I have made the transition and ready for an AR .22. What's the skinny on Colt Vs. M&P? I have always like Colt but am reading things I don't like. Seriously.......What is the best one to get? all other brands included. Any problems with any of these? Having problems with some other modern .22 semi-autos/levers and don't need any other problems.

Hands down it is the smith and wesson that is the better buy. The Colt is built to look like an AR, while the S&W is built to work and handle like a real AR.

Check out this video and it gives you a good explanation on the Colt:

YouTube - Colt .22 M4 and M16 Rimfire Rifles - Field Stripping, Cleaning, & Adjustment

Fake bolt release, fake pins, fake sleeve on the barrel that requires a wrench to field strip the rifle (not to mention hammer and punch to take apart!). The S&W works very much like a real AR. Same trigger, stock, rails, dissassembly process, ease of disassembly and general function.

The big part that turned me off on the Colt is the cheap look of the metal internals. The outside looks nice, but it is like colt said "hey they won't see this, we can skimp". The S&W has a nicely machined bolt and bolt rails, and frankly I haven't really found any "cheaply machined" spots hidden away.

The Colt is not made by Colt. It doesn't function the same, has a non-standard breakdown procedure, non-functioning bolt catch, non standard trigger group, etc.

The only thing the M&P lacks is the outer appearance of the Colt. Almost everything can be swapped with an AR - the trigger, the muzzle device, stocks, grips, rail accessories, and so on. The bolt catch works, and the safety is the same.

The "Colt" is in name only. It's manufactured by Walther and distributed by Umarex (and air soft company) and it is my strong opinion after handling one, that they used air soft externals and made white metal internals to fit inside and fire bullets. As an owner of a high end air soft, I can tell you it's very much the same as an air soft.

The 15-22 on the other hand, uses standard AR trigger parts and aside from a dust cover and forward assist, it functions just like any other AR.

You should go handle both and then make the decision for yourself. You may like the Colt. I personally wanted the functionality of an AR and the 15-22 delivers.

While I did not look at the Colt, only heard bad things about them as has been said above. Some early problems with the S&W, but those are all gone now. The Ruger is in LOOKS ONLY and 1) you still have to try and load that goofy magazine and 2) it does not even come with sights. I guess there may be others out there; but among the big 3, the 15-22 is the winner is my book. I probably have only done 1000 rds so far, but I love mine. Good luck and have fun.

The other big rifle is the Sig 522, which is about in the same quality as the M&P 15-22. The big difference is the Sig can't use most AR parts (it can use a few though).

The 10/22.. well it comes in pretty much any package. Precision rifle, AR style, or in my case, an M1 carbine; you can get a 10/22 in any package and built for anything your heart desires. I am not sure about the higher capacity magazines, but the Ruger 10 round magazines are about the best magazines you can get; I don't think I have ever gotten a failure to feed with mine.

I have held, but not shot, the HK 416 seemed like a quality piece its metal unlike the 15-22. Couldnt tell you the real weight of it because they had a grenade (flare) launcher mounted on it. But they did say it had last shot hold open on the bolt. Overall it seemed like a quality piece. You also dont hear much about them but I would pick it over a Colt Umarex but I picked the 15-22 because it seemed to be the best model if you arent afraid of polymer.

The HK416 is the same thing as the Colt, it's the same airsoft shell stuffed with white metal innards.

I bought a Colt .22 AR when they first came out. Awesome looking rifle. It was love at first sight. I had to have it. Took it shooting, functioned ok. Did not clean like a regular AR, pot metal parts, etc. My lust soon turned to remorse. I sold it at a big loss within 6 weeks of purchase.

so why does the colt not have last shot hold open and the HK does? later model I guess? Im gonna challenge the HK to a dueling tree match and show them why the 15-22 is superior

The Colt (Umarex) does have a bolt hold open... but as soon as you remove the empty magazine the bolt closes! (it's held open by the magazine follower, as opposed to a bolt catch like the 15-22 and the real thing). My buddy bought a Colt. I like that it feels more substantial than my 15-22, but it does not operate like the real thing... I'm glad I went with the 15-22.

SOunds like the S&W is the way to go. One last option- anyone know about the Mossberg? Didn't know they made one until today.

The Mossberg is again another "kinda sorta looks like an AR" it's the guts of a 801 Mossberg crammed in a plastic shell that looks like an AR. It does not function anything like an AR.

Come on! The answer is in the question. One is Colt, the other is Smith and Wesson. Need I say more?

__________________
Endeavor to persevere. <><

Asking this question here is like going to Green Bay or Pittsburg this week and asking who will win the Superbowl. Depends on who you ask. I think you will get a different answer on some Colt forum.

