New to the forum and wanted to share my initial experience with the M&P 15-22. (Future posts will be shorter). This model is the one with the threaded barrel. I bought it new at a local gun shop after looking at a Kel-Tec, Puma (vented metal shroud/overpriced) and even a lowly Armscor AK22 which looks cool but not in the same quality category, IMO.
Visually the M&P was more authentic to the AR design and appeared to be of better construction plus it's USA made. It felt right but I could us a few more inches on the buttstock - a possible upgrade since I have longer arms but it's not an issue.
Without doing any research on ammunition, I started with Remmington Thunderbolts (50 bx pkgs in the 500 brick) from Gander Mtn. and chewed thru 350 rounds with several cleanings, etc. The FTE's increased as the gun became dirty or when rapid fire was performed. These rounds seem to be inconsistent with proper kick to recycle the bolt. No FTL issue but a few stovepipe in the mag when rapid firing. It's a very "dirty" round also.
Nothing new to the forum so far but the Rem ThunderB is not for this rifle. I hear Remmington ammo in general does not mate well with the 15-22.
I then tried Winchester 555 Hollow Points (from WallyW) and had all kinds of trouble. This HP is "too long" for the magazine and gets jammed in the mag in a bad way. It also has a very blunt tip which adds to the problem. It happens about rnd no. 14 and stovepipes worse than the Rem TB ever did. Too bad really. It's a clean and smooth rnd overall but the current factory mag does not like it at all. The velocity may also be too low for the 15-22 but cycling/FTE was no more than the Rem TB.
I stopped at Dick's on the way home from the range and picked up some Winchester Dynapoint GT Hollow Point Target (500 bx) and the HP hole is very small and should work plus the nose is rounded and the length is a normal LR. It's a 40 gr VS. the 36 gr on the 555. I won't be able to test this rnd for a few weeks but perhaps the grain weight is equally important as is the FPS, velocity, etc. I really thing the nose shape and coating is one major factor in FTL's.
I know the S&W recommends high velocity so I need to research and test which "bulk" and/or HV round works best for the 15-22. The goal is lowest cost and highest performance, otherwise I should have purchased a centerfire rifle.
I don't care about having hollow points, just emptying the mag at full trigger rate with ZERO issues.
Yes I know, .22 cal semi-autos are still not perfected after all these years. Hard to believe really. One shot burst is too low of a level for me so those shooters that don't perform 2-3 shot bursts or rapid fire will likely never encounter problems with any ammo.
Overall I like the 15-22 and really like the accuracy regardless of the fussy ammo issue. With minimal adjustment, each round went where I placed it. To be fair, the range was 50 feet. This was from a standing position which is my preference. Grouping was tighter with the Wichestester 555 HP's but will NOT work with the 15-22. Avoid this round for safety reasons, IMO.
A few last notes. The field strip is a breeze but I would like to know how to remove the barrel shroud. (any ideas ??). The front shroud ring is simple to release but the actual shroud is a mystery.
The magazine also seems to be where some of the FTF issues may be coming from. The forward facing slot on the mag that faces the ramp surely could be improved. I could be wrong. Maybe some after market mag guru will improve upon the original or S&W is working on it. Spare mags are a must.
I read where some polish the breach ramp but I would think just keeping it cleaned and also running thru a few 1000 rnds should take care of that.
btw, mine has the light blue spring on the bolt and the extractor appears to be black. (DUA series on the SN prefix).
Some on line images of the bolt spring seem dark blue when mine is lighter in color. I have yet to see a blue extractor. Not sure if there are more than 2 spring variants, etc. FTF is not likely related to the bolt spring anyway.
I like this weapon and will pursue whatever level of performance possible including sending it to S&W for adjustment if needed. It's a tool and tools occasionally require adjustment but it should have less FTE's and fire any LR round on the market, safely, right out of the box. I have read where out of breach firing issues have occured but this is not the case with me so far. I don't expect it either.
If the model is to fully live up to its name of Military and Police, it must reach that level of reliability, even for civilian plinking.
