M&P 15-22: thoughts?

[jar]

@jar - do you think mounting some accessories on it could fix the weight issue, or would it be too hard to get the right balance?

It's possible. I didn't look in to it that much. The Nordic 22 upper I plan to buy when they're finally back in stock matches the weight of my 223 upper pretty closely. Also, that way I get to use the same trigger and stock set up with the 22.

There are pros and cons to each approach. If the focus was primary marksmanship instruction, I'd go with the M&P15-22 because it's cheaper and a self contained purchase. I already have a 10/22 for that purpose (bought before the 15-22 was created). I primarily want it to practice with something close to my 3-gun 223 rifle without spending so much on ammo.

[John Ralston]

I went with a Tac-Sol M4 upper so I could use the same lower (trigger) as my primary carbine. I love it, a d have had no issues with it. If you already have an AR, there isn't much $$ different between the M&P.

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[seabiscuit]

There are pros and cons to each approach. If the focus was primary marksmanship instruction, I'd go with the M&P15-22 because it's cheaper and a self contained purchase. I already have a 10/22 for that purpose (bought before the 15-22 was created). I primarily want it to practice with something close to my 3-gun 223 rifle without spending so much on ammo.

Yeah, that's what I'll go with. I'm not concerned that it's exactly like a true AR, just similar enough that training with it means benefits when I use an M4. Once I commission, I'll probably pick up an RRA or other AR for home defense and more training.

I think the 15-22 will also be a great rifle for teaching my fiance and kids to shoot, with its light weight and adjustable stock.

[jbmilitary006]

I'm running a Spikes Tactical 22 conversion in my AR. Works great, saves money, haven't had any issues with it. I've put several thousand rds through it.

[Jay Cunningham]

Let's keep the thread on the topic of first-hand experience with the M&P. Comparison/contrast is cool as long as you include your experience with the M&P.

[Odin Bravo One]

Every conversion kit I tried sucked in one way or another. Lately there have been plenty of others jumping into the conversion upper market, and some appear to be well suited for the intended task, but at what price? A TAC-SOL upper is $200 hundred over the cost of the most expensive 15-22, the MOE.

I wish the 15-22 were a little heavier, but at the same time, I don't have any real issue with the light weight. I am not practicing 15 klick offsets with it, and several smaller shooters have shot it and like to shoot it. If I added too much weight, the youngsters would have issues with it.

That the entire gun was built as a .22LR and not an after thought helps to mitigate a lot of the issues I had with the various conversions and .22 uppers in terms of magazine issues, reliability, hardware mounting space, etc.

I use it often in the garage into my bullet trap when I cannot get out to the range for a serious practice session. It is great for that, newer and younger shooters, as well as working manipulation to some extent. Serious training is not going to happen since there is a distinct difference between .22LR and 5.56 or 6.8, or whatever flavor of AR you happen to run. But you can't ignore that it does offer some practice value to a well rounded program, especially when the weather is shit and the garage is the only place open.

JC, as long as your suppressor mates well to the barrel, the HALO should do just fine. I have used my AAC M4-2000 on mine without any issues, with the Blackout 3 Prong adapter/flash hider. Making sure the bullet is stable upon exit from the muzzle is my biggest concern for baffle strikes. I use CCI SS HP's, and they seem to spin just fine. That said, I am chopping the barrel down to about 6.5" and just running it with the Outback II always attached from here on out since the lead from .22 ammo really leads to a lot of lead and shit build-up inside my 5.56 suppressor. I'd much rather sacrifice the cheapo .22LR suppressor than my suppressor for serious social purposes.

[MTechnik]

Can you mount a UBR to it? It's a bit expensive to add just as a weight-adding device, but it's a great stock, and could balance out stuff on the handguards...

[Lon]

I would think the UBR would work. Atleast on the MOE version, which is what i have. I love mine. So far its run great with fed bulk pack and mini mags. I'm gonna get it set up to closely mirror my 3 gun rifle for cheaper practice sessions.

[Jay Cunningham]

I run mine on Mini Mags as well.

[John Hearne]

I own both a 15-22 and cobbled together 9mm AR. While both are cool and worthwhile, I think the 9mm is a better trainer. The 9mm has the advantage of recoil (more than my mid-length duty rifle) and it will knock over all the normal steel targets you'll encounter - plate racks, dueling trees, rotators, etc. This allows me to shoot it in local IDPA matches which are probably more representative of a non-military rifle fight. Additionally, it feels like a real AR weight wise.

The 15-22 is a great marksmanship trainer and certainly very inexpensive to shoot but if I had to pick just one, it would be the 9mm AR.