Just bought a Colt M4 Carbine 22LR

[Quentin]

Sportsman’s Warehouse had a good price on the basic Colt M4 Carbine 22LR at $459.99 last week so I picked one up. Gave it a lot of thought because the S&W M&P15-22 is tempting and was on sale at Sports Authority last week for $399.99. And Ruger and SIG have AR style 22s as well. I have read about the problems of each rifle and finally had to go with the Colt because it looks so much like a real M4 - even weighs about the same.

Ok, we know it's not really a Colt but it does have the pony on the side. Umarex imports it and Walther of Germany makes it. It has some warts just like other 22LR solutions for the AR but overall I think it's made fairly well. I do have a real Colt Series 70 45ACP so at least do have the real thing but this .22 is pretty good.

I finally got to fire it today and it functioned 100% with Federal 550 Value Pack from Wal-Mart, about 150 rounds. As expected, it didn't do as well with Remington Golden Bullet, failing to completely close the bolt every other time when a GB was the top round in the magazine. I noticed though the problem usually was when I manually released the bolt and once I got the bolt fully closed the rest in the magazine usually chambered and fired. In fact I tried a mag with 10 GBs and 5 Federals on top and all 15 fired with no issues. That didn't always happen but it did enough that it may be a way to use up GBs if you're desperate. Since I have other .22s that handle GB I'll just use Federal in the M4.

I sighted in at 25 yards and had to crank the rear sight elevation knob as far down as it would go (under 6/3) to stay on the bullseye. I can see I'll need a taller front sight post and hope Umarex will send one. I also hope to buy the nice black dust cover spring they have and put it on my home brewed 5.56 AR which has a silver spring. Very nice touch that Walther used a black spring just like the military Colt M4s! Surprising how much better it looks black.

Anyway, I'm pleased with the look, heft and function of the M4 .22 and know it was the right choice. There's so much bad that you read about them but I'm glad I chose it over the S&W and others. Of course I don't have that many rounds down the bore yet but so far so good.

Here it is in the first pic. The second picture is its big brother!

 

[savage23]

Quentin,you should't need a different front sight-simply adjust the one on your rifle.

 

[Quentin]

savage23, the front sight post definitely needs to be taller. This is exactly the same problem that occurs on flat top ARs that don't have the F-marked FSB when you put on a rear sight or carry handle that's at milspec height (0.04" taller than commercial or A2 height) - the front sight post has to be screwed up so high that it slops around and is ready to fall out.

Bushmaster, ArmaLite, DPMS, Olympia and others use the old A2 FSB and have a commercial height carry handle to match. That works fine but many end up with a different rear sight. Bushmaster has had so many complaints on this that they sell a 0.04" taller post for people who add on a "Colt" or milspec height carry handle or rear BUIS.

I first ran in to this problem with my AR build last year which has an ArmaLite upper and a Colt carry handle (actually made by Cardinal Forge). The Bushmaster taller front post solved the problem and was a cheap fix since it's only $5.50. This even allowed me to go to the Santose IBZ zero which needs even more front post height since you reindex the carry handle to go 4 or more clicks under 6/3. People who buy complete ARs from a single manufacturer aren't aware this problem exists but if you mix'n'match parts you're much more likely to stumble across it.

Umarex is aware they have this problem and in the past has sent out the taller front post for free to people who complain. I'll be complaining!

 

[trigga]

excellent choice. i would have bought the colt m4 too regardless if the barrel was thin. it looks and feels exactly like my ar15 all except some small details if you look for them. i was deciding between this gun and the gsg5. if the mag didn't stick out a mile i would have bought it but i went with the gsg5 can got a .22lr conversion for my ar15. $459 is a good price, i see them here for $400-$600+.

 

[emilianoksa]

I see them here for as little as $1,150.