M&P 15-22

[tannerss09]

First post (besides intro)!! So I'm looking into a .22 rifle for sport shooting and HD,etc. I've done a little research on conversions and dedicated uppers but was wondering what you guys think of the M&P. I do not have a lower so the dedicated upper is out nor a complete rifle so that's out too.lol I'm pretty set on the M&P15-22 but am always up for suggestions. What other 22 ar rifles do you suggest?

[etownguy]

Love mine they are very good guns. Close to 1,000 rounds in a day and the two failures I had were ammo primer related

[JustShootIt]

Hard to beat the M&P 15/22

Great guns....mags are easy to get and not too pricey

If you want a dedicated AR 22, this is great way to go...

[mtmetzger]

I've had a couple issues with mine. The first one was an out of battery fire which blew the extractor out. Sent it back in and they replaced the bolt. Now my hammer pin is walking out so I need to send it in again. It's been a decent rifle, just not very reliable and hasn't made me mad enough to sell it yet. I figured I would send it in to get the pin issue resolved but KNS makes an anti-rotation pin kit which would probably give me a lot more confidence in it.

[etownguy]

Hard to beat the M&P 15/22

Great guns....mags are easy to get and not too pricey

If you want a dedicated AR 22, this is great way to go...

Mags are not all THAT easy to find. I ordered from CTD their inventory was off and did not have any so my money was refunded.
All other sites showed out of stock. so I ordered 2 direct from S&W 2 weeks ago still have not heard anything on that. so in the mean time Copes showed to have some on hand so I ordered 3 from them! haha by they all get here I should have a nice collection of mags for it.

[Jonwoos]

I love my M&P 15-22, I tricked out some, but it shoots great.

[KYgundude]

IMO The Ruger 10/22 is the most amazing 22 made. They just don't fail, EVER. The M&P 15-22 is a fantastic 22 but it's a 22 with a flashy look thus allowing them to charge a lot more money for it. If you want the look ( and I would ) then go ahead and buy it. If your talking pure functionality and reliability you can't go wrong with a 10-22. It's amazingly configurable and you can make it look like a black rifle down the line should you so choose.

[jackalo626]

I very much disagree with the never fail statement Kygundude. I know of 3 members on this site that have had nothing but problems out of their new out of box 10/22, so much they sold them and never looked back. I have a Remington 597 that had an extractor problem from factory that had what appeared to be a heavy burr and after a volquartzen extractor upgrade which took 30 seconds to do and cost less than $20 and it is flawless now after 800+ rds. Now I don't believe it is the designs fault like I say because the other 597's I have shot and seen did not have the issue nor the same mark on extractor. To add to why I like the 597 is the price point which for a heavy barrel with optics and a full size stock came in around $160.

[JustShootIt]

Well......this is thread crapping, but........

"Flawless" is used waaaayyyyy tooooooo often!

Sure, I am probably guilty of it too at times.......

For something to be "flawless" that means it NEVER failed........I've not shot a gun yet, let alone a 22 that hasn't at least failed once......

[Jonwoos]

Alot of times ammo is the problem causing failures that sometimes people blame the weapon for.

[jackalo626]

I said the gun after the extractor upgrade has been flawless as in it hasn't malfunctioned in about 800 rds with the factory mags I use. Do I think it will never fail again (especially being a rimfire gun) YES but due to ammunition. Anything can be flawless until it fails by definition.

[ChopperDoc]

I like my 15-22, but would prefer a smaller size magazine for certain applications. The one that came with the gun and the extra mags usually in stock locally are the 25 rounders with the profile of an AR 30 round mag. A little harder for bench shooting and Appleseed shooting. I would recommend you get a few of the smaller 10 round mags if you want use your rifle for some of those type applications. Just makes it more comfortable IMHO.

CTD had some for $15 or so last time I looked.

I like my 10-22, but it has had some work done to it. Never owned a stock one. I have a Marlin Model 60 that is a tack driver, but the tube feed system is not what I prefer. I have hear GREAT things about the Marlin 795 (basically a Model 60 that is mag fed), so I may pick one up next time I get a chance.

I have a Remmy 597. It is pretty nice too, but I have seen several with extractor problems and then I read that it is fairly common. Pretty easy fix, but it is kind of disheartening to read that there is still a common problem with this rifle and has not been fixed by the rifle maker. So far no issues with mine. It survived an Appleseed shoot, but a new one purchased a few days before did not.

Since Marlin is now owned by Remington, not sure I want a new 795, but if I can find one that was made before Marlin was sold I will get one.

All of those above rifles have after market stuff to make them look and feel similar to an AR.

Based on my experience with all those weapons, for the money, I think I would go with the 15-22 for what you are asking. You want the AR look and feel right out of the box (it appears). Function is good, maybe not tricked out 10-22 great, but good right out of the box (usually). It will be the most economical way to get what you want in look and feel because tricking out a 10-22, Remmy or Marlin will cost you more than the 15-22 new.

Not sure I would rely on it for HD, but sport shooting it owuld be fun and economical.

I have to tell you, though is is not an AR, I like my GSGs in MP5 clones better than my 15-22 for "sport shooting". Not a practical bench shooter or Appleseed shooter, but more fun than my 15-22.

[HBTANK]

I grabbed a 15-22 to match the sw 15 I already had and to play with the slidefire....they both run fine..

[Mudcat]

I'll throw my .02 in here as well. I like the 15/22 they really seem to be fairly reliable, meaning I haven't seen too many issues out of them on the Appleseed line. They are accurate and need little to make a fun rifle and of course the looks and ergonomics are great.

I am however not a fan of the Colt Umarex though and the Sig 522 lots of problem out of both of these.

The 10/22 is another great rifle people usually have issues with them out of the box because they do not prepare them for a long weekend of shooting, dust, rain, mud or snow. One thing that needs to be done with them is to take them apart and remove the paint over spray from the inside top of the receiver with either brake cleaner and scotchbrite pad or sand paper. Run some CCI mini mags in it for the first 500 rounds or so with little lube. Then clean and lightly oil them and they usually run for a few thousand rounds before needing anything else. For my loaner rifles I buy 10/22 and do not look back they just last and last and take the least amount of upkeep to keep on running as loaner that get treated like a rentals. Dust, mud, rocks, new shooters, ice and snow they are my choice with my money. But I shoot a Savage Bolt action.

Marlin 795 is a great little rifle as well only negatives I see are mags that do not drop free, and some have broken firing pins after lots of dry firing which should not hurt it but does. Also the optics seem to walk off of the rail so make sure you peen the rail and use loctite.

Remington 597s have a very hard time making it through a weekend. Worst thnigs are them spitting extractors out. It almost a given that when one shows up on the line it will drop an extractor, I usually carry a spare or 2 in my range box. I've probably bought 15-20 of them over the years. They are accurate out of the box but most any gun shoots better than we can out of the box.

What I say obviously isn't the die hard absolute but but after seeing hundreds of different .22 rifles on the line week after week for 4 years, doing Appleseeds some things stick in my pea brain. I may add I don't think any of them are junk by any means. Just get out and shoot the crap out of whatever you get. I advise to attend an Appleseed too it will make your practice time more enjoyable and make you a better shot.

[jackalo626]

My 597 never "spit out an extractor" nor has Joe's. I have had thousands of rounds through mine and never spit an extractor. I'm lucky I guess.