Smith & Wessons M&P10 7.62mm Rifle – First Impressions

Smith & Wesson’s M&P10 rifle features fully ambidextrous controls including magazine release, bolt catch/release, and selector lever.

At SHOT Show 2013, Smith and Wesson introduced their new line of 7.62mm / 308 caliber rifles, which feature fully ambidextrous controls, compatibility with SR-25/M110 pattern magazines, and an attractive price point. At about 7 3/4 pounds unloaded, the rifle (dubbed M&P 10) is extremely lightweight and handy. After a cursory examination at SHOT, I knew I had to get my grubby hands on one and try it for myself.

After I returned from SHOT, I called my good buddy Chris Corino, who has been a big supporter of 10-8 and Law Enforcement in general since he was at Kimber. Chris is one of the Good Guys in the industry, having worn a blue uniform himself back in the day. He pointed me in the right direction and was instrumental in getting me hooked up with a rifle that is in extremely high demand, especially in this climate of panic buying.

So in a few short days, I picked up my brand new M&P 10. My very first thoughts to myself were: “Why did they make this with an 18-inch barrel instead of a 16-inch?” and “What is up with that ugly flash hider/compensator?” The trigger was quite acceptable for a working gun. The gas block is blocky, ugly and just clamped on, but it seemed like it was functional. Otherwise, the gun pointed well, and seemed well built.

Smith & Wesson obviously put some thought into this rifle. In addition to being fully ambidextrous (a plus for our wrong handed brethren,) little touches were added that many owners may appreciate. Four elastomer inserts fit into machined pockets in the upper receiver to take up any slack and play between the upper and lower halves of the gun. The result is a fit that is rock solid. While this has little to do with real world accuracy, it is important to many AR owners.

The bolt group appeared to be of good quality, with solid stakes in the gas key. This is a step some manufacturers skip, resulting in a less than reliable weapon. The AR platform relies heavily on gas pressure and any gas leakage between the key and carrier will likely result in suboptimal operation.

I mentioned the ugly flash hider/compensator above, and even the folks at the gun shop noticed it. So while I probably should have left it on to see if it actually stabilized the muzzle, the vain side of me prevailed and I immediately replaced it with an A2 style flash cage I had on hand. Note I needed to use some spacers in addition to the crush washer to get it to index correctly against the shoulder. The other change I made was to replace the stock clamshell style hand guards with a MagPul MOE fore end. I ordered a black one, but a green one that showed up in the box. Nothing 5 minutes of quality time with a can of Krylon can’t fix.

A closer look reveals a bolt stop on the right side of the gun as well. The 18-inch barrel is longer than I’d like but doesn’t really affect the handiness of the rifle.

Since the base model does not come with sights, I slapped a set of Troy Industries flip up front and rear sights on the gun. With that, and a few drops of lube in the bolt carrier’s vent holes, I was ready for the range.

Since the rifle came with one PMAG 20LR, I brought a few spares with me. These lightweight, durable and fairly inexpensive magazines (compared to the Knights Armament SR-25 factory magazines) are my go-to magazines for range use. Shooting German surplus 7.62 NATO ammunition, the rifle cycled smoothly and reliably through 80 rounds fired. Recoil was a bit stout due to the light weight of the rifle, but controllable enough for fairly rapid followup shots.

I was able to get the rifle dialed in on iron sights. Next trip I will bring out some glass for accuracy testing. So far, Smith & Wesson’s new M&P 10 seems like it’s a serious contender, especially at its aggressive price point.