M&P 15-22 v AR-15

[INFANTRYMAN]

I was considering purchasing a M&P 15-22 as low cost training weapon. I am aware of the differences in dimensions and obviously the recoil of a 5.56 is much greater than that of a 22lr.
My question is other than those differences how does the M&P compare to an AR/ M-4? I am especially interested in the trigger pull. Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[n3cal]

My M&P 15-22 and M&P15T both have about 7 lb-8lb trigger pull out of the box. They are about the same. Because I shoot the 15-22 quite abit more due to the cost of ammo I've done some trigger work on it and have it down to about 4 lbs now.

 

[AK MIKE]

just like my battle rifle..

the trigger pull on the M&P 15-22 is very similar to the feel of my old trusted service M4. It doesn't bounce back to the ready position quite the same though. What I mean is when I fired several rounds in semi at a considerable speed with my Army issue M4 the trigger seems to bounce back or spring back much quicker and is ready to fire faster than the person pulling the trigger. The M&P 15-22 isn't as fast to recover imo. However, it is close. Besides that, the only major difference besides recoil, would be the overall weight. The M&P 15-22 would make an excellent training tool.

 

[jakatan]

It's pretty similar. I have some targets that I've downloaded that are great practice for Military marksmanship (though they do have a "sitting" section). It's a pretty tough target to qualify on. It's very similar to the Army's alternate qualification test (the targets are set at 25m but the silhouettes are re-sized to simulate distances) which makes .22's perfect for this kind of practice.

You can find them here:

Get Your Free Printable Scaled Rifle Targets! - THR

 

[INFANTRYMAN]

Thanks for the info everyone! Just what I wanted to hear, I like the fact that the trigger is so close to a service M-4. This weapon should help do the the trick for me, looks like I will be headed to the local gun shop this weekend!

 

[chuck s]

The differences are minimal. The trigger parts are standard AR15 and those are standard M16 without the select fire parts. You can drop an M16 trigger and hammer into the MP15-22 if you want. Pretty sure the MP15-22 selector is plastic and I'm not sure is a standard selector will work -- guess I could try!

Unless your Uncle Sam is buying your ammo the current price for M855 Ball runs about $475/1000 these days. You can buy the M&P15-22 and 3000 rounds of .22LR for $550.

The 1000 rounds thru mine so far has cost less than 1000 rounds of M855 Ball at non-military prices -- including the price of the rifle. I'm ahead right now, the "break even" is immediate! I'm saving 44¢ a shot from here on.

These rifles are not immune from problems as you can see here, but at 50 yards you should easily keep all your rounds on target "just blasting." Using the scaled 25 meter targets from old Alternate Course C will nicely simulate targets out to 300 meters.

RLTW,

-- Chuck