Hello and thank you in advance for any help I might find on this forum. I've had my m&p 22 for a few years now and last year I decided to get a can for it, It was one of the early models with out a threaded barrel, so I took it to a smith in baton rouge about a week after I started the paperwork. It was a good price and a quick turnaround. However like a rookie I did not test it until the suppressor cleared about 9mos later (new baby keeps you busy). Now it groups very consistently, just about 18 inches low at 30 yards. I've built and rebuilt ar's plenty. Just not feeling brave enough to dive into this without a little research. The barrel looks true, I even brought to the dealer I got the can from for another set of eyes. Any insight into this problem would be appreciated.

I don't know how you can look & tell if they did a good job of threading. Another critical aspect of threading a barrel is the crown & that most certainly impacts accuracy... a lot.

What you are experiencing is why I always recommend folks send their barrels to a professional, who does this all day every day. That way you know you will have the threading done concentric to the bore, and not the barrel, plus you know you are gonna have a great crown.

I use Adco & they do great work. Normally the barrel is shipped back within 2 days or so. Actually, this morning I received another 15-22 barrel from them. It was the stock threaded barrel but I wanted it threaded to specs for my Sparrow suppressor, which includes an area for O-Ring engagement. I also wanted their crown on it.

Also check what length they cut your threads. If they are AR length, such as what comes with the factory threaded 15-22s, you might have to use a spacer. Otherwise your suppressor might screw too far into the threads. That can be bad. So check the specs for your suppressor & check your thread length.

It is expected to have a POI shift when the suppressor is added but what you are experiencing is much greater than anything mine have done.

Some good info about threads here: Observations in shooting my 15-22 as an SBR

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Thanks for the info. the threads are good, 1/2x28 I don't know the specs off hand but the barrel was cut to ar depth and thread. I brought it to jims in baton rouge, I never used them before but they did come recommended. As for poi shift, I was expecting some but I had to put my rear iron on a 1inch riser to hit anything, and I haven't run it past 30 or so yards. I was thinking they might have damaged something in the reassembly. Like maybe the barrel nut might be a polymer that got reamed or waddled out, but im just guessing at this point. I don't have the tools on hand to break it down myself. Ive been looking for a parts list or some kind of breakdown, but no dice so far. But I will dig into the can specs and do some asking about the crown. Do you know what a new barrel cost (worst case)? Thank you very much for the help.

Is the impact that low without the suppressor? Same ammo? I'm presuming that you haven't had any baffle strikes, so that would suggest the threads are at least concentric. I'd be most concerned about damage to the crown during the threading process - if they chucked it up on a lathe and didn't touch up the crown afterwards there may be a goobered land just inside the muzzle.

The barrel nut is metal, and actually sort of a compression fit to the upper - the barrel extension is threaded and inserts from the back of the receiver, then the barrel nut gets dropped down from the muzzle end and snugged down. If that's loose, it could definitely cause issues but I'd expect it to be randomness and not repeatable.

Spend the $25-30 and buy either a ShooWrench (via Brownells) or a Tacticool22 barrel wrench (Brownells or Amazon), take the barrel nut off, and snug things back down. Or find someone local with the right tool to do it.

Keep in mind most rimfire cans are not designed for that .6 depth... but the rimfire depth of .4. In that situation, you MUST use a spacer otherwise you can get baffle strikes.

However with you needing a riser for your rear sight, that tells me something else is going on. I'm betting the crown is off. You cannot buy a new barrel from S&W... I've tried. You can send the gun into them & they will check it out & repair it for you. Don't know if they would charge for this or not. Otherwise, what I would do, is buy the barrel nut tool & barrel vise from Tacticool, which I think everyone needs anyway, and then send my barrel to Adco for rethreading. Then you will know your threads are proper plus you will know the crown is perfect. That thread I linked to earlier gives costs.

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As I was driving to work I thought of something else. If your gunsmith is not real familiar with the polymer 15-22, he possibly could have put the receiver in the vise to remove the barrel nut... as opposed to using a barrel vise. If the nut was very tight, as some are, he possibly could have damaged the tabs on the barrel or the grooves in the upper. Doing so causes all sorts of issues.

If you get the tools to take off the barrel, check those parts out closely. You will notice the tabs & groves I'm talking about. They are what indexes the barrel to the receiver. When I put my barrels back on, I simply go firm hand tight. Sometimes the factory goes bonkers & really overtightens their barrel nuts and their flash hiders.

I get exceptional accuracy & reliability from my 15-22s. IMO, a lot of that has to do with my removing the barrel for thorough cleaning and having it tightened just so. The other factor is a great barrel crown & threads for the suppressor.

