Smith & Wesson M&P15T vs Colt LE6920 Help

[Eric1122]

I am looking to get my hands on my first AR-15 in the coming weeks and ill be the first to say that I dont know much about guns (I just started shooting 2 years ago) which is why I am asking for advice. I have been reading up on these forums and it seems that some will only go with Colt and other say they are over priced. I know Colt is mostly mil spec and the S&W are not but then again I am not in the Military. I read an awesome review on the Smith & Wesson M&P 15 "Sport" and the T (tactical) seems to be better as it has a forward assist, dust cover, quad rail..... I want it for a SHTF gun as my other 2 SHTF guns are not very accurate at any distanceover 150 yards (Ruger mini 30 and SKS). I am not comparing the better Colt 6940 nor am I comparing the best S&W MP15. I am comparing the 6920 vs the M&P15T because they are in my price range. I have heard others suggest other firearm makers but after doing research it seems that the quality can vary greatly from firearm to firearm by the same manufacturer. Anyway, I would love to hear why I should or should not go with either of these as well as any others that are in the $1,000 price range or under.
You can see the specific M&P 15T here
Smith & Wesson M&P 15T

You can see the Colt here (Its the one on the right) Colt LE6920

For those of you that are going to suggest that I look thorough previous posts..... I did as I mentioned I have been researching these for a few weeks now.

 

[tylerw02]

Re: Smith & Wesson M&P15T vs Colt LE6920 Help

The LE6920 is a superior firearm. It uses better (spec) steel for parts and the barrel, parts testing, etc.

The Smith has plastic sights that are really, really crummy. The only advantage of the smith is the rail, which is only useful if its the rail you want (if you want one at all).

I'd roll with the 6920 and upgrade it as I learn the platform and have a better idea of where I want to go with it.

 

[Ballista One]

Re: Smith & Wesson M&P15T vs Colt LE6920 Help

The Colt is clearly the better carbine.

 

[tomcat mv]

Re: Smith & Wesson M&P15T vs Colt LE6920 Help

I really like my S&W because of the 5R rifling and 1:8 twist to better stabilize heavier bullets. Just my 2 cents.

 

[tylerw02]

Re: Smith & Wesson M&P15T vs Colt LE6920 Help

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: tomf</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I really like my S&W because of the 5R rifling and 1:8 twist to better stabilize heavier bullets. Just my 2 cents. </div></div>

The colt is 1:7".

 

[mwilkins]

Re: Smith & Wesson M&P15T vs Colt LE6920 Help

I have three S&W M&P's. Everyone of them have been great guns with zero issues and are perfect for a starting platform.

One version had an A2 carry handle and the others were OR versions. The sights on the A2 were not plastic. The sport model may have that configuration but can't say for sure as I have not looked into that line and I no longer purchase complete AR's as I prefer to build to my likeings these days.

Either way, both choices will work. Especially if you intend to disassemble and modify with parts of your choice.

 

[Eric1122]

Re: Smith & Wesson M&P15T vs Colt LE6920 Help

Thanks guys. I have heard really good things about the Melonite on the S&W. I know the Colt has a 1:7 twist vs the S&W 1:8 twist so both should stabilize the heavier calibers. The chrome lined barrels have proven themselves already thought....Really confused. I was not aware that the folding Magpulm(Mbus) sights were crummy and plastic....I did hear that the Magpul Pmag magazines are pretty good. As far as the rail, one of my buddies who is a gun fanatic (nothing wrong with that) told me I should get a quad rail for future gadgets. To be honest with the exception of a red dot, I probably would not put anything else on it(maybe night vision....maybe)

 

[Eric1122]

Re: Smith & Wesson M&P15T vs Colt LE6920 Help

I am still looking for your opinions on these two but feel free to add any competitors. Also I was on the Colt site just now and it appears that one of the new Colt's comes with a back up fold up Magpul sight so they cant be that bad but at the same time it's not the primary sights which is because.... Plastic?

 

[The Gump]

Re: Smith & Wesson M&P15T vs Colt LE6920 Help

I think the M&P sport is worth looking into. The dust cover and forward assist are not really needed in my opinion. You can always sell the magpul sight and get a Troy later on down the road.The same with trigger and hand gaurds.

You could do all that for the price of a Colt and be ahead, in my opinion.

My 1-8 White Oak stablizes 69's.

 

[tomahawk84]

Re: Smith & Wesson M&P15T vs Colt LE6920 Help

I will vote for the colt if you really want a quality rifle with a better resale value. but the smith is a great gun too.

 

[Andy T]

Re: Smith & Wesson M&P15T vs Colt LE6920 Help

I would recommend the Colt, although S&W has had good rifles. Check out GandR Colt rifles most of them are around 1000 and come with improved furniture.
There is nothing wrong with Magpul sights. However, most people use a red dot. If you want to have iron sights only carbine, consider Daniel Defense or LMT rear sight.

