Has anyone shot the Mossberg Tactical .22 carbine?

[Excelsior]

i was going to buy one and then i heard it all... "...it is an abortion of a rifle."

if youre looking to buy something tactical looking.

m&p 15-22 is complete and very good.

my route, i put one on back order from turners and started building a dedicated .22 upper for one of my ar15 lowers. probably the best way to go for getting something in your hands to shoot tomorrow.

Why is it an "...it is an abortion of a rifle."

The S&W is more than DOUBLE the price of the Mossberg. Why?

[Excelsior]

I have one and couldn't be happier.
I bought a used scope and I can shoot the teats off of a fly (female) at 50 yards.
If you are concerned about what your shooting buddies will say, don't buy it. The peer pressure may be too much.
If you do buy it, PM me and I'll tell you how to get the mojambo size magazines for it on the DL.

I already own several .22's including a 10/22, a Remington 552, a Nylon 66, a Marlin Model 60, and several others.

The Mossberg seems like good value so I thought I would look into it. As someone who has done new product costing I really can't see why the S&W is 2x the price of the Mossberg from a cost standpoint? The only reason I can see is that at least up to now, people are willing to pay the price -- at least for now.

[Tri750]

Oh, for what it's worth, from 15 feet away, no one can tell the difference anyway, they all look alike.
We were at Auberry range one and my buddy Tim was doing some fly un-teating with it while I loaded magazines and two guys a couple lanes over were commenting on the "one of those AR's chambered in 9mm" that we were shooting. Too funny. I love those electronic ears.

[old151]

Feels cheap, too much plastic and you need to remove about 17 screws for a proper take down & cleaning. That was the deal breaker for me.

[Tri750]

Clean it. Yeah. Uhhh. Well, I'll get around to doing that after the next brick or three. But I likely won't to a "proper" take down and clean. It seems very happy running as-is. Kinda like a cast iron skillet ya know?

[majtom94]

I've had one for a year and I have to say that for 22 rifles it pretty dependable. If you really want to clean it there are a number os screws to remove; the good is that you don't need to clean it. After a brick, a shot or two of oil and rock away again. Hose it down with gun scrubber later at home and your good to go back to the range again. I have not taken mine apart to clean and I will claim around 4 or 5 thousand rounds. i put a barska red dot sight on mine and it will punch a hole the size of a dime in fifty shots.

It will even shoot am eagle ammo. Only my ruger pistol will shoot that, my 10 22 will not shoot am eagle.

[xxINKxx]

I haven't personally shot one. But out in AZ there was a local Indian family plinking next to us and the guy had one because of the price range. They didn't have alot of money so that's why they got it (I think they are in the mid 200$ range)

He said it shoots flawless and never jams. I saw him put down alot of rounds and it shot no different then a high end 22lr AR

[santamonica9]

ive never shot one, but held them etc. - i do own a some fun .22's from the tactical fun ones to the classics. the reason the s&w 15-22 is so much $ is b/c it uses the same ar trigger and safety and its branded "Smith & Wesson M&P"

most of the tacticool .22;s are plasticky - my personal favorite is still the 15-22 and it makes every range trip no matter what

[Excelsior]

ive never shot one, but held them etc. - i do own a some fun .22's from the tactical fun ones to the classics. the reason the s&w 15-22 is so much $ is b/c it uses the same ar trigger and safety and its branded "Smith & Wesson M&P"

most of the tacticool .22;s are plasticky - my personal favorite is still the 15-22 and it makes every range trip no matter what

With regard to hard material costs I suspect the S&W is within $10-15 of the Mossberg. Doubling the price is a rip-off, but if they can sell them, more power to them.

I very much agree with your "branded 'Smith & Wesson M&P'" comment.

[Excelsior]

I finally handled one of these at Big 5. It's odd that the one I checked out had a telescoping buttstock that actually telescoped, while the S&W "California model" has a fixed "telescoping" buttstock.

Are telescoping buttstocks legal in CA on .22's at least for the moment?

[jdben92883]

"Evil features" don't exist for rimfires...for now.

I finally handled one of these at Big 5. It's odd that the one I checked out had a telescoping buttstock that actually telescoped, while the S&W "California model" has a fixed "telescoping" buttstock.

Are telescoping buttstocks legal in CA on .22's at least for the moment?

[chillincody]

I had one for the price it was good I guess . but it is made of plastic and to break it down its kind of a PITA to be honest . the mag release is garbage you have to push it and pull the mag out the mag with finger tips since it is just 10 round mag that sits flush with plastic magwell, IMO your better off just building a dedicated .22lr AR 15 so you have the option of going 556 or other caliber later if you should choose to , and it only cost bout $100 more than the s&w mp15-22 just my ,02cent

[Excelsior]

"Evil features" don't exist for rimfires...for now.

