S&W M&P15 Sport .223 - $599

[pbwalker]

Just stumbled across this on Slick Guns.

5R rifling with 1-in-8"-twist, 16" barrel. Adjustable sight. Six-position stock. Magpul 30-round magazine. Valid April 14th - 23rd.
S&W .223 Sport
Model: M&P15 Sport™
Caliber: 5.56 mm NATO
Capacity: 30 Round Detachable Magazine
Action: Semi-Auto
Barrel Length: 16" / 40.6 cm
Barrel Twist: 1 in 8" 5R Rifling
Front Sight: Adjustable A2 Post
Rear Sight: Adjustable Dual Aperture
Overall Length: 35" Extended / 32" Collapsed
Stock: 6 Position Telescopic
Weight: 6.5 lbs. / 2,948.4 g
Barrel Material: 4140 Steel
Barrel Finish: Melonite®
Receiver Material: 7075 T6 Aluminum
Receiver Finish: Hard Coat Black Anodized
Chromed Components: Gas Key
Bolt Carrier

http://content.yudu.com/A1rlzh/Cabelas1 ... /index.htm - On Page 14 (this is for the Buda location...you may want to check your store and see if is on sale there too)

[aaangel]

yup i saw that..... i thought it was a misprint. are you sure it's not a .22

[Toadstone]

When I saw that it said .223, I was thinking "no way I'd buy anything that doesn't have a 5.56mm chamber." But this does. Here's a link to the S&W product page:

http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/wcs/ ... rrorView_Y" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[mrvmax]

Those are hard to find at the distributors,I've been looking for some for months and cannot find any.

[McKnife]

I saw this on another forum. BEWARE.

This is the S&W "budget series."

No Ejection Port Cover
No Chrome Lining on Barrel
No Chrome Lining on Bolt
No M4 profile
1/8 twist, not standard 1/7 or 1/9
4140 Steel, not 4150
Probably several other shortcuts to keep costs down.

This rifle retails for $699.

You can buy 10x better rifle for $50 more.

[eureka40]

I saw this on another forum. BEWARE.

This is the S&W "budget series."

No Ejection Port Cover
No Chrome Lining on Barrel
No Chrome Lining on Bolt
No M4 profile
1/8 twist, not standard 1/7 or 1/9
4140 Steel, not 4150
Probably several other shortcuts to keep costs down.

This rifle retails for $699.

You can buy 10x better rifle for $50 more.

No forward assist also. This is a very stripped down AR. If you plan to buy this as an AR, you better look very closely and do your research. Buy once, cry once!!

[A-R]

1/8 twist, not standard 1/7 or 1/9

I agree most of those other specs are problematic, but nothing wrong with a 1/8 twist. Most "1/7 twist" rifles are actually 1/7.7 or so anyway. I have a 1/8 twist Sabre Defense barrel and it is sub-MOA accurate with factory bulk 55-grain ammo (I've done it a few times, but I'm not a steady enough rifle shot to make it do this all day long - usually my own flinches toss one or two fliers outside the group). It also shoots MOA with heavier stuff like 69 and 75 grain.

Of course, I'm not saying this budget 1/8 barrel is up to the standards/tolerances of a Sabre barrel - just saying 1/8 twist alone is nothing to worry about.

[pbwalker]

I think everyone is forgetting that this *is* a bargain bin AR. Of course it is not top of the line, is missing a dust cover, has no forward assist, etc. But it is $599. If someone wants to dip their toes in to the AR pool, this isn't too bad (especially considering the CMMG bargain bin AR's are out of stock).

And I'm with Austinrealtor...no major issues with 1/8.

[bigred90gt]

Knowing next to nothing about the differences in AR15 rifles, what exactly is the difference between one with an M4 profile, and one without, and why is that a big enough issue to call it out specifically when naming the negatives of a budget AR15?

I do own an AR15 (S&W M&P15OR to be exact), but I only know what I need to know about that particular rifle. I know what ammo it takes, what magazines it takes, how to disassemble (and subsequently reassemble) it, how to clean and lube it, and how it works, which leads to knowing what to look for if it is not functioning. For my needs, I cannot think of anything else I really NEED to know about it. But, because I am a curious person, I'm wondering what the difference is.

[Ol Zeke]

No Ejection Port Cover - Ugly but not a deal-killer
No Chrome Lining on Barrel - No biggie if you clean it after shooting & lightly oil it
No Chrome Lining on Bolt - No biggie if you clean it after shooting & lightly oil it
No M4 profile - Never understood the attraction for the M4 profile.
1/8 twist, not standard 1/7 or 1/9 - 1/8 works fine
4140 Steel, not 4150 - Not a biggie at all.
No forward assist - Never needed one except for confirming a bolt is locked close after doing a press-check (which is rare in itself).

[Beiruty]

For budget Semi-Auto Rilfe. Go look for AK74 and you wouuld be very happy. I picked up a Polish Tantal AK74 converted to semi auto. I could not be happier. 5.45x39 rd is as accurate as the NATO 5.56x45 and cost maybe /13 less or more. AK are very reliable, piston driven and would shoot anything steel/brass cased rds.

Your budget should be around $450. New Aresenal-Russian AK74 would cost 2X more.

[Toadstone]

Knowing next to nothing about the differences in AR15 rifles, what exactly is the difference between one with an M4 profile, and one without, and why is that a big enough issue to call it out specifically when naming the negatives of a budget AR15?

In the world of AR-15's, there is a lot of elitism, and many people assume that if something isn't "mil-spec" it isn't worth looking at. A lot of perfectly serviceable gear would not acceptable for military use, because it won't withstand a direct hit from a hellfire missile (jk). On the other hand, a lot of of the gear that the military does use is top-notch and virtually indestructible. It also costs about twice what you'd expect it to because it's what the guys in the sandbox use (I'm taking to you, Surefire).

An M4 profile barrel has a notch cut out of it so you can mount a 40mm M203 grenade launcher on the rifle. Pretty useless for civilians. That said, my AR has an M4 profile barrel, and I think it looks awesome. It boils down to personal preference.