Smith and Wesson M&P 15 22- tell me about them

I don’t own one, but I’ve been thinking about getting one for the same purpose.

The only downside to them is that you can not customize them like you can a true AR. Otherwise they a fine rifles. Will a S&W 15-22 be close to your AR rifle? A lot of people (myself included) like to build a dedicated 22 upper/rifle to mimic their centerfire uppers/rifles. A plus to a dedicated upper is that you can use the exact same trigger no matter what caliber you shoot. Just food for thought incase you want to think about a dedicated upper. The 15-22 is a good rifle.

I dont have one but everyone I know that does love theirs. I've also heard from multiple sources that they are very reliable.

Cant answer the accuracy question.

I've had a couple of them. They are nice for what they are and pretty cost effective. The best thing about them is their magazines. They are easy to load and can be had for around $15 each.

If you're looking for trigger time with a rifle that is going to operate like your AR does, the 15-22 will do that; but, it isn't the same as practicing with an AR or an AR running a .22 conversion. The Smith .22, for lack of a better way of putting it, feels like a toy. The weight is going to be different, it's going to swing differently.

If training is your goal, you may actually be better served by getting a .22 upper for your AR and swapping back and forth. That way, same trigger, same everything. I just built an AR22 and when I work out with it, the only difference between it and my 5.56 is the amount of noise that it makes and a bit less weight due to not having that heavy bolt. I guess I have about $400 in my .22 uppers, plus the sight. There is, however, one draw back to getting an upper. The bolt hold open isn't going to work. Black dog mags will hold the bolt open, but by way of the follower. When you remove the mag, the bolt closes.

Really, for your purposes, you could just go with a CMMG conversion kit. It comes with the bolt and 3 25 round mags for like $160 at primary arms. Then, if you decide to do a full blown dedicated upper later, you can get a barrel and collar from Right to Bear Arms and use the bolt and magazines that you already have.

Of course, if you're just looking for an excuse to buy another gun, then go for the 15-22. What other semi auto .22 can you get for the same money that will be as much fun?

Not reliable for a friend. We were surprised.
FTExtract quite often, sometimes 1 in 5 or 7 rounds. >> gun was 'nib' from Academy Sports<< has approx. 500 rds. through it.

Much of the ammo he used is Fed. Automatch, blue or maroon box bulk Federal, Rem. Golden Bullet and Winchester 555.
The gun is often cleaned, and lightly lubed with Breakfree CLP.

He is very close to sending it back to the S&W factory.
Other than the very typical advice to always use the hottest CCI (this should not be necessary), any other suggestions? I've seen gun forums' reports from 2017, 18, maybe '19 discussing the need for a better extractor.

Ignition Override said:

Not reliable for a friend. We were surprised.
FTExtract quite often, sometimes 1 in 5 or 7 rounds. >> gun was 'nib' from Academy Sports<< has approx. 500 rds. through it.

Much of the ammo he used is Fed. Automatch, blue or maroon box bulk Federal, Rem. Golden Bullet and Winchester 555.
The gun is often cleaned, and lightly lubed with Breakfree CLP.

He is very close to sending it back to the S&W factory.
Other than the very typical advice to always use the hottest CCI (this should not be necessary), any other suggestions? I've seen gun forums' reports from 2017, 18, maybe '19 discussing the need for a better extractor.

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I can't offer a solution on this one... unless it's don't get one in the first place. The described situation is consistent with what I've heard locally. From what I hear, the M&P15 and its .22LR version are about polar opposite for reliability.

I've gotten plenty of failures to extract on my Ruger .22s as well with some types of ammunition. Some ammunition is just plain trash. Especially anything with a coating on it. The Golden Bullets and the bulk stuff from Winchester. I'm usually pretty picky about my rimfire ammo. CCI Standard Velocity, 40gr Mini Mags, 40gr Aguila and Federal bulk in the blue box and I don't have much trouble; but it's still .22 rimfire. You have to expect something to come up.

I upgraded the extractors and springs on mine. For that matter, I run 500% extractor springs in my dedicated ARs too. I haven't had an extraction problem in a LONG time.

