Gun Review: Smith & Wesson M&P15 Sport (A brand new AR-15 for $640?)

The Truth About Guns ^ | June 13, 2011 | Benjamin T. Shotzberger

[Rummyfan]

[grobdriver]

Cabela's on sale:
Sale Price: $939.99 - $1,099.99

$640? Seriously?

[doodad]

Got mine about a month ago. They can be had for less than the price stated, but are scarce due to popularity. They lack the chrome barrel, forward assist and dust cover on the ejection port, but are hands down the best bang for the buck.

[Recon Dad]

Google M&P15 Sport.......and you can find them for less than $640. Whether they’ll ship it is another matter.

[Yo-Yo]

Sounds good to me. The AR-15 that I used in USAF Basic Training didn’t have no stinkin’ forward assist.

As for the dust cover, at the range I never see them closed anyway.

Sounds like the perfect way to get into 3-gun on a budget, or a much easier way to justify a .223 for plinking. And you can always put a different upper on it if you choose.

[mylife]

Yup.
I know a fellow that picked one up last week for that exact price.

[dogcaller]

Have been thinking about getting one of these...may trade in my .45 Officers ACP to help pay for it. Hate to let go of it but need a semi-auto rifle to complete the survival kit and our other handguns are .38/.357. The Colt is also a little heavy to me for concealed carry but sure looks pretty.

[109ACS]

Ping for later gun porn viewing.

[st.eqed]

Nice price point. Sounds like you can deck it out for $1200. I wished every God fearing Bible clinger would equip themselves with such a tool.

[Echo4C]

They got rid of the ejection port cover and forward assist because they didn’t think people needed them, but they left the bayonet lug on there?

I’d rather have a forward assist than a bayonet lug. Of course, my AR-15 has both (my ACR has neither).

[toomanylaws]

Just saw one at a gun show for $599.

[Victor]

Ping for possible purchase

[DCBryan1]

Nice, but I want to see a picture of the opened lower receiver. Is their a space for a DIAS or do we have to machine it out?

[LibLieSlayer]

Regardless of make, model, variants, changes, re engineering, and a 100 year-old design... the .45 ACP remains the caliber to carry... for those wanting to stop a perp DEAD in his tracks. That economy AR will kill you just as dead as one wearing a Tuxedo.

LLS

[NELSON111]

BFL

[mad_as_he$$]

No dust cover? (guys have been doing that for years) 1/7 twist? And no forward assist. Makes it a bad choice for self defense.

You can easily put together a great AR for under $500 by shopping and picking the pieces you want.

[Logic n' Reason]

Question:
What is the best handgun to have for "personal self defense" (in-home and while traveling)?

It has to be concealable (yay, WI!), it has to have "one shot - one kill" stopping power, it has to be completely reliable (no jams), and it can't be overly expensive ($350 to $600 range).

There has got to be one weapon "at the top of the heap" so to speak. What is it?

My thanks....

[mad_as_he$$]

Once upon a time I hit a 110 pound guy, with an AK and blood in his eye, with three rounds of 5.56mm ball. Didn't slow his ass down one bit. He was on a mission to kill me. Drew my 1911 and put two in his chest at 50 feet. Dropped him in his tracks. Upon examination of the body it was clear the ball had penetrated his upper chest around the shoulder but had not done much damage. The 45 tore massive holes in his heart and one lung.

Now I still have faith in 223/5.56 but I do not use full mags of ball.

[Oshkalaboomboom]

What is the best handgun to have for "personal self defense" (in-home and while traveling)? It has to be concealable (yay, WI!), it has to have "one shot - one kill" stopping power, it has to be completely reliable (no jams), and it can't be overly expensive ($350 to $600 range).

Years ago the army did research on pistol rounds and found that shot placement was more important than caliber and the only places to reliably stop someone was with a shot to the head, the spine or the long bones of the leg. A .45 to the chest would kill the perp eventually but they would still have time to do some damage to you, while a .22 in the brain had the same effect as blowing the head off with a shotgun. So instead of looking for a killer round get something you can afford to practice, practice practice with.