Something a little different this time.
So I work for a retail store (not a big corp), a small one selling guns. Recently (within the year) we started carrying the 1/9 twist versions of both of these rifles. Now, I myself run a BCMish/Frankengun middy with a micro and all that jazz. Thanks to a mix of arf and m4c back when I first got started.
The bushmaster is a patrolman I believe and the S&W are both the A3 versions, I think that refers the twist rate on the commercial market?
Heres my question. From a sellers point of view, when I talk about the differences between the two, I want the customer to make a better decision, from a moral standpoint. That might sound stupid, but basically which of the two is superior? What makes them reaaaally different? Are the barrels a different steel type? Do they outsource? Does one fail in use under long term, heavy round counts because of inconsistency of said parts or QC? You get the idea.
I would buy a s&w over bushy all day long. They properly stake the gas key and castle nut, use a decent barrel, proper extractor insert, milspec receiver extension and in general is a good quality rifle. I wouldnt say theyre up to colt bcm daniel defense lmt ect quality but they beat your bushy dpms rra delton stag olys by a mile. Smith & wesson to most here is considered the minimum standard as far as a hard use rifle. The main knocks on the “chart” for s&w is they use 4140 barrels, dont hpi/mpi every part, and they are in general over gassed. other than that they’re good to go.
I’d rate the S&W M&P 15 as superior to the Bushmaster, though neither has the component quality of BCM, Colt or Daniel Defense. The M&P bolt carrier group is MPT/HPI whereas the Bushmaster is not. The M&P also has a MILSPEC receiver extension, and I recall from older versions of ‘the chart’ that Bushmaster used the commercial dimensions. M&P’s that I’ve observed had proper staking of components and this has been a problem with the Bushmaster lineup. The newer M&Ps use a 1 in 8" twist melonited barrel.
I’d note to a potential buyer that S&W’s warranty and customer service are top notch.
Though I don’t own an M&P, I’ve had the opportunity to closely observe a friend’s M&P 15T over the past two years including during a carbine course. It has performed well. I have no problem with the S&Ws and the Sport looks like a good value, but at the end of the day with the aggressive pricing we’ve been seeing on Colts lately I’d be hard pressed to recommend anything else to someone in the market.
Here’s your real problem. From a moral and ethical standpoint, can you really recomend either of them when the price of the “Big 3” is so competitive? And I happen to like the M&P. But for the price, I can’t justify telling anyone it’s a good buy over BCM, DD, or Colt.
But to answer your question, it’d be the M&P for all the reasons mentioned above. If a couple bucks is THAT important to them, then the M&P kicks Bushy ass.
Maybe you should try convincing the store you work for to carry other products. Drop the Bushy, keep the M&P, and add Colt, LMT, etc.