I was at a gun show with my friend last weekend, and my friend, who sees how much fun I have with my M&P 15-22 decided he wants one too except he wants a Colt!

He thinks since Colt was the original AR manufacturer that they wouldn't be reinventing the wheel like S&W is and he would have less problems and a better gun.

Fortunately he didn't buy it on the spot...

Why did all of you buy your Smith over a Colt?

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Don't shoot fast, shoot good.

My suggestion would be: dont! If he has his mind set on a Colt, he will always think, "I should have bought the Colt" no matter how well the 15-22 performs. We discovered the 15-22 to be the AR that WE wanted, and can't imagine owning anything else. Better off to let him buy the Colt and decide its merits on his own (the best way to learn). Also the best way to preserve a friendship in case he gets a S&W and it is problematic. Your mileage may vary

Thanks Roadster, I suppose you are correct. We all have our opinions, and I would hate to have him blame me if I talked him into the S&W and then he had problems with it.

Instead, we can play war games, and I will just shoot the pants off of him and make him wish he bought the S&W.

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Don't shoot fast, shoot good.

I didn't chose the Colt because of barrel construction and difficulty cleaning (disassembly). I liked the idea of being able to regulate bolt speed. And I really liked the dead-ringer looks of the Colt.

+1 on what Roadster Guy said.

ding ding ding... phil is correct once again... let him start taking a colt apart then when he is 20 min or so in to it push you take down pin out and remove your bolt and bolt carrier... the only thing he will be wishing is that he had bougt the s&w... just my .02 but i have a gsg5 sd also and the only reason it doesnt get the range time that the m&p does is the 2 hours it takes to clean the dang thing

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07/SOT2
NRA Instructor

Also, point out that the Colt isn't really a Colt ... it's an Umarex with a Colt logo.

I would just give him all the info so he can make an educated decision, if he still decides to go with the Colt, then oh well.

It is a very good point that if someone wants a particular brand, then that's what he should get. However, I decided I wanted a "tactical" 22 a few weeks ago, but I do a lot of research before I buy anything. I originally thought I wanted a Umarex, they looked good and Davidson's had most of the models in stock. I almost bought one, but for me the deal breaker was the post I found on another forum that showed one that broke in half just by falling over at a gun store. The picture indicated that Umarex must use some form of pot metal. Now maybe this was an isolated incident, but this and a lot of negative posts all over the gun forums, convinced me that if I bought one I would never be happy with it. There's always the possibility that Umarex had problems that are now resolved, but I think there are better choices out there. You might advise your friend, in a nice way, to do some research before he buys.

+ 1 to RG. FWIW- The colt is actually made by Walther and imported. While it sure looks like a Colt M4, the ability to modify it, akin the number of variations you could have with your 15-22 is limited since the front sight is fixed. The rifle is also $200 more than the 15-22, which could buy some nice kit.

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USAF Security Forces 1975-2003

Colt may have owned the original M16 design for a long time, but they didn't invent it, nor does their imported third party .22 version have anything to do with the real thing.

I recall you have to unscrew the suppressor to disassemble the rifle to clean it. I know for sure the bolt does not lock back on an empty magazine and their "forward assist" is a dummy.

Does have the Colt Pony logo, though.

-- Chuck