Originally Posted by SpudShooter

Owning btoh a 10/22 and a new 15-22 I say hard choice but I would go with the 15-22 and here is why.

My Ruger is tits, trigger like glass deadly accurate, reliable, it is 15 years old, I am 27 it of course isn't an SR-22 and that is why I bought the MP 15-22 when I wanted a tacticool trainer. The Smithy checks every box except proven reliability and most will argue that comes with the brand not the model anyways.

My personal tally though, not that I am at all unhappy with the smith is this:
Ruger; untold thousands of rounds over 15 years, in it's life time I would say it has had maybe 2 dozen FTF's and since I replaced the buffer pin 2 years ago almost no stove pipes unless Im shooting Aguila Supermax. Since Christmas approx 3000 rounds, I have only bore snaked it and dropped a tad more Lucas in it and it has no FTF and one stove pipe.

The 15-22 while totally acceptable for my uses has several FTF's since we got it, I don't even keep track now I just accept it rack it and keep rocking. My gun does have the new FP design and I am less then thrilled with some of the brass I have looked at but most has good clean strikes so again no complaints for it's purpose. But after 300 rounds of value pack you do start getting FTF's, no biggie though It's just like a real AR, break it down shoot the bolt with whatevers-clever wipe it on your levi's and go back to being American. If you had to clean the Ruger your day is over.

If you want a fun plinker and something the kids will have a blast with or you want to have a cheap trainer for your big boy toy get the smithy. If you want a classic that's going to be in the family and will fire everything under the sun every time you pull the trigger get a regular 10/22 and save yourself some scratch. And for full disclosure my Ruger is heavily tuned but it has always fired everything and she seems to like to be dirty.