Not sure where the rumors of reliability issues are coming from. I researched the heck out of .22 AR’s and it seemed that very few ever had problems and that these were by far the most reliable and realistic option. Using that research, I decided to buy one for my daughter as her first gun. It has been completely reliable and accurate to this day. We got one of the original versions. Went out with it today to introduce her to the world of RDS’s. She loved it! Perfect kid gun. Light, easy to operate, reliable, trains them for the real thing and it has an adjustable stock so it can grow with the child. I’m considering buying one of the newer ones for me, they are just plain fun!

helitack32f1 said:

Not sure where the rumors of reliability issues are coming from. I researched the heck out of .22 AR’s and it seemed that very few ever had problems and that these were by far the most reliable and realistic option.

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Agreed. I have one of the original versions. Probably 5 or more thousand rounds through it, trouble free.

I bought one for my son, when he completed Basic training. Since then he has put thousands of rounds through the gun. I know he trains with it very often. When ever I shot the gun with him it ran great.

My Nazi Pelosi target from today.



My range opens this morning. One of the firearms making the trip is my 15-22. Sub-sonic ammo, may not cycle, but standard 22LR, no problems.

I had one for a while and if I wanted an AR patterned 22RF rifle I'd buy another. I had no reliability issues with mine. The trigger wasn't great and accuracy was only mediocre. But for what the OP wants to do I think it will be about ideal. Mine just didn't fill a need and I traded it for something else.

I had one I bought used. Owners manual listed several manufacturers ammo to avoid so I did. Had no trouble whatever. Some aftermarket mags suck.

I've had one since they 1st came out. Mine's been remarkably reliable with just about everything we've put through it.

I bought it as an AR15 trainer, because unlike the .22LR conversion kits it functions juts like the the AR15, bolt hold open etc. I also got tired of cleaning my ARs after using the conversion kit. About the only thing it lacks as a trainer is recoil, so I now spend most of my time with an AR15 in 9mm, costs more per rd, but is more realistic when working on multiple shots. The 15-22 is a great stepping stone for shooters unfamiliar with the AR15 and I progress them through; .22LR, 9mm, .223.

The M&P15-22 is a big hit with whomever comes out to shoot. With an RDS, it's a fun plinker.

I bought one used and had a lot of problems with it. Apparently, there had been a bad batch of bolts and a recall, and apparently this was one of those guns.

I was getting a lot of "bursts" while shooting, the extractor blew out of the gun and had to be replaced and I had a lot of issues with the trigger not resetting.

The gun went back to S&W three times (in a month and a half) and they finally replaced it. While they always sent me a label and it didnt cost me a cent, I wasnt very impressed with their customer service, or at least the repair part of that.

The second time it came back, they said it was corrected (again), and there was no way they had fired it, as it was as if I had never sent it, and did the exact same thing it was doing when I sent it, from the very first round I shot it when it came back. I shot three full mags, and the gun functioned correctly only one time.

All that said, the "new" gun they sent has been flawless and shoots anything I put in it. Its been shot a good bit now and I havent had one problem.

They are fun guns when they work. Not so much when they dont.

While I am not very familiar with the S&W 15-22 as far as what ammo it does or doesn't like, I do know that bullet shape/profile does matter more with AR uppers compared to other types of 22 rifles. Bullet weight can make a difference also, 40Gr seems to do better than 36Gr for most. I have had good luck in my Chiappa dedicated upper and my CMMG dedicated upper using CCI AR Tactical, CCI Mini Mags, CCI Standard, Federal Champion, PMC Sidewinder, and CI Superrapido. Yes all ammo is high velocity except the CCI Standard.

FL-NC, I don't think you will go wrong with the S&W 15-22 or going with a dedicated upper. If nothing else, make a list of the similarities and differences between a 15-22 and your current rifle then decide if you want something that is the same as you centerfire or something that is close enough. You will be well served for your training needs either way.

