Why do so many people talk down on Smith & Wesson M&P AR's for ?

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This is my first time so hear goes nothing . I have been collecting AR's for about 1 year now & did a lot of reading & asking questions to try to catch up on knowledge so I didn't waste too much money . I have a Vtac 2 & TS & 15 X & Sport model's of S&W rifles . I also have Christensen Arms Recon 10 & JP Enterprise JP-15 & Wilson Combat Recon 15 & several others like LWRC & Adams Arms & Ruger & Sig so im not bias towards 1 single brand but Ive owned a tremendous amount of rifles now & I feel like the S&W rifles are so just as good as most any other AR's . I have ran thousands of rounds threw them & absolutely never have any problems but I have had a lot of problems out of most other brands . I just get tired of reading bad reviews on S&W AR's from people who don't seem to have ever owned one . I can't figure out why so many people wanna put them down & put them in the same category with DPMS & Windham & Bushmaster when they clearly make better rifles ? Any thoughts ?
 
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I've herd nothing but good things. Especially about the sport. I think you answered your own question,they're unfamiliar or defending their own purchase. I own 3 m&p rifles, all have exceeded my expectations. Impressive rifle collection you got there.
 
I researched the Sport before I bought one about 5 months ago. I found mostly good reviews. The only criticism was that S&W substituted a 1/9 barrel recently for the original 1/8R barrel. But, my 1/9 is very very accurate. I look at the barrel change as a difference without a distinction.

I think some of the posters on some "black rifle" forums, and most of those I consider opinions, not reviews, are a little jealous that the low cost Sport is as good or better than their high dollar rifle. There seems to be a certain group also the swears by " milspec". However, milspec means a certain range of tolerance that allows interchangeability and which doesn't guarantee accuracy.
 
If you are going to be tactical, you have to have the latest and greatest AR made by boutique manufacturers that only turn out one gun a month because they have to be made during the dark of a new moon.

I own four AR's made by three manufacturers that have been individually set up for for special purposes. All have had the snot shot out of them without any issues. Any AR made such that it's parts are totally interchangeable with any other AR will work better and last longer than 99.5% of us will ever need.
 
What bad reviews? Even on other boards like ARF and M4C the Smith is consider a solid AR by most. Sure, some sneak through QC and have issues but not nearly as many reported as from other manufacturers. Maybe I'm not looking in the right places but even Grant who has been in the game for a long time and is a big Colt advocate once stated that the M&P MOE is one of his favorites (at least I thought I read that somewhere)

When you see it compared to Windham, Bushy, DPMS and others it's typically because that's the target market and target price point. Nothing wrong with that especially because when it's listed in that category, it's considered the logical choice. Also understand that most think "Sport" when they think M&P because it's one of the most popular AR's that Smith has in the market.
 
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Probably because Ford owners talk down Chevy owners, Chevy owners talk down to Dodge owners, so forth and so on.

Bottom line is, who friggin cares??

The person on the receiving end of any AR isn't gonna know if the bullet came from a Colt or a Smith and really could care less.
 
Any AR made such that it's parts are totally interchangeable with any other AR will work better and last longer than 99.5% of us will ever need.

I hear a fair amount of talk about S&W's not being "mil spec". From what I understand most AR's on the market today aren't, in the clinical sense of the term. Frankly, for me, I really don't think it'll ever matter. But it does raise a question. If S&W's aren't "mil spec", then what parts AREN'T interchangeable with "mil spec" rifles or other AR's?
 
Somebody is always bashing something. There's a lot of AR snobs out there. If it works it works. These rifles are just a collection of parts. Most people don't shoot enough to wear out the lowest spec rifles, and if that did happen it's inexpensive and simple to rebuild one.
 
I hear a fair amount of talk about S&W's not being "mil spec". From what I understand most AR's on the market today aren't, in the clinical sense of the term. Frankly, for me, I really don't think it'll ever matter. But it does raise a question. If S&W's aren't "mil spec", then what parts AREN'T interchangeable with "mil spec" rifles or other AR's?

It's not that they aren't interchangable, it's that they are not built to the TDP. The specs outlined there are considered Military Specification. That said for example, a S&W M&P BCG works just fine with a Colt AR or any other that is built to spec. The difference is that it is built on a Semi Auto carrier. Semi Auto carriers are not "Mil spec". Full Auto carriers with more mass are the spec.

