Prospective new 15-22 owner.

[Bigkilla]

So after some reading I have decided to throw my hat in the ring and buy one of these nifty little guns but I have some questions from you gun owners.

My main use for the rifle will be target shooting and I want to get a gun that is as accurate as possible (I know that for a accurate gun I should go with a bolt gun which i already own a few, just want to try to trick out one of these beauties.). I know that might be asking quite a bit from these rifles as everything i have seen or read is they are not inherently accurate rifles. So how much more accuracy will the PC version get me over the standard version? Money is not really a issue so if the PC version will get me a little more accuracy that is ok, but if it would be better to go with the standard version and upgrade from there that would just as well.

I am new to the AR style rifle and the amount of after market options seem mind boggling. I know this is not a full AR style rifle that can be upgraded like a true AR with new barrels and such so what exactly on this gun cannot be upgraded?

I like the looks of some of the colored versions of the rifle but I have not seen one of the colored version available in the PC version. Do they make say the Harvest Moon orange color PC?

I look forward from hearing from the experts.

 

[RedNeck Jim]

My main use for the rifle will be target shooting and I want to get a gun that is as accurate as possible (I know that for a accurate gun I should go with a bolt gun which i already own a few, just want to try to trick out one of these beauties.).

So make up your mind. Do you want a target rifle or a plinker than can be tricked out? Seems like you already know the answer. To me, a target gun needs to be sub MOA. No matter what you do, the 15-22 will not be capable of anything like that. Most run about 3 MOA.

So don't walk into this purchase with failure guaranteed. Either accept the 15-22 as what it is & what you can trick it out to be, or choose another platform... like a really nice AR. You can get some pretty danged accurate ARs & of course they can be tricked out.

 

[Majorlk]

The 15-22 is not a target rifle. It's accuracy runs to about 3 MOA. There are many rifles that fall into the target category that would better fit your needs.

 

[dullh]

So make up your mind. Do you want a target rifle or a plinker than can be tricked out? Seems like you already know the answer. To me, a target gun needs to be sub MOA. No matter what you do, the 15-22 will not be capable of anything like that. Most run about 3 MOA.

So don't walk into this purchase with failure guaranteed. Either accept the 15-22 as what it is & what you can trick it out to be, or choose another platform... like a really nice AR. You can get some pretty danged accurate ARs & of course they can be tricked out.

If you want a readily available target rifle, buy a Ruger 10/22 or a Marlin Model 60.

If you want a Tricked Out Plinker get the 15-22:

It's even sweeter when it's silenced...

 

[Bigkilla]

OK, maybe I worded it poorly.

My goal is to make a 15-22 as accurate as possible.

 

[rbpwrd240]

Depending on your knowledge of scopes, mil dots, range estimation, PBR and of course your ability to shoot the gun it may be plenty accurate for you but it also may not be....

Will a 10/22 work better? Sure, but can you realy shoot that well anyway??? I dont mean you persay but just your average Joe. It takes a decent amount of practice to shoot a .22 well once you get out past 100 yards. A 15-22 can shoot the same distance as a 10/22 but it will never be as accurate as the 10/22 if they are evenly upgraded. It will however give you a great affordable, fun platform to learn the basics of long distance shooting.

As for mods you would want a decent trigger, any ar15 trigger with the (KNS?) 15-22 specific pins should work.
Good Mil Dot AO Scope with alot of adjustablity
Quality butt stock with no play or an electrical tape job.
And as a final step before starting to practicing shooting long distances I would hold a test with every single ammo I thought would work for my needs and make a spread sheet of their FPE, Velocity, Weight, Grouping, etc at all yardages and then I would pick my cartridge based off accuracy first and if its close between several rounds then FPE, Style and of course availability and price come into play.

Doing all that should get you a rifle that is accurate enough to start practicing long range shooting. (If thats what you desire)

Im actualy at the finale step myself testing about 22 different .22lr HV & SV ammos. Also if you learn mil dots (3.6" @ 100yds) and zero your mil dot scope at 50yds then the drop to 100yds with a HV bullet is almost exactly one mil dot or 3.5" and at 75 yards its half a dot or about 2". Thats good info to know as your playing with your scope.

