Ar sights, dust cover, forward assist suggestions.

[cltyus1]

I've been shopping for a budget ar to go to the range and have some fun with.narrowed it down to the dpms panther Oracle (629 on sale at cabelas) has dust cover and forward assist (do I need)? Has flat top and no sights, someone recommended get a reflex sight.

The other is the Smith and Wesson mp 15 sport. The cost is 729. No dust cover and forward assist.it has iron sights though.

What I'm getting at is how important is the dust cover and forward assist? What kind of sights would you choose between the iron sights and reflex sights. It's just for some plinking, and if ever needed home defense, zombie takeover etc lol. I do have a glock 23 and Remington 870 already.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[JaySkiBum]

I have an M&P Sport. Love it. It's a well built AR that seems much better quality than what they are asking, but then the forward assist and dust cover don't exist. I never plan on going to war with mine, and if I did, I would put my money towards a high end AR (maybe piston?) or just go straight to the AK on the other side of the gun cabinet...

[whoppo]

If your thinking this will be a range toy then a dust cover and FA are not really important. If you were planning on taking it to war or depending on it in a SHTF scenario, that's a different story.
I personally would choose the S&W as I consider them to be higher quality than DPMS, but that's just my opinion and doesn't make it so. I do have a couple of M&P rifles (15T and 15-22) and they're both outstanding. Have you considered building your own AR? It's not difficult and offers the opportunity to mix-n-match components to get the best of each manufacturers offerings.

A reflex sight or a tubular red-dot is a good choice for a plinker. PrimaryArms.com has a good assortment of "clones" that won't break the bank, yet don't suck. Avoid those 50-75 dollar ones.. they may be fine for airsoft or rim-fire rifles, but generally not much more.

[darbo]

You will get a ton of opinions in response to your questions. So here's my .02! I have no personal experiece with the DPMS so can't address that side of it. I do have the S&W Sport and really enjoy it. I have 1400+ rounds through it in mixed range use and 3 gun competition. The rifle has been flawless.
This is a great review of the M&P Sport...
 Gun Review: Smith & Wesson M&P15 Sport | The Truth About Guns

[gasmitty]

I have yet to see the forward assist actually used to address a malfunction of any kind in an AR, and its use was never even discussed in any of the carbine courses I've taken. The dust cover does serve a more useful function, but for a range/recreational gun I doubt you'll miss it.

The more you shoot the gun the more you'll want optics as well as irons.

My vote goes to the Smith & Wesson.