S&W M&P 10 - opinions?

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B!ngo

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So I am planning on purchasing a semi-auto .308 rifle. I've been looking for a while and have read quite a bit on the following: FAL, H&K/PTR, Kel-Tec RFB, DPMS, FNAR, FN SCAR 17 but the one that seems to rise to the top of the list is the S&W M&P 10.
Here's my take:
I'm left-handed and slight to medium build so getting as many ambi features and lowering the weight seems like it would be beneficial. The M&P is completely ambi and weighs less than 8 lbs empty. It's from a good manufacturer with a good warranty and has received good reviews.
The FAL and H&K are heavy, not that accurate, and the H&K damages the shell casings making reloading a challenge.
The Kel-Tec is a great choice. It's completely ambi, uses low-cost mags, is medium weight, but it isn't very accurate and it's a Kel-Tec which seems like a weird company that sells products that aren't easy to find and haven't been fully developed before they release them.
The SCAR would be at the top of the list but it's just too pricey.
So, any feedback or guidance here? And problems with the M&P? Any others that I should consider?
Thx,
B
 
M1A. Very lefty friendly, cool as hell, very reliable and accurate.

I'd save for a SCAR or M1A before I bought a .308 AR. You won't be sorry if you buy the SCAR.
 
The Smith .308 AR in .308 I had here was very accurate, reliable, had either-side ambidextrous bells & whistles, and was the lightest .308 AR I've ever hefted.

If I had any use for a .308 AR, that'd be the one I'd buy, personally.
The photographer I sent it to when I was done with it ended up buying it from S&W when he was through doing his thing, he quite liked it too.

I saw no problems with the gun.
Denis
 
The SCAR would be at the top of the list but it's just too pricey.
Click to expand...

IMHO add a very effective muzzle break (like on the SCAR) to the M&P .308 and I'd bet it'll do everything the SCAR 17S does at less the half the cost and with much cheaper and easier to find spare mags -- unless you just can't live without piston operation.

The SCAR is a great rifle but its not 2X better than the competition unless weight is your major issue. I was concerned about the recoil when I first shot my SCAR given how light it is, but the muzzle break gives it less felt recoil than my much heavier SIG 716, at the cost of being very unpleasant to shooters on either side of you.
 
The M&P10 is a great rifle. With decent ammo it will shoot sub moa all day long. I bought mine for hunting but love to take it to the range. It is one of the lightest AR10 varient I have held too. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone.
 
I really like my M&P 10, I've never had so much as a hiccup out of it, and for some reason I like shooting it much more than I do my .223 ARs. Last week I coaxed 4 rounds of Federal GMM 168gr into .8", but managed to pull the fifth shot and open things up to 1.5". After that I had a blast banging gongs out to 550yds... It's certainly a keeper.
 
Been contemplating making the same move. I bought a Colt AR and 2000 rds of .223 for political reasons and have not shot 50 rounds thru it in the last 1.5 years. I'm about ready to sell it all, am I nuts?

I've been looking at .308s and the SW 10 has caught my eye. Not really looking for a battle rifle, the target version has caught my eye this morning.

Must be a recoil thing. I recently bought a 45-70.
 
I love the weight and it is quite accurate, but my M&P 10 just isn't reliable. It has frequent failure to eject malfs and doesn't lock the bolt back on empty. I bought it used and S&W only warranties it to the original owner, so I'm SOL on warranty work. It seems to me like it's under-gassed. That is where the SCAR earns its keep -- it is highly light weight AND reliable.
 
The one I had here ran perfectly, with three different loads.
Yours may have been tinkered with by the first owner.
Denis
 
I don't own one but have enjoyed shooting a few. My take and opinion of the ones I have shot were all favorable, especially when you consider bang for the buck. You can buy a better gun but with a much higher price tag attached to the gun. So all things considered, in my opinion looking at the cost performance ratio I would consider the S&W MP10 in a heartbeat.

Just My Take....
Ron
 
I like mine. It won't operate reliably on 7.62 ammo though, too light, causes short stroking. It likes 308 ammo. It is reliable and very accurate with my 168 SMK hand loads, which are moderate loads.

Nice and light for a semi 308. Wish it had a fixed front sight but other than that, I like it.
 
My mp10 is a keeper. The only load it doesnt like is magtech m80 so far. Great hunting rifle. Ive owned two ar10 style guns.
 
I want to see someone do a torture test on S&W. See how tough it is and see how it performs in unclean conditions. I have been recently debating which .308 semi to purchase as well. I recently settled on the Vepr .308. Plenty accurate (1-3moa depending on load), rugged, easy optics mounting, very standard ergo's (I'm pointing at you, H&K clones), quality steel 20rd mags available and a great price point of $599.
 
henschman, check to see what buffer is in your rifle. If it's anything but a carbine weight, pull it out & replace it. M&P10s work best with commercial pressure ammo. They often won't fully function with NATO ammo as it's loaded to lower pressure. A few have opened up the gas port a little bit to get the rifle to function better with a wider variety of ammunition. My Big Smith didn't like NATO ammo in cold weather but runs good on what little commercial ammo I've been able to get my hands on. Oh, if you haven't already, get rid of the factory mag and get P-Mags.

A 20 round mag fully loaded weighs about 1.5 lbs. Overall, I'm happy with the Big Smith but I don't mind doing a little tinkering
View attachment 701474
 
76shuvlinoff said:
Hello again

Is anyone familiar with the target version? I see Armalite also offers a target version.
Click to expand...
When you start getting into some of the Armalite match target rifles like the AR-10(T) you can easily get into rifles costing well beyond the cost of a basic S&W M&P 10.

