M&P Sport or Build?!

[av8rarky]

Hey guys,

Let me start off by saying that I am still new to firearms...got my first one a few days after Christmas (Shield 9MM).

I just bought my dream rifle last Tuesday - Colt LE6920. Always wanted an M4 Carbine platform. I know I will probably get flak for this, but that one is going to be a safe queen. So I want another rifle for plinking / home defense and a long term buddy next to my Colt.

I've narrowed down my choice to an M&P Sport since all the competitive rifles in the Sport's group all seem to be shoddy rifles (Bushy Carbon-15, DPMS, Olympic Arms).

I think it'd be neat to put together an M16 style rifle with triangular handguards, but the Sport is looking to be promising.

Some questions for you Sport owners:
Does your Sport like steel cased ammo?
How long have you had it / any issues so far?
How well does the Sport do at longer range distances?
How is the fit and finish?

Any other recommendations are welcome.

 

[cyphertext]

Don't take this the wrong way, but go shoot your Colt and enjoy it. The LE6920 is not collectible, and are actually dropping in value. When I bought my Sport, the Colt was $1300, now they are sold at Walmart for $1100, and you can find them on the net for $900...

Anyway, shoot the Colt. If you are new to firearms, the best investment you will make is ammo and range time. Go shoot the Colt and figure out what you like and what you don't like, not only equipment wise, but shooting style as well. That will prepare you better for either building your own, or modifying your Colt.

But to answer your question, I have had my Sport for a couple of years and have had no issue to date. Mine will shoot steel cased ammo, and that is primarily what I shoot. Mine is set up with a red dot, so I don't shoot long distances, but others that have set theirs up with scopes are able to deliver impressive groupings, especially with handloads (but this comes from practice...see advice about shooting the Colt above... it is the indian, not the arrow). Fit and finish is excellent, but as a Colt owner, you are not supposed to be worried about that.

 

[TheMaineEvent]

I second the vote to shoot your Colt. For the most part, AR's are loosing value now so there's no real sense in letting a perfectly good rifle go unused.

As to your question to build or buy a Sport, I'd say buy a Sport. You a get a great rifle for what I'd call a great price now. There's more than a few vendors selling it for less than $600.

Now, you can certainly build an AR for the $600, but with a Sport, you get a LIFETIME guaranty and that is worth a lot.

My sport chews up steel ammo no problem, but I wouldn't own an AR that couldn't. I've had zero problems with mine and it's more than accurate enough out to 150 yards (the max distance at my range) using plinking ammo.

With a good scope, you should be able to hit anything you're aiming at out to 200-250 yards no problem. No doubt, some here can put rounds on target even farther than that, but for most of us the AR isn't a long distance shooter.

 

[JaPes]

Welcome aboard. Congrats on choosing to become a firearms enthusiast.

Some questions for you Sport owners:
Does your Sport like steel cased ammo?

Yes it does. When mine was in it's OEM configuration it had no issues cycling Russian steel case bi-metal jacket ammo. After modifications, it still has no issues.

How long have you had it / any issues so far?

I've had mine for 3 years or so. The only issue I have with it is that it's slowly decreased my available checking balance over the years.

How well does the Sport do at longer range distances?

Mine is the earlier production 15-Sport with the 1:8 5R, Melonite treated, progressive gain twist barrel. I'm limited to 100 yards in my parts. As long as I hold up my end of the marksmanship deal, the rifle is repeatably accurate.

How is the fit and finish?

Excellent.

Any other recommendations are welcome.

Don't take this the wrong way, but go shoot your Colt and enjoy it. The LE6920 is not collectible, and are actually dropping in value.

^^^ This. Go shoot the snot out of your Colt. Get some trigger time. Discover your preferences then go out and buy another rifle. Even better, build one yourself. It's not hard.

