. And you may find that you have a little more flexibility as to bullet/powder combo then you do with the 700.

 

[Tinhack]

Out of the box with Nato 5.56 It probably out shoot you.
Remember it's a Carbine Combat Rifle....

Close combat at that--100yds. or less. If you want accuracy, don't buy a carbine. Buy a long gun. Carbines are for putting a lot of lead down range and that's about it.

In my defense, some have stretched it to 300yds. and can hit the side of a barn.

 

[Arik]

How cheap/expensive are you going to go on ammo? The firearm is just one part of the equation. Quality parts matter as well as quality ammo.... if your going for accuracy. I only bought much my rifles to sight in, afterwards it's all off hand

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[Fishinfool]

My experience with Colt, Bushmaster, and Rock River carbines is that with a scope, good rest, free floated handguard, decent trigger, and quality ammo (usually not mil surplus), you should do considerably better than 2 to 4 inches at 100 yards. My carbines, so equipped and loaded are more like the 1 1/2 inch range.

Larry

 

[wdl]

I buy the cheap ammo for the grandkids can shoot milk jugs, I've been reloading for about 20 years so I understand the importance of good components BTW MY 700 is in 223 so the learning curve should be short I mainly bought the AR because my Wife wanted one, I have always been a bolt Guy but after I started shooting it and it is like a adult Legos, should be fun playing with it, and if you knew me I won't be able to leave it stock.

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[jimbo728]

Dont under estimate the accuracy potential of a 16" barrel.
With the right loads, a good trigger, a good barrel and a decent scope
MOA and even sub MOA is possible.
Jim

 

[wdl]

Dont under estimate the accuracy potential of a 16" barrel.
With the right loads, a good trigger, a good barrel and a decent scope
MOA and even sub MOA is possible.
Jim

Well just was on Rainier's Web site and they have barrels with a Wydle chamber they guarantee moa or sub-moa with match ammo, Very Interesting.

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[MichiganScott]

With a good trigger, free floated barrel, a good scope, a competent shooter, and Black Hills 52gr match grade ammo, you should easily get less than 1.5" groups at 100 yards. If you can't, you need a new barrel.

With cheap mil-spec ammo the same rifle will be 2 inches at best.

 

[BJHR]

SPORT II ACCURACY

I mounted a BUSHENELL AR-223 scope on my sport II. I am getting 1 MOA using HORNADY VMAX AMMO. I did do a break in by firing 1x10, 2x10, 3x5, & 5x5, cleaning after each shot string. Really tedious but seems to have made a difference.

 

[BJHR]

Dont under estimate the accuracy potential of a 16" barrel.
With the right loads, a good trigger, a good barrel and a decent scope
MOA and even sub MOA is possible.
Jim

Jim is correct.

 

[cyphertext]

I mounted a BUSHENELL AR-223 scope on my sport II. I am getting 1 MOA using HORNADY VMAX AMMO. I did do a break in by firing 1x10, 2x10, 3x5, & 5x5, cleaning after each shot string. Really tedious but seems to have made a difference.

I guarantee you that the barrel voodoo made no difference, especially with a nitrated barrel.

 

[rockquarry]

Just something to consider before any modifications... it appears that many never shoot their unmodified, out-of-the box ARs enough to find out what the guns are capable of in terms of accuracy. However, a scope is pretty much mandatory for 100 yard bench rest accuracy testing unless you have the perfect vision offered by young eyes. The scope needn't have high magnification.

I've been shooting a Colt Expanse and a Colt 6920. Never fired an S&W, but I will assume they generally shoot fairly well, new and unmodified, other than the addition of scope sights. The Colts will group under 1 1/2" on a regular basis and sometimes well under an inch with select handloads and some factory match ammo. Not being able to shoot small groups consistently with good ammunition is my fault.

While these guns shoot well as is, it takes a decent amount of shooting to get used to things, including shooting from a bench rest and the almost six-pound trigger. To hurriedly change out handguards, triggers, etc. and installing a high-magnification scope without knowing a gun's capability might be an unnecessary and expensive shortchanging.

Too many of us subconsciously reason that a light trigger and lots of scope will make up for personal shortcomings: a lack of shooting skill and poor bench technique. That never happens.

 

[Brian in Oregon]

The quality of the ammo makes a big difference for group size. Groups will generally open up with cheap ammo and military ammo. Groups generally shrink with premium ammo.

 

[rockquarry]

Brian- That's exactly right, but I found good handloads will at least equal and usually exceed the accuracy level of Hornady, Winchester and Federal match ammo. I tried six, maybe eight commercial bulk ammos, 55-62 grs. Complete waste of money for anyone with a real interest in accuracy.

