Smith & Wesson M&P15-22

[Eroland7]

Has anyone ever seen or shot one of these? Seems like a great price. How do they stack up against the GSG-5? I almost bought one of these the other day. They had them in stock. But I just wanted to do some reasearch first. Any input would be great.

http://www.lcaction.com/ikorb.php?func=catalog&category_id=583&product_id=1778

[Quiet]

Still waiting to hear if it uses proprietary magazines or if the standard (BDM/Ciener) AR .22LR magazines will work in it.
I've heard conflicting reports and nothing definitive.

[yasushi]

I need a plinker for my daughter and having a Ciener compatible gun would be nice since I have few Ciener hi-caps sitting around.

[afro]

I want one of these really bad...

[HiveDR.]

Picked mine up the other day from ColdWar. Put 400 rds through it and no hi-cup to report. The gun was easy to shoot except for the trigger pull which came in at about 7 lbs., about what one would except for a AR fire control group. Yes it uses an AR fire control group so you can replace it with an "off the shelf" two stage or match trigger if you like. Something the Colt "airsoft" conversion can not do.

The pistol grip is from a standard AR so the skies the limit when changing that out. Again something the Colt can not do unless it's an airsoft part. I'm replacing it with a Tango Down next week. Also the stock tube extension is mil spec. It is modeled into the lower so you can not install every aftermarket stock but that still leaves you with a wide selection to choose from.

The bolt hold open works! It is not just cosmetic like on the Colt. The mag release is also a standard AR mag release, unlike the Colt's which is a modified airsoft release. So the M&P15 22's can be changed out with other types such as a Norgon ambi catch.

Overall I like it. I think it will make a good first gun for my 8 year old to learn on, because God knows it's a felony in CA to let him shoot my AR's.

[Flogger23m]

Interesting report. I saw the Colt M4 today, and was not impressed.

One thing it did have was the forward assist. I have no idea if it worked though.

[Check Six]

Nice features

It sounds like the S&W has some really good features, especially the functioning bolt release. The non-functioning bolt release on my Colt AR-22 is admittedly kind of tacky. And the complicated breakdown of the AR-22 for cleaning is a hassle as well. The S&W sounds like a fine .22 and cheaper to boot. Can't complain about a product that works and cheaper.

I think the primary reason for me buying the Colt was that it was made of metal vs. plastic, but seeings how may firearms nowadays have 'plastic' receivers, that shouldn't be an issue anymore.

[Check Six]

Interesting report. I saw the Colt M4 today, and was not impressed.

One thing it did have was the forward assist. I have no idea if it worked though.

Nope, it doesn't work...at least mine doesn't.

[Check Six]

Cleaning and Disassembly

Not meaning to bash the Colt (which I own) and never handling or shooting the S&W .22 M&P, I wish I'd have seen these vids on You tube before I bought my Colt. The S&W 'looks' like it'd be easier to disassemble and clean for someone who's mechanically challenged like me. (ps - I can disassemble and field strip a 1911 and M-16, after all they were designed to be GI proof, but I'm not too thrilled with taking apart something that has itty bitty parts and captive springs.

Time will tell which rifle is 'better' in other aspects.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLevPNn2AZA&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zhVBY6e1n0&feature=related

[Quiet]

HiveDR.
Does the S&W M&P-15/22 use proprietary magazines?

[HiveDR.]

Yes, just like Colt they use their own mag. They run about $20.00 each. They are made of the same polymer as the gun, feeling more durable and heavy than other 22lr mags on the market.

[BamBam-31]

http://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=34384

Here's a review (where they also state the mags are proprietary).

[Quiet]

Thanks for the info.

[Eroland7]

sweet, all good info. I will most likely try and scrap some funds together to see if i can pick one up this week.

[BamBam-31]

Proprietary mags was the deal breaker for me. I wanted something that would use BDM mags, so I went ahead and ordered a TacSol upper. (The fact that I had a complete lower lying around probably had a little to do with it. )