Bushmaster XM-15 QRC 223 Rem/556NATO 16" with Red Dot - $569.99 (Buyer’s Club price shown - all club orders over $49 ship FREE)

Stay away from NGOA bunch of lying assholes They say they will match prices and then they give a credit for the difference and then when you try to use it on another item they cancel your order and take back your credit

No thanks Buyer's Club.

It's still a bushmaster. The ass end of the ar world

ugh... what's an XM-15 vs AR-15? What does the XM stand for?

Sorry "homie" but I don't think most gun folks on this sight would respect the opinion or advice from someone who refers to others as "homie" lol

Straight trash homie

Thank you for the in depth analysis. I currently have an Armalite M15 that has been very good to me. Thinking of getting another AR to keep in the safe and save for my son when he gets old enough. I agree with you that the optic on this version is probably junk. I have a Burris AR-332 on my Armalite that I could always throw on there. I mostly shoot 50 and 55 gr ammo. I'll have to look into the barrel specs as well. Thanks again!!!

http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2015/12/31/review-bushmaster-xm15-orc-or/... has a review for the QRC-OR (not sure if there's a difference).

Here is what stands out between the two:
1. 4150 steel vs 4140 in the Smith. Will you see a difference? Doubtful unless you run a lot of mag dumps. Also, since this has a "superlight contour barrel", I wonder if it's thinner walls than mil-spec. I don't have the answer, but it's worth researching, IMHO.
2. No front sight that I can see on the bushmaster, and certainly not the danged A-2 style front sight, which has to come off if you want a quad rail up front. Therefore, edge to Bushmaster for having a smaller gas block, but to Smith for having "iron" sights (magpul mbus2 polymer).
3. Cheap (assuming) red dot sight on the Bushmaster, $25-35 value, and only if you even want it, otherwise it has no value.
4. Twist rate of 1:8 is probably the "sweet spot" for AR-15s. The 55 and 62 grain cheap ammo may run a tad more stable in 1:9, but if you start getting too heavy, a 1:8 twist rate will be better.
5. If you do want to put on a front sight on the Bushmaster, you have to add something for it to mount to. However, if you want to use a scope, not having that A-2 style front sight will come in handy. With the mbus2 rear sight on the rail, you're going to have to elevate a scope with high-profile rings.

So, if the price were the same, the Bushmaster would be my choice (I have the Smith MP15 Sport 2 already - got it for $500, deal is long gone). Otherwise, it's up to you on whether the differences are worth the extra $50 - as long as the barrel isn't too thin, I'd say it's definitely worth it, just for the better quality barrel material.

Any thoughts between this AR and the S&W M&P sport II for $549? I see this comes with qd red dot sight vs the sport's BUIS? Also, the barrel twist is 1/8 vs the sports 1/9.