It’s time to think about buying an AR-15. Selection is high and prices are falling; there’s never been a better time for the AR-15 market. Besides, can you ever really have too many black rifles? If you answered yes, stop reading now!
The S&W M&P 15 Sport II is a versatile rifle.
I have been shooting an M&P15 SPORT II from Smith and Wesson. This is a basic gun that is a solid platform straight from the factory. The rifle is versatile, lightweight, reliable and a blast to shoot. The standard rifle comes equipped with a Magpul MBUS rear sight, a 30-round Magpul PMAG M3 and a forward assist and dustcover with a 6-position collapsible stock. There are plenty of rifles being offered at a comparable price that are stripped down without any of these goodies. Also, consider that the Smith & Wesson Lifetime Service Policy is something you will not receive with a Franken rifle.
SPECS
There is no heat shield with the handguards. It worked fine for testing, however, if shooters are shooting a lot of magazine dumps, they may want to invest in a different handguard.
- Type: Gas-operated semiautomatic
- Cartridge: 5.56 NATO/.223
- Capacity: 30+1 rds.
- Stock: 6-position CAR
- Barrel Length: 16 in.; 1:9 in. twist
- Sights: A2 (front); Folding Magpul (MBUS-rear)
- Receivers: Aluminum alloy 7075 T6 aluminum
- Weight: 103.2 oz.
- Overall Length: 35 in.
- Finish: Black anodized hard coat
- MSRP: $739
- Manufacturer: Smith & Wesson
The M&P controls are easy to actuate and all the magazines fell freely from the lower receiver during testing.
Overview
The beauty of the Sport II is not just skin deep, it lies in the finer details, most of which are lacking on budget rifles. Let’s take a deep dive. The upper is marked with the splintered “A,” which means it has been forged by Anchor Harvey. The upper has M4 cuts that match with the feed ramps on the barrel. The barrel is not chrome-lined, it is finished with nitride both inside and out. Before we anguish over the lack of chrome lining, let’s consider that there have been accuracy issues associated with the chrome finish. The A2 front sight post is F marked and comes with a bayonet lug and a sling swivel. The business end is threaded, and it comes with an A2-style flash hider.
The bolt carrier group has a phosphate finish on the exterior and the interior has a chrome lining.
The Sport II’s bolt carrier is phosphate-finished on the outside, with chrome lining the interior, as is the inside of the gas key. The staking on the key was done correctly and worked quite nicely with the Mil-Spec charging handle. The bolt itself is comprised of 158 Carpenter steel. Without diving into that rabbit hole, I will offer my opinion, which is that 158 Carpenter is quite adequate. The bolt itself is marked MP, indicating magnetic particle inspection. The extractor is equipped with the black O-ring, which is generally considered preferable for more reliable extracting.
The trigger on the sample was 4 pounds, and it broke cleanly and consistently. Rather than having the Mil-Spec flip-down triggerguard, this one has a rounded winter triggerguard, which is forged in one piece with the lower receiver.
The buffer tube is mil-spec sized and equipped with a 6-position adjustable Smith & Wesson buttstock.
No Free Lunch
The S&W M&P 15 Sport II continued to function flawlessly even after over 1,000 rounds were sent downrange during a law enforcement class.
There are a few things that you should know about this rifle upfront. I don’t consider them deal breakers by any means, but I do think they represent some areas that Smith & Wesson chose to keep the price down while minimizing the impact on most shooters. Remember, we are not comparing this gun to a machine-gun, but rather to that of a civilian user who needs a reliable but affordable rifle.
The handguards are completely unlined; there is no heat shielding. I had no trouble running the gun in a carbine class, and the students that I allowed to use the gun did not complain about any issues. However, if you’re planning on doing lots of mag dumps with this gun, I would definitely say that investing in an aftermarket forearm would be money well spent.
The rifle comes equipped with an A2 Flash hider.
The barrel profile is unique in that, past the handguard, it is an M4 profile. Once you remove the handguard, a much thicker profile than the standard M4 is revealed, with noticeable machine marks left unfinished. This tends to result in a barrel-heavy, although not onerous, feel. There is also no provision to mount an M203 grenade launcher to the barrel, although if you’re planning on running one I doubt that this is the rifle for you anyway. The lower receiver is not a perfect match to the upper. This is a cosmetic issue, as I believe they are using different suppliers for each of those parts.
