Very unhappy with s&w they should have their problems worked out before they market a new product.
i'm hearing this a lot here and it baffles me. i'm sure smith thought they did have their problems worked out before going into mass production, why would they knowingly produce a firearm that they know to have issues? i'm sure they torture tested a number of 15-22 prototypes. i'm sure they tried a lot of different types of ammo too. the one thing that they cannot account for is US, the end users! they can't account for consumers loading the mags incorrectly. they can't account for guys who clean their rifle every 50 rounds versus guys who clean it when the bullets fail to seat in a severely fouled chamber. they can't account for how much knowledge or experience a particular shooter brings to the rifle. they can't account for aftermarket mods that we make to our rifles (that we all so cleverly switch back to OE before sending it back for repair).
i mean, it's a semiauto rimfire rifle. that's not synonamous with flawless function, at least not in my experience. my 10/22 has has about the same number of rounds through it as my 15-22 and probably 3x as many FTFs. i don't piss and moan about how ruger should have their act together considering how long they've been producing the 10/22. i'm not happy about the fact that i have FTFs with either rifle, but it's part of the rimfire life. if we were having these problems with the .223 M&P it would be a different story all together.
having said all that, i do think that given the number of issues, smith should be willing to "update to the latest spec" all 15-22s at their cost, regardless of how well or poorly the gun is currently running. it should be the owners choice whether or not to send his/her gun in. i also think that if there was a magazine design change, anyone who spent hard earned dollars on the "old" mags should be compensated in some way towards the purchase of the newer mags...if the new mags are truly different. even though they aren't doing these things, i still rest easy knowing i have a lifetime warranty. if my baby goes OOB, smith will fix it, over and over if they have to, on their dime.
i know it's easy for me to criticize those of you who complain about the issues you're having considering my 15-22 runs really well. if my gun took a crap early on i'd be ticked off too. you have every right to be frustrated. i just disagree that it's smith and wesson's fault for a poorly designed rifle. if designing a .22 autoloader on an AR platform was easy, it would have been done long ago. up until now, all you had was the conversion kit and from what i hear, they are just as finicky.
good luck with your rifle when it is returned to you Sherman. i hope you have a chance to enjoy your 15-22 as i have so far...to the detriment of my bank account no less.
