MOE 15-22 a Rip-Off?

[Decipher]

I think most purchase a 15-22 for other reasons than it is cheaper than an AR. The value I get from my 15-22, as opposed to my AR follows.

1) Ammo is much cheaper. My preferred ammo for my AR costs me .75. For the 15-22, I can get it for around .10.

2) My 15-22 is suppressed & is so quiet that I can shoot on my own property without disturbing the horses & dogs. This is a huge factor in allowing me to shoot a bunch... as opposed to loading up & shooting elsewhere. Only way to shoot an AR that quiet would be to go the route of .300 Blackout subsonic with suppressor, however that ammo is expensive & very hard to get.

For all the additions I have for my 15-22, I could easily have purchased another AR, however that would have gained me nothing... except for having another AR. The 15-22 gives me so much more... especially if your gun is used a lot & not a closet queen.

That's much of the same reason I'm now getting a 22. My ammo runs a little cheaper, but at approximately 50 cents a round, the wallet starts to feel it. There's no doubt that shooters fall into different categories for different reasons. Like I stated before, there really is no right or wrong response here. To each their own.

And, for the record...the MOE version does look dirty!

 

[BigWaylon]

I bought mine because my ARs were built with MOE lower build kits and sets of MBUS. I wanted the 15-22 to be as close as I could, which is why the buffer tube is full of pennies and nickels and the grip has some lead shot in a baggie.

I don't like fixed front sights, which is another reason I bought the MOE. My 15-22 has the same Vortex SPARC as my ARs.

No regrets.

 

[Decipher]

That's a pretty smart way to add some weight. Thanks for sharing!

 

[CharlesWA]

I think I paid about $50 more ($550+tax) for the FDE MOE than a regular 15-22 locally last spring/early summer (flash hider/25 round). Made sense to me at the time. Don't forget that you also get 3 rail covers (at least on the FDE) and the single point sling attachment point built into the lower.

Also, if somebody has link to a reliable source to get genuine MBUS for $40 a set I'm ready to order a set for my AR-15!

 

[CrazyFingers]

But, for the new buyer who doesn't know any better, they are buying "upgrades" that really aren't upgrades on this platform at all. Therefore, the accessories are a "rip-off" to those who think they're getting a performance advantage over the original offering.

Actually, there are several specific advantages to the MOE gear that are, in fact, genuine upgrades to the base rifle. Whether those upgrades are worth it to you is your decision and requires the buyer to do his homework. Someone who purchases a firearm without understanding exactly what they're getting and why gets no sympathy from me.

The MOE grip does not have the A2 finger bump, which some people (myself included) cannot stand. It has texturing on the grip which can improve weapon control. Most importantly, it has integrated storage in the grip which the standard A2 grip does not have.

The MOE buttstock shields the release lever to reduce the chance of unintended activation and snagging, has several additional sling slots, and does include a rubber butt pad.

The Magpul MBUS are flip up sights which can be stowed when not needed. This provides a cleaner sight picture for unmagnified optics, which is relevant to some users.

 

[Decipher]

Great responses. It's much appreciated! I didn't realize the FDE gets the rail covers. I don't think the black one does, but that gives it a bump in my mind.

Charles, it appears the set I saw earlier are the airsoft version. I have a friend who got duped into buying these thinking they were for the AR. Truth be told, they are insanely comparable to my genuine AR MBUS and I would personally have no issue running them on my 15-22. The only way to truly tell the difference is mine use a flat-head screw, and his use a torx screw. They are stout and still very well constructed. Unless you're running them on an AR where the gas tube gets super heated, in turn transferring to the rail, the non-AR MBUS will perform just fine. To the untrained eye, they pass as the standard MBUS. You can find them on Amazon for $20.

 

[Vinney47]

I'm on the side of the 15-22 MOE is not for me. I like magpul accessories, but not particularly the ones the MOE comes with. I much, much prefer the MOE+ grip to the MOE grip. I prefer the CTR stock to the MOE stock as well.

If the MOE stuff it comes with are what you would put on anyway, or you are the type that isn't going to buy any aftermarket parts, the the MOE version is a good buy. Otherwise, it seems a better route to buy a standard version with threaded barrel and put the parts YOU want on it.

 

[gdnagle]

When I bought mine there wasn't a great price difference. That didn't matter to me as my AR's are Moe versions, and I wanted one to match as close as I could get. Only thing for me would have been it having a MOE handguard, which I can add when I get around to it. Am I sorry I paid the extra no. Would I do it again, as soon as I talk myself into buying another I will. For some the MOE also has a QD attachment on the receiver, which you can also add if you want to drill the receiver, which they like. If you decide to sell the MOE parts and replace with cheaper or what every you want, you will get your money back for genuine MOE parts. Black MOE doesn't come with the rail covers.

