I picked one up last Saturday. I don't know when I can get around to shooting it. (Long story for another time.) I wanted a cheap-to-shoot "understudy" for my centerfire AR, and this fills the bill. The controls are located and operated like those of the big brother except for the .22's lack of a forward assist. It even field strips similarly. I paid $325 for a flip-up iron-sighted model. For $20 more there was one with a red dot, but we couldn't find any iron sights on the rifle or in the box. I'd rather have iron/peep sights than a $20 red dot anyway. I have long term plans for some kind of optic on either or both rifles.

Ruger (my centerfire AR) is missing the boat by not offering such a rifle, IMO. I could have sworn they made one at one time.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: egregore,

S&W MP15-22 is the best of the 22LR ARs, IMO. I have one as well.

Greg Cote has magazines for this gun for $17.95 plus postage.

Yeah, stock up on magazines because they are a PITA to load, since you have to ensure they stagger the rounds correctly. If you are having feeding issues, this is usually the culprit.

Never had a problem loading the 15-22 mags, or any issue with then feeding. The side button that you use to pull down the follower as you load makes them easier to load than the Sig 522 mags IMHO.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Dwill104,

I've never had a problem loading the 15-22 magazines.

Just pull the follower down each time a round goes in.

If you yank it all the way to the bottom and then pour the rounds in, that's when you get staggering problems.

quote:

Originally posted by RHINOWSO:
Yeah, stock up on magazines because they are a PITA to load, since you have to ensure they stagger the rounds correctly. If you are having feeding issues, this is usually the culprit.

I don't remember seeing that in the manual, but maybe I missed it. I did see something about two kinds of magazines, one with an orange follower and assist buttons (what I got), the other with a blue follower and no assist buttons.

quote:

Originally posted by LDD:
I've never had a problem loading the 15-22 magazines.

Just pull the follower down each time a round goes in.

If you yank it all the way to the bottom and then pour the rounds in, that's when you get staggering problems.

Exactly.

Just lower the follower by one or two rounds at a time.

Among the easiest to load, most dependable magazines ever, if you're not doing it wrong.

PITA may be a strong word for 15-22 mags, but they are not as mindless as loading 10-22 magazines.

And then again, I enjoy shooting at the range and not loading - give the old farts more time to call the range cold and yap about 'the good old days' and if they are shitting regularly, so I try not to give them any more opportunities by have 8 mags loaded and ready to go!

Twenty-five round 15-22 mags don't fail as often as twenty-five round 10-.22 mags.

quote:

Originally posted by RichardC:
Twenty-five round 15-22 mags don't fail as often as twenty-five round 10-.22 mags.

Now that I have to agree with.

The 15-22 makes it so much easier (and cheaper) to familiarize someone with the controls on an AR. Plus, we can shoot it on our club's Pistol range anytime, as opposed to waiting for the center-fire rifle range which only has limited hours (and is often crowded).

From the start, it has run great.

quote:

Originally posted by egregore:

quote:

Originally posted by RHINOWSO:
Yeah, stock up on magazines because they are a PITA to load, since you have to ensure they stagger the rounds correctly. If you are having feeding issues, this is usually the culprit.

I don't remember seeing that in the manual, but maybe I missed it. I did see something about two kinds of magazines, one with an orange follower and assist buttons (what I got), the other with a blue follower and no assist buttons.

There are 3 mags. A 10 round mag with a short body that looks similar to a 20 round AR mag. A 25 round mag with a long body that looks like a 30 round AR mag. A blocked 10 round mag with the long body of the 25 rounder. The first two mags have orange followers and loading assist buttons. The blocked mag has the blue follower and no loading buttons.

I put 125 rounds through it today. Functioning was almost perfect. One failure to fire, but the rim was clearly crushed, so this was a dud and not the fault of the gun. With one of the two magazines I had, there was one failure to lock the bolt back. It didn't repeat itself. No feeding or ejection failures. Accuracy was at least "minute of man." Indoor ranges with a 25-yard max distance and iron sights are a bit of a handicap for truly precision shooting.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: egregore,

I recently bought the same gun a love it.

I’ve never really been a fan of the AR, but had only fired it in 5.56 until I bought this one for my son and I had a blast shooting it. I also brought a 16” 5.56 AR I’d just built and I spent t way more time with the .