Buying an AR-15...

[O4L]

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Just a few things to note:

M&P15 Sport is an odd duck, because they seem to have a good quality 1-7 twist barrel, but everything else is cheap.
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Care to elaborate on the "cheap" parts used in the M&P?

 

[Neanderthal]

I've built and shot a lot of AR's. I'd recommend putting together your own. It's simple, but you can learn a lot about them in the process. Check out Fat Boy Tacticals website. They ship and you'll play hell beating their prices...PLUS, you're supporting local.

However, if you're dead-set on it being one of the two that you mentioned, I prefer the S&W.

 

[Owasso]

I have an M&P Sport. I have owned it for a couple of years. It has a 1/9 twist melonite barrel. I love it. When I was looking for a rifle at sports world, my friend who worked their at the time asked what i intended to use the AR for? I responded coyotes, pigs, and plinking. After showing me everything they sold at the time, he told me the S&W sport will do everything you want. He advised me to spend the extra money on optics and ammo. I am glad i took his advice. My Sport will shoot a variety of 55 grain ammo to 1 MOA or less. I rides one the front of my ATV and in my truck and rarely clean it. The only mods I have made are a JP trigger spring kit, and a Nikon P223 optic. I prepared to spend twice as much. I am glad I did not. I have also built an AR, it is nice gun, but it does not shoot any better than my M&P Sport. I have never had a failure of any kind. Good luck.

 

[Gideon]

Care to elaborate on the "cheap" parts used in the M&P?

By "cheap" I don't mean bad, but they specifically designed it for the price point. It doesn't have a dust cover, it has the typical M4 furniture and Magpul sight that works just fine but that you'll probably end up replacing anyways. Also, apparently the newer ones have 1-9" rifling, and they've stopped using the 5R rifled melonite coated barrels.

If you want an affordable rifle for a first go, it's good to go. I just tend to recommend that people spend a couple of hundred more dollars, get a BCM upper and build a lower with the furniture and trigger that you want. It might cost you $800 instead of $650, but you'll get more of your dollars worth if you use the thing regularly.

 

[Jwryan84]

Palmetto Premium upper, then pick your lower and get an lower build kit.

 

[TSQUARE]

As SirROFL said, the Ruger has a proprietary gasblock and delta ring. Skip the ruger if you plan on doing anything past a drop in quad rail. Other than that, they are a solid rifle. I'd look at the Colt 6920 OEM-2. Its a stripped down version. You add the stock, rail, and sights you want.

 

[NikatKimber]

Build one from Fat Boys

Total $643.85

$79.95 - Anderson Forged Upper/Lower Combo
$109.95 - FBT 16" Light Weight Mid Length 1:8 223 Wylde
$84.50 - M16 5.56/.223 Complete Bolt and Carrier Group, MPI Tested
$139.00 - Fat Boy MF Minimalist Lower Build Kit, Black
$17.95 - FBT Low Profile Gas Block, .750, Black Nitride
$12.95 - Mid-Length Gas Tube
$15.95 - AR-15 Charging Handle
$7.99 - A2 Flash Hider, 5.56, 1/2 x 28
$104.95 - UTG PRO 13" Super Slim Free Float Handguard
$10.99 - Forward Assist Assembly
$6.50 - Ejection Port Cover Assembly
$53.17 - Fat Boy Tactical Sales Tax (approx)

Under $650 total, lightweight midlength barrel, free float modular handguard, upgraded stock and grip. Add sling, mags, and sights of your choice and go.

They have P-mags for $10.50, grab 3 of those and a set of MagPul MBUS front and rear sights for another ~$125.

 

[Dirty Dave]

PSA rifle kit is hard to beat. You can build a complete gun for $450. I've had 2 SW sports and they were awesome. But they were $600 a pop. Hell I just got the email from PSA today they had the slick side kit for $299. You can build a complete gun for $350 after you get the lower. It doesn't get any cheaper than that. Just get something before you regret it. You never know what's going to happen with the government these days.

 

[SMS]

Ruger is too proprietary and to hell with a polymer receiver option.

S&W isn't bad if you don't feel like piecing together your own. PSA does seem to make decent stuff...decent enough for my oldest boy to get a few 500 yard hits with his hobby build PSA upper/bolt mated to a Spikes lower.

 

[COZICAN]

There was a Colt 6920 on here for $900 yesterday. Cant go wrong there. No worries!