I shoot with a group of twenty or so, most of which use the 15-22’s, so in the past 5 years I have seen a lot of rounds go through these rifles. My two have been 100% reliable but I am anal about keeping it clean, more so than the others I shoot with. Even with spotty maintenance, reliability for all of us in in the 95+% range. One of our shooters has close to 100,000 rounds through his. I am approaching 50,000 on mine. Keep records and replace the factory firing pin at 10,000 to 15,000 rounds. That seems to be the lifetime for them. Volquartsen makes a replacement that should be great judging by past experience with them.
To address some of your questions, they do not like sub velocity ammo. Standard velocity is ok but the “quiet” rounds are not reliable with the factory spring.
Out of the factory, the ejector is not always adjusted properly. Find instructions on adjusting it on rimfire central or the S&W forum. Once it is properly adjusted, it will run great long term.
Magazines do wear out although it takes thousands of rounds. Waxy ammo necessitates cleaning the mags periodically.
I have put standard AR forearms on my rifles, using the adapter from Tacticool 22. This makes them feel much more like their big cousins.
If you have extractor problems, Volquartsen makes a replacement.
Caution, not all drop in triggers will be reliable. It takes more oomph to set off rim fires than center fires so some triggers will have misfires. I personally use CMC and have no problems.
Sorry to be so long and opinionated but I feel I have had as much 15-22 experience as any one.

I bought my daughter one, it's the Sport model. It only has maybe 2000 rounds through it but it's been mostly trouble free shooting golden bullets, Federal Value, Blazer, and CCI/Aguila Standard velocity. I like it so much I keep thinking of selling my SIG 522 and getting a 15-22. I say "mostly trouble free" because before we put 300 rounds through it the trigger pin walked out. I knew very little about AR's at the time, so rather than just put it back in place I bought a JP pin capture kit, and it's been flawless since then. So for all I know the trigger was installed incorrectly at the factory.

Someone mentioned it feels like a toy, and it is SOOO light that's a correct assessment. If you truly want the exact same balance/handling characteristics of your AR15, build a .22lr copy. Otherwise, the 15-22 is a great gun.

I have had one for years, and it has been very reliable and reasonably accurate for a lightweight semi automatic. 22 lr. When it was new, it had extraction issues and was returned to S&W, where they replaced the extractor and springs and it has run great ever since. After getting it back, I recall a thread on rimfire central.com about slightly bending the extractor to fix ejection issues and realized that probably would have resolved my previous issues. I recommend picking up a couple of the short 10 round magazines if you plan on shooting from prone or a bench, as the standard 25 round mags are pretty long and not convenient for those applications. (Also they make ammo last longer, especially if you have youngsters shooting. Kids and mag dumps seem to go together!) Mine wears a Nikon 3-9x scope and is very popular when our club offers free firearms familiarization to the public. Very rewarding to watch young to middle age ladies try out an "evil black rifle" and see their excitement when they ring steel gongs offhand at 15 yards, and aren't traumatized in the slightest.

My wife has had a pink camo one for 6 years, never ever had a failure. Even with cheap 22 bulk ammo.

I've had one for quite a few years and it's been great. It's not a 50 yard tack driver like my Bergara BXR but it's a great trainer for sure and has been very reliable. This is how it's set up now. I have a Leupold 1.5-5x optic in an ADM QD mount with the factory BUIS. The scope is one of those Mark 4 AR models with the TM reticle. I had a Jewell 2-stage trigger laying around so I swapped out the terrible factory trigger for the Jewell and it's way better. KNS anti-walk pins are available that are sized correctly for the S&W receiver so I added those too. I only shoot it suppressed since why not ... right?

Mine is the Magpul version. I’ve topped it with a bushnell A-22 scope a a bipod. As to accuracy, we regularly shoot golf balls off tees at 50 yards, then chase the balls up and over the berm. Then go back and shoot the tees. Mine likes Federal Auromatch, but it’ll eat anything I feed it, albeit some stuff is a lot dirtier than others. Mine likes 40 grains better than 36s.
Is the trigger match grade? Nope. Are the parts milspec? I dunno. What I do know is I’ve shot literally thousands of rounds without a gun related malfunction. One ammo malfunction where a case split, but that was ammo related. The thing is a blast, and if I go to the range, it goes. Every time.

My son-in-law bought one not long after they hit the market. It is the ultimate jam-o-matic with any brand of ammo. I told him he should send it back to S & W but he just stuck it in the back of his safe and there it sits.