M&P Sport II Accuracy?

[Axis223]

I am looking for a budget AR that shoots at least MOA at 100yards. I handload so shouldn't really be an issue. How accurate are the Sport II? I mainly want a plinking and coyote hunting gun and hope to shoot MOA out to 300yards.

 

[double-dipper]

New, mine wasn't very accurate at all. I shot everything through it never got better that 3" at 100 yards. Just a Friday barrel, I guess. So, I put a Wilson Combat barrel on it, and that done the trick!!! 1" or less at 100 yards.

edit is; I also added a Timney trigger.

 

[WR Moore]

I am looking for a budget AR that shoots at least MOA at 100yards. .............I mainly want a plinking and coyote hunting gun and hope to shoot MOA out to 300yards.

I've no clue as to the barrel profile of the Sport II. Budget AR and at least MOA accuracy aren't likely to happen at the same time. Plinker yes, MOA or better, might be possible but not very likely. Trigger pull specs for the military version is 5-8.5 lbs. You can take that down somewhat, but you don't want semi triggers below about 4 lbs.

 

[Oldsalt66]

I wouldn’t expect a minute of angle accuracy from the stock barrel.

If you want a budget rifle with that sort of accuracy, build one yourself with a free floating premium barrel.

 

[WR Moore]

I always caution against DIY ARs. Putting them together right requires tools and gauges (the gauges you might be able to rent) that run the price way up. The real major factor is quality control/quality assurance on all parts. The major builders buy quality parts and do receipt inspection on samples to make sure they're getting what's required and that they paid for. Despite that they still have the occasional product that needs rework, which they do for free.

OTOH, when you build a Frankengun, you've no way to verify the suitability of the parts and if it doesn't work as intended,....well it's your problem.

BTW, decades ago I visited the plant of one of the premier independent barrel makers. I was really impressed with the uniformity of all their products and they answered almost all my questions. The one question they never answered was their standard for barrel straightness.

 

[rockquarry]

I am looking for a budget AR that shoots at least MOA at 100yards. I handload so shouldn't really be an issue. How accurate are the Sport II? I mainly want a plinking and coyote hunting gun and hope to shoot MOA out to 300yards.

The only ARs I'm familiar with are Colts. Two of mine are scoped and they will group five shots in an inch (or sometimes less) at 100 yards straight out-of-the-box, but only with good bullets.

I would suspect an S&W AR will do the same, but have no experience with the S&W. However, if you're a handloader and can find the bullets, work up some loads before you do any modifications to your gun. I would suggest the 65 grain Sierra GameKing for coyotes or that bullet and the 69 grain MatchKing (tipped or untipped) and H4895 powder (1st choice) or TAC (2nd choice) for target use.

The Sierra bullets aren't the cheapest by any means but they are more accurate than most and are easy to develop a good load for. They may also be very difficult to find at the moment. The Hornady 68 & 75 Match bullets won't shoot quite as well as the Sierras, but they're close to the Sierras' accuracy and may be easier to find.

The 55 grain FMJ bullets are popular because they're cheaper. They may also be more available right now. Generally, they might give decent accuracy, but probably won't shoot like a target bullet.

Sierra doesn't recommend the MatchKing for varmints because expansion is unreliable and I've found this to be very true, though many use MKs for varmints. Same for the 55 grain FMJ bullets.

 

[Rodan]

Budget AR and at least MOA accuracy aren't likely to happen at the same time.

This.... The AR is designed more towards "minute of man" than "minute of angle."

That said, they can shoot MOA, but there are a LOT of variables. Parts used, optics, trigger, ammo, etc. You'll want a magnafied optic to get the most out of it.

I have seen Colts that won't shoot MOA, and on the other end, I have a PSA 16" AR I built from an assembled upper and lower parts kit for under $550 that shoots under MOA.

I would think a factory S&W with good ammo, a 4-6x optic, and a decent shooter could shoot ~ MOA, but I wouldn't give any guarantees...

 

[sgtsandman]

Semi automatic rifles generally aren't known to be MOA or sub-MOA rilfes. There are some in higher price ranges that are and the Sport can be made to be. Depending on the rifle, ammo could make a lot of difference, once you find out what it likes best.

But generally speaking, the average AR rifle tends to be around 1.5 - 2 MOA rifles.

 

[Univibe]

I'll say one thing: sport ii comes with a better trigger than my 6920.

 

[2ndtimer]

Too bad you missed the boat on the original Sport. It may lack the forward assist and dust cover, but that 1 in 8” twist 5R rifled barrel really shoots. (Or at least mine does, MOA or better with quality bullets from 40 gr thru 69 grain various handloads and Redfield 2-7x scope.)

 

[1sailor]

I also have an original Sport. The 10 shot target in the pic was fired at 60 yards with a 3x scope. Only 60 yards but a tight group. The orange dot is one inch.

 

[Tiribulus]

Smith & Wesson M&P Sport II AR-15 Review: Great Budget Rifle Or Piece Of Junk? (HD) - YouTube

 

[342ti]

I think any negatives you're reading here, are the shooters, NOT the gun. My bnib Sport II OR, with CT Red Dot, shoots bulk 55gr stuff, under 1" ALL day at 50yds, no matter how many shots the group is, just a shot out center target, and my gun's not even settled in yet. My ammo is mixed stuff, not even same brand. I'm pretty sure when I scope it, use the same brand ammo for sight in at 100yds, I'll be looking at the same shot out center target. The heavy bbl profile helps immensely.

 

[Ranger17]

I have a Sport 2 that I picked up in fall of 2020, my first non-22 rifle. This is being used mainly for sport/fun snd I am still learning the platform. This summer i put on a Holosun sight (i dont see well thru scopes), the pic is from the first time I used the sight (first time ever using one like it). Was at 50 yds just resting on a bag and using up cheap steel ammo I had. In fact the 2 rounds low on the target sounded weak when shot. Am happy to be done with that stuff.
Not showing the pic thinking I am any sort of marksman with it lol, but if a newbie to that platform with crappy eyes can shoot a decent group, I can only assume one with real experience and the right optics/sights for their visual abilities can do pretty dang good with it.

 

[cyphertext]

The Sports have been shown to be pretty accurate. S&W doesn't guarantee 1 MOA from this rifle, but many folks have been able to get good groupings with the ammo that their particular rifle likes, and hand loaders have been able to get better results.