 

[Maddmax]

Don't take this the wrong way, but go shoot your Colt and enjoy it. The LE6920 is not collectible, and are actually dropping in value. When I bought my Sport, the Colt was $1300, now they are sold at Walmart for $1100, and you can find them on the net for $900...Anyway, shoot the Colt.

I have to agree (don't take this the wrong way). The LE 6920 ain't no "prom queen",but it's still worth taking to the prom. Take it out and let that pony run... That's what they are made for. Myself,I like my LE6940 over my LE6920. It was the freefloat and has fold down sights and my EOtech needed a new home. I left the 6920 stock.

I have the old Sport (1-8 5R) and it will do everything the 6920 will do. Only difference is the Colt's barrel twist (1-7),FA and dust cover.

I'd go for the Sport (it will make a good long term budy) sitting next to the Colt. You can add a ton of add-ons and it will more than hold its own.But I wouldn't just let that Colt sit. Kind of like having a beefed up 4X4 and never taking it off the pavement.

 

[JaPes]

The AR-15 eventually wears out. It takes 10K rounds or so, but things wear out. Barrel shot out? Replace it. Bolt worn? Rebuild it. Standardized parts specs mean I can replace most parts at competitive prices. It's great. It's the reason I only have two: one factory complete one I built.

Again to the OP, shoot the snot out of your Colt. Pay attention to how the rifle interfaces with your body. Pay attention to trigger feel, handguard feel, perceived recoil impulse, cleaning time, etc... Once you figure it all out, you'll know exactly what you want. Select every part yourself.

Building a rifle was fun but also took the mystery out of the platform for me. Will I buy/build another AR-15? Probably not.

 

[CW1027]

Got my sport for Christmas this past year and shot 200-250 rounds so far, too cold and snowy to do many more than that for now.

My sport does good with steel or brass.


Absolutely no problems so far for me.


I've shot at 200 yards and gotten pretty good groups. Very fun to shoot no matter what the difference.

The fit and finish is just as good now as it was when I opened the box.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[massiespeed3]

Shoot the colt! I love my sport though. Can't beat the price for the quality you get, and it will eat anything you feed it!

 

[mcmar]

Hey guys,

Let me start off by saying that I am still new to firearms...got my first one a few days after Christmas (Shield 9MM).

I just bought my dream rifle last Tuesday - Colt LE6920. Always wanted an M4 Carbine platform. I know I will probably get flak for this, but that one is going to be a safe queen. So I want another rifle for plinking / home defense and a long term buddy next to my Colt.

I've narrowed down my choice to an M&P Sport since all the competitive rifles in the Sport's group all seem to be shoddy rifles (Bushy Carbon-15, DPMS, Olympic Arms).

I think it'd be neat to put together an M16 style rifle with triangular handguards, but the Sport is looking to be promising.

Some questions for you Sport owners:
Does your Sport like steel cased ammo?
How long have you had it / any issues so far?
How well does the Sport do at longer range distances?
How is the fit and finish?

Any other recommendations are welcome.

My Sport loves steel cased ammo-alot of TulAmmo
No issues at all at this time
I have had my Sport for about a year
It is very accurate at 100 yards...that is the longest course my has.
Still fires like the first time and looks like the day I bought it

Just enjoy it...

 

[av8rarky]

Thanks for the advice all!

I suppose the definition of Safe Queen isn't what I thought it was, what I meant was that after saving up and finally getting the rifle I truly wanted for years, I want to keep it as pristine and in immaculate condition. I plan on keeping it for quite sometime. I don't plan on locking her away then selling her later! Surprisingly the fit and finish my Colt is pretty amazing, very tight and no marks or anything.

Like the folks who own and build up nice cars - it would be like a really nice car I only take out every once in awhile.

Thanks everyone for chiming in, appreciate it.
Looks like the Sport will be a great companion to my Colt.
I believe this is a myth, but I'd like some clarification from you AR gurus, is it true that steel-cased ammo wears out your extractor quicker?

