M&P15-22 range report

[mattjmcd]

I'm starting a new thread to make it easier for a hypothetical searcher to find info/feedback on this little rifle.

I picked one up just before Christmas and finally got out with it on New Year's Eve. I put 200 rds through it, equally divided between Yellowjacket HP's and heavier Aquila 40gr solids. RDS used was my elderly but Timex-like Bushnell HOLOsight.

Basically, this gun is my new favoritist firearm, I think. No malfs of any kind with either load. It was quite accurate at 25m with the Yellowjackets, and even more so with the heavier Aquila, although those did print a bit higher. Groups were dime sized or smaller in most cases. They opened up a bit when shooting offhand or from 50m, but the light weight and handiness of the whole package made it easy to stabilize the gun and get small groups even while shooting fast.

I expected a bit of teething with it wrt to feeding. I had no such problem. Overall accuracy was not quite as good as my CZ .22lr, but very close with the 1MOA dot in the old RDS. The irons were well regulated and accurate to POA right out of the box- no adjustment was needed, actually. The mags are quality and they do fit into basic M16/M4/AR mag pouches if they are not too snug.

This is a fun rifle and I am looking forward to it helping my training, what with the low cost of .22lr vs 5.56. If you are on the fence about one of these, I'd go for it.

[Pilgrim]

What no pics?

I was going to order a CMMG conversion unit... deposited money into the account... came home and picked up the phone... started to dial the number to order... but I couldn't do it. I know I wouldn't be satisfied with the accuracy.

I will have to get one of these M&P15-22's.

Time to file that tax return, and siphon off some of the refund!

[Speed Racer]

Great gun! And, lots of fun to shoot.

I've got about 1000 rounds through mine. Last night it shot 100-200 rounds through one ragged 2-inch hole at 25 yards with 4 different shooters taking turns on it.

They will jam after they get a little funky ... about 200-300 rounds into a practice session. Jams can be nasty with the bolt closing on a round that's partially stripped causing the round to get the case jammed forward in the magazine.

My shooting buddy had about 300 rounds through his when the extractor blew up. Looked like it was a fire without the bolt being closed completely. Smith has the rifle, and they are promising a quick fix.

I agree with the OP, this is one of the best firearms I've bought in year .... nice job S&W.

S.R.

[packheat]

Has anyone done any work with zeroing the rifle to make use of the elevation settings on the rear sight? I'm talking about a zeroing system like the Santose or RIBZ for 223, only for 22LR.

[Seagrave7]

CA Compliant
LMT Sopmod
Aimpoint M3 (2 moa) Now Aimpoint T1
Larue LT-129 Now LT-660
Hogue Grip
Magpul XTM Rail Cover

Got out to the range on Sunday. Put 300 rounds through the gun and no hiccups what so ever. I was only shooting CCI mini-mags, therefore the ammo is known to be very reliable and I was very careful to load my magazine with staggered ammo.

Started at 25yrds and the gun was shooting a little high with the iron sights. Pushed back to 50 yards adjusted the iron sights slightly. Then adjusted my Aimpoint to match my iron sights. Put a 3x Aimpoint magnifier behind the M3 so I had to remove the rear iron sights. With the magnifier and the M3 I was easily able to get out to 75 yards on steel. I was even hitting 100 yards steel.

I have to say I really enjoy this new rifle. I do have the 10/25 CA magazines and they are a pain to load with no load assist button, but I would rather have that be my only problem and at least we can buy the 15-22 here in CA.

Hope that helps.

UPDATE, sold the M3 running a T1 with LT660

[tpd223]

I bought one a couple of weeks ago and had it shipped, couldn't get to the range though until two days ago so I loaded my 5 mags and ventured into the fog since the range wasn't being used at work.

CCI Mini Mags, two magazines each of 40gr solids and 38gr HP, no stoppages, very accurate at the 50

Federal 40gr solids (I forget which series, the cheaper lead bullet stuff) two magazines, no issues.

Winchester Super-X stuff, 40gr solids, I have had for several years, two magazines, no issues

Two magazines of Remington Golden Bullet bulk pack (which is what works best in my AA Glock kit but has been specifically NOT recommended for this gun), two magazines, four fails to feeds, 8 fails to fire even with a good dent on the rim

Methinks this rifle is going to be a winner, and it's wicked fun.

[Jerry R]

I've had mine for a couple of weeks, and I like it a lot. No issues directly related to the rifle yet. Seems as accurate as my old eyes can hold.

[kjdoski]

I bought a 15-22 about a month ago, and I have to say, it's the best $400 I've ever spent on a firearm. I bought it primarily for my kids (I have four, ranging from 19 years to 7 year old twins). The rifle's adjustable stock allows me to "fit" the rifle to each of them. The light weight and non-existent recoil make it easy for them to shoot. The accuracy is good enough that all of my kids are routinely able to hit shotgun hulls at 10-15 yards, and I can hold 2" from the bench at 50 yards with minimal effort. Yesterday, I fired five quick shots off hand at a 5" shoot-n-c, and was happy to see all five shots clustered in the upper left quadrant of the target.

I just ordered five more magazines from 44mag - so I need to go out and get more ammunition to keep it fed!

Oh, and, WRT reliability, it's been flawless with Federal Bulk Pack from Walmart. Reliability with Remington "Golden Bullet" bulk pack not so good; but we still managed to polish off the 550 rounds in fairly short order...

All told, 1100 rounds downrange so far; no non-ammunition related failures of any kind.

Regards,

Kevin

[LonghunterCO]

Are the ones with the QD cup and the rear of the receiver out yet?

[Heavy Metal]

I took mine out today. I had numerous failures to eject and stovepipes with Federal Bulk Pack.

I wonder if I can tweak the spring rate by clipping a coil or two?