Thinking of buying AR-15 .22LR - seeking advice

[TheWombat 67]

I'm looking to buy my first long gun and am looking at the AR-15 platform in .22LR. I've seen the S&W M&P 15 .22LR mentioned a number of times and looking for advice on whether this is the .22 to go for or whether there are others to consider.

 

It would need to be CA and NJ compliant and I notice the S&W model 811031 meets this.

 

The rifle would be for my wife and I, we are both right handed however I am left eye dominant.

 

Thoughts, advice, help please

 

Thanks

 

TheWombat

 

[Hawkin 0]

I have the S&W 15-22 and love it. Never had any problems with it. I normally use CCI Mini-Mags, no ftf, fte, or ftf. I can hit a quarter at 25 yds and hold a good group at 50yds with the stock sights.

[JonF 79]

The S&W will be the least expensive route, and a fantastic bargain. You can't have a dedicated 22lr AR pattern rifle any other way for even anywhere near the cost of the smith. Now, if you already had a centerfire AR, you could get a dedicated 22lr upper, but those tend to cost as much or more than the entire S&W rifle itself. Also, you can purchase a bolt conversion for your 223 upper and while those come in under $200, there are some clear caveats with that solution to be aware of. The benefit of both of these two options are that they are not firearms and can be purchased online and both being able to share the same common lower receiver if you have a upgraded/customized one (say with a better trigger/grip/stock). OTOH, you can also customize the Smith, albeit at additional cost.

 

To summarize, the Smith is a very cost effective option and if that is you main priority, its the best option. The other routes have thier advantages, it jsut depends on your primary goals.

[Johnny 0]

I picked up a S&W M&P 15-22 from Paul at Arms N Ammo a couple months back and I love it. I have probably put about 2k rounds through it (all bulk Blazer and Federal) and I have not had one single issue. The feel of the gun is great for me and I find it to be very accurate. Cleaning is a breeze. I would absolutely recommend it. I looked at other options but this was the best.

[Old Glock guy 1,127]

Wombat, it's about time! As others have noted, the S&W 15-22 is a great choice. Plus, the controls are just about the same as on a "real" AR, so it's good training for when you get one (and I can almost guarantee that you will!). You're welcome to try mine sometime, perhaps at RTSP.

[TheWombat 67]

I'll expect I'll build an AR-15 at some point, however this first one is just to have as a .22LR hence looking to buy a pre-built .22LR and as it is primarily for MrsWombat the S&W 15-22 seems a good fit.

 

@OldGlockGuy - I'll PM you.

 

thanks

 

TheWombat

[Steve_G 51]

The M&P 15-22 is a nice choice, especially considering the cost. I was all set to buy one myself but, there were two reasons I didn't.

1 - I had an unused lower crying out to me.

2 - The M&P is plastic and I prefer metal.

I ended up buying a CMMG .22 upper and couldn't be happier.

[Jon 264]

I love my 15-22, and you're more than welcome to abuse it whenever you'd like Alex. I tend to join Troy up at RTSP once a month or so.

[XDJohnTact 49]

I also belong to the 15-22 fan club!

 

[Clintoon Eastwood 2]

I love my m&p 15-22 and the ammo is cheap obviously. I use cci blazers bulk and had 1 FTF out of 525 round bulk box and cci 22lr tactical too no FTF just yet.

 

The only negative thing I can say is that it has a plasticky feel to it and 10 round mags sucks because within 10 seconds it's time to reload again and I have 4 mags, it just feels like I spend more time reloading than shooting it, hahaha

[XDJohnTact 49]

I have a couple of the rrages 15 round mags and a couple of the 10 round mags. The only advantage of the 10 round mags is it slows down my ammo usage a bit.

[oneshot 45]

The Sig 522 is also a great choice. Amazingly accurate and cheap to shoot. A NJ compliant model is available .

[JerseyMike24 2]

I've had the smith and Wesson m&p for over two years and it has been flawless.

[Clintoon Eastwood 2]

I have a couple of the rrages 15 round mags and a couple of the 10 round mags. The only advantage of the 10 round mags is it slows down my ammo usage a bit.

 

True, but the 15 round mags is way too overpriced, I bout my mags of 10 rds for around $15 a piece, the rrages was $28. I just couldn't see myself buying it for the same price as 2 mags of 10rnds

[TheWombat 67]

Thanks everyone for the feedback. Looks like the 15-22 has been added to the shopping list for sometime in the next 2-3 months.

 

:-)

 

TheWombat

[XDJohnTact 49]

Make sure you use the price request when you are ready to buy. I know I got a great deal from Tony at TJ's Sporting Arms.

[Anselmo 87]

If you get the 15/22, buy the short 10 round mags. They have the follower button thing and it makes it much easier to depress the spring and load the magazines.

 

Long mag:

 

Short mag:

[Barms 98]

sorry if this hijacks the thread, but does a dedicated new out-of-the-box like the M&P 15/22 rifle run a "true" AR style gas impingement operation? Or is it just a bolt blowback? and along that lines.. if i bought a 223 rifle and then put the CMMG conversion in it does it still run the gas tube or does the conversion just bypass that and use a blowback system? sorry for this newbie question.

[XDJohnTact 49]

1. I bought a 1/4-20 nylon bolt at Lowes/Home Depot and put it in the hole. For .79 I had a load assist button.

 

2. The dedicated 15-22 has a blowback operation. I have never shot or seen a conversion kit so someone will have to reply to that.

[when_shtf 4]

I too was looking into a M&P15-22 to complement my Stag3 AR-15. I was on the fence about getting/building a dedicated AR-15/22 or buying the S&W rifle and then a friend of mine purchased the M&P15-22 and brought it to my house for me to shoot. It's a great rifle; lots of fun. Lots of inexpensive fun. And very accurate at 100 yards.

 

But after he left I started thinking about why I liked the rifle so much and why it was so much fun to shoot. I came to the conclusion that it was the accuracy that I was attracted to. Which got me thinking; why not just get a Ruger 10/22 (bull barrel) and then build it into a custom target rifle with a cool stock and great scope.

 

Can anyone else give a review of a M&P15-22 versus an well built 10/22?

[XDJohnTact 49]

I have a Ruger K10/22T, Laminated Stock, Bull Stainless Steel Barrel with the swirl relief. It looks and shoot great! I have a cheap Bushnell scope on it and I put in the Volksquarten trigger kit. It is very, very accurate. When I shoot indoors, we have targets with 24 nickel sized circles and we can almost always shoot 24 out of 24

 

I also own a M&P 15-22 which is stock (except for a little external eye candy). I think that it is much more accurate than I am as well. When I bring them both out to shoot with friends, the 15-22 gets most of the action. While it is definitely not as accurate as the Ruger, it has it beat in fun factor.

[JonF 79]

If you get the 15/22, buy the short 10 round mags. They have the follower button thing and it makes it much easier to depress the spring and load the magazines.

 

Long mag:

 

Short mag:

You can also buy 15rd pinned mags from RRages which will have the large body and the follower button and have the best of both worlds.

[Sonnylee 20]

The M&P 15-22 is a nice choice, especially considering the cost. I was all set to buy one myself but, there were two reasons I didn't.

1 - I had an unused lower crying out to me.

2 - The M&P is plastic and I prefer metal.

I ended up buying a CMMG .22 upper and couldn't be happier.

I said the same thing yesterday as I was looking for a M&P 15-22.. What a coincidence, are you happy with the CMMG? I have a M&P 15T already and just want to get the conversion bolt from CMMG. I'm not sure if the rifling would affect performance...

Anyway nice match yesterday at PCC.. Had fun!

[ChrisJM981 924]

I said the same thing yesterday as I was looking for a M&P 15-22.. What a coincidence, are you happy with the CMMG? I have a M&P 15T already and just want to get the conversion bolt from CMMG. I'm not sure if the rifling would affect performance...

Anyway nice match yesterday at PCC.. Had fun!

 

sonny if you have a rounded hammer in your AR a CMMG will work nicely. Notched hammer: not so much. Rifling of 1/9 is good out to 75 yards approx. Dedicated .22lr rifles have a 1/16 twist.

[raz-0 1,259]

sorry if this hijacks the thread, but does a dedicated new out-of-the-box like the M&P 15/22 rifle run a "true" AR style gas impingement operation? Or is it just a bolt blowback? and along that lines.. if i bought a 223 rifle and then put the CMMG conversion in it does it still run the gas tube or does the conversion just bypass that and use a blowback system? sorry for this newbie question.

 

There's not enough gas in 22lr to operate the ar gas system. The dedicated uppers don't even have a gas tube. The inserts just don't make use of it. All the 22 options are just blow back operated.

[FLHX 1]

I had the 15-22 in my hands the other day. When I felt that rifle I though it was a toy gun it felt cheap it feels nothing like a real AR unless you have one with cheap plastic rails.There are a few other ,22 AR style rifles out there. There is the Umarex that makes a Colt AR and a H&K knock off. CMMG makes a nice .22 but it is a little more expensive but it uses true AR hand guards and they have a 16in and a 20in in barreled design. If you really want to get crazy then get a scar clone Anschutz makes it and from their reputation and things I have read this is a top of the line shooter, just stay away from the ISSC scar clone. The other way to do it is to look into a composite lower you can get them for cheap and then get an upper the way you want it. There are many .22 uppers, CMMG and a new company I have been looking at is Core15 has plenty of uppers to choose. I have an older Plum Crazy lower that I am going to be making into a .22 in the next couple of months or so. So don't settle for the 15-22, if you like it then go for it I just think there are better ways to go Just my opinion!!

[TheDon 3]

I bought my son a M&P15/22 for his 13th birthday. I am basically very happy with its accuracy and reliability. But if I had a do-over, I would buy him an affordable AR15 and a CMMG conversion kit. Then, I could simply give him the 5.56 BCG and a stack of new mags next summer for his 16th birthday instead of now needing to buy him a complete new rifle.

 

Seriously consider the advice above.

[Sonnylee 20]

 

 

sonny if you have a rounded hammer in your AR a CMMG will work nicely. Notched hammer: not so much. Rifling of 1/9 is good out to 75 yards approx. Dedicated .22lr rifles have a 1/16 twist.

This is good to know, I'm not really impressed with the MP15-22 because of it poly construction so I will try the bolt conversion if that fails then ill get an entire upper...

Thanks ChrisJM981

 

Vince

[BlueLineFish 615]

I am now planning on getting the entire upper.

[SW9racer 262]

If you want to shoot steel, you cant beat the weight and pointing quickness of the MP15-22. My son gets sub 2-second scores. I would not want to swing a heavy conversioned AR around for that same 150 targets.