As you move through the differences in models make sure you keep an eye on which chamber it has. Anything with a match chamber can only shoot standard sized casings which means you cant shoot CCI stingers, CCI Quick Shock Segmented Holow Point and probably others Im forgeting right now. I cant coment if the performance models etc are more accurate but Im sure to some degree that they are. These guns are highly customizable though so alot can be done to them to improve accuracy and overall enjoyment. I almost guarante your project will end as something far different then you set out to build but then again it may not. Eitherway you wont regret your purchase.

 

[Majorlk]

OK, maybe I worded it poorly.

My goal is to make a 15-22 as accurate as possible.

No matter what you do, it is doubtful that you will get the accuracy better than 2 MOA. 2.5 MOA is more likely.

That said, have fun with your project and shoot lots of ammo.

 

[Freeway]

The 15-22 is a great rifle and is enjoyable to take out and shoot. I know that mine will never be a super accurate target rifle, but that's okay. I love it for what it is, which for me as a fun rifle that is similar to what I used in the military years ago. I do not have the PC version.

 

[Bigkilla]

Just from the little bit of looking online this looks like it is going to be a very spendy little gun. The prices locally range from 699.99 to 739.99 for the PC version. Budsgunshop.com has them for 643.75. I have at least 1 other gun to purchase before I pick one up and then its on to the 15-22 and accessories

At least I have a stockpile of about 35k rounds of 22lr waiting for it.

 

[RedNeck Jim]

I can't recall any PC owner here stating how much better their PC model is than the "normal" ones. I really don't think it is that much more accurate, if at all. IMO, it certainly doesn't turn it into a target rifle.

I recommend to prospective buyers that wish to trick out their 15-22 to purchase the stock, threaded barrel version (811033). I got my last one for $299 a few months back. Then you can read the discussions here to see how you wish to start customizing. I think the best upgrade that impacts accuracy would be a nice trigger. I run the CMC but there is all sorts of discussion here on the different options.

The beauty of the AR platform is that it is so easy to customize to your own needs or wants. When you pay extra for the MOE version or the PC version, you are accepting the enhancements suggested by others. I personally don't like any of their upgrades and prefer those that I selected for my once basic rifle. It ain't so basic anymore.

 

[druryj]

S&W M&P 15-22: Most accurate .22 rifle I own? No. Most fun to take out and blast merrily away at cans, rocks, dirt clods, bugs, and stuff? Yes. I put a cheap Red Dot on mine and have more fun with it than ought to be allowed. I can nail a tree rat with it just fine, but for serious accuracy, I really need to be shooting something better designed for that purpose. But for sheer fun, it's darn hard to beat the 15-22!

 

[chiro972b]

My most accurate 22 rifle is my Sig 522. I went back and forth between it and the 15-22 but reports of greater accuracy got me and I've been stunned by its accuracy and reliability. It's about a pound heavier than the 15-22 which I like but my wife doesn't. I'll still probably pick up a 15-22 for her down the road, but I don't expect to see one hole 25 yard accuracy like the sig. Talking to a friend who has the pc version of the 15-22, I would avoid it since his is very picky on what ammo it will reliably feed.

 

[photoracer]

Problem is for the $600 + the PC model will cost you can buy a 10/22 at WM for $200, get a Kidd barrel for $150, a bolt from QUE and trigger job from another guy and for about the same money you get a rifle that will do easy 1-1.5 MOA. For the PC model to improve the accuracy you will need to replace the polymer handguard with an alloy one from say Nordic to anchor the barrel better about $150 counting the tools to take the stock nut off. Then you need a decent trigger. The stock RRA 2-stage is too heavy at about 5# so at a minimum you need the JP yellow springs to bring it down to about 3-3.5#, only $10. A better trigger itself will run $150-$250. For that extra money you could add a Boyd's or Titan precision stock to the 10/22 and then it would be around 1 MOA. The PC model will be at about 2 MOA. Then if you went to the range with the 10/22 people would figure you know something about accuracy. If you don't want to follow the crowd you can do similar with a Remington 597.
Or you can get Tim Ubl of Taccom to help you build a real accurate AR-22. It will be much more accurate than any military rimfire even the Sig. From the tests while the Sig is way better than any of the true looking AR clones (Colt, H-K, 15-22, Mossberg) it can't match the accuracy of the 10/22 or 597. I have both the PC and regular 15-22s, a precision built Rem 597, a Taccom AR-22, plus 2 10/22s.