Regardless of my break-in comments above, I recommend the M&P 15-22 if you like the AR format and low cost accurate fun. Sure, I would like the real thing but the high cost of centerfire ammo is not practical for me right now. Finding the correct ammo at the lowest cost is.
Visually the M&P was more authentic to the AR design and appeared to be of better construction plus it's USA made. It felt right but I could us a few more inches on the buttstock - a possible upgrade since I have longer arms but it's not an issue.
Without doing any research on ammunition, I started with Remmington Thunderbolts (50 bx pkgs in the 500 brick) from Gander Mtn. and chewed thru 350 rounds with several cleanings, etc. The FTE's increased as the gun became dirty or when rapid fire was performed. These rounds seem to be inconsistent with proper kick to recycle the bolt. No FTL issue but a few stovepipe in the mag when rapid firing. It's a very "dirty" round also.
Nothing new to the forum so far but the Rem ThunderB is not for this rifle. I hear Remmington ammo in general does not mate well with the 15-22.
I then tried Winchester 555 Hollow Points (from WallyW) and had all kinds of trouble. This HP is "too long" for the magazine and gets jammed in the mag in a bad way. It also has a very blunt tip which adds to the problem. It happens about rnd no. 14 and stovepipes worse than the Rem TB ever did. Too bad really. It's a clean and smooth rnd overall but the current factory mag does not like it at all. The velocity may also be too low for the 15-22 but cycling/FTE was no more than the Rem TB.
I stopped at Dick's on the way home from the range and picked up some Winchester Dynapoint GT Hollow Point Target (500 bx) and the HP hole is very small and should work plus the nose is rounded and the length is a normal LR. It's a 40 gr VS. the 36 gr on the 555. I won't be able to test this rnd for a few weeks but perhaps the grain weight is equally important as is the FPS, velocity, etc. I really thing the nose shape and coating is one major factor in FTL's.
I know the S&W recommends high velocity so I need to research and test which "bulk" and/or HV round works best for the 15-22. The goal is lowest cost and highest performance, otherwise I should have purchased a centerfire rifle.
I don't care about having hollow points, just emptying the mag at full trigger rate with ZERO issues.
Yes I know, .22 cal semi-autos are still not perfected after all these years. Hard to believe really. One shot burst is too low of a level for me so those shooters that don't perform 2-3 shot bursts or rapid fire will likely never encounter problems with any ammo.
Overall I like the 15-22 and really like the accuracy regardless of the fussy ammo issue. With minimal adjustment, each round went where I placed it. To be fair, the range was 50 feet. This was from a standing position which is my preference. Grouping was tighter with the Wichestester 555 HP's but will NOT work with the 15-22. Avoid this round for safety reasons, IMO.
A few last notes. The field strip is a breeze but I would like to know how to remove the barrel shroud. (any ideas ??). The front shroud ring is simple to release but the actual shroud is a mystery.
The magazine also seems to be where some of the FTF issues may be coming from. The forward facing slot on the mag that faces the ramp surely could be improved. I could be wrong. Maybe some after market mag guru will improve upon the original or S&W is working on it. Spare mags are a must.
I read where some polish the breach ramp but I would think just keeping it cleaned and also running thru a few 1000 rnds should take care of that.
btw, mine has the light blue spring on the bolt and the extractor appears to be black. (DUA series on the SN prefix).
Some on line images of the bolt spring seem dark blue when mine is lighter in color. I have yet to see a blue extractor. Not sure if there are more than 2 spring variants, etc. FTF is not likely related to the bolt spring anyway.
I like this weapon and will pursue whatever level of performance possible including sending it to S&W for adjustment if needed. It's a tool and tools occasionally require adjustment but it should have less FTE's and fire any LR round on the market, safely, right out of the box. I have read where out of breach firing issues have occured but this is not the case with me so far. I don't expect it either.
If the model is to fully live up to its name of Military and Police, it must reach that level of reliability, even for civilian plinking.
Regardless of my break-in comments above, I recommend the M&P 15-22 if you like the AR format and low cost accurate fun. Sure, I would like the real thing but the high cost of centerfire ammo is not practical for me right now. Finding the correct ammo at the lowest cost is.