 

[jwb47]

Re: Smith & Wesson M&P15T vs Colt LE6920 Help

I think people really need to study feces hitting the oscilator situations before going whole hog on prepping. Not to divert the original thread I can say I have a colt 6940 and a smith and wesson 300 blackout . If the mission was critical then my choice would be which ever one I can get my hands on first. my colt wears an acog and is one rugged sob but I seriously doubt I will run into many taliban in south east missouri . the smith has been flawless so far and I am confident I can defend my home with either . I wouldnt buy a rifle with a rail since it really isnt necessary and there are options for mounting a good flashlight which is essential for a good home defense weapon .
the colt will serve you well it is the standard all others are judged by .
the smith will more than likely give you years of service and enjoyment . so pick your poison and have some fun.

 

[samnev]

Re: Smith & Wesson M&P15T vs Colt LE6920 Help

I prefer my S&W Tactical (Troy Sights not plastic) over my 6920.

 

[Eric1122]

Re: Smith & Wesson M&P15T vs Colt LE6920 Help

Thanks to everyone freaking out about Obama taking our guns, I dont think I can get either one any time soon. I called every gun shop in my area, eveyone is out of stock and would not even take my money. I found out something I was not aware of though.....One of the gun shop owners said Colt no longer has the military contract. He said FN has it now so the Colt LE6920's are no longer being produced. He said they make another version SP6920 or something like that. Will that mean that all the pony fans will switch to FN? Maybe they wont be mil-spec anymore??. The gunshop owner(tiny) said that they are now more civilian friendly.... what ever that means. Alsoit's apparent that Colt does not update their web site very often as their LE6920 is still there. I will call them tomorrow to confirm since it's after 5 here in the east coast.

 

[Andy T]

Re: Smith & Wesson M&P15T vs Colt LE6920 Help

Remember: Don't listen too closely to gun shop owners/sales people, unless you know that they know what they are talking about.
The "civilian" friendliness probably means that Colt finally came to its senses and is using standard sized FCG pins.

 

[shoot4fun]

Re: Smith & Wesson M&P15T vs Colt LE6920 Help

I have three M&P15 rifles. One is an original M&P15T (1 in 9), a VTAC (1 in 7) and a VTAC II (1 in 8 5R melonited). I also own a 300 BLK/Whisper upper with the meolnited barrel. I've never had one single issue with them and the melonited 5R takes the platform to a whole new level of accuracy.
As for the Magpul MBUIS, I have never seen a broken one.

 

[soapboxpreacher]

Re: Smith & Wesson M&P15T vs Colt LE6920 Help

Colt tests every inch of their rifle...barrel, bolt, etc! They are made very well! Materials are top notch and quality is maintained better than most manufacturers. Then again it should when you provide the military with them! They want to ensure no flaw in their product...nothing wrong with the barrel, bolt, BCG...and so on! It is crazy and no other manufacturer goes to this extent. However as much as I like the above the LE6920 bores me! I dont like the plastic hand guard, the handle, nor the Stock! I just find the colt rifles extremely boring and old school...something my father would have like a Buick or an Oldsmobile!! But they are as mil-spec as they come! My experience is very limited because they aesthetically do not appeal to me! I have only handled one and shoot it...wasnt too exciting to me...sorry...I like quad rails ( I have aimpoints and EoTech, Gripods and lights...I love Quad rails!!), SOPMOD stock, Battlesights, winter trigger guards, 2-stage triggers, QD mounting points...and so on...no vanilla M16 from a chuck norris film. Just my opinion so dont flame me please!

Now the M&P15T was a pleasant surprise during a visit to cabelas 2 years ago just before I bucked up and bought my KAC SR15E3 (this is an AR in an whole other league...if you think you will like this...skip the baby steps and get one...best AR I have ever shot or handled!!). The fit and finish on the M&P15T was much better than I was anticipating. Near no wiggle between the upper and lower. The milling was also beautifully done. The one I handled had troy flip ups irons and a quad rail. It was a nice weight and was crafted far better than I thought smith could do. Now I am not certain when S&W switch over from Stag to their own build but the one I saw I liked! Everything about it was tight, fit well, and seemed to be of quality material! Now the current model has changed. I will say this I own (2) M&Ps (9mm, 15-22 and soon M&P22) I have used smith warranty service 2x and was blown away at how they did and they are all lifetime!!.