That said - I bought the Smith based in part on reviews I read on more neutral forums like rimfirecentral.com and ar15.com. From what I read the Colt was generally considered inferior and the top two were the S&W and the Sig. Now since I have always preferred American companies and I have owned several S&W handguns over the years, I went with the S&W 15-22 and I am very pleased with it.

I am also a big fan of Ruger 10-22s but I do not think much of their AR knock-off. It was not originally designed to be an AR style rifle and Ruger tried to make it something it is not.

The Sig uses black dog mags, same as conversion kits.

The 15-22 magazines are specific for the gun, but may be usable in some kits.

Sacerdote,
Why put yourself through the anxiety .. Sig, colt, etc. Arr!

Smith and Wesson M&P 15-22 is your cure.

You won't regret the 15-22. It's the only dedicated .22 AR that you can really call the big boy's toy! You can leave the weapon alone or have fun changing, adding, coloring, and painting to your hearts content. Enough said!

Aim small,

tat

One thing that made me get the S&W M&P 15/22 is the ease of cleaning. 22LR is dirty in general, and the 15/22 can be stripped and clean in about 10mins. easy. The Colt, not so, and if you don't clean the bolt real good, you're gonna have cycle, feed and ejection issues, not to mention those same issues just with a rim fire cartridge.

ill say this............ my colt and sig 522 have never ever had the issues that I had shooting the S&W. i dont care if they function like a real AR or not (the sig kinda sorta does) if i cant go through a mag without a jam with ANY ammo i want to shoot, thats a problem. I love the fact that i can go to wal mart and buy a box of remington golden and shoot all day without any jamming of any type at all. Maybe these problems are fixed now, but im glad I didnt get a M&P when i was looking at them.

I'm just glad that there are better brands of ammo out there than Golden Bombs!

The Colt looks cool and feels substantial (so does my Airsoft M4a1 with a full alloy body). The S&W will break down and clean, as faithfully as any AR, the Colt does not, but that's not to say that it's "hard" to break down. My GSG 5PK doesn't take down as easily as a real MP5, but I still bought one

I go by this name on several firearms forums. You may have read some iteration of my opinion & seen these pictures before.

I bought the Colt M4 Ops based on the Colt brand name & the look & feel. It performed well when it worked. I took care of mine according to the user's manual.

The first outward indicator that it wasn't great can be found in the user's manual. It states that removal and disassembly of the bolt is not required for cleaning. The "maintenance free" bolt is held captive in the upper, and isn't accessible to the novice firearms enthusiast.

The second outward indicator is that outward tension provided by screwing down the flash hider is the only thing holding the barrel in place. The flash hider has to be loosened to separate the upper and lower. If the flash hider is loosened too much and the barrel gets tapped, the barrel will dislocate from the receiver.



I took the following pictures while I was fixing the Colt M4. These pictures were taken after I cleaned caked on crud from all the parts.

Looks impressive right?


The Colt M4's beauty is only skin deep. Once you get under that pretty shell:







Under the pretty shell, none of the guts are AR-like. It has a thin wall, pencil barrel. The proprietary trigger is obscured by a housing. The grip is proprietary. The buffer tube is proprietary. The fake dust cover is always open. The bolt release paddle is non functioning, just there for cosmetics.

I couldn't bring myself to sell the piece o junk directly or indirectly to a fellow firearms enthusiast. IMO no one should spend their hard earned money on one.

A good friend of mine, who is currently unemployed, wanted it. I explained what a piece o junk it is under the skin. He still wanted it. He asked me what I thought it was worth, and how much I wanted for it. I just gave it to him.

I have had several Umarex .22lr owners upset with me over my opinion, because I think all Umarex .22lr products are garbage. IMO, the S&W M&P 15-22 is the only dedicated .22lr AR platform worth buying.

I too considered the Colt but glad I chose S&W, at least so far. The Colt ops M4 looks cool but seemed like gingerbread compared to the S&W with a match grade barrel. I don't care for the Mossberg at all.

Just to muddy the waters, here is another option that I really haven't heard anything about. Anybody hear of Chiappa Firearms M4-22 carbine? I just came across an article on it in the September 2011 issue of The American Rifleman NRA magazine. Similar to the Colt/Umarex setup, it looks more like a traditional AR M4 complete with charging handle, forward assit, dust cover, bolt release... however, some controls are nonfunctional and purely cosmetic.

Hmmw!
There is quite a sell's war/battle going on in Tacticool .22lr. rifles.
The big players as far as I can see are GSG, and UMAREX.
Colt, Sig, H&K, and others seem to be going too these makers for their tacticool .22lr's.
They brand them with their name, distbibute them in their network, but do not make them.
In my opinion you pay ~ $100.00 more for the brand name.

