I've watched damn near every gun vid on Youtube.. Every torture test.. Every review.. I've watched vids on guns I have and don't have...
As far as AR15s.. I've come to the conclusion that my M&P15 is top 3 on the market for ARs... It wins in damn near every comparison video there is... Torture test.. Performance test...
I think I paid about $600 or so for mine minus the Magpul upgrades.. It ranks right up there with and even above a lot of ARs that cost 3X as much..
While in the store I bought it strictly because the barrel was the thickest out of everything on the rack.. It stood out.. It was my second firearm I ever bought.. Its what got me into guns..
I owned a no name AR years before I got that M&P. I also sold that no name AR years before I got my M&P..
I've never had a malfunction with my M&P.. Not 1.. I haven't cleaned it since I bought it a few years ago.. Once I realized what I had bought my goal was to shoot it as much as possible to see how long it could go before it started failing..
I know I've shot over 1000 rounds thru it.. Less then 3000 rounds thru it.. Not 1 cleaning.. I havent oiled it.. Nothing...
Sorry but it isn't close to being top 3 in anything. S&W even sells better AR's than that sport model.
Also the only AR the M&P beat in the meltdown was the psa I believe. Those tests while entertaining aren't real world firing schedules either.
Long term and out of the box accuracy it won't compete with others. Noveske stainless barrels have shown long term accuracy test of still 1 moa after 15,000 rounds.
Long term parts durability probably won't be there either. The fact that it's a carbine length already puts it a disadvantage to mid length. More pressure, more impulse, etc faster part wear. They use 4140, mim parts, etc. Just not as high quality material from the start on some parts. Also ergonomically it being a carbine fsb also puts it at a disadvantage imo.
There isn't really anything wrong with it for the normal person but it really isn't just as good as or better. Btw 1000 rounds isn't a lot. I've done that in a single range trip.
I can guarantee it wouldn't hold up like this BCM. Also keep in mind this is a very aggressive firing schedule and parts would have lasted longer with a less aggressive schedule.
BCM "Filthy 14"
IN SERVICE
We received the carbine in late 2008 and put #14 into service shortly thereafter.
At Brady, Texas, in March 2009, it suffered a malfunction, which was reduced with Immediate Action. The bolt was wiped down at 6,450 rounds.
At Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, in May 2009, it had several failures to extract, and the extractor spring was replaced at 13,010 rounds. This is far beyond the normal extractor spring life under these conditions.
At Wamego, Kansas, in June 2009, two bolt lugs broke at 16,400 rounds. We replaced the BCG. Considering the firing schedule, this is within normal parameters.
At Columbus, Ohio, in November 2009, we had several failures to extract at 24,450 rounds. The shooter gave it a field cleaning and replaced the extractor and extractor spring.
At 28,905 rounds, we finally cleaned Filthy 14. As part of our year-end maintenance schedule, we inspect and replace parts as necessary. Filthy 14 looked like the inside of the crankcase of Uncle Ed’s ’49 Packard. It was disgusting to look at and contaminated everything near it, somewhat like the toner cartridges for old printers.
I plopped it into a parts washer filled with Slip 725 parts cleaner, and 20 minutes later it was clean. Mostly clean, anyway.
We have never used a bore brush in the barrel of this gun. We did run a patch down the barrel twice, but that was all. At 50 yards it still shoots two-inch groups, and we understand that it might not at 100 yards and beyond, but we are happy with the fact that, even at 50 yards, the gun is capable of tighter groups than most of the people running it.
We have never used a chamber brush in this gun either. We were often told that this was an absolute must.
Sure…
At the last class in Casa Grande, Arizona, at approximately 30,000 rounds, we had several failures to extract. We replaced the extractor spring and wiped down the BCG.
By the time you read this, we’ll likely have another 3,000 to 4,000 rounds through Filthy 14. At that point we’ll probably retire it. We’ll reuse the LaRue rail, the sights and, after rebuilding the lower, and replace that old and well-worn mid length upper with something else."
