I just don't know why people are doggin' these guns. I bought one and it spits them shells out just like all the others will.

The only difference I can see... is on the price tag.

Lets see... it ain't got a dust cover. Well I don't see me sleeping in a foxhole any time soon.

Umm... it don't have a forward assist. Well, if I have a shell that refuses to chamber correctly, I'm gonna rack the bolt and move on to another shell. The last thing I would do is force it to chamber.

The barrel ain't chrome lined. Well, lets see. It is lined with a Melonite Coating (64-68 rockwell hardness) instead of chrome (69-71 rockwell hardness). There is not that much difference. The barrel is still marked .223 / 5.56.

I think I'll keep my S&W and ya'll can have your mom and pop build AR's

I think I'll keep my S&W and ya'll can have your mom and pop build AR's

There are some folks out there (myself included) who will not buy S&W because they joined forces with the Clinton administration to limit gun rights.

There are some folks out there (myself included) who will not buy S&W because they joined forces with the Clinton administration to limit gun rights.

Gravy,
S&W is a different company now and has new ownership. When it got into bed with the Clinton's it was owned by Tomkins PLC a British firm who made a play into trying to become the majority supplier of LEO's weapons. They're gone and they have a new managament team and are part of new holding company. So far they've done better but when things like the Sport show up it makes you think that some of the guys who got S&W into a crack are still in place.
You should be more PO'ed at Ruger. Bill is dead and his son has provided much better leadership than daddy. Bill tried to get into bed with the Clinton's and was a factor in the so called assault weapon ban. He was a force in the 10 mag limit and wanted every assault weapon banned except the Mini 14 with a 10 round mag which would have benefited him.

I'm still not sold that these guns need dust covers. To me that is just theatrics. My Ruger 77 ain't got one nor does anything else I have, and I dang sure ain't gonna be sleeping in no dog-gone fox hole. Theatrics...

If you think that Smithy is up to par with some of these "mom and pop builds" you are wrong. There is a reason those mom and pop builds cost double (sometimes triple or more) the cost of the Smithy. In the event we find our selves in some sort of conflict right here on our own soil I want the best gun I can afford. A custom built mom and pop build built by me fits that criteria perfectly!

I have never shot the Smithy so I wont knock it but I have seen plenty of reveiws from people that have shot and/or owned them and the reviews are pretty mixed.

BOO

i couldn't take it anymore

I like my S&W and I am proud to have an AR. It is the best I can afford. Heck, I had to sell two guns to be able to get the one I got. Maybe in a few months or years I will hae a different way of thinking, but as of right now, i like it.

I'm still not sold that these guns need dust covers. To me that is just theatrics. My Ruger 77 ain't got one nor does anything else I have, and I dang sure ain't gonna be sleeping in no dog-gone fox hole. Theatrics...

kd, lets talk about this and with all due respect you will learn something. What you refer to as mom and pop really mean amateur builders. Some of these pops build stuff that exceeds anything out there on the open market or some will specify components for the pros to build truly exceptional stuff.
The beauty of the AR platform is that with a few hundred dollars worth of tools a few videos and a few hours of instruction you too can become a competent gunsmith. I'm an amateur but if I'm wrong I want to know about and it. I'm willing to learn and take advice which I think is good.
Here's the problem with the S&W Sport. First it's not the M&P Tactical and there are features of it which are of concern. It's strictly an entry level weapon in all respects and you can think of it as the S&W Sigma equivalent in a rifle. If S&W carried over the technology and specs from CMT for the Sport then you do have a base for a nice weapon in the future. It's stricly a plinking weapon and I would trust it as defense weapon about as much as I would trust a Sigma.
Here are some of the problems. The barrel and bore are 4140 carbon steel unchromed which is an immediate red flag especially in the bore. Using melonite to harden the barrel is interesting but to my knowledge is unproven. What I think they are doing is making a cheaper barrel with the Melonite process which they already have in place. I'm already worried about extraction even though melonite is supposed to reduce friction.
Then there is the bolt itself. What you probably don't know is that the bolt is really an expendable and in the military is supposed to be replaced every 7500 rounds. IMHO the bolt is the weak part of the design. Mil parts are Carpenter 180 steel which is case hardened and then finished to very tight specs. Not only must the bolt specs be perfect but the case hardening must be as well otherwise if it's overdone then it becomes too brittle and will fail or deform. In the Sport from what I've read at least the bolt if not the entire carrier is chromed. Chrome is fine but very expensive if done well. IMHO it also adds size that makes lock up in the most precise part of the weapon difficult. If done cheaply it will flake and then you'll have real problems. I'm not sure why S&W did this other than they were concerned about the functionality. In short I don't think the bolt will hold up that well under prolonged shooting. Just my two cents. I play with these things for fun but smurf and Dallas have done or do it for a living.
When these things fail they often don't give you a lot of warning. I've always thought of the AR platform in terms of no matter what you're using it for, it should always the capacity of being a SHTF weapon as well. This one does not.

[quote=kdmason]
If your gun doesnt have a dust cover and you are OK with that then thats fine. But to label them "theatrics" shows a lack of understanding of the gun.

KD.
What Companies are you refering to by "Mom-Pop" ?

....Do you Mean Larue Tactical, Lewis Machine and Tool, Yankee Hill Machine, Bravo Company, Spikes, Noveske, LWRC, POF ???

Let me tell ya... it don't take much to understand what the dust cover is for. And you have no idea what I understand and what I don't understand. I understand that your comment was not worth the time it took you to type it out. I understand that we are not in the middle east and we are not in the military. Do you understand that? I don't give camel turds if you don't like the way I label your theatrical dust cover or not.

Know what else?.... nevermind.
K

Until I started looking at buying an AR I had never heard of any of the businesses you mentioned. But again... my point was that the companies building them are small(er) businesses in comparision to ... um... Savage, Ruger, Mossburg. I said nothing about their knowledge or product quality.