Is it a big deal? To the "mil spec or die!" crowd, yes. To the rest of us, nope. It's a solid build, backed up by a solid warranty and goes bang every time.
 
It's not that they aren't interchangable, it's that they are not built to the TDP. The specs outlined there are considered Military Specification. That said for example, a S&W M&P BCG works just fine with a Colt AR or any other that is built to spec. The difference is that it is built on a Semi Auto carrier. Semi Auto carriers are not "Mil spec". Full Auto carriers with more mass are the spec.

Is it a big deal? To the "mil spec or die!" crowd, yes. To the rest of us, nope. It's a solid build, backed up by a solid warranty and goes bang every time.

That's what I thought, thanks. I can't ever see me doing it, but if I ever decided to change my upper, or my barrel for example, I could swap them with different brands without an issue, right? Is there anything on my rifle I should not use another manufacturer's parts for?
 
Yes. My M&P upper is actually sitting on a Spike's Tactical lower right now as I wanted to see how a new trigger group felt with it.

This started out as a M&P OR. It's my Cocapoo's weapon of choice when defending our home during his shift. It's a bit different now because everything is interchangeable with standard AR parts. Enjoy your high quality, highly rated and highly enjoyed M&P.

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I just bought an M&P 15 Sport. It's my first AR. I am very happy with it so far. I this S & W has done a great job with it.

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I will grudgingly acknowledge that some the top-tier, top priced rifles assembled by low volume shops do have an advantage over the AR's most mere mortals can afford. Conversely, it takes one hell of a skilled marksman to eke out every little bit of advantage that the top-tier, top priced rifles has over an Average-Joe AR-15. It's like putting me behind the wheel of a track ready Ferrari. I can drive it, but not as good as the guy who spent years learning to properly drive on a track. IMO, the law of diminishing returns applies to AR-15's that are at the leading edge of innovation.

I honestly believe that if S&W did not cater to the entry level AR firearms enthusiast with the 15-Sport, S&W M&P 15's would garner a stellar reputation from anonymous internet forum range ninja's. It's the 15-Sport that makes a poor marksman with a fat wallet who believes $$$ overcomes practice & earned skill get defensive.
 
Never owned any AR until today and after (literally) hours and hours of research I bought the M&P 15 Sport. I really wanted to buy the Colt LE 6920 because I have been a Colt guy for years and who makes the military M4... but the M&P 15 Sport it is a total "no brainer" that seems way too good to be true. This AR is so much for so little and it is built in the US by S&W. I know it is a great AR and I can use the $400 I saved on lots of ammo for practice and a few toys.
 
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It's not that they aren't interchangable, it's that they are not built to the TDP. The specs outlined there are considered Military Specification. That said for example, a S&W M&P BCG works just fine with a Colt AR or any other that is built to spec. The difference is that it is built on a Semi Auto carrier. Semi Auto carriers are not "Mil spec". Full Auto carriers with more mass are the spec.

Is it a big deal? To the "mil spec or die!" crowd, yes. To the rest of us, nope. It's a solid build, backed up by a solid warranty and goes bang every time.

And having procured millions of dollars in hardware for the military I'll add that MILSPEC is just that: Military Specification. It is not necessarily better (or the best). It is what some group of engineers in the DOD defined as minimum specification for a part. There are Milspecs for everything from bullets to toilet seats. When something isn't "MILSPEC" it doesn't mean it's inferior, it just means it's different from what the military buys.
 
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. It's the 15-Sport that makes a poor marksman with a fat wallet who believes $$$ overcomes practice & earned skill get defensive.

Very true JaPes! We'd probably all be better marksmen, and much more effective if the situation ever arose, if we all practiced more instead of buying another gun. But, I'm as guilty as the next.

Someone on this forum has the signature line: "beware the man who has only one gun."
 
Short answer, because the people who talk down are generally the same people that can't get past the price tag or the brand name.
For those folks, if the price doesn't start well beyond the $1000 price point,or the brand name doesn't start with a "C", it just isn't worth looking at.
 
And having procured millions of dollars in hardware for the military I'll add that MILSPEC is just that: Military Specification. It is not necessarily better (or the best). It is what some group of engineers in the DOD defined as minimum specification for a part. There are Milspecs for everything from bullets to toilet seats. When something isn't "MILSPEC" it doesn't mean it's inferior, it just means it's different from what the military buys.

Where can I get one of them milspec toilet seats? :rolleyes:
 
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