 

[JaPes]

I believe this is a myth, but I'd like some clarification from you AR gurus, is it true that steel-cased ammo wears out your extractor quicker?

Steel is harder than brass.

Yes. Steel case ammo will cause accelerated wear on an extractor. No worries, replacing an extractor is inexpensive and easy to do.

What's more interesting is that Russian steel case ammo uses bi-metal jackets. It's a softer steel jacket over a lead core. There is a very thin copper electro plate on the surface of the projectile. The steel jacket will cause accelerated barrel wear, decreasing the life of a barrel to 5K-6K rounds as opposed to an estimated 10K rounds for copper jacketed projectiles.

http://www.luckygunner.com/labs/brass-vs-steel-cased-ammo/

New people are a bit surprised when told the barrel & bolt have a service life, and are wear and replace items.

 

[gpetrucci85]

I agree with all of the above. I got my sport when it first came out, and have never had an issue. Steel cased is mostly what I shoot as well, never a hiccup. I also agree with all of the above, go shoot the hell out of that colt, then decide what you want to do next.

 

[gunny4053]

First off, Welcome to the forum. Now, shoot the Colt, buy a Sport. Colts are designed to be workhorses, not pretty. If you want a pretty, shoot it on sunny Summer days kinda gun, find yourself a pre-64 Winchester model 70 in a caliber you like that's been babied. That Colt needs some character marks.

Good Luck and good shooting.

 

[potenza]

The colt is just a rifle, not even that special, these days! I would try to build one! I have built over 10!!! Now a days you can build one for $500 or less. Check out PSA , build the lower and buy the upper,

 

[JAT3]

I think some people are missing the point. After playing soldier as a child and always wanting one of the platforms missing out on the military because of a small birth defect then getting into a little trouble and having to wait so long to get one. I got the sport. Its different you treat it like a child. But you will find like a child with time you will get more comfortable with it and realize a few bumps and bruises might cause scars but will be part of growing. Until then buy a sport use it abuse it and love it. Mine hasn't been around long enough to be abused yet but as the new wears off I'm finding more and more comfort in the training marks. Its never given me a problem from tulammo to American eagle federal x-tac steel tip. Pmags are getting cheaper and have been durable dropping on the ground and in the snow. Enjoy both your own way.

 

[spad124]

I also like the retro M16A1 look AR15s. I grew up watching them on the news. If you really want a Vietnam M16A1 looking AR, and since you have a Colt, I'd suggest shooting the Colt for a while to familiarize yourself with the AR in general, then deciding whether to build an A1. When/if you build the A1, pay attention to the fit between the various parts. Even though parts are milspec, there is an allowable tolerance variation.

My first AR was an AR15A1 that was assembled from mainly late 70s Colt M16a1 parts with an AR lower and a new barrel. There was much more play between parts such as the upper and lower receivers than on my Sport. The A1 was also much less accurate than my Sport. Just suggesting that a quality A1 might take some looking and careful parts sourcing.

Of course, if you buy a Sport and replace the rear sight with a detachable carry handle sight, you will have the same general configuration as the CAR used in Nam.

 

[Maddmax]

I think some people are missing the point. After playing soldier as a child and always wanting one of the platforms missing out on the military because of a small birth defect then getting into a little trouble and having to wait so long to get one. I got the sport. Its different you treat it like a child. But you will find like a child with time you will get more comfortable with it and realize a few bumps and bruises might cause scars but will be part of growing. Enjoy both your own way.

Or. You could also think of it as your 2nd,3rd or 4th kid. Those early freak-outs with the first one almost start getting to be just second nature as time goes on.

 

[JAT3]

Can't say I stopped at one child. But this is his first of this platform so it would be like his first child. So baby this one and get a sport and let it grow. I'm sure in time he will be shooting both in different ranges or scenarios or set one up CQB and the other for distance one for practice the other for the gun club. You get it.