Personally I like the Armalite rifles but I also put the below match target rifle (Armalite AR-10(T) together about 20 years ago before there were so many other manufacturers offering rifles in the AR-10 flavors. The below rifle features a 24" match barrel (I still have the stainless 20" match barrel) and Centra sights on it. I think the barrel was Krieger but can't remember. The rifle was built purely as a match target rifle and that is all I ever used it for. Never hunting or general field use. The trigger ended up a Timney and the barrels are both floated.

AR10%202.png

I also still have the original other hardware I played around with:

AR%2010%20Scope.png

The rifle, being older uses the modified M14 / M1A type magazines.

When it comes to an AR-10 Target rifle my own little belief is the rifle is just that, a target rifle and not a field rifle for chasing hogs with. :) I figure you buy or build a really good rifle with an intended application in mind. Piece by piece the rifle can get to be an expensive affair real quick.

So yeah, I have an Armalite AR-10(T) and I like that rifle very much. However, as I mentioned the rifle was built 20 years ago when the offerings were much more limited than what is out there today. I really can't say if I were to do it all again today if I would have went with the Armalite.

Ron
 
The ar10(t) carbine is more accurate than the MP10, slightly heavier even though it has a shorter barrel. However when slung, the ar10(t) hangs very nicely straight off the back of the shoulder and carries effortlessly.
 
Thanks for the replies to my hijack, apologies to the OP.

I am not shooting the AR15 so it just seems like the one to go. I don't hunt, I do like punching a little paper but not competitively and I want a modern semi auto for self and home defense. (Yes I already have this in the 6920.) I don't reload, considering I don't consume ammo at a high yearly rate the cost of going from .223 to .308 doesn't really intimidate me.

I don't have a good excuse to get the .308, it's just an itch. The non target versions would most likely be suitable for my needs. I do demand reliability.

Thanks again. I have research to do.

Mark
 
I could have sworn I replied to this yesterday on my cell phone. Seems a lot of my cell phone posts get lost.

The M&P10 is a good choice for a lefty. I gave my reasoning in one of the (probably many) previous M@P10 threads.

Mike
 
Just in case the OP is still undecided, I figured I'd stop by to plug the M&P again.

I just got back from doing a first round OCW workup for IMR 4064 and Hornady 150gr Interlocks. I loaded up 3 rounds each of 6 charge weights, of the 6, 4 grouped 0.813" or less. Admittedly at this point in the workup, they were only 3 round groups, but I think it still speaks to the potential of the rifle.

As an aside, I got velocities that were almost exactly in line with what Hodgdon and Nosler have published. I haven't figured that one out, maybe a fast barrel?

Anyway, just some extra fodder for your decision process.
 
The original owner didn't do any tinkering with it. The buffer in my rifle is indeed a carbine weight. A rifle that won't cycle 7.62x51 is worthless to me. We'll see if I can get it to run reliably with some tinkering. If not, this sucker is getting sold.

Yes, these do have fast barrels, courtesy of the nitride treatment.
 
Looked at the M&P 10 as well as the others that the OP mentioned.

Decided, for several reasons, to go with LMT's 7.62 MRP/LM8. Supposedly the LM8 is the "light-weight" version of the MWS. It goes sans rails at 3, 6, & 9o'clock, but that's it. Doesn't much matter, though, because when you start attaching things to these large-frame ARs, they get heavier very quickly.

Anyway, my reasons were, first, I'm familiar with how the MRP platform shoots and handles. I own 2 in 5.56mm.
Second, I've always liked the MRP's switch-barrel option, which, arguably, is more of a benefit in theory than in practice. Still, I do switch out my stock 16" 5.56mm barrels for: a 16" 300Blk; 10.5" 300blk (SBR); 10.5" 5.56mm (SBR); and an 18" 5.56mm SS SPR barrel.

With the LM8, it came with a 16" C/L barrel but since LMT had the 18" SS tubes in stock at the time I ordered, I grabbed one for "precision" work.

Third reason was that MRPs just plain run, are durable and in my experience are very accurate too. The Brits adopted the LMT MWS after putting it and several competitors through a series of hard field trials.

One consistent criticism you see with a lot of these 7.62/.308 ARs is that they're ammo-finicky unless "tweaked," - like by opening up the gas port or experimenting with various buffer and spring-weight combs. But with the LM8, which came with an H3 buffer, I've had ZERO issues shooting a variety of mil-surp & commercial ammo. The ammo ranged from about 600-rds of that old 7.62 Portugese and some Argy stuff from the early '90s I had squirreled away to 300-to-400rds of the high-end .308 Match ammo (168gn Federal, for example). The mil-fodder was shot using the 16" barrel; for the Match ammo, I installed the 18" SS tube. All my mags are PMags.

The 16" set-up was meant to be a "tactical" battle-blaster, so I ditched the stock A2FH for a BABC. The BABC works as advertised too and accuracy was improved if anything. Muzzle rise in rapid-fire is dampened significantly, or as much as you're likely to see on a 16" 7.62/308 rifle.

With the 18" SS barrel, a 34mm 1-6x Leupy and a bipod, the rifle stayed mostly sub-moa with .308 Match ammo at 100yds. I'll need more time to see what it can do with handloads using Varget and the various 168-grainers or Hornady's 178gn BTHPs.

So that's what I know ...

LMT 7.62 MRP/LM8 w/ 18" SS barrel.
TDI2014-15.jpg

:cool:
 
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