M&P15OR vs M&P 15 Sport

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waymore

New member
Now I know the M&P 15 Sport model has done some things to cut back cost to allow an affordable quality product for entry lever consumers. I am wondering what is the difference between the sport model and the M&P15OR. It sound like the OR model can be had for about $150 more. Is the OR model a better quality gun? what would be the reasons to pay the extra money over the sports model? what features/ quality differences are there? I ask this because reading through several threads on the M&P 15 Sport many people suggest to spend the extra money for the M&P15OR but don't don't list the reasons why.

Thank you
 
I don't see the Sport as a cost cutting product, but rather something more 'efficient' with your money.

Talked with a few soldiers and all said the forward assist really doesn't get used much, and the dust cover is only for...dusty conditions. Trigger guard is already enlarged. Bore is Melonited, similar function to chrome.

Personally I could care less if it's exactly 'mil-spec' so it suits me just fine.
 
Well sounds like one vote for the sport. Would anyone who has commented about the OR over the Sport in other threads want to give their 2 cents worth?
 
With the right sales, rebates, and most of all patience, you can find an OR for the same price or less than the sport. I got mine for $649 5 months ago at christmas. So why would I even think of getting a sport when I can get the much better quality for about the same price.

Now; if you're impatient, refuse to look around and shop, or go online; then I guess the sport is a decent alternative. Currently, CDNN has the M&P15; not the OR, it has a front sight on it and a carrying handle/sight; for $799. page 33. http://site.cdnninvestments.com/CDNN2011-1/index.html

AND; if you're military; active, retired, or disabled, S&W has a $100 rebate. "Not on the Sport model". That brings the M&P15 down to $699. http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/...4_750001_750051_757803_-1_757797_757797_image

Bottom line: Nothing wrong with a sport. But when I can get a better model for the same price, I do it. Just like I would never pay $900+ for the smith. Because I can buy a Colt 6520 for $899. That's the problem with what people say about prices. They walk into a local gun shop; and base all their decisions off of that. Little do they know that they are paying WAY TOO MUCH. FWIW: My M&P15-OR I didn't buy online. I bought it at Sportsman's Warehouse in Loveland Colorado. Just got to be patient and you'll find the right deals happening.
 
With the right sales, rebates, and most of all patience, you can find an OR for the same price or less than the sport. I got mine for $649 5 months ago at christmas. So why would I even think of getting a sport when I can get the much better quality for about the same price.
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A few reasons to buy a Sport over an OR, depending on your needs:

1. The Sport comes ready to shoot with an F marked front sight base and detachable dual aperture rear sight. The OR has neither, so you would need to buy front and rear sights or optics to shoot your first round out of the OR. When comparing cost, add the cost of sights to the OR before deciding.

2. The OR barrel is a 1:9 twist, 6R rifling. The Sport barrel is a 1:8 twist, 5R rifling. The Sport's 1:8 twist barrel will stabilize heavier bullets than the OR. The 5R rifling gives a better gas seal and causes less deformation of the bullet jacket, which should provide higher velocity and better accuracy.

3. The OR barrel is chrome lined. The Sport barrel is melonite treated. Melonite treating provides a surface hardness comparable to chrome, but does not change the dimensions because it is not a lining. Melonite treatment should avoid the loss of accuracy that can sometimes result from chrome lining. The Melonite treatment will certainly be more wear and corrosion resistant that the unlined chromemoly barrels that some lower end AR's come with. The Melonite treatment also reduces friction between bullet and bore. The Melonite treated, 1:8 twist, 5R barrel on the Sport is, on paper, a higher quality barrel than the OR barrel. Time will tell how the two compare.

4. The other critical components appear to be identical (M4 feedramps, same BCG, S&W 6 position collapsible stock).

I was a first time AR buyer who was perfectly happy with iron sights, so the Sport made sense for me because it doesn't lack anything that I want in an AR and offers considerable quality for the price.
 
Good luck with your purchase. I'm still waiting on mine from Cabelas. I already own a M&P OR but at the price they are selling the Sport for, I couldn't resist ordering one.
 
I hope the comparison helps. I bought a Sport a few weeks ago and have 250 rounds of M193 through it with no problems. This is my first AR and I see why the platform is so popular. Very pleasant and enjoyable to shoot. Love the ergonomics.

