Spent 200 rounds on the 50-yard spot at the range (Bracken) yesterday, and the weather was hot and sunny with a very slight breeze blowing right-to-left across the firing lanes.
Mechanically, my new M&P15 is flawless. I was using one MagPul 30-round magazine, and one metal 30-round magazine. The first round I chambered was a little sticky going in, but firing the weapon cured that issue. All 100 rounds fired, and all 100 casings ejected without issue. I inspected the spent casings for deformities caused by the chamber/eject process, and found none. When ejected, the both magazines fell from the mag well without any apparent binding.
I postioned the windage aperture at center, and began shooting. I was firing 3-shot groups to get it sighted in. At Bracken, they put up four targets per firing line position, and I fired a three-shot group at each bullseye. Each group fell into about a 2-inch circle that as 5 inches right and 2 inches up. To get the windage correct, I had to move the aperature about half-way between center and full left. It looks to me like either the front sight is off, or the MagPul rear sight is off. It should not have been that radical of an adhjustment at 50 yards, especially considering the slight breeze should have pushed the round in the OTHER direction. To answer the sight problem, a friend of mine is loaning me a laser bore-sighter, so I'm leaving this as a "Hmmm", rather than a "goddammit".
After getting sighted in, I fired two full magazines in at a rapid enough rate of fire that wouldn't get the attention of the range master - about one round every second (Bracken has a no-rapid-fire rule). The barrel became so hot that I couldn't touch it, and the handguard was approaching realm of being uncomfortably warm. It looks like I'm going to have to consider using gloves if I spend any considerable time at the range with this rifle.
Overall, I really like the weapon, and would ENTHUSIASTICALLY recommend it to anyone searching out a factory-built AR-15.
Planned upgrades include a Troy industries rear flip-up sight, and a Yankee Hill gas block/flip-up front (with sling swivel but without a bayonet lug), a trigger guard that allows use of gloves, and maybe a MagPul AFG. I haven't decided whether or not to get a scope for it, but if I do, it won't be any of the "big names' because I simply can't afford one of those, and I won't be using it often because I actually prefer iron sights.
Note: Another shooter at the range said he'd just recently heard about this rifle, and after seeing, handling and shooting mine, had pretty much talked himself into getting one. (He liked the dark earth furniture, too.)
Mechanically, my new M&P15 is flawless. I was using one MagPul 30-round magazine, and one metal 30-round magazine. The first round I chambered was a little sticky going in, but firing the weapon cured that issue. All 100 rounds fired, and all 100 casings ejected without issue. I inspected the spent casings for deformities caused by the chamber/eject process, and found none. When ejected, the both magazines fell from the mag well without any apparent binding.
I postioned the windage aperture at center, and began shooting. I was firing 3-shot groups to get it sighted in. At Bracken, they put up four targets per firing line position, and I fired a three-shot group at each bullseye. Each group fell into about a 2-inch circle that as 5 inches right and 2 inches up. To get the windage correct, I had to move the aperature about half-way between center and full left. It looks to me like either the front sight is off, or the MagPul rear sight is off. It should not have been that radical of an adhjustment at 50 yards, especially considering the slight breeze should have pushed the round in the OTHER direction. To answer the sight problem, a friend of mine is loaning me a laser bore-sighter, so I'm leaving this as a "Hmmm", rather than a "goddammit".
After getting sighted in, I fired two full magazines in at a rapid enough rate of fire that wouldn't get the attention of the range master - about one round every second (Bracken has a no-rapid-fire rule). The barrel became so hot that I couldn't touch it, and the handguard was approaching realm of being uncomfortably warm. It looks like I'm going to have to consider using gloves if I spend any considerable time at the range with this rifle.
Overall, I really like the weapon, and would ENTHUSIASTICALLY recommend it to anyone searching out a factory-built AR-15.
Planned upgrades include a Troy industries rear flip-up sight, and a Yankee Hill gas block/flip-up front (with sling swivel but without a bayonet lug), a trigger guard that allows use of gloves, and maybe a MagPul AFG. I haven't decided whether or not to get a scope for it, but if I do, it won't be any of the "big names' because I simply can't afford one of those, and I won't be using it often because I actually prefer iron sights.
Note: Another shooter at the range said he'd just recently heard about this rifle, and after seeing, handling and shooting mine, had pretty much talked himself into getting one. (He liked the dark earth furniture, too.)