Everyone has an opinion I keep mine to myself and let others make their own decision unless asked. Sell your parts your not happy with and get some money back and enjoy the rifle for what it is. Worst thing a person can have is buyers remorse, didn't you notice these items before you bought.

 

[Taylor339]

I could have saved myself a lot of money if had purchased an MOE. Instead, I purchased the parts individually. Cost a lot more that way but I purchased mine a week or so after Sandy Hook during the height of the AR ban panic. Would I do it over again? Yep.

 

[joshv06]

I wouldn't say the MOE is a rip-off, but the base threaded version is such a good deal.

I've never seen the prices go so low. I got my 15-22 when I first started shooting in 2012 for 425 shipped. This was about low to average back then, it's amazing seeing it so cheap now. Maybe they can't drop the MOE version per their Magpul contract or something.

I would get the base threaded version, and add whatever parts wanted.

 

[Decipher]

^I think that's where I'm at. The MOE is great if those parts are all you want. I don't know why, but I'd feel better about the FDE version if I got the handguards too. I guess they set it over the edge for me, crazy as it sounds. At only an $80 price difference, it's not bad but if those parts are irrelevant, that $80 will just about cover a nice quality red dot scope. Just sayin...

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

 

[UKRsoldier]

Heh, would you really be interested in the 15-22 being any lighter than they already are? Funny, because I liked the lightness of mine, but then I installed an 8-inch barrel shroud and a heavy light, which made the gun front heavy. So I rebalanced it by adding weight to the hollow buffer tube. Now the gun is significantly heavier than stock, and I actually prefer it this way. The heft makes it feel more substantial, and I assume better for training alongside an AR-15.

 

[Revgilliam]

Also, if somebody has link to a reliable source to get genuine MBUS for $40 a set I'm ready to order a set for my AR-15!

Agreed! I'm in for several sets of MBUS at $40 a set. If they're REAL of course. I thought the same thing after reading the OP.

 

[BigWaylon]

That's a pretty smart way to add some weight. Thanks for sharing!

For me, it was a case of wanting to add a little weight for cheap. I don't fish, so I don't have piles of old lead weights laying around. Looked at local Bass Pro & Walmart for fishing weights, and it was ~$10 to get a big pack. Read of people using steel rod, but that was something else I'd have to buy. Had an ah-ha moment and wondered if coins would fit. Dimes are too light and rattle to much. A penny will drop all the way in and sit flush. I piled pennies in until the diameter was big enough for a nickel to sit flush (tube ID is not equal all the way...it continuously narrows from the back to the front). Continued with nickels until I got closed enough to the end I could press a cork in tight enough that they don't rattle. The MOE stock makes more noise than the coins do. Probably less than $1 in coins.

Of course, it's all going to waste when my F1 is approved and the barrel gets cut down to 4.5".

Also, if somebody has link to a reliable source to get genuine MBUS for $40 a set I'm ready to order a set for my AR-15!

Not $40...but I've bought about 10 sets in the last year and never paid more than $75. Deals are out there.

 

[78Staff]

Charles, it appears the set I saw earlier are the airsoft version. I have a friend who got duped into buying these thinking they were for the AR. Truth be told, they are insanely comparable to my genuine AR MBUS and I would personally have no issue running them on my 15-22. The only way to truly tell the difference is mine use a flat-head screw, and his use a torx screw. They are stout and still very well constructed. Unless you're running them on an AR where the gas tube gets super heated, in turn transferring to the rail, the non-AR MBUS will perform just fine. To the untrained eye, they pass as the standard MBUS. You can find them on Amazon for $20.

I bought a set of the PTS for my 15-22 - while they look similar, the didn't function that well for me. They would not lay flat on the rail when folded down, which annoyed me enough to send them back. I just upgraded my standard mbus to pro's on the OR, so I am going to move the standard mbus over to the 22. Overkill, sure, but they lie flat .

Interestingly, the PTS's I bought used phillips, not torx. I know there has been some discussion about fake Magpul items on Amazon, as people expected strait screw heads (ie the standard model) and got torx, which was the tipoff that they were fake/PTS, I guess. Or maybe the phillips are fake, who knows. Magpul doesn't even make the PTS line anymore so I'd be leery of any PTS branded items now anyway.

 

[UKRsoldier]

For me, it was a case of wanting to add a little weight for cheap. I don't fish, so I don't have piles of old lead weights laying around. Looked at local Bass Pro & Walmart for fishing weights, and it was ~$10 to get a big pack. Read of people using steel rod, but that was something else I'd have to buy. Had an ah-ha moment and wondered if coins would fit. Dimes are too light and rattle to much. A penny will drop all the way in and sit flush. I piled pennies in until the diameter was big enough for a nickel to sit flush (tube ID is not equal all the way...it continuously narrows from the back to the front). Continued with nickels until I got closed enough to the end I could press a cork in tight enough that they don't rattle. The MOE stock makes more noise than the coins do. Probably less than $1 in coins.

