Home Forums Hunting & Shooting AR and Tactical Rifles S&W M&P Sport II or Ruger AR-556?

What are your thoughts on these? I'm looking at them as a first AR and want a company with good customer service. Is one significantly better than the other, or is this purely a best price proposition? They are comparable in configuration and price and both seem to have a good rep in the low cost AR market segment.

Thanks in advance,
Expat

I don't own a Ruger, but the sport seems like a great value to me. I believe the Ruger uses non-standard part, which is bad in my book. The sport has a nitrided barrel, which is good in my book.

I don't know much about the Ruger, but we sell way more S&W's at the local shop, so that's what I bought for myself.

Mine has been a GREAT shooing rifle.


Virgil B.

No experience with the Ruger but my brother bought the M&P Sport. It has a Green Mountain barrel and shoots really great, especially for what he paid for it, which was $500 or just over, at one of those special seasonal sales.

The Ruger uses non-standard parts. Buy the Sport.

If you can swing a little extra $, look into a Colt LE6920 and not worry about non-standard parts or quality. Mil-Spec and CHF chrome lined barrel.

It's good to know about the proprietary parts on the Ruger. Thanks Gents!

I have the AR556 an love it. Not sure what parts are "non-standard", but I have dropped a few new aftermarket parts in to replace stock stuff and had no problems.

fyi..

dave

What parts of the Ruger are proprietary?





Dave

Must be the upper because Ruger sells the stripped lowers to assemble with mill spec parts

The front sight and gas block. I've got a Ruger AR556 and the fact that the front sight isn' mil-spec makes absolutely no difference to me. If I change the rifle at all, it'll be to put an entirely new upper on it.

Good to know. THX.

It has been reported by several gunwriters that the Ruger has a proprietary barrel nut for use with a threaded delta ring.

Get 'em while they are hot.

https://shop.whittakerguns.com/

I own a Ruger AR. If I had to do it all over again, I'd go with the Smith. I had to send my AR back because magazines wouldn't fully seat. I don't know what they did. It works flawlessly now and is plenty accurate.

My S&W is not a Sport but it is a M&P. Trigger was "ok" but much better now that I've replaced it. Shoots great, no complaints. .300BLK.

My opinion is not worth a much as I dont have either. Just a few impressions on the companies.

Ruger has what I think is the best customer service in the industry. Unfortunately it seems to get used quite a lot more than the old days. The non-standard part is just one trivial piece and being cynical guy I am, I question why people toss that out without explanation. Ruger bashing or lazy?

Smith Wesson took over Thompson Center, supposedly for the barrel making technology. TC is or was tops for accuracy. S&W does a still does a fairly good job on triggers and finish with revolvers. All things more/less equal, I lean toward S&W.

Colt is over priced, for everything. SAA revolvers on up the line, it is just a Name. I do own a colt AR, its fine. I know I over paid and dont care.

If I was the OP (and not living in Canada), I would proabbly jump on one of those $499 S&W, good price. But, not without a close personal inspection of both. Some of these AR have a cheap feel. I would like to handle and shake them in my hand. I dont care for loose fitting uppers or rattly butt stocks. I am not familiar with the sights, I think that would need an in person examination. These guns can be safely dry fired. I would try both side by side. Some ar15 are just so horrible, you cannot believe it. When coyote, says "OK" that might be a big step up over the other guy. Might not?

When I said my S&W M&P trigger was "ok", it was in direct comparison to my Rock River LAR-15 lower. The Rock River was the third RRA I've had experience with (bought two for daughters) and mine was by far the worst of the three.

While I could have lived with the S&W trigger as it came from the factory, the aftermarket trigger that replaced it is a big improvement. The RRA trigger was also replaced. One now has a Ruger 453 Elite trigger ($109) and the other a CMC (?) trigger I purchased at a gun show for about $160. Don't recall which rifle has which trigger.

That's a good deal.

I own both the M&P and the AR556. Both are very good rifles for the money. Of the two I have, the Ruger has a better finished appearance to me. Just my opinion. I actually like the way the handgaurd is attached on the Ruger. You can easily remove to clean under, even if scoped. The S&W has a 1/9 twist compared to a 1/8 twist in the Ruger if that makes a difference to you. Check their websites to verify twist as I am stating this by memory and its not what it used to be. Both had very mil-spec triggers and I replaced both with Geissele triggers. I would buy either one again, price probably being the deciding feature. Both barrels foul and clean the same as best as I can tell.I paid more than $499 for both rifles. That's a very good deal that was listed at Whittaker's.

my s&w is a pretty nice entry level gun. out the door was right under 6 bills. i just stuck a scope on it last weekend and need to sight it in saturday. i also have the 15/22 with a leupold scout scope which is a nice package as well. them AR's really tear up the backstops. thanksgiving around my house sounded like a war zone.