I gave a good look at a lot of these rifles. I think the guys at GSG have it right, the UMAREX look great, but.....

S&W built their own, and it is a home run! The Smith is as close to my AR15 as can be.

I bought a GSG 1911 today. I looked at the Colt rail gun also. For less money I think I got the better pistol.
The Ruger, the Mossberg, the Chiappa, the Remington, all look good, but don't operate like a AR15.

So IMHO S&W M&P 15-22 wins in the rifle war!!!

Guy22

well, they arent really "bombs" if they cycle fine through your gun. but i will give an AMEN to that statement.

JaPes,

Where's the "Hop Up" adjuster?

To me, the "Colt" appeared to be poorly made when I looked at it and handled it in the store, but after seeing those pics of it broken down, I am so glad I decided on the S&W. I can't believe that Colt would actually put their name it. I'd rather trade looks for quality and functionality. I did a conversion S&W M&P 15-22 M4 / CAR Conversion on my S&W 15-22 to make it look like this below. I think it is close enough to the "Colt" look for me but with the advantage of being a much better functioning weapon and having better overall quality.

I did a lot of research on buying a tactical 22. I really liked the LOOKS of the HK 416 and the Colt M4. Thanks to the internet and numerous articles I purchased the MP 15/22. I don't need to repeat everything that has been said about the Umarex/Walther making the Colt and HK 22s. I can say that the MP 15/22 is the most fun I have had with a weapon in years. Its not only fun to shoot, it's inexpensive to make it look just like you want it too. The magazines may be proprietary but so what when you can easily find them for $18.00! I have never had a problem with it although I must say that it likes Federal ammo. Any 22 with a waxy buildup on the casing gives it a bit of anxiety with occasional FTF. So get that cheap Federal for $15.00 for 550 rounds at Wally world and shoot all day long. I really love this thing. I also purchased a GSG 5PK that is also a blast to shoot and very reliable. It's also very well made. I just purchased a KelTec PMR 30 pistol and WOW this thing is great. A HUGE difference with the 22 WMR. Anyone reading this forum and trying to decide on a tactical 22, the MP 15/22 is by far the best choice you can make. After all, you want to make sure it works and fires all the time. I don't think that can be said with the other brands.

Great Look on the S&W.
I like the hand grip and barrel on which one?
Duh!
Guy22

This is the S&W forum,
so I'm not going to slag of, make fun of, or make degenetoray remarks about the Colt (says so on the rifle, but realy isn't)
M4-22 here.

I'll constrain myself in stating the I'm SO glad I bought the S&W M&P 15-22 instead of that... (oops,nearly... )

The 15-22 is the best bang for the buck. The controls are identical and you can even put standard trigger control groups in.
Plus the customization is almost limitless thanks to some companies (shameless plug ;D)

__________________
Buy cheap, pay twice.

The only other "tactical" .22lr I would buy is the Sig 522.

S&W 15-22, Sig Sauer 522, and KelTec SU-22 were all on my list. They're all wonderful guns- the 15-22 was my choice because it really has helped me be able to basically run AR controls in my sleep.

The "Colt" vs 15-22 debate has raged on for some time now it seems...The comparison is so night and day I'm surprised they still make the colt. The colt was on my comparison list for a few minutes until I watched a disassembly video.

Kel-Tec SU-22: "4 Pounds of Tactical" by Nutnfancy - YouTube
I think the SU-22 might be my next buy.
Guy22

You'll love it, KelTec makes awesome products- My little brother made the SU-22 his first gun and I trade off with him all the time. I'm still patiently awaiting a KSG

I had the pleasure of checking out both weapons, Colt and M&P 15/22, after reviewig both externally and internally (I build AR15s from scrap, also retired rangemaster for over 16 yrs rebuilding and working on AR15s). I pick the S&W, better designed from the ground up to be a 22LR using the AR15's design scaled down to 22LR. The Colt, as other have said, looks like a AR15 from the outside but is a build nightmare from a design standpoint. Doing a complete cleaning of the Colt bolt, well I can say more owners won't or can't and it is not easy to do. The M&P is a few minutes and is so easy to take apart and put back, it's a no brainer. Take it from me the 22LRs rimfire cartridge are dirty little suckers, you will be happy with the M&P and you will be able to clean her and understand her better. Plus if you train with the M&P 15/22, you're also training for the AR15 5.56/.223. Good luck.

I watched the video. KelTec has some interesting stuff, but for the price differential (less than $100) fewer accessory options (Based on AR components) and ease of maintenance (it looked really tedious) I'd go with the 15-22. (Which I did.)

Sorry if misunderstood. I already have a 15-22. I wasn't talking about a choice between one or the other. I was talking about another purchase, I have been thinking about.

