S&W 15-22 vs. Hämmerli Tac R1 vs. T/CR22

[Bimmer]

Basically, I'm looking for a reasonably-priced semi-auto .22lr.


(TL;DR: I have a 14-year-old daughter, and we're going to start shooting "rimfire challenge." We have decent .22 bolt gun (Ruger American Rimfire), but we need something faster to compete. I have an old CMMG conversion for a regular (5.56) AR, but I want something more accurate and more reliable.)


On my radar are the 15-22, the Hämmerli, and the T/C R22:

https://www.sportsmans.com/shooting-...rifle/p/p42265

https://www.sportsmans.com/shooting-...unds/p/1540056

https://www.sportsmans.com/shooting-...ifle/p/1507999


Thoughts so far...

15-22
Pro:
It's the "go-to" .22lr AR these days, and there's even aftermarket support.
It's light (77oz?), because it's made of plastic.

Con: It's made of plastic.
It's the most expensive ($400).
Flip-up sights suck... I'd be buying new sights.


Hämmerli
Pro:
It's made of aluminum, not plastic.
The rail is longer than the S&W.
It's $70 less than the S&W.

Con:
Flip-up sights suck... I'd be buying new sights.
It's a pound heavier than the S&W (90oz).
It's new, and it's Umarex, and I don't trust Umarex... There's less track record than the S&W, and zero aftermarket support. I'm not even sure what aftermarket mags would cost.


T/C R22
Pro:
California's less likely to ban it.
The iron sights are nice.
It's only $300.
It's only 70oz.
I have a bunch of 10/22 mags already.

Con: It would be nice to use the AR manual of arms...



Thoughts?

[Wake27]

I love my 15-22 but don't have experience with the others. I wouldn't worry about the plastic, especially if a young female is using it. The weight savings just adds to the fun. Personally I'd do number one and then if CA does go to ban it, buy the TC then. A big part of that reason is because of how much I use ARs though so YMMV.

[MegademiC]

I only have experienxe with the sw and it was fine... but if I was buying a 22 semi, Id get a ruger 10/22.

[Bimmer]

... if I was buying a 22 semi, I'd get a Ruger 10/22.

Well, the T/C R22 is basically an improved 10/22: Same system, same stock footprint, and mags are interchangeable.

I'm not trying to sell T/C products (or bash Ruger), but the Magpul stock and aperture/fiber-optic sights are better than Ruger's, the barrel is already threaded, a mounting rail is included, and it has a working bolt-hold-open...

A Ruger is $50-75 cheaper, but it would cost $100-200 to upgrade it to be as good as the T/C.

(And no, even given all the variants of the the 10/22 that Ruger sells, none of them have the same features as the T/C at anywhere near the price.)

[MegademiC]

Well, the T/C R22 is basically an improved 10/22: Same system, same stock footprint, and mags are interchangeable.

I'm not trying to sell T/C products (or bash Ruger), but the Magpul stock and aperture/fiber-optic sights are better than Ruger's, the barrel is already threaded, a mounting rail is included, and it has a working bolt-hold-open...

A Ruger is $50-75 cheaper, but it would cost $100-200 to upgrade it to be as good as the T/C.

(And no, even given all the variants of the the 10/22 that Ruger sells, none of them have the same features as the T/C at anywhere near the price.)

Oh nice, I didnt realize that. I would opt for that, then.

[Uni-Vibe]

Get the Smith. I have one and it functions just like an M4. So much fun.

[Nightstalker865]

Go with the M&P 15–22.

Drop a red dot on there and your good to go.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[jsbhike]

So what is everyone else shooting in the events?

The M&P is fun, but the last time I watched one of the .22 events on TV it was dominated by 10/22 actions, although that was prior to decent quality .22 AR types like the M&P..

[extremist]

Depends on the purpose.

For Steel Challenge type matches (5 rounds per string, 5 strings per stage), the 10/22 rifles are fine and can be exceptionally tuned.

For "Tactical" style matches or overall "fun", the M&P 15-22 (and AR style .22s) are much more competitive since they are much easier to reload quickly, have many more accessories available and also allow training in the manual of arms for standard AR/M4 style rifles later.

[Bimmer]

Get the Smith. I have one and it functions just like an M4.

Stupid question... Does the bolt-release on the 15-22 work just like an AR?

(From what I can see, the Hämmerli's "bolt-release" is a dummy, and the bolt is released by racking the charging handle. That's not the end of the world, but it's obviously not quite right, either.)

Drop a red dot on there and your good to go...

It's archaic, I know, but I want to start with iron sights.

So what is everyone else shooting in the events?

The M&P is fun, but the last time I watched one of the .22 events on TV it was dominated by 10/22 actions...

From what I can see on the errornet (and at one local match), it's about 50:50 ARs and 10/22 types.

Depends on the purpose.

For Steel Challenge type matches (5 rounds per string, 5 strings per stage), the 10/22 rifles are fine and can be exceptionally tuned.

For "Tactical" style matches or overall "fun", the M&P 15-22 (and AR style .22s) are much more competitive since they are much easier to reload quickly, have many more accessories available and also allow training in the manual of arms for standard AR/M4 style rifles later.

Exactly... These "rimfire challenge" stages (or "steel challenge") are just five targets, and they only need to be hit once each, so a 10-round mag is plenty. Failing that, there are 25-rnd mags for the 10/22.

That said, we'll need at least a half dozen mags to shoot five stages (better a dozen, for us each to shoot five stages), so the cost and availability of mags is a big issue... A dozen mags are going to cost almost as much as the gun itself.


I can't see us doing "tactical" matches (there aren't any nearby), but I would like her to learn the AR manual of arms.

As for accessories available... The 10/22 is perhaps the only gun out there that rivals the 1911 and the AR for aftermarket support. If anything, the 15-22 is at a big disadvantage vs. a 10/22-type like the T/C R22 when it comes to aftermarket support.