Do I think the M&P is better than the colt...no but do I like the setup, feel, and look better on the M&P big yes not to mention the warranty on the Smith is a lifetime...I believe colt is a year!! If you arent in the military or LE and even if you are in LE the Smith is fine! If you want to step up to a better AR...I like Daniel Defense, LMT, and Bravo Company. Their are others as well. Pull you have piston ARs like PWS and LWRC...which are also amazing ARs and I believe better than the Colt and the Smith! But some of my experience is limited. But some where surprising! Something like Rock River...very good trigger and an AR that had accuracy that took down colt with all their mighty barrel pressure testing, metal analysis tests and so on! I am not crazy about the Rock River but wow was it accurate!!! All things being the same (16" barrel not stainless either) the rock was a stud in the shooting accuracy department. But back to my point there a ton of choices..Colt is great and bears a greater name not to mention its battle tested their main client is the US military. However and this is big to me...I find Milspec doesnt necessarily mean the best. Design wise they other guys have cooler stuff. For recreational shooting buy what you like and even save some cash for ammo! For your first it is sometimes difficult for you dont know much about what you want. For me I had a Ruger SR556C, ACR, and other DI before I finally got the SR15E3 from Knight. It is now the only AR I have. it is balanced, has all the features I was looking for in an AR, Ambi Mag releas, Ambi bolt catch, best quad rail with integrated flip up front sight. Awesome trigger and one of the most comfortable stocks I have ever shoot. Now here is the kicker...it is a pick diner. What I mean is my SR15E3 doesnt like certain ammo at all!!! It wont cycle the cheaper lower pressure .223 (and yes there is a difference better .223 and 5.56..it is in the pressure. 5.56 is higher my SR15E3 is designed around it...so the gas port is as well). This is a fun and addicting hobby. But be aware it gets expensive. Ammo is pricy, you need a place to go to shoot, cleaning kit, and the accessories are endless!! I love it and try to shoot once a week or at least once a month in the winter. Have fun and do some more reading. There are a ton of options out there...hell you might even want to build your own! Good Luck!

 

[Beef82]

Re: Smith & Wesson M&P15T vs Colt LE6920 Help

Yeah Colt lost the contract for the M16, that's rarely issued past basic anymore, years ago, they still have the contract for the M4. As far as more civi friendly I think Colt's just finaly seriously venturing back into the market, its not just ARs their whole product line has been slowly expanding for the past few years.

Complete rifles are easy to come by here, but I'm trying to order parts to build one and 80-90% of them are backordered everywhere, shoulda started a year ago.

 

[BravoSector1]

Re: Smith & Wesson M&P15T vs Colt LE6920 Help

OP...apparently we've fallen very far from the apple tree with your original post. Fortunately for you...there are many quality AR-15 makers/builders (Colt get's its parts from another..just sayin) out there for you to choose from. The specs on THIS RIFLE will meet or beat 95% of other manufactuers. There is a reason it's out of stock. Starting out...get a right hand, direct inpingment AR-15 rifle. Shoot it, learn how to clean and maintain it...then move on. There will always be someone to buy your S&W or Colt...should you purchase one of those and decide to be rid of it. BUILD...an AR...and see what happens

 

[EricCartmann]

Re: Smith & Wesson M&P15T vs Colt LE6920 Help

I don't fall for the Colt juice anymore. To me all AR's are basically the same, and there is really nothing special with Colts. Their 6920's look like every other off the shelf M4-forgery with plastic handguards.

Colt also uses "large pins" for their triggers. You have more choices of aftermarket triggers if you use small pins.

I say buy whatever you could afford, I don't think you can go wrong with Colt, but also the same can be said of S&W. I hightly doubt the S&W will break anytime soon, if it breaks, then just replace the stuff that breaks. All guns are prone to fail, best part about AR's is replacement parts are available, cheap, and easy to install.

On a side note: My most heavily used AR is a "inferior" Bushmaster, probably seen about 10,000 rounds now... the last 3 years it's been sitting in the safe, but I have been using a lot lately because I purchased a slide fire stock. Seen about 5,000 bump firing rounds and no issues. If I fell like bump firing (slide fire), I use the Bushmaster because I don't care if it breaks, and guess what? It has not broken yet.

 

[ScarBliss]

Re: Smith & Wesson M&P15T vs Colt LE6920 Help

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: EricCartmann</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I don't fall for the Colt juice anymore. To me all AR's are basically the same, and there is really nothing special with Colts. Their 6920's look like every other off the shelf M4-forgery with plastic handguards.

<span style="font-weight: bold">Colt also uses "large pins" for their triggers. You have more choices of aftermarket triggers if you use small pins.
</span>
I say buy whatever you could afford, I don't think you can go wrong with Colt, but also the same can be said of S&W. I hightly doubt the S&W will break anytime soon, if it breaks, then just replace the stuff that breaks. All guns are prone to fail, best part about AR's is replacement parts are available, cheap, and easy to install.

On a side note: My most heavily used AR is a "inferior" Bushmaster, probably seen about 10,000 rounds now... the last 3 years it's been sitting in the safe, but I have been using a lot lately because I purchased a slide fire stock. Seen about 5,000 bump firing rounds and no issues. If I fell like bump firing (slide fire), I use the Bushmaster because I don't care if it breaks, and guess what? It has not broken yet. </div></div>

This hasn't been the case for several years, any 6920 in the 40K serial range and up has regular trigger pins. Colt is the standard because only colt and FN have the TDP. Whatever you end up buying, look for a properly staked gas key, quality of bolt etc before you make your decision. I'd reference "the chart" over on m4c.

ETA: Spikes lied about their steel certs a while back, so not sure they would be my first choice.