Hello, my name is Chris and I am interested in the S&W MP 15-22. I've wanted to get into target shooting for awhile now. Originally I wanted to get an AR-15 (The kind that fires .223) for my first weapon but I thought to myself that might be too ambitious for a first weapon. So for the past few months I weighed my options. Originally I just planned on buying a Ruger 10/22, learn to shoot with this rifle, and eventually get a full blown AR-15. Then someone recommended I get an AR-15 converted to fire .22 LR, sounded like a great idea but I never owned a firearm before and lack the knowledge to make the conversion myself. Not to mention the price, which was more than I wanted to pay for my first rifle.

More recently I have seen dedicated .22 LR made to match the operation and feel of the AR-15, to me this option is very intriguing. The Ruger SR-22 was the first .22 I discovered. However I didn't like that it didn't come with iron sights, and uses a rotary clip instead of a magazine. So I kept on researching and discovered the M&P 15-22. On paper it seemed perfect: Cost under $500, has iron sights standard, has a 25 round magazine standard, simulates the controls/feel of a fully blown AR-15, and it has plenty of places to mount optics, scopes, etc.

So I just wanted to see how the owners of the MP 15-22 feel about this firearm. I have been reading reviews (Both here and the rest of the internet) on the M&P 15-22 and had some mixed findings. Most seem to love the rifle, some though have had problems. I don't know if these problems are early models, current models, or what. My other concern is loading the clip, it seems if you don't do it in a certain manor it might cause the weapon to jam/fail. The final concern I have is the ammo itself, from what I have read if you don't use certain brands (cci minimags or Federal Bulk) the spent casings don't extract properly.

So please feel free to share your experiences/knowledge on this weapon. I don't want to drop $400+ and end up with a dud. Please note I am new to this hobby and only fired a few pistols/rifles so far so I would prefer you keep everything in laymen terms. Thank you.