Is the Smith & Wesson MP15 in .22 caliber - any opinions?

[Hokkmike]

Certainly every gun is a serious tool to be used carefully, but I was looking at a S&W MP15 in .22 caliber and trying to decide if it would be a useful tool or just an AR look-alike safe toy.

It would be a range gun & plinker, but other than that can you apply any other use? Cannot hunt with a semi auto in my state. .22 is too small for home defense, right?

There is one available locally for $400. Bought but, reason for the post, unused and therefore for sale.

Thanks all.

 

[gudaki]

For a range gun and plinker they are a blast and cheap to shoot..

 

[vanfunk]

I bought one, mostly for my kids to shoot when we go to the range together. I think I paid around $400-425 for it and put a blem Primary Arms 2.5x prism scope on it. It’s been an excellent gun and has never malfunctioned. It’s accurate for what it is; it’s no Anschutz but it’ll manage sub 2” groups at 50 yards with CCI mini-mags. This kinda put the AR bug in their heads and led to them wanting to build their own 5.56 ARs, which we did this year. I’d say buy it if you’re looking for a fun range gun and plinker with that “AR feel.” For a semi-auto you can customize and accurize, you’d be better off with a 10/22.

 

[Frulk]

I've not heard anything bad about the Smith’s .22’s. Several different versions they’ve put out over the years.

I had a couple of AR styled .22’s. SIG’s 522 and the one I currently own by Hammerli (made by Umarex). The SIG was exceedingly fun and VERY accurate for what it was and was given to my ex boss and good friend for his son. Last I heard it’s still doing its part in south western Wyoming on their relatives sheep farm keeping gophers under control. Lastly, the SIG seemed a little more substantial than either the Smith or Hammerli AR .22’s. I say that with the quantifyer that I’ve held a couple of Smith AR .22’s but have not shot them.

Youngsters seem to really like shooting them. I wouldn’t advocate them as a first gun to learn on but once someone feels comfortable that the kid has basic safety skills embedded they sure can run through a lot of ammo quickly with an ear to ear grin.

The Hammerli is a dedicated can and dirt clod plinker when it does leave the rack. I’d have no problems hunting small game with it. Both it and the SIG were more than adequate in the accuracy department for that.

I like all guns in general and AR styled .22’s are cheap fun at the range and at informal desert or woodlot shooting sessions.

The Hammerli. It’s used as a price leader in a lot of stores and on websites and I believe can still be had for under $400 with a little room to spare. It has the option to adjust for various brands of ammo to ensure reliable cycling. Drawback is Umarex does have its detractors related to build quality.



I think you might be surprised about how much you’ll like that little Smith AR.

 

[trackskippy]

I have two of them, a rifle and a pistol. Both have been good shooters and are a good beginners gun and AR experience. My sons girlfriends boys both started out on them and quickly transitioned to actual AR's with no trouble at all.

They are basically a slightly downsized version of the real thing, and are light enough and can be made small enough to fit smaller kids with no troubles.

They are fun to shoot and once I got an earlier version sorted with S&W, the two I have now, have been reliable. Their mags work well, are easy to load, and are trouble free.

The first M&P15-22 I bought I got used and it was part of a recall (issues with bolt dimensions or something) and had issues. It went back to S&W three times, on their dime and they finally just gave me a new rifle. That solved the issue.

If anything gives me pause with them, its the extractor. There are a couple of companies that make aftermarket versions that I think are a better design, and I have replaced those in my guns with one of them, after dealing with, and seeing what went on with the first gun and trying to get it sorted.

The extractor on the first gun was missing when I bought it, and I didn't realize it until I started shooting it and trying to sus things out. I replaced it thinking it would fix things, but it didn't as the issue must have been something else. When I sent it back, it came back with a factory extractor in it, and that too came out while shooting. It hasn't been an issue with the guns Ive replaced the factory extractors with, and I did keep them as spares.

If you get one, Id suggest getting a spare extractor and the associated parts. They arent all that expensive, and it cant hurt to have a spare.

 

[Mk-211]

A friend has one, my son was shooting my 10/22 when he was younger.

Needless to say, he spent the rest of the day shooting my friends .22! The cool factor for kids is off the chart, just like dads rifle.

The only time I laughed harder was when we were at the range one day. He asked me if he could shoot the "Punisher".

I thought he meant my .50, he was talking about the AR I had put
together for him. I had used one of Spikes lowers with the punisher logo on it.

 

[Chuck R.]

When kids come out to shoot at my place it's a big hit:

Mine's been very reliable and reasonably accurate for a plinker. The only caution is, that you will go through a lot of 22LR..

 

[2ndtimer]

A local club has an annual introduction to firearms class to educate anyone interested in learning about guns. It culminates in an afternoon at my club where a few of us volunteer to allow them to try out some of our personal firearms. The NRA provides an assortment of ammo through a grant. My S&W M&P 15-22 is always one of the favorites, particularly for the ladies. It looks scary, but with the Nikon scope set at 3X, they can easily ring steel at 15 and 25 yards and are pleasantly surprised by the lack of recoil and minimal noise. Also a decent gopher getter at close range. Also, my wife’s favorite for plinking.

 

[jmr40]

I had one for a while. The 10 round mags didn't get in the way and I like them better. Mine was 100% reliable and it is a cheap gun to shoot if you want to use the same platform as an AR. The trigger on mine was HEAVY. Accuracy was so-so but a lot of that may have been the trigger.

Nothing wrong really, I just liked my Ruger 10/22 better,

 

[wild willy]

Are you looking at new or old there’s an alert/recall on some of the first ones. S&W sends a little gauge to check the bolt mines a old one but was ok.Supposedly very few would fire when the bolt closed.

 

[Howland937]

I bought one just to use in the rimfire carbine class at local matches. I have some semi autos that are scoped and more hunting oriented and didn't have interest in a 10/22. Had a rebate going on so I got it new with 3 25 round mags for about $350. It's been very reliable except for some problems with mags and accuracy is good enough. Can't complain about it.

 

[LiveLife]

AR look-alike safe toy ... can you apply any other use?

Why certainly.

I use CMMG 22LR conversion bolts and BCA dedicated 22LR upper for various AR15 shooting drills (I can conduct up to 3 person simultaneous training drills at the same time), including close range within 25-50 yard fast point shooting drills and 2L bottle plinking fun because you are using same "manual of arms" and same trigger pull due to using same lowers as shooting .223/.300BLK/350-400 Legend (Legend uppers are gaining increasing popularity due to cheaper 9mm/40S&W projectile cost).

I used to use 9mm uppers and Endo Mags (Now they sell Exo Mag which doesn't require Magpul PMag donor shell) for same manual-of-arms and trigger training but 22LR ammunition is cheaper than 9mm and for close range shooting drills, POI really doesn't deviate much from POA point shooting practice without recoil factor to better focus on trigger control and engaging multiple targets.

For 50-100 yard plinking and target shooting, I switch to accurized 10/22 and T/CR22 with bull barrels to pursue dime/quarter sized groups and minute-of-soda can plinking fun.

 

[Armed 24/7]

I’ve had one for about 10 years or so. It’s an excellent rifle, zero problems with it. Back in the bump stock days it would empty a magazine in about 2 seconds (probably less than 2) if you held it light enough.

 

[entropy]

Certainly every gun is a serious tool to be used carefully, but I was looking at a S&W MP15 in .22 caliber and trying to decide if it would be a useful tool or just an AR look-alike safe toy.

It would be a range gun & plinker, but other than that can you apply any other use? Cannot hunt with a semi auto in my state. .22 is too small for home defense, right?

There is one available locally for $400. Bought but, reason for the post, unused and therefore for sale.

Thanks all.

Yes, it is in .22 caliber. Specifically, .22 LR.
Training vs. expending .223 ammo would seem the most logical use, though they are a fun range toy in their own right.

 

[Show Me]

Seriously a tool , no but the city kids love the 22 AR kit. Glad it's hard to load the mag. Only thing that slows them down. So glad they all got old enough to load it themselves.

An ex mp nephew got the Smith and just giggles when he gets it out but being a killer made him a little different anyway.

 

[ozarkhillbilly]

Mine has been very reliable just as reliable as my 10/22’s. While I bought it as a fun gun for my sons, in a pinch it could be used for hunting or even self defense.

 

[CraigC]

Everything I've heard has been positive and for a cheap plinker or something to start the kids on, I'm sure they're excellent. For me, because they're almost entirely plastic, they're just too light. I wanted a trainer and ended up building one with a CMMG .22LR upper. In addition to being the weight of a centerfire, it is built on a rear AR lower. The M&P will only ever be a .22LR.

 

[doubleh]

I would say yes. My SIL bought one when they first came out that was a total jam-o-matic. One range trip and I have never seen it or heard it mentioned again. After buying a table at the NRA banquet 3 years ago and choosing Mossberg's version of an AR 22 as the table gun for our second oldest grandchild that is seriously petite and finding none of us could make it work I bought her a 15-22. It has been flawless and she loves it. It has become hard for granpa and papa to keep her supplied with ammo. It is so light it feels like a toy to me but a fun toy. Using only 10 round mags slows her ammo consumption a little.

 

[FL-NC]

I have one that I use pretty hard for mostly for training purposes. For drills at shorter ranges I don't need to burn through 223. I can fire it into steel targets that are not rated for center fire rifle rounds in a pistol bay. Naturally, it is cheaper to shoot than 223. It is also capable of taking any AR trigger, so if you want to put something like a Larue or JP trigger in it that is 100% do-able. Of course, with add-on rails, lights, lasers, and so on can be added, and with the same threads as a standard AR, anything with that thread pattern and a .22 hole can be threaded right on. The only downside is with the 22 LR round stacking up in the magazine, the rims need to be off set when loading or you will get malfunctions, so take care when loading- after a few times you will get the hang of it.

 

[The Happy Kaboomer]

I've owned and enjoyed mine for years.....It's even "minute of squirrel" with iron sights......Want extra fun? Get the 50 rd Blackdog magazine for it.