I got the 15-22 mainly for low cost M4 training. I think the Kel-Tec might be the prefect walk in the woods, plinking rifle.

Guy22

And you wouldn't use your 15-22 during a walk in the woods?

Mine works great for that.

Are you questioning this fella's desire to purchase another firearm?! it's what we do!!!

Like the good book says- man cannot live by 15-22 alone.
...or something like that, I'm not very good at reading

I admit that I've drunk gallons of the 15-22 and TNP koolaid.

But, I'm pretty hesitant about some of the Keltecs. I have considered buying a few. I know several people with the Sub2000 who had problems (I believe Keltec, on their website, give a normal 4000 round figure for the life of some of their firearms. Most firearms are just getting broken in at that point.) They claim Keltec gave them a run around on the warranty. The guys ended up selling the Sub2000 and getting a HiPoint 995 and had better results.

I guess, even though I've bought stuff based on NutNFancy's reviews, I would do more research on the SU-22.

I still see the effort it took to break down that SU22 in the video.

However, you are right people should be able to get whatever firearm that tickles their fancy.

I will repeat the Man's Prayer 10 times.....

I'm a man
I can change
if I have to, I guess...

I chose the 15-22 as a copy of my Bushmaster, and the Sig522 SWAT for the copy of what I have yet to buy--Sig556 SWAT. The Colt is gorgeous, but other than that I see no compelling reason to chose it over the competition.

For walking though the woods a suppressed pistol works for me, but if I wanted a rifle for backpacking/camping I think a Henry Survival would be ideal.

Henry Repeating Arms | Fine Rifles Made in America and Priced Right

Wilderness Survival Rifles

I have a Marlin Papoose/Model 70PSS. Like it a lot. I keep it with my camping grab and go gear.

There is always one more gun I want to buy! On my list is the Henry .22lr pump rifle.

Guy22

The Colt, which my shooting partner owns, is off scale and while it is metal it does not have proper controls as the M&P does.

I went with my buddy who has a colt to the rnage yesterday. I was not impressed. The magazine is to long and clunky. The bolt release isnt functional. I believe the smith is a better product and has more things to make it individually unique to its owner. I am a big fan of colt but i think they didnt put much effort into the overall design. Just my .02

if you can get it to fire a whole magazine. bad experience, thought it would be perfect for what i needed and it was the total opposite.

scratch that above comment, that definitely isnt the henry survival gun that I had!

Guess I'll be "odd man out" here. I purchased a Colt M4 .22 when they first came out (S & W didn't have their version out yet).
Yeah, the innards are "different" to say the least, the bolt release and assist are there just for looks. But a have to say, the one I have shoots great. I have little to no feeding problems aside from an occasional dud. Maybe I'm just lucky.
To clean it, I take out two pins and separate the upper from the lower(I've never had to loosened the flash suppressor to do it and I don't understand why people say that it has to be done-it doesn't), I give the receiver/bolt assembly a blast of brake cleaner, then compressed air to dry. Spray some CLP and re-assemble. Run a bore snake through the barrel once in a while and wipe down the magazine. I've never had a problem with it "gunking up" and not feeding properly because of it. I've put many boxes of bulk ammo through it.

I took the carry handle off and mounted a red dot site. Very accurate.

Is it a true AR design? Hardly. It's a wannabe, but it's still a lot of fun!

As far as the Henry models go, I have the Henry Golden Boy in .22 magnum and it is a very cool and accurate gun. Smoothest lever action you'll find in my opinion. A little pricey for a .22 but then again so is my M&P 15-22 LOL. Sometimes you get what you pay for.

I'm all for fun!!! Thats why I buy 90% of my guns!!!
I will get a Colt M4 .22 when they hit the ~ $200 used mark.
At ~$200, I will feel the fun...

Right now I think Colt, is living off their Brand Name, with the U""""" .22lr Products.

I watched Remington, and Winchester, try the same!!!
I hope this works for Colt.
Guy22

looked at them all. went with the sig 522.

My .02 Cents, I'd stay away from the Colt/Umarex, got to handle it and in my opinion Colt missed the mark. It looks good, but the design is based more on Airsoft products. Cleaning the bolt will take an engineer, most plinkers aren't that, and the main thing is the barrel is a tube within a tube, not good at all. Get the M&P 15/22 the best 22LR tactical built from the ground up using AR proven design, easy to strip and clean, no brainer to put back into action. Also all stuff, aka, bolt release, mag release, and last shot bolt latch up were design to WORK just like it's full size AR15 brother, no gimicks like on the Colt, shame on you Colt for thinking your target audience are stupid shooters, Colt should know better. So do you want one that looks good in the shower or one that works.. You be the judge...