Anyone who has developed accurate handloads using the Sierra 65 GK and 69 MK will be disappointed in most anything else. I've had little experience with the heavier bullets. They may also shoot well.

 

[otisrush]

I know this post is about the Sport II. I have a Sport I. I'm presuming the Sport II changes don't make significant difference in accuracy.

I've gotten 1-1.5 MOA using FMJs. And just under 1 MOA using match bullets.

Mine isn't totally stock: Nikon P-223 3-9x scope and Geissele SSA-E trigger.

OR

 

[Brian in Oregon]

The Sport II made significant changes in the barrel over the Sport I. In theory the Sport I has a superior barrel, but from some threads I searched this is debatable from range results. I think the most significant difference is the change in twist from 1:8" to 1:9". The Sport II barrel favors the lighter bullets (40gr to 55gr with 75gr being about the max it can stabilize) while the original Sport could stabilize heavier bullets (up to 90 grains). In theory the Sport II should be more accurate with 40 to 55 gr bullets as faster twists over stabilize bullets, causing them to yaw the nose up at long range. On the other hand those shooting at these longer ranges will probably be using heavier bullets anyway, 62 gr and up. Personally 1:9" is the max twist I use as I've settled on 55 grainers for nearly all my 223/5.56 shooting. My non-AR15s in 223 are 1:12".

Here's a thread with debate on the differences:

http://smith-wessonforum.com/smith-wesson-m-p15-rifles/358030-mp-15-sport-barrel-change-1-8-5r-1-9-6-lands-grooves-pros-cons-any.html

 

[otisrush]

The Sport II made significant changes in the barrel over the Sport I. In theory the Sport I has a superior barrel, but from some threads I searched this is debatable from range results. I think the most significant difference is the change in twist from 1:8" to 1:9".

I'd forgotten about the twist change. The move from 1:8 to 1:9 happened in the Sport I - prior to the Sport II, right?

It's tough for me to double check - but I'm almost positive my Sport I is a 1:9. So I got one of the latter ones. (I've had it for......3 years? I don't recall precisely.)

OR

 

[Brian in Oregon]

I don't know if the Sport I changed twist or not. I did find a couple of old reviews that claimed it had gain twist rifling, but nothing to substantiate that. Maybe they were confused what 5R rifling is. I would think S&W would make a big selling point of that.

 

[mccollom405]

The photos I just dropped in the pics thread are from 2-19-17 which I was shooting Federal 69 grain match grade and hitting steel at 550 yards. 55 grains were hitting steel out to 400 yards and light breeze. That was the best I got from those weights but as stated earlier, its a carbine not a long gun and Im very happy with what I can get out of my Sport 2!

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[South Pacific Wesson]

Just bought a Sport II and was wondering what kind of accuracy I can expect from it? The only mods I plan at this time is a improved trigger and a free floated handguard and barrel and some kind of scope, what are Youall getting.

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nutnfancy had good things to say about its accuracy, but I've heard S&W are making the barrel to a different spec now ???

 

[C J]

Too many of us subconsciously reason that a light trigger and lots of scope will make up for personal shortcomings: a lack of shooting skill and poor bench technique. That never happens.

Those things do help but ONLY if you have put in the practice it takes to master shooting. People go on about trigger pull as if it was the key to shooting. Trigger pull is the key to shooting. Not the trigger itself. I've seen plenty of great shooting with bad triggers. If they are good enough to break at a consistent point, and nearly all triggers are, then all it takes is practice to shoot a gun like that well.

I'd much rather have a good trigger. Don't get me wrong. But the principles of shooting are simple. If you can pull the trigger consistently you can shoot well. And that takes practice more than anything. It takes less practice with a good trigger but it still takes practice.

We never had a gun with a decent trigger when I was growing up. We knew they existed and we even saw one occasionally. But they weren't our guns. Ours were the 6 lb. trigger kind. Yet we managed to learn to keep a pop can in the air with a .22 for 7 shots or more. We learned how to hit running squirrels in the eye. And we learned how to shoot stems in two so that nuts fell from trees. Shooting was almost a religion in my family. We had a trap range in our back yard but we didn't have a phone or running water. We had a spring where we got our water then carried it home. But dad bought a trap machine, which no one else had in 100 mile radius from where we lived, and people came from far and wide to shoot at our house. Dad gave us BB guns at 5 and we were shooting the real thing at 7. Shotguns at first because of the shorter range. By the time I got to the point I could shoot a shotgun I had already learned that trigger pull was important. I learned that on my BB gun.

Practice makes a shooter. Not equipment.