Smith & Wesson M&P15: Difference between revisions
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Smith & Wesson is a gun manufacturer. 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 [[Smith & Wesson Model 10|.38 Military & Police]]. |
Smith & Wesson is a gun manufacturer. 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 [[Smith & Wesson Model 10|.38 Military & Police]]. |
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The M&P15 marked the make's return to the rifle market<ref name="ir1"/> and the only rifle offering through 2012 <ref>{{cite web|title=Smith & Wesson Investor Presentation, Dec 2012|url=http://phx.corporate-ir.net/External.File?item=UGFyZW50SUQ9NDg4MTU2fENoaWxkSUQ9NTI0NTU5fFR5cGU9MQ==&t=1|publisher=Smith and Wesson|accessdate=February 2, 2017|ref=SWI12|page=21}}</ref>. Production was 4,600 in 2006, 38,000 in 2008, 100,000 in 2010 and 302,000 in 2012.<ref>{{cite web|title=Annual Firearms Manufacturing and Export Report: 2006|publisher=Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF)|page=12|url=https://www.atf.gov/resource-center/docs/2006-firearms-manufacturers-export-reportpdf/download}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Annual Firearms Manufacturing and Export Report: 2008|publisher=Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF)|page=13|url=https://www.atf.gov/resource-center/docs/2008-firearms-manufacturers-export-reportpdf/download}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Annual Firearms Manufacturing and Export Report: 2010|publisher=Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF)|page=19|url=https://www.atf.gov/resource-center/docs/2010-final-firearms-manufacturing-export-reportpdf/download}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Annual Firearms Manufacturing and Export Report: 2012|publisher=Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF)|page=19|url=https://data.atf.gov/Manufacturing-and-Export/Annual-Firearms-Manufacturing-and-Export-Report-20/dydm-cswg}}</ref> In 2013 Smith and Wesson added a second rifle, the M&P 10.<ref>{{cite news|title=Introducing the Smith & Wesson M&P10 in .308 Win.|url=http://www.gunsandammo.com/shot-show-2013/introducing-the-smith-wesson-mp10-in-308-win/#ixzz4XxkyZeHU|accessdate=2 February 2017|publisher=Guns and Ammo Magazine|date=January 17th, 2013}}</ref> |
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Production increased almost ten times from 2006 to 2008, and tripled in the following year.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.vox.com/2016/6/14/11924544/ar-15-orlando-assault-weapons|title=The AR-15, the gun behind some of the worst mass shootings in America, explained|first1=Libby|last1= Nelson|date=June 14, 2016|work=Vox}}</ref> From 4,600 in 2006, by 2010 sales grew to over 100,000 per year.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/19/assault-weapon-sales-military-style_n_2333584.html|title=Assault Weapons Sales Boom Fuels Gun Industry Profits, And Tragedy|date= December 19, 2012|first1=John|last1= Rudolf|work=Huffington Post}}</ref> |
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==Design details== |
==Design details== |
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Revision as of 02:34, 7 February 2017
| Smith & Wesson M&P15 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Semi-automatic rifle |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Eugene Stoner |
| Designed | 1957 |
| Manufacturer | Smith & Wesson |
| Produced | 2006–present |
| Variants | Smith & Wesson M&P15-22 |
| Specifications (M&P15) | |
| Mass | 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 re-entered the rifle market in January 2006.
History
Smith & Wesson is a gun manufacturer. 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.
The M&P15 marked the make's return to the rifle market[2] and the only rifle offering through 2012 [3]. Production was 4,600 in 2006, 38,000 in 2008, 100,000 in 2010 and 302,000 in 2012.[4][5][6][7] In 2013 Smith and Wesson added a second rifle, the M&P 10.[8]
Design details
 |
The M&P15 series of rifles is based on the AR-15. 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
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. 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-15 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.[9] 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.[citation needed]
In 2009, S&W released the M&P15-22, chambered for the .22 Long Rifle cartridge.[10] 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).[11]
Official users
- United States
References
- ^ "Product listing". Retrieved 15 November 2014.
- ^ a b "S&W press release on new M&P15 Rifles". Smith & Wesson Holding Corp. Jan 18, 2006. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
- ^ "Smith & Wesson Investor Presentation, Dec 2012". Smith and Wesson. p. 21. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
- ^ "Annual Firearms Manufacturing and Export Report: 2006". Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). p. 12.
- ^ "Annual Firearms Manufacturing and Export Report: 2008". Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). p. 13.
- ^ "Annual Firearms Manufacturing and Export Report: 2010". Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). p. 19.
- ^ "Annual Firearms Manufacturing and Export Report: 2012". Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). p. 19.
- ^ "Introducing the Smith & Wesson M&P10 in .308 Win". Guns and Ammo Magazine. January 17th, 2013. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Smith and Wesson M&P15R: New AR15 Platform Rifle and Uppers in 5.45×39".
- ^ Rackley, Paul. An AR Plinking Good Time, American Rifleman
- ^ "S&W M&P15 PS and PSX (piston AR-15)". TheFirearmBlog.com. January 23, 2009. Retrieved 24 June 2015.
- ^ "Smith & Wesson M&15 Rifle". Retrieved 15 November 2014.
- ^ "Smith & Wesson Supplies M&P Rifles to Maricopa County Sheriff's Office". Outdoorhub.com. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
- ^ "S&W Delivers New Sidearms to West Virginia State Police and Wyoming Highway Patrol". Retrieved 15 November 2014.