Good luck with your purchase.
 
Here:

A few reasons to buy a Sport over an OR, depending on your needs:

1. The Sport comes ready to shoot with an F marked front sight base and detachable dual aperture rear sight. The OR has neither, so you would need to buy front and rear sights or optics to shoot your first round out of the OR. When comparing cost, add the cost of sights to the OR before deciding.
If you're looking just to shoot out of the box, you can get some decent sights, as good as the sports, for $50 or less. Sorry, not really a deal breaker. Of course, I did say patience. This is the key. 90% of people buying a new "TOY" are impatient.

2. The OR barrel is a 1:9 twist, 6R rifling. The Sport barrel is a 1:8 twist, 5R rifling. The Sport's 1:8 twist barrel will stabilize heavier bullets than the OR. The 5R rifling gives a better gas seal and causes less deformation of the bullet jacket, which should provide higher velocity and better accuracy.
This is definitely a bad excuse. Trust me; if you're the person who is so knowledgeable about AR's, and are going to be a major serious shooter, and you really know the difference between a 1:9 and 1:8 twist barrel, and not just repeating things you heard on the internet; then you wouldn't even be considering the M&P15 in the first place. You'd be looking at the 1:7 twist barrels on a Colt, BCM, LMT, Daniel, Nove, etc... Sorry, not even an issue for someone buying an M&P. Plus; the 1:9 twist is good for ANY ammo up to around 70 grain bullets. Anyone shooting anything heavier than that, probably is reloading, because you're mainly going to find 55 and 62 grain bullets in commercial ammo. Sometimes 75 grain. Again, the twist difference is not relevant for this type of buyer.

3. The OR barrel is chrome lined. The Sport barrel is melonite treated. Melonite treating provides a surface hardness comparable to chrome, but does not change the dimensions because it is not a lining. Melonite treatment should avoid the loss of accuracy that can sometimes result from chrome lining. The Melonite treatment will certainly be more wear and corrosion resistant that the unlined chromemoly barrels that some lower end AR's come with. The Melonite treatment also reduces friction between bullet and bore. The Melonite treated, 1:8 twist, 5R barrel on the Sport is, on paper, a higher quality barrel than the OR barrel. Time will tell how the two compare.
Definitely just an opinion. The melonite is definitely better at resisting corrosion than a chrome Moly, but not over chrome lined. As for accuracy, there is nothing that says or proved that melonite is better than real chrome. It's simply cheaper to produce. If it was better, colt, lmt, bcm, daniel, etc... would be using them.

4. The other critical components appear to be identical (M4 feedramps, same BCG, S&W 6 position collapsible stock).

I was a first time AR buyer who was perfectly happy with iron sights, so the Sport made sense for me because it doesn't lack anything that I want in an AR and offers considerable quality for the price.
As a first time AR buyer, you definitely would appreciate the cost of an M&P15-Sport. And for what the average first time AR owner would want, it's definitely a good deal. My point is/was/and will always be; the M&P15-OR is a BETTER RIFLE than the "Sport". Anyone who would disagree, really doesn't understand AR's. Now, is the OR worht $200-$300 difference in price; especially for the NOOB AR owner? Definitely NOT!!! However; as I mentioned in the previous post, if you are patient, can shop around, and can buy the M&P15-OR for the SAME PRICE, or LESS, than the SPORT, why would you even think of getting the SPORT? The OR is a BETTER rifle. Only the Impatient person wanting a rifle TODAY would try and rationalize getting the Sport over ANY of the other M&P15 line, IF THE TWO WERE AT THE SAME PRICE!!! If they aren't at the same price, that's a different story. If you can get the sport for significantly less than $650, then definitely go for it. But it's NOT the same quality as the M&P15 line of rifles.


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Christcorp - The point of my post was not that I am knowledgeable about AR's. As stated, I'm a first time buyer. For years I avoided AR's because of the cost. The Sport convinced me to give the platform a try and I'm happy that I made the jump.

However, I'm still not seeing a basis for this conclusion:

But it's NOT the same quality as the M&P15 line of rifles.
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The Sport shares most of the features of many of the M&P15 line, hence its name "M&P15 Sport." The Melonite treated barrel is showing up on AR's much more expensive than the Sport. In addition to the Sport, you can get a melonite treated barrel on:

This year's Sporting Illustrated's Rifle of the Year - the Bushmaster ACR for around $2,500.

