I'll keep posting it in each of these threads that comes up, I guess. The two Colts I've handled were garbage. Poor fit and finish. Wonky controls. One would not close the bolt or release the charging handle right out of the box, the other would fire a few rounds and the bolt would stick half open. The telescoping stock wobbled at least an inch in all directions and was completely useless on both.
These were very early runs however; they may be worth looking at again in the future.
I can personally vouch for the GSG-5 and the GSG AK-47 (at least the wood, have not held a synthetic.) They're great. The best thing you can buy for $500? No. A riot to shoot? Absolutely.
I'm keen to try the S&W MP15-22's, but have not gotten my hands on one yet. Maybe still have a few in stock when I go to my dealer in the next few days to pick up the GSG Ak-47 he ordered. But the reviews I've heard from everybody else has been solidly positive.
One thing to note - A lot of guys like to ride their thumbs all the way down on the spring in the magazine to load faster and easier - Don't. Load them one at a time. You can put a little pressure on the spring with each round to make it go faster, but they're finicky about how they're fed in there. I'd bet most of the FTF problems people have with their GSGs are related to this. In the S&W, they use a semi-double stack design, and it will be even more prone to loading them like this. Load them one at a time, use decent ammo.
And, as others have said, the Colt, the S&W, the SIG 522, etc, are all dedicated .22 platforms. You cannot exchange uppers or lowers on them. You can do most other mods on them, though (stocks, grips, rails, etc)
If your goal is a .22 you can convert to .223, get a complete lower and a Spike's Tactical .22LR upper.
