Upgrading to an H2 Buffer

[newshooter650]

I have an older 1st gen M&P 15 Sport. It's been a great rifle but it has always seamed a bit 'over-gassed' compared to other ARs that I've shot. A symptom of this is that the M&P It usually ejected around 4 to 5 O'clock rather than the ideal 3 o'clock.

I've read a bunch about switching to a heavier buffer weight to mitigate that. Sportsman's Warehouse had the Tapco H2 buffer on sale for $18.99 so I decided to give it a try.

I took it to the range yesterday and did a side by side between the original 3 OZ carbine buffer and the 4.7 OZ H2 buffer. I did about 30 rounds with the 3 OZ and 40 rounds with the H2.

The H2 made a noticeable difference in terms of calming the rifle down a bit. It was not a dramatic difference there was definitely less bounce and less of a recoil impulse. I did not see a dramatic difference in the eject pattern and it still seemed to be ejecting around 4 o'clock. Nevertheless, the M&P was unquestionably more pleasant to shoot with the H2. The reliability was the same, with no FTF or FTE issues. 70 rounds is a small sample size to be fair. Based on all of this, I would absolutely recommend this H2 buffer upgrade for someone dealing with an AR that is 'over-gassed'

TLDR: My M&P 15 Sport is over-gassed. I heard about H2 buffers and decided to give it a try. The M&P was noticeable less gassy and more pleasant to shoot. Reliability seemed to be unaffected. I'd recommend the H2 for someone having similar issues.

https://www.sportsmans.com/shooting-...ffer/p/1846035

[jsanch03]

The H2 will help dampen the felt recoil and slow your bcg down a bit. If you have the money swap both the buffer and sprint for the geissele braided spring with their H2 buffer. The spring is similar to the mg42 where the theory was to reduce recoil and twang. I use it in my ar and can hear and feel the difference.

[newshooter650]

I've heard good things about Geissele springs and buffers. Once they have one of their big sales I'll have to check them out. I've got another carbine that is not as bad as the M&P was so I may make that my Geissele guinea pig.

[ar15barrels]

[FONT=Calibri]I have an older 1st gen M&P 15 Sport.
It's been a great rifle but it has always seamed a bit 'over-gassed' compared to other ARs that I've shot.
A symptom of this is that the M&P It usually ejected around 4 to 5 O'clock rather than the ideal 3 o'clock.

If your AR is ejecting at 4:00, it's already properly gassed.
4:00 is actually ideal.
If it were overgassed, it would be ejecting forward of 3:00.
5:00 is on the verge of undergassed but that's OK as long as the gun is running reliably.
It's not ONLY the angle that you look at to determine under/overgas.
Also look at the distance the brass is landing in relation to how high the gun is off the ground when it's being fired.

[newshooter650]

ON the M&P15 it's usually 3-4 o'clock and depending once the specific round it's anywhere from 5 feet to 10 feet when I'm shooting it on a bench.

[RAMCLAP]

How did you conclude that 3 oclock was ideal? A fighting gun should be over gassed and it should bounce cases off of the deflector. Thats why it exists.

[newshooter650]

My M&P15 does do 3-4 o'clock with the H2 and did 2-3 o'clock with the original carbine buffer. I realize I had that backwards with the original post.

My brass deflector definitely has wear on it. I bought the rifle used and I've put roughly 2000 rounds through it. Not sure how many rounds the previous owner did but the rifle looked to be almost unused when I bought it. The rifle was always very reliable, it was just also rough compared to my other 16 inch carbine uppers. That is what led me to want to try the H2.

I'm going to do more shooting with the M&P to gauge long term difference and reliability with the H2 but the first trip with the H2 makes me think it will be a good long-term upgrade..

[RAMCLAP]

My M&P15 does do 3-4 o'clock with the H2 and did 2-3 o'clock with the original carbine buffer. I realize I had that backwards with the original post.

My brass deflector definitely has wear on it. I bought the rifle used and I've put roughly 2000 rounds through it. Not sure how many rounds the previous owner did but the rifle looked to be almost unused when I bought it. The rifle was always very reliable, it was just also rough compared to my other 16 inch carbine uppers. That is what led me to want to try the H2.

I'm going to do more shooting with the M&P to gauge long term difference and reliability with the H2 but the first trip with the H2 makes me think it will be a good long-term upgrade..

That's actually a semi sane answer. Just remember it's a S&W and why no one uses them for hard duty. You might just have a great plinker on your hands.

[newshooter650]

Yeah it's been a great rifle for me. I've learned the platform with it and it's even better now. I for sure would not consider it as true duty weapon but it's great for me as a hobbyist.

[ar15barrels]

ON the M&P15 it's usually 3-4 o'clock and depending once the specific round it's anywhere from 5 feet to 10 feet when I'm shooting it on a bench.

That gun is definitely not over gassed if the brass is only flying 5-10ft at 3-4 o'clock.

You are possibly feeling it's over gassed because it's carbine gassed and you are probably comparing it to midlength, intermediate or rifle gassed guns.

[newshooter650]

I have a couple other carbine length ARs that are not as harsh as the M&P. The other thing with the M&P is it does have a muzzle brake whereas my others have thread protectors. The muzzle brake is definitely louder and more concussive for sure.

[ar15barrels]

I have a couple other carbine length ARs that are not as harsh as the M&P.

The weight of the gun is also a big factor in recoil.
You cant compare a heavy gun to a light gun and expect them to recoil the same when shooting the same ammo.

[newshooter650]

Yeah it's crazy how many variables there are with the AR.