My first Ar-15! with some questions.

I am no expert on this, but the brass on the bolt face indicates use. I am not sure if the factory firing would leave that behind. It is also pretty weird that your rifle would ship with a pistol mag.... I would ask the retailer about it if I was you.
 
The safety is normal. You can't put a AR-15 (unless it is some weird variation or modification) to safe without the hammer being cocked. I can't speak towards the rest of it as I don't buy ARs.
 
Mine came with the same pistol mag if you look on the bottom it should be stamped M&P. I agree the bolt face looks a little more then test fired. Maybe QA ran more testing on this rifle?
 
The safety can not be engaged unless the hammer is cocked.....normal
The brass on the bolt face indicates that firing to check cycling......normal
The tool marks appear to be stacking of the castle nut........normal...(usually it is only on the notch in the castle nut and this one seems like it was slightly messed up, but no worries) if it was me I would ignore it, but that's me.


Note: I just looked at one of my new bolts and it appears identical after a box of cartridges.
 
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IMO there seems to be an awful lot of brass residue on that bolt face. I highly doubt that much would be left over from factory test firing. It could be that bolt was one used for testing a particular batch of bolts and then was assembled into your gun. I think I'd be contacting the manufacturer and asking about it.

As far as the gouge on the castle nut (2nd photo) it looks to me like someone was trying to stake the nut (as is normal) but either used the wrong tool or missed. A QC issue, but then that rifle isn't a top-line rifle either (still a good one though).

The roughness you mention when racking the charging handle should smooth up with use. Make sure you are generous with the lube, that should help.

The AR safety is one of its few design flaws (IMHO) as the hammer must be cocked before the safety can be applied. If you insert a loaded magazine and rack the charging handle (and your finger is on the trigger) the rifle can fire. Ask Colonel Daniel Menard (ret.) who was once a Brigadier General if you need proof.
 
The brass on the bolt face looks like more than 4 or 5 function test shots but shouldn't be anything you need to worry about as long as the rest is in good shape.
I'd send a pic to the retailer and ask if you're worried but otherwise I'd just clean it, oil it, and then go shoot it. Even if you use it the rifle still has warranty so don't worry too much.
 
Looks like some sloppy staking of the Castle nut (Which I wonder why they even do, as a tight nut shouldn't come off anyway) The safety is normal. Thats the normal magazine with the rifle. The brass on bolt face is probably from test firing, although it looks like they shot more than a couple of rounds through it.

Nothing there should impede function of your rifle at all, and the only thing of any concern is that the staking job is a little ugly. It's not something that would concern me , but everyone views cosmetic issues differently.
 
The only cause for concern is the crappy staking job, but it's purely cosmetic. Me personally, I could live with it as those S&W's were pretty damn cheap if I recall correctly.
All the other issues noted are non-issues, shoot the piss out of it and have fun.

Am I the only one curious why a S&W rifle came with a SIG sticker?
 
Gatehouse said:
Looks like some sloppy staking of the Castle nut (Which I wonder why they even do, as a tight nut shouldn't come off anyway) The safety is normal. Thats the normal magazine with the rifle. The brass on bolt face is probably from test firing, although it looks like they shot more than a couple of rounds through it.

Nothing there should impede function of your rifle at all, and the only thing of any concern is that the staking job is a little ugly. It's not something that would concern me , but everyone views cosmetic issues differently.
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There is a special place in hell reserved for their factory tech who stakes the castle nuts. They stake it TWICE the jerks, at least they did on mine, both sides of the nut.

Put a sling compatible end plate on mine, had to drill out both stakes completely to get the castle nut off. Never staking the new one.
 
shredder said:
The AR safety is one of its few design flaws (IMHO) as the hammer must be cocked before the safety can be applied. If you insert a loaded magazine and rack the charging handle (and your finger is on the trigger) the rifle can fire. Ask Colonel Daniel Menard (ret.) who was once a Brigadier General if you need proof.
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That would only apply if the gun is full auto which for a civilian AR-15 is not a concern. Lack of trigger control however is.
 
My new M&P had a little chatter marks around the castle nut also.Looks like a production line fudge that seems to be prevalent with a few of them so far.My bolt face I didn't really look at till my first cleaning so I'm no help here.Had the same mag in the box when I got mine.Bought a bunch of 10 rounders and a few MagPuls so don't care.Rifle shoots/functions great and I am satisfied with the accuracy so for $690 I am satisfied.
 
shredder said:
The AR safety is one of its few design flaws (IMHO) as the hammer must be cocked before the safety can be applied. If you insert a loaded magazine and rack the charging handle (and your finger is on the trigger) the rifle can fire. Ask Colonel Daniel Menard (ret.) who was once a Brigadier General if you need proof.
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The only flaw is Menard's poor weapon handling skills IMHO
 
When you get time crunched minimum wagers assembling your rifles, you're going to end up with those kinds of staking jobs.
 
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