Of course, it's all going to waste when my F1 is approved and the barrel gets cut down to 4.5".





Not $40...but I've bought about 10 sets in the last year and never paid more than $75. Deals are out there.

HA! I used a tube of rolled up nickels with some stuffing in front and behind it to add weight in the buffer tube to compensate for a heavy barrel shroud and light up front. Worked perfect. Nickels were just the right size and now I can say that I put some real money into my gun

 

[Vinney47]

I bought a set of the PTS for my 15-22 - while they look similar, the didn't function that well for me. They would not lay flat on the rail when folded down, which annoyed me enough to send them back. I just upgraded my standard mbus to pro's on the OR, so I am going to move the standard mbus over to the 22. Overkill, sure, but they lie flat .

Interestingly, the PTS's I bought used phillips, not torx. I know there has been some discussion about fake Magpul items on Amazon, as people expected strait screw heads (ie the standard model) and got torx, which was the tipoff that they were fake/PTS, I guess. Or maybe the phillips are fake, who knows. Magpul doesn't even make the PTS line anymore so I'd be leery of any PTS branded items now anyway.

Yeah, I hada bad experience trying to get PTS items for my 15-22 recently as well. The ones I got for ~$20 were decidedly fake. PTS is supposed to be near the quality of magpul USA, but what I got was so soft the sights crushed when tightening the mount screw (under normal torque).
While I really wanted a light weight cheap set of polymer folding sights, couldn't find any worth having (and not wanting to pay the asking price for magpul MBUS for my .22lr) and settled on some knock off YHM folding sights, metal. The rear one doesn't quite sit flush when folded, but it's close and the front sight is perfect.

 

[Decipher]

I bought a set of the PTS for my 15-22 - while they look similar, the didn't function that well for me. They would not lay flat on the rail when folded down, which annoyed me enough to send them back. I just upgraded my standard mbus to pro's on the OR, so I am going to move the standard mbus over to the 22. Overkill, sure, but they lie flat .

Interestingly, the PTS's I bought used phillips, not torx. I know there has been some discussion about fake Magpul items on Amazon, as people expected strait screw heads (ie the standard model) and got torx, which was the tipoff that they were fake/PTS, I guess. Or maybe the phillips are fake, who knows. Magpul doesn't even make the PTS line anymore so I'd be leery of any PTS branded items now anyway.

Interesting. I had my friend send me pics and I can see that mine do sit slightly more flush than his, but it's marginal. The screw vs torx thing is interesting. Maybe they've gotten worse, but the quality was extremely comparable when we had them side by side. Like I said, I do see a difference in how flat they lay now, but it's close. Functionality wise, we have fired each other's rifles and didn't detect any difference. Thanks for sharing.

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[photoracer]

Magpul is definitely a respected brand in the AR community. But not the best, which would cost you way more. While the Pmag is pretty much the standard it does have its drawbacks which is the main reason most 3-gunners have switched from the Pmag to the Lancer L5 Warfighter mags. Magpul tells you that little cap is a dust cover when in reality it is designed to keep the mag lips at the top from spreading out when you leave magazines loaded all the time. Try leaving it off for a couple of weeks and see that your mags will jam in the AR and be hard to get out. the Lancers have metal lips at the top so they don't need that plus they are available fully transparent so you can see how many rounds are in them, not just a window that some of the Pmag models have. I never had an issue with my Pmags when I used them for 3-gun but I meticulously made sure the caps were on when they were loaded. I switched to the Lancer Warfighters last year, except for my 48 rd extended Pmag which I kept. I also have a couple of the new 40 rd Pmags just to try out.

 

[gdnagle]

Yeah, I hada bad experience trying to get PTS items for my 15-22 recently as well. The ones I got for ~$20 were decidedly fake. PTS is supposed to be near the quality of magpul USA, but what I got was so soft the sights crushed when tightening the mount screw (under normal torque).

Just remember you have Magpul, Magpul PTS, and Chinese fakes

From James CHU at Magpul PTS.

Thanks for contacting tech support.



PTS products will normally carry the PTS logo or PTS markings directly on the product. It is uncommon for counterfeit items to carry the PTS logo directly on the product, also counterfeit items will be made from an inferior quality material to PTS, their form will not match genuine PTS products, and you can also expect to see production marks such as excessive flash etc amongst other details.



Please contact Magpul for counterfeit identification of Magpul products.





Thanks,



James