Which AR-15 Carbine do you like best?

[mythaeus]

Originally Posted by Cole

If you had the choice between a stock Rock River Entry Tactical at $925 or the S&W M&P15 at $985, which would you recommend?

Cole,
I looked at RRA and S&W seriously when I was looking for an AR. As a matter of fact, I was looking at the 2 "higher" models, the RRA DEA and the M&P15T. I ended up with an M&P15T because it came up on a sale through Marketplace at an affordable price for me at the time.

I had 2 problems with the M&P15T:
1. Magpul Pmags didn't fit. I sent it back and S&W repaired it after they blamed Magpul. It turned out that there were a batch of 15T's that didn't quite fit the claimed "mil-specs".

2. They returned the gun without the bolt catch assembly can you believe it? Instead of asking to send the gun back, they sent me the parts to do it myself. Before I could get the parts, I was playing with the safety and the freakin' thing just broke! I called them and they sent me a box. In the end, they fixed everything and replaced a bunch of internals to make the gun better. It's flawless now.

The one thing was happy about was that S&W honored their warranty regardless of who owns who the gun.

I don't know if my experience would have been better or worse with RRA, but it was my experience. Despite the hiccups, I love the M&P15T because it's 100% reliable, accurate, and just so dang beautiful to look at.

Al

[mythaeus]

Originally Posted by danp

I've heard many good things about the RRA guns from many people over time. I haven't heard much about the S&W guns. That isn't to say they are bad, just that they are new and I don't think many people have gotten their hands on 'em yet.

In the end there probably isn't that much of a difference.

Bold is mine. I agree with Dan here. After all the research that I did, this was my conclusion. I firmly believe these are equally good, it's a matter of availability and affordability.

For good measure, here's mine Dan


Al

[Kaos]

The M&P is a better choice than the rock river, for various reasons. If you have the choice, go with the smith. We can elaborate on this if the discussion takes that turn.

They even have a magpul MOE version of it now at the same price point that gives you a pmag, an MOE stock, MOE handguard and MBUS flip sights.

You might find in any mfg that a bad batch goes out here or there but Smith will make it right no matter what.

[Luny421]

Personally bought a Stag Arms Stag-15 Model 2 and love it...of course i got it pretty cheap (~$800). only put about 200-250 rounds through it. PMAGs fit fine. one thing i learned in the shopping process was to make sure whether it is chambered in 5.56 or 223 - it makes a difference. I'm no firearms expert, just my 2 cents

[cms81586]

I really prefer the Colt LE6920 and LE6921 (SBR) for my go-to AR and I have a LE6520 Govt LTWT for my wife since she likes how light it is. Both AR's are great but the 6520 is really a nice KISS carbine if you're shying away from the current trend to put a ton of accessories on an AR to make it weigh as much as a M-14.

CMS

[DaveM55]

M4 Comparison Chart and Explanation of Desirable Features

http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?k...=5&output=html