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Since you say "Now it groups very consistently, just about 18 inches low at 30 yards."
Are you using a matching set of sights? Are these the sights that came on the rifle?
If its grouping consistently, then I doubt its anything the smith did. If it was your crown, your accuracy would suffer. It would be my guess that your sights are not a matching set of the correct height. There are different height front sights out there.

No baffle strikes. I've run it with 2 different sets of irons and a scope, its the same. Looking at the muzzle where they taped it I don't think they did anything to the existing crown, it has a raised lip on the outer ring that looks like the remainder of the factory crown. I tried to snap a pic, but my ph cam just didn't show it. I'm gonna get the tools, I wanted them any way even if they don't solve this problem, I like to do as much of my own work as I can. I suppose I should contact adco tomorrow and send it to them. There is always a learning curve with new things, and this is my first suppressor. I will gratefully accept any other info, and thank you guys for the assist, I will post anything worth mentioning as it happens. Thanks again.

If all the smith did was turn down the barrel and thread it, he should not have had any contact to the crown.

Since you know the bullets are not hitting the can, it is likely a barrel alignment issue. The rear sight/optic on the receiver is still good, but the barrel is not parallel to the receiver and tipped downward, for low POI. Ever tried a bore sight? That should tell you where the barrel is pointed. Take it back to the smith and have him fix it. As you know, 18 inches at 30 yards in off a lot.

Bob

That was my original thought, but the end cap on the forearm holds the barrel pretty snug, and to be that drastically off I thought I would have more difficulty in removal or experience a bind on the cap as I removed it, or at least seen an obvious shift in the centering relative to the opening in the forearm for a poi shift that pronounced. But you might be right, like I said I'm getting the tools any way, might just start there and contact adco if I cant work it out myself. And what the hell I guess I can get a bore sight while I'm at it. Thanks for the advice.

Bob, I am no gunsmith, but have taken apart my 15-22s numerous times. How can a gunsmith or anyone else change the alignment between the barrel & the receiver? The barrel has two notches which index into two slots in the receiver. The barrel nut snugs everything down. So how can you change anything as the barrel can only slide in one way and still function?

Now, if someone damaged either or both of those two components by not clamping the barrel, then I could understand a possible misalignment. But if that is the case, I don't see how you repair that.

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Stupid question for the day, is your hand guard free floated? While you should not be getting those sorts of issues with barrel pressure, it is something to look at which is user servicible.

KBK

Yes it's a standard 4 rail. I've broken it down as far as I can without the tools(on order) and the barrel seems to have a bit of play, which puzzles me because I would think that it would be more erratic on the target than it is. The groups are low left consistently rather than everywhere on the paper. But if I grab the upper, there is definite play. Is that normal for this rifle? I'm guessing not but I've only ever handled this one. Thanks.

From what I remember reading if you can 'wiggle' the ejector, which is attached to the barrel and it moves then you have either a seriously loose barrel nut or you may have twisted the barrel in the upper, which is worst case scenario. I bought tacticools barrel nut and after applying a tiny bit of movement, my groups tightened right up, I periodically tighten just to make sure it hasn't worked loose (it never has).

Ejector is tight. But a bit of play in the barrel, hopefully when the tool comes in I can sort this out. I got it threaded about a week after I started the paperwork, 9 mo wait and a new baby kept me from taking it out for another few months. So I doubt that I will get any satisfaction by taking it back to the smith who did it after that much time. Thanks.

Agree. If the tabs & slots are in good shape & the barrel nut is snug, there should be no movement.

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There should be absolutely no barrel movement. The gunsmith must have not had the correct tools to R&R the barrel nut.
The hand guard end cap should never touch the barrel. Just remove it, it's not needed.
Just like working on anything mechanical, use the right tool(s) for the job.
Do you have any pics of the threads?
Pics of any other issues?
Is your can made for pistols or rifles? Is it .22LR only or for .223/5.56?

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It's a tactical solutions cascade. I shot thread pics but they didn't come out good enough to be useful. Never had any problems with it till I had the smith thread it. The barrel doesn't touch the cap but the barre willl wiggle if you grab it and the upper. Still haven't ordered the wrench, too many other things to deal with currently. Thank you

ok I got the barrel nut tool, and did a very thorough cleaning and inspection. No change at all, everything looks good, i am out of ideas, there is a slight amount of play when you seat the barrel into the upper before I crank down the nut. probably gonna have to send it to s&w. Any other opinions would be appreciated. thanks.