The gas system is carbine-length as opposed to a mid-length gas system. This can lead to over-gassing the gun and cause a sharper recoil impulse. I must confess that I could not notice any difference. Perhaps it is somehow working with the unique barrel profile.
The bolt carrier is not a full auto, which means that you give up some weight, which can in turn cause transmission of additional recoil, although I did not notice any. This will also prevent the tripping of an auto sear.
Smith & Wesson chose to use an MIM (metal injected molded) hammer. I have no personal experience with this being a breakage issue, however, experts do differ on this manufacturing process for firearms parts.
On the Range
The author placed a Trijicon MRO on his test rifle for accuracy testing.
I only made two additions to the rifle to get ready for its first trip to the range: a standard black sling and a Trijicon MRO optic. My game plan was to start off with some accuracy work and then run a few drills with the rifle. Instead, the rifle received a baptism of fire, as we were teaching a Patrol Rifle class for law enforcement officers, and we happened to end up with more students than rifles. I went to my trunk, grabbed the M&P rifle, and pressed it into unexpected service. The first part of the class was shot with traditional sights. The A2 front sight post and flip-up Magpul rear sight worked without issue. Next, we installed optics, and the Trijicon MRO was zeroed at 40 yards. This was a really simple process thanks to the accessory rail on top of the receiver. This class was set up as a three-day affair that consumed approximately 1000 rounds of ammunition. Except for the malfunctions that were induced by instructors for training purposes, the fresh-faced Sport II did not suffer a single failure. There was oil applied at the end of each day of training, but no additional maintenance was performed. When the class was over, one of the deputies was interested in purchasing a copy of this gun.
My eventual work on the range was made simple by the three days of shooting that had transpired prior to my finally getting a turn on the gun. My to-do list had been reduced to checking the accuracy of the rifle and finding out what kind of ammunition it enjoyed eating. The Patrol Rifle class was shot with 55-grain fall ammunition purchased on state bid. I observed that the rifle tended to be as accurate as any other firearms in the class.
The 75-grain Hornady Black produced very accurate groups at 100 yards.
The target that I chose to shoot was the M16 A1 series target. This is a 25-meter target that is used to simulate ranges out to 300 meters. by means of a series of small silhouettes.
My ammunition choices for the test included the American Eagle 62 grain full metal jacket, the SIG Sauer 77-grain OTM match, the Hornady 68-grain boattail hollowpoint match, and finally, the new Hornady black 75-grain bottail hollowpoint. Check out the results below; the Sport clearly likes the heavier-weighted bullets. I am left scratching my head as to how the Hornady black 75 grain shot so well out of the gun. I would love to think that the round itself is that much better than the SIG Sauer 77 grain, but there will have to be some more testing done before that can be decided.
These results were all shot from a Caldwell lead sled using the Trijicon MRO optic at 100 yards.
The Bottom Line
This rifle is equipped like a middle of the pack gun, but it’s priced like an opening price point rifle. If you can live with the quite reasonable compromises that were made to achieve that cost, you will not go wrong in purchasing the Smith & Wesson M&P Sport II. This rifle has delivered consistently for me in reliability, accuracy, modularity, and ease of use. It’s really that simple!
To learn more about the Smith & Wesson M&P15 Sport II, click https://www.smith-wesson.com/firearms/mp-15-sport-ii.
To purchase a Smith & Wesson firearm on GunsAmerica, click https://www.gunsamerica.com/Search.aspx?Keyword=smith%26wesson.
How and where did you get the details for sport 2 construction? I’ve owned one for 7 years and this is the very first time I’ve ever found anything specifying the materials used for the upper, lower and BCG.
Not even S&W website gives those details and customer service has never responded.
I would be very interested to know where you got this information.
Have stock hand guard, trying to add a m-lok bipod. I find the attaching screw/nut will not work in the stock hand guard. I’ve heard of some work arounds; however, I cannot locate. Any advice short of replacing the hand guard? Also, My AR was purchased 2020 with heat shields on the hand guard.
Yeah, my son bought me an M-LOK bipod for my M&P Sport II, but it will not work with the standard hand guard that comes stock. However, the Harris Model BR Bipod with the No. Adapter works great. You will need to remove the hand guard to install, but it is not difficult but is easier with two people if you don’t have the leverage hand tool.
