Smith & Wesson M&P15

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."

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 and has a six-position collapsible stock, chrome-lined 4140 steel barrel, 7075 T6 aluminum receiver and a hard-coat black anodized finish.

Variants
Unveiled at 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. 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. These rifles were first produced by Stag Arms, but marketed under the Smith & Wesson name. Currently Smith & Wesson makes the lower receiver in house while the barrel is supplied by Thompson/Center, an S&W company.

In May 2008, Smith and 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 5.45×39mm cartridge. In 2009, they released the M&P15-22, chambered for the .22 Long Rifle cartridge.