Smith & Wesson M&P15

Smith & Wesson M&P15
M&P15 PS piston AR with standard A2 grip, DPMS stock, added Magpul MOE hand guard, and PRI flip up sights
Type	Semi-automatic rifle
Place of origin	United States
Production history
Designer	Eugene Stoner
Designed	1957
Manufacturer	Smith & Wesson
Unit cost	$839–1,949 (MSRP)[1]
Produced	2006–present
Variants	Smith & Wesson M&P15-22
Specifications (M&P15)
Weight	3.06 kg (6.74 lb)
Length	813 mm (32 in) (collapsed) 889 mm (35 in) (extended)
Barrel length	406 mm (16 in)
Cartridge	5.56×45mm NATO/.223 Remington
Action	Gas-operated, rotating bolt
Rate of fire	Semi-automatic
Feed system	10- or 30-round detachable box magazine[1]
Sights	Front Sight: Adjustable Post, Rear Sight: Adjustable Dual Aperture

The Smith & Wesson M&P15 is Smith & Wesson's version of the AR-15 rifle with which Smith & Wesson reentered the rifle market in January 2006.

History

Smith & Wesson is a gun manufacturer and supplier of law enforcement and personal-defense firearms. The "M&P" stands for "Military & Police." The name goes back to 1899 when the U.S. Army and Navy placed orders for thousands of Smith & Wesson Model 1899 Hand Ejector revolvers chambered for the .38 Long Colt cartridge. With that government order, the revolver became known as the Smith & Wesson .38 Military & Police.

Design details

The M&P15 series of rifles is based on the AR-15 platform. Smith & Wesson now offers the M&P15 semi-automatic rifles in a variety of configurations tailored to specific shooting applications and styles. Each model is chambered in 5.56mm NATO/.223 Remington, with variants in .22 Long Rifle and 5.45×39mm. They come with either a melonite lined or chrome-lined 4140 steel barrel, and 7075 T6 aluminum receiver with a hard-coat black anodized finish.

The rifle comes with a fixed adjustable M16A2-style post front iron sight and a detachable BUIS (Back-Up Iron Sight) adjustable Double Aperture rear iron sight accessory that mounts on the Picatinny rail along the upper receiver. The pistol grip is the M16A2-style with finger rest ridge. The forend has a four-direction Picatinny rail mount (i.e., with rails along the top, bottom, and sides); some have a rounded forend with no attachment rails. The rifle has a CAR-15-style six-position collapsible stock.

Variants

direct impingement

short-stroke gas piston

Unveiled at the 2006 SHOT Show, the rifle debuted in two varieties: the M&P15 and the M&P15T. Both are basically the same rifle, chambered in 5.56×45mm NATO, with the T model featuring folding sights and a four-sided accessories rail fore end. Both have standard AR direct impingement gas system actions. At its debut, the M&P15's suggested retail price was $1,200, while the M&P15T retailed for $1,700. Their current line consists of twenty-four models, ranging in price from $739 to $1,989. Some of the less expensive rifles get their affordability by omitting some costly conveniences of the other near mil-spec rifles, such as the dust cover or forward assist. These rifles were initially produced for S&W by Stag Arms, but marked and marketed under the Smith & Wesson name.^[2] Currently Smith & Wesson makes the lower receiver in house, while the barrel is supplied by Thompson/Center Arms, a S&W company acquired in 2007.

In May 2008, Smith & Wesson introduced their first AR-variant rifle in a caliber other than 5.56×45mm NATO. The M&P15R is a standard AR platform rifle chambered for the Russian 5.45×39mm cartridge.^[3] It had a 1-in-8" [1:203mm] barrel twist. This model was soon abandoned due to poor sales. Cheaper surplus Communist Bloc AK-series weapons were already available and few shooters wanted an expensive AR-15 clone in a non-standard caliber that needed special magazines.

In 2009, S&W released the M&P15-22, chambered for the .22 Long Rifle cartridge.^[4] It had a 1-in-15" [1:381mm] barrel twist, a 10- or 25-round box magazine, and weighs 5.5 lbs empty.

The Standard model has an adjustable CAR-15 stock and comes with full-capacity 25-round magazines. The Compliant model (designed for the California market) has a CAR-15 stock fixed in the open position (with an overall length of 33.75 inches) and comes with 10-round magazines.

The Performance Center target shooting version has an 18-inch bull barrel threaded to take any AR-15/M16-style compensator, a 10-round magazine, Hogue pistol grip, and a Vltor adjustable stock; the compliant Fixed Stock version lacks the threading on the barrel and has a Vltor stock fixed in the open position (with an overall length of 35.75-inches).

In January 2009, Smith & Wesson announced their first short-stroke gas piston action rifle, the S&W M&P15 PS and PSX (piston AR-15).^[5] The S&W M&P15 PS piston AR Model 811022 pictured above right retailed for $1,359 as of 2015,^[6][7] plus the MOE handguard and sights which were added to it.

Official users

• United States
  • Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department^[8]
  • Maricopa County Sheriff's Office: M&P15 MOE Mid^[9]
  • West Virginia State Police^[10]

References

1. "Product listing". Retrieved 15 November 2014.
2. "S&W press release on new M&P15 Rifles". Smith & Wesson Holding Corp. Jan 18, 2006. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
3. "Smith and Wesson M&P15R: New AR15 Platform Rifle and Uppers in 5.45×39".
4. Rackley, Paul. An AR Plinking Good Time, American Rifleman
5. "S&W M&P15 PS and PSX (piston AR-15)". TheFirearmBlog.com. January 23, 2009. Retrieved 24 June 2015.
6. "M&P15 PS Model 811022". Smith & Wesson. Retrieved 24 June 2015.
7. "Model 811022: Smith & Wesson M&P 15 PS SA 223 Rem/5.56 NATO 16" 30+1 6 Pt Collapsible Stock Black". Retrieved 24 June 2015.
8. "Smith & Wesson M&15 Rifle". Retrieved 15 November 2014.
9. "Smith & Wesson Supplies M&P Rifles to Maricopa County Sheriff's Office". Outdoorhub.com. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
10. "S&W Delivers New Sidearms to West Virginia State Police and Wyoming Highway Patrol". Retrieved 15 November 2014.

External links

• Smith & Wesson webpage on the M&P rifles