The Sport 2 is a great base to build off of. If you don’t like something on it change it out. The beautiful thing about an AR15 is you can be customized to your liking. The sport 2 allows you to have an affordable base you can work off of without breaking the bank first. I looked up reviews about this rifle and could not find one issue, and if there was S&W has a lifetime warranty and will replace the broken part.
Don’t listen to the nay sayer’s. As an owner of Ruger, S&W, Baretta, Remington, and others. The Smith AR is most definitely the best choice. As an owner of both the Sport I and Sport II both rifles are well made and extremely accurate. The dust cover and forward assist are just not needed although the Sport II has these features. And as for no heat shield in the hand guard. Most buyers are going to customize anyway so no big deal there.
Any issues shooting 5.56 Winchester 55 GRAIN rounds?
No issue at all I shot that same round the other day. The only noticeable difference I personally notice was it had slightly more recoil than that of a 5.56 55 Grain Winchester round.
I thought you said .223 55 Grain. the .223 had a bit more kick in my opinion.
No issues from the 5.56 Winchester round
How can the dustcover be manually opened?
Pulling back the slide pops it open.
I have one of these rifles and absolutely love it. I did have an ejection problem on the first 100 rounds. But after clearing 3-4 it started doing over 100 rounds with no errors or bad ejection. YES, I recommend this rifle to anyone that is looking for a fun rifle at the range. Accurate and dependable and fun to shoot with low recoil. Looking forward to some wild boar hunting with IR scope! Good Price, Good Accuracy, Fun to Shoot, looks Bad Ass!
Just bought one. Never saw a bad review. People mentioned the hand guards and lack of heat shields. Honestly I’m new to this AR thing so I won’t shoot that much to get that hot. When I do I’ll pick up some after market ones. The rifle is affordable and a really nice looking gun.
what about all the feed and jam problems listed all over the internet ? no one mentions this … puzzling.
My son and I have these rifles and we can tell you from first hand experience that we have had no such problems or issues. In fact most of the reviews i’ve seen are show this gun to be very reliable, very durable and accurate as well.
I can attest to all the above.
The reason it wasn’t mentioned is because what your saying hardly exists if not at all. I have searched for bad reviews on this gun. I found one.
Most of those folks aren’t the “Real Shooter” types they claim to be. Most people I see with malfunctions on any range, military or civilian, are shooter induced. I’ve heard “its the rifle” a lot. Pick up the same persons weapon, seat the rounds, seat the mag properly, maybe and watch the rounds run through it like a champ. Another common issue is magazines. If your springs aren’t maintained, or the feed lips get worn or bent it will produce stoppages.
What feed & Jam Problems listed where? All over the internet? I have had the same S&W AR-15 for 15 years and never, I mean never have a problem with it! Granted I took good care of it cleaned it and used good ammo but mine replace a firing pin twice in 15 years but that’s it. Great reliable AR.
couldn’t find one mention of a jam or other issue. the only thing being debated is 1:9 vs 1:7 barrels that the military uses. this rifle is simply best in class for that price range.
I bought aguila ammo for my first two visits to the range with this gun (the ammo is well reviewed online though). Had multiple feed jams with every magazine. Bought federal ammo and put 150 rounds through it no issues. Make sure you’re not shooting the cheapest ammo the store has like myself lol. So happy it wasn’t the gun!
What are you talking about?
I used one today on the range (my first time with it) and 3 times a live round failed to load. it popped out of the mag and was just resting in the breach. May have been the rental mag. Im not sure. But it did happen 3 times.
I thought the old info that chrome was better than nitride was dead by now. It has long been known that nitride treatment is superior to chrome lining. Recommend that you try out nitrided BCGs, slicker than snot when lubed.
Except that it isnt. It’s good but not superior. I don’t recall any military the world over using it in any of their battle rifles, to say nothing of 30mm gau 8 , 25mm chainguns, 20mm. Vulcans etc etc you get the point by now…. $449 rifle barrel isn’t superior to one’s made by FN Colt DD KAC BCM etc etc again and again. Good try though.
$2500 HK AR 15: “The MR556A1 does not use a chrome-lined barrel. Chrome-lining can sometimes mask bore imperfections and negatively affect accuracy. For the new series of Heckler & Koch semi-automatic MR rifles, HK designers and engineers believe best accuracy comes with an unlined bore.” Good try though.
If I had a service rifle, I’d have it chrome lined. There is a reason that the military uses chrome lined barrels- they last longer and resist corrosion better
Does it mean that chrome lined is better for you or me? No. I built 4 AR-15s. Well….I built 3 and upgraded one the same way I’d upgrade this one.
I’d ditch the unlined hand guard, get a low profile has block & get a free floated handguard. I also upgrade my shooters to Schmid Tool & Engineering nickel teflon hammer and triggers and replace the springs with JP Enterprises enhanced ignition springs. Three ALG Defense combat trigger is a Schmid, so why pay more when you can get the trigger and springs from Brownells for 52 bucks all in. I kept the unlined 1/9 barrel
I built one with an 18″ FN chrome lined barrel, another with a 10.5″ Aero Precision CMV barrel both were 1/7 and three other with a Faxon 416R stainless fluted Match barrel. 1/8 in 223 Wylde
You can’t go wrong with this S&W. Is it top of the line? No. Do you need it to be? Most likely no way.
I don’t agree with the gun being better with heavier bullets. It is a fact that heavier bullets need a faster twist 1/8 preferably 1/7 for 77grain bullets. They’re far too long to be properly stabilized with a 1/9 twist barrel. If you’re shooting an S&W, you’re not likely buying 77grain Match type ammo anyway. It is perfect for 55gr FMJs and I find it will give decent performance with the 62s.
Nice gun for the money. You can’t go wrong.
Just because the military does not use it doesn’t mean it’s not not better.
I know the cheapest rifles are capable of shooting far better than most shooters. So it really comes down to who’s behind any firearm. I own two or three of everything. From the cheapest. To the IDK priced rifles. I’ve had no issues with any of my guns cycling rounds. Don’t buy foreign AK-47’s and you won’t have any unsolvable issues. A friend owns an AK. It can’t shoot through a magazine without jamming up. As far as accuracy. I can shoot better groups consistently with a couple of my cheaper rifles. I prefer a 1in 8” rate of twist. I’m not sure I would depend on the S&W or any of the entry level AR’s with my life. Not at this moment anyway. Few thousand more rounds. I’ll let you know.
Where do you find a deal for this money? Dunham’s is asking $550.00 today only.
Awesome post thank you for sharing
I have a few smith and wesson I can tell you great customer service had a couple parts fail on my ar -15 piston they sent them no proublem or questions asked . The last time I called they said we so not make that fun anymore it is just a little clip that failed on the gas tub, so they sent me a whole bag of them. I proubly have 100,000 rounds through this gun over the years . Good products great company why I always come back
Why of all things would S&W skimp on handguards? No heatshields? Why? I don\’t think I\’ve ever seen ANY AR15 milspec style handguard without heat shields. I shoot a lot of rapid fire so this would be a big deal for me. Anyone who\’s fired off a few 30 rd mags quickly knows handguards get hot quick. Buying a new rifle/carbine that immediately needs new handguards is silly. S&W, put heat shields in the handguards and don\’t let this be an issue. Seriously.Molded hammer? Why? Weigh/dollart savings vs risk = not worth the risk to me.I wouldn\’t buy a barrel that is chrome lined so well done there. Carbine over midlength gas? Meh, I prefer midlength but to each his own. Once you\’ve compared the two side by side most people will take midlength.Can\’t attach an M203? LOL.S&W, thanks for making an inexpensive AR but spend an extra dollar and add heat shields and an all metal hammer.
Yeah not really the way to go. Kinda dated set up or kinda cheap vs affordable. Would it have killed them for a nice mid-length set up?
Heat shield for most is not an issue. Their trigger systems are better than any sub $1200 AR. If you like magazine dumps, triggers are the least of your worries. I also would like a mid-length gas system.
The MIM method of creating the hammers is not bad process, should match the quality of other methods. MIM is cheaper to mfg. Read up on it and you will give it an okay.
I have the original sport which I went with because of the barrel. The sport is accurate, noticeably so even for an average shooter. You will see tighter groups with various ammo.
@Russ H. Yeah this gun must really suck. Funny how I could not find one bad review either professional or from someone who actually owns one.
I have owned a Smith & Wesson, AR-15, for several years and it has proven to be a dependable rifle. It holds an excellent pattern, no jams, of course I keep it clean. I use it for hunting deer & coyotes. I like the selection of ammo that is available. I had to depend on the older M-16 in the service, we could only stack 18-rounds in the old 20-round mag, twenty rounds would cause it to jamb. When the M-16 became somewhat dirty, it would hang up; always had to clean. They were Colts.
You suck.
Well, the the heatshield makes no difference to me, although it might to you, as I take a bit more time ith my shots, and the molded hammer seems to work just fine. They are used in a number of fine firearms. Ever hear of Beretta?
Reminds me of the carping we endlessly heard about costcutting on Bill Ruger’s .22 semi-auto handgun until people (like myself) started winning matches with them. Yes, I upgraded it as I found the cash, and finally could afford a first-class High Standard, but Ruger got me going -and in the right direction- just fine.
This rifle is another example a great deal in an entry-level hit. If you know and want so much more, and can affford it, go out and buy it! No-one is holding you back. On the other hand, I got a better than decent deal (you don”t want to to hear how low the price was), or I would never have purchased it! Want more Americans try this platform? Then don’t about this smart package.
I just wonder if S&W will ever do a free or reduced conversion on the original Sport, To make it a II (Add dust cover and Forward Assist) I was one of the “Suckers” that bought it.
That’s the reason I didn’t buy it. When if first came out no dust cover and forward assist. Instead I bought the Ruger AR556.
I don’t like the shiny finish on the barrel either. The Ruger is more of a dull military finish and is all mil-spec.
Foolish comment! Suckers buy roll marks! I believe many fanboys are upset that the Sport is more accurate than their over priced “mil-spec” AR.
If you picture yourself as a tacticool type, then I can see why you would care about the dust cover and FA. Neither of which is needed for the majority of shooters. The FA is ugly, gets caught up on stuff, and is unneeded. The “silent” chambering of a round is silly. It can be done without the FA. In fact, I will be buying upper receivers that DO NOT have the FA. They look much better.
If you want to sell your “sucker” Sport, let me know.
Ten years ago if you had told me a new AR15 would cost less than a new AKM, I would have thought you a fool. I don’t know if this is a “thanks Obama”-thing because ARs are now so cheap or if it’s a “thanks Bush”-thing for making AK kits more expensive.
I considered an M&P Sport II when I was putting together my personal patrol rifle. My department insists on “trusted” brands for the rifles but allows officers to customize them. S&W is one of the trusted brands (the general issue rifles are all S&W), and it wouldn’t be a big deal to get a Sport II, strip it down to its receivers, and sell off anything I was going to replace. Eventually I just bought a new Ruger lower for $99 and went from there, but I like the integral trigger guard on the Sport II.
To ro: DPMS warranty is 3 years, Delton & Smith unlimited. Even with the best products it’s the tiny things that go wrong, break, or out of spec years later. DPMS has been good overall and I hear generally good things on Delton but Smith warranty reports have been exceptionally good the last 10 years. I had a fairly new Smith mag spring/follower get messed up so they simply sent me entire new mag, free. No company can give away finished goods over time if they are defective – this can only be done when products have very low error rate. Although no company is perfect, I value such “little-stuff” service greatly, so I lean towards Smith.
I have a DPMS Oracle that was tricked out with a quad rail, red-green optical sights and a forearm attached handle like a Thompson for around $700 five years ago. I just noticed the standard rifle with factory rebate is only around $375.
So now we’re not only mispronouncing Hornady but misspelling it as well? Seriously?
I am very happy with my SW Sport II that I picked up for 585, I added a Nikon P 223 4x scope. I will eventually change out the hand guard. Until then I will have a great deal of accurate shooting fun.
Put that scope on my Olympic AR. They make a great “team”.
I thought it said new. The sport 2 has been out forever.
What about S&W AR 308.
I want to know about an AR10 or15
in a 308 cal.
why push a cheap Smith (no ten cent piece of aluminum in the handguard….please….what do you take us for?) when you can have a cheap $400 AR (with a heat shield)….is the name worth more (I’ll answer that for 200 Alex…..NO)? For most shooters of AR’s ….shop around, buy a $400 gun (Delton or DPMS Oracle) and spend the savings on ammo.
I just saw a S&W sport II on sale today for $469.99 you can get this rifle with Magpul furniture for $ 499.00 free shipping. Look on gun deals formerly Slicksguns! Much better rifle than DPMS not sure if it is better that Del Ton! The Warranty beats both hands down! S&W M&P sport II is best budget gun Imo..