Thanks -- I just looked at the flowchart.

I wonder why the S&W M&P 15-22 (CA Version) has a locked "telescoping" stock? Maybe they ship it to other states as well that have that requirement?

[ShadowX]

I have only owned the Colt Umarex M4 OPS and 10/22 Takedown. I configured my Colt to the point where it has all magpul furniture and feels very real (externally) as compared to the other guns listed below. I changed the trigger pull from the standard 8-9lb pull down to around 4.5 lbs. I have looked at many options before I picked the Colt M4 OPS. The standard Colt M4 feels cheesy since I did not like the handle. I added a Vortex Strikefire red dot system to the gun and I love it. The M&P 15-22 was not available for me to review during purchase, but its another gun that I would love to own.

Here is my take (mostly my opinion and reviews by others):

1) Actual AR15 lower with CMMG mod (or other 22 LR conversion kits)
Pros:
a) Feels and handles like a real AR since its mostly AR parts
b) Can use existing AR15 upper assembly and barrel
Cons:
a) More expensive than other options
b) Reliability of the mod is questionable in long term use

2) S&W M&P 15-22
a) Dedicated 22 LR gun
b) Lower can use standard parts and AR triggers
c) Reliable
d) Working bolt release mechanism
e) Relatively lower cost (approx $459-$519)
Cons:
a) Polymer lower (some people feel its cheesy compared to metal so I put it as con, but its more of a personal taste)
b) Uppers and lower is not interchangeable with standard AR15 (but this is probably by design to limit liability)

3) Colt Umarex M4 OPs
Pros:
a) Made of metal so it feels more like a standard AR than a polymer lower
b) Feels heavier and sturdier due to additional metal (may or may not be a benefit depending on your use)
c) Very configurable. Most external AR parts work with a few exceptions. You can replace stock, foregrip and grips (the grips have to be modified slightly due to the hole alignment.)

Cons:
a) The forward assist does not function. The forward release function was removed to prevent accidental discharge due to the rimfire and bolt design.
b) The bolt release does not function. This is a bad thing in my opinion, but you can stick your finger into the mag well to depress the lever to lock the bolt, but its a clunky design.
c) The safety switch was 180 degrees on previous desisns. The current generation of guns have a standard 90 degree safety.
d) The trigger assembly is non-standard so you can't replaced with standard AR parts. The trigger pull is around 8-9 lbs on stock configuration. The trigger pull can be fine tuned down to 4.5 lbs or less.
e) The bolt assembly is not standard and needs to be disassembled to be cleaned properly
f) The removal of the upper and lower pins require the user to loosen the muzzle flash hinder.
g) The actual gun barrel is very thin and is inserted into a larger tube to make the barrel appear thicker.
h) Uppers and lower is not interchangeable with standard AR15 (but this is probably by design to limit liability)
i) Price is around $519 - $550 at retail, depending on the M4 OPS or standard model

Looking at the mossberg photo you sent, here are my comments:
Pro:
a) Lower price

Cons:
a) The entire gun looks plastic/polymer from the front to back (I think only the screws, bolt and barrel looks like its made out of metal)
b) The magazine looks cheesy with a lock on it
c) The handle is fixed and can not be removed
e) Charging handle looks fake
f) Proprietary trigger (most likely)
g) Safety is not in standard location
h) Trigger guard looks plastic and flimsy
i) The grip looks permanent, so it can't be replaced

It would be a great gun to give to a 18 year old kid as a birthday present, but I wouldn't rely on it for training or even general use. It might work fine, but I question the quality of a gun in this price range. I think the reason why its so inexpensive is because of the amount of plastic used and the fact that its not interchangeable. The 22 LR round is very dirty and you have to clean the rifle often. The upper and the lower looks likes its only one piece, so cleaning would require you to take the screws apart. I would hate to imagine what happens when you lose a part when you take the two halves apart. It definitely does not look like a gun that would have a good resale value.

[ShadowX]

I already own several .22's including a 10/22, a Remington 552, a Nylon 66, a Marlin Model 60, and several others.

The Mossberg seems like good value so I thought I would look into it. As someone who has done new product costing I really can't see why the S&W is 2x the price of the Mossberg from a cost standpoint? The only reason I can see is that at least up to now, people are willing to pay the price -- at least for now.

If you already have a 10/22, I suggest you update the trigger to a KIDD trigger. You will throw away all the other guns and just use the 10/22 as your main 22LR gun.