The M&P 15T and 15FT, but their MSRP is $1,159. They also have the integrated trigger housing like the Sport.

I don't have a forward assist or a dust cover, but don't need those for my purposes. Otherwise every feature of the Sport can also be found on much more expensive rifles. So far, I've pulled the trigger on it 250 times. Its gone bang 250 times, cycled a new round every time, locked back on an empty mag every time that I emptied a mag and dropped empty mags free every time I hit the mag release. I've inspected the working parts every time I've cleaned it and there are no signs of unusual wear. It sighted in easily and shoots more accurately than me. If it does that for another 5,000 rounds or so, then I will more than have my money's worth out of the upper.

Eventually, I'd like a midlength gas system. Those seem to be getting more popular and more available. I figure in a few years I can slap a Spikes or BCM midlength upper on it. I suspect by then they will have learned a lesson from Smith and Wesson and started melonite treating their barrels, too.
 
First; don't use the Bushmaster as an example of quality. Bushmaster today, is in no way the SAME bushmaster of 20 years ago. They are not considered "Quality" when compared to most AR's. They are actually in the lower half. And many reviews are written with purchasers in mind. Take off ANY ACCESSORY; which you can obviously put on ANY RIFLE out there; and there isn't 1 bushmaster that is worth anywhere near $1000. But that's a totally different topic.

As for melonite, it's a process for hardening steel, and mainly to prevent rust and corrosion. The same reasoning behind Chrome lining and chrome moly. Each has their pros and cons. Plain steel barrels are the most accurate. However; they rust and corrode easily being untreated. Chrome moly is the next as for being more accurate, but it's simply chromium molybdenum alloy steel. Chrome lined is actually plated. It provides the best resistance to rust and corrosion, but it's a little less accurate. Chrome lined is the military standard and what all military AR's are spec'd to. Melonite is just another process, but it's also used to harden steel. It is used commonly on low and medium carbon steel as well as other steel. There is no proof pro or con if the rust and corrosion prevention properties are any better than chrome lined. One thing however; for the majority of shooters, you couldn't notice the difference in accuracy if you tried.

What's most important is; what is the base steel that the barrel is made of, and the quality in which it was made. Every M&P15 rifle can use 4140 steel to make their barrels, but that doesn't mean that every barrel in the M&P15 lineup is the same quality. And doing a melonite processing on an inferior barrel doesn't automatically make it a better barrel than a chrome or plain steel barrel made with higher quality. You'll find with the M&P15, that the Sport and the M&P15T are Melonite; but the majority of the others are Chrome lined. HOWEVER: You'll find that the M&P15PC is "STAINLESS STEEL". Much More Accurate. Corrosion prevention however sucks. But the PC line is the "Performance Center" line. They are the most accurate. They can all use the same steel and still not be the same quality. Meloniting something isn't going to make it better. Even the M&P15-Sports still chromes the bolt carrier group and gas key.

You asked why I say the M&P15-OR is better than the sport. First; realize that the M&P15-OR is basically the same as the 15-X, 15-MOE, and others; just without ANY of the accessories. The rifle is identical, except it has the basic hand guards, no sights, etc... It was designed for the individual or department that wants to customize it specifically a certain way. It is very common among law enforcement types to get the 15-OR style, because they have certain requirements. And according to S&W, these rifles are the same quality as the the 15-TS and 15-VTAC, except that those barrels are turned for a 1:7 twist instead of the 1:9.

Now; is there anything wrong with an M&P15-Sport? No, absolutely not. And no one here has heard me say any differently. But just like the quality of build and inspection is not the same between an M&P15 and a Noveske, neither is it the same between the M&P15-sport and the 15-OR/X/MOE/TS/VTAC. But does any of this matter? Not for most people it doesn't. Just like I have no need to spend $1200+ on a Noveske, instead, I bought the M&P15-OR.

Here's my ONLY POINT. Head to Head, the 15-Sport is about $200-$250 less than the OR/MOE/X line. With the right sale, and rebate from S&W, "WHICH DOESN'T INCLUDE THE SPORT MODEL"; you can get an OR for the same price, or cheaper, than the Sport model. And it IS better quality. Even throwing on a cheap set of iron sights, it CAN BE CHEAPER. And therefor, why would you pay the same price for the lower quality rifle if you can get the higher model for the same price? Now; if you don't think there's a quality difference, fine. But for some reason, even S&W has a suggested retail price that is about $300 different between the two. There must be some quality differences. It's not just $300 for a dust cover and forward assist. But again; with sales and rebates, you don't have to pay $300 difference between the two. You can get them for about the same price. Either way, as long as you're happy, that's what matters.
 
Either way, as long as you're happy, that's what matters.
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I think that we're both saying the same thing - I'm happy with my purchase because I spent three months looking before I bought and couldn't find an OR for less than $200 more than I paid for the Sport and that was a Bushmaster OR, which we both can agree is not even close to the same quality as a Smith OR. For the price that I paid for my Sport, I'm happy with what I got and believe that it is a good quality weapon for the reasons that I stated in previous posts. The Sport is new and only time will tell, but I'm willing to take the chance at that price.

You're right that if a Smith OR can be had for a price close to the Sport, then buying the OR makes sense, because you know that you're getting M&P15 quality. I own 3 Smith and Wesson M&P pistols and the M&P15 Sport. I continue to be impressed at the quality that Smith and Wesson is putting in its new offerings. The M&P name is building an excellent reputation in the market because of the pistols and now the AR's, so I assume that Smith would not risk the name's market value by selling an inferior weapon at any price under that name.
 
Good luck with your purchase. I'm still waiting on mine from Cabelas. I already own a M&P OR but at the price they are selling the Sport for, I couldn't resist ordering one.
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I have just spent about half an hour on cabelas page looking for a M&P15 Sport and I just cant find one. Did they sell all of them off or something?

I wanted one but I don't quite have the funds yet. Should be getting them soon but I cannot find a sport anywhere on the net for the low prices people keep quoting. Can I get a hand up here?
 
Im still a novice when it comes to stuff like this. Travy. what is LGS?

Edit: Just realized that LGS means local gun shop. Nevermind.
 
I
have just spent about half an hour on cabelas page looking for a M&P15 Sport and I just cant find one. Did they sell all of them off or something?
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S&W started shipping the Sport to distributors in March and it looks like they are selling as fast as they hit the stores/gun websites. I talked to a local gun shop about ordering one and they quoted me a price of $639. I didn't order at the time because I was still doing research. I stopped by the gun shop a couple of weeks later and they had just received one. They hadn't taken it out of the box yet. I bought it for $599. I have since seen one on display there, but the price is now up to $699.

My suggestion is that you check your local gun shops. If none have one in stock, see what price they quote for ordering one. My impression is that if they order one they can get it in pretty quickly.

At this point, its all about being in the right place at the right time. I think that Smith is shipping them as fast as they can, but they don't stay on the shelves for long. Cabela's ran a sale on them a few weeks back, but I understand that they sold out quickly. Some people have reported that Cabela's gave them rain checks for the sale price.
 
But just like the quality of build and inspection is not the same between an M&P15 and a Noveske, neither is it the same between the M&P15-sport and the 15-OR/X/MOE/TS/VTAC.
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How do you know this?

What I'm getting at, is the typical internet expert really has no first-hand experience with statements being made, unless they actually work at said factory.

Again, please tell me why the Sport is "less quality" than the other models. Materials used? Fit and finish? Tolerances?:confused:
 
I got mine

I had one special ordered from Cabela's of Gonzales, LA. They had a sale for $599 a month ago, but when I went to the the store they were all out and to satisfy a customer they had to special order it for me. :) However a month later, it still has not arrived and they don't have a delivery date. So yesterday, I stopped by the local gun shop to buy the wife a XDm and low and behold they have the Sport there for $599. The wife got her gun and I got mine. :D

Today, I went to the range and using the iron sights, zeroed it in at 50 yards using a bag on a bench rest. It took nine rounds to zero. 3 shot groups were between 1 to 1.5 inches. I moved the target to 100 yards and changed to sitting , standing and prone unsupported. I was hitting my ten inch target consistently. I'm very happy with the results so far. Only time will tell how good this M&P Sport (DSCF 1809) can be.

It's a great addition to my M&P OR (DSCF1805) :cool:
 

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