about to buy a mp ar15...need help on which one and i have some questions......help

[gregp]

pretty much what it says..im looking to buy an ar15 and ive decided to go with a sw mp ar15....i dont want to go with the sport model, i was liking the tactical model with chrome barrel and flip up sights with 10 inch floating quad rail..

my question is this..that set up online looks like it goes for around 1400..its a couple hundred cheaper to go with the melinite barrel instead of chrome..

i am going to buy the fore grip that has the flashlight holder and also has a botton that turns it into a bi-pod..this takes up almost 3 inches on the quad rail...the tactical comes with covers for the quad..i was thinking that i would put the covers as close as they could be with the grip set up torwards the end..this way i could have room for my hand on it or to use the grip if i chose to and have plenty of room for the bi-pod and flashlight to be used...

my second question is about the flip up sights..i would like for them to be out of the way because i plan on putting some decent optics on the gun..i imagine with a scope on the gun that i wont be able to use the iron sights and will just have to keep them flipped down and only be able to use them if the scope was off??

if this is the case should i just go with a cheaper model than the tactical that is optics ready and just put a scope on the gun with no flip up sights ?

i really liked the ideal of the 10 inch floating quad rail for the extra room to have my hand or to use the grip..ive read it gets pretty cluttered on the dual rail some others come with? i see where you can buy floating quad rails for not very expensive but i didnt know how hard it would be to say put it on the optics ready model? or if i have to do anything besides just swithing the rail, because it has the spot for the front iron sights to be installed..

sorry this is kinda long but just really have alot of unanswered questions to find out before i buy one...i want one with chrome barrel, forward assist, and dust cover so the sport is out of the questions

thanks in advance

[Injunbro]

Welcome to the forum. What kind of scope are you planning on using? I have a red dot on my M&P 15 (Sport) & the factory rear sight folds down out of the way but @ the tap of a button flips up & I can use the iron sights by looking though the scope. All that was required was a $15 riser. Some people like the forward assist but in the rare case where the bolt doesn't go all of the way forward there's plenty of room to bump it w/ a finger & finish the job. Often a solid bump w/ the forward assist only jams a stuck round deeper & makes extraction harder. When you get yours set up we'd enjoy a picture & a range report.

[gregp]

Welcome to the forum. What kind of scope are you planning on using? I have a red dot on my M&P 15 (Sport) & the factory rear sight folds down out of the way but @ the tap of a button flips up & I can use the iron sights by looking though the scope. All that was required was a $15 riser. Some people like the forward assist but in the rare case where the bolt doesn't go all of the way forward there's plenty of room to bump it w/ a finger & finish the job. Often a solid bump w/ the forward assist only jams a stuck round deeper & makes extraction harder. When you get yours set up we'd enjoy a picture & a range report.

Wasn't really set on a specific scope yet...wanted something to sight in at about 100yd range..I was thinking maybe an eotech with an eotech 3x magnifier also that I could flip out of the way for close shooting or flip and use the magnifier for longer..with that id imagine id just get optics ready model to save a lil money...but that setup is from 1000 to 1200..so didn't know if id would be better to just buy something else for the 1000 dollar price range..

Does anyone have the grip/light holder/bipod on the standard dual rail? Its takes up 2.75 inches ..didn't know if that still left room for your hand on the rail or if you would have to only use the grip..

Also is chrome lined barrel worth the extra money? Since I believe they both have a lifetime warranty ..

I don't want to really say price doesn't matter but im not in too big of a hurry to build this thing so id rather build it solid and not wish I had gotten other options later when its too late

[gregp]

Ok just talked to my buddy who just got back from Afghanistan and he said to just go with the optics ready to save money cause that's all id use ...he said he never really used the forward assist and always kept his dust cover down anyways..

Also he said no need for longer tactical rail since all I would need is the foregrip and when he didn't use the grip in his he would place his hand on the mag well and not the dual rail anyway..

I still like to have chrome barrel though so its looking like it most cost effective to just get the optics ready with chrome lining that comes with forward assist and dust cover even though I might not use them but still have them there in case since they come with the chrome lined barrel anyway..and the standard dual rail it comes with will be plenty for all I need...

But any more input would be great still.. and if anyone is using that eotech dual setup above...

[rdct]

I have an M&P15 ORC that I'm almost finished customizing. Took me a year to save up for everything but it was well worth the upgrades and I'm very happy with the outcome. First thing I added were troy flip up sights so I could at least bring it to the range and fire it, not to mention it was time well spent getting practice with the iron sights. Next I wanted a quad rail and was new to all this so went with a non free float Troy because it's super easy to install, rock solid and I wasn't mounting my red dot on it anyhow. The forward grip came next and I chose a grip pod because it doubles as a bipod and seems to work really good. Now onto the red dot, I did tons of research on them and it came down to Aimpoint or Eotech. I picked Aimpoint's comp m4s due to the eight year battery life, I do like the look of the Eotech though. Found A great deal on an Aimpoint 3x mag with a twist mount but had some clearance issues with it working with the red dot. I found out Aimpoint makes a forward spacer for the qrp2 mount that came with the comp m4s so after installing one everything worked great. Besides just fun at the range this rifle is my primary home defense or (shtf) weapon so it needed a tactical light. At my price point the streamlight trl1s was a no brainer and I love it. Almost forgot about the hogue grip and I don't know how because it really changed the cheap plastic feel from the stock one. Oh and if you take the 3x mag off (takes under 2 seconds to take it off) you can flip up your rear sight and your buis will cowitness with your red dot.Next thing to go on mine is the stock, I find it very uncomfortable. I live in Connecticut so I'm not allowed to have a collapsible stock unless its pinned so haven't bothered with it yet. If you do buy an m&p15 you wont be disappointed its a great gun. I got about 1000 rnds through mine trouble free and get really good grouping considering I haven't shot in about 15 years. Good luck with your project and hope some of this info helped you out!

S&W M&P15 5.56 with four 30 rnd mags and one 10 rounder $699+tax (sweet deal!)
Troy flip up sights $250
Aimpoint Compm4s with qrp2 mount $720
Forward spacer for qrp2 mount $60
Flip up Aimpoint front lense cover $20
Aimpoint 3xmag $300 (half price!)
Troy quad rail $120+tax
grip pod $100
Hogue grip $20
Streamlight trl1s $108

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[Injunbro]

Both barrels do have a lifetime warrenty for defects but this doesn't mean they won't wear out eventually (they're good for a few thousand rounds & most people never wear one out). Of course one of the beauties of the AR is the ability to swap parts (including shot out barrels) quickly & easily. A light is very handy if you have the possibility of shooting it @ night... just remember some of the things that go 'bump' in the night could be your family & the muzzle points where the light does. I don't think you'd go wrong w/ either an Eotec or Aimpoint, both are very good scopes, I also like the Trijicons. As far as the foregrip, I find the mag well the natural place to carry my rifle & don't put my hand on the forearm anyway... but everyone isn't built like a keg of nails & other people like different setups. A bipod would be very handy for prone or bench shooting but adds weight & changes the balance if you shoot offhand. The cool thing is there are unlimited ways to make your gun suit your wants & needs, we sure wouldn't object to a few pictures of yours when you get it set up.

[gregp]

Well I got the m&p x...one with troy flip up rear with quad rail..so far put a grip/bipod on it with a flashlight/strobe in front of it..don't have $1200 to spend on optics so bought Bushnell trs-25 and also sightmax( I think) 3x magnifier with flip to side mount from cheaper than dirt and also 3 dif size risers to play around with how I wanna set it up ..also a couple pmags with the clear windows and a bore laser..

Read good reviews on these optics so we shall see what I get for the price

Also taking it to the local shop for a single point sling this week..

Should have it all together this weekend so ill post pics when I do

[gregp]

* sightmark 3x mag with flip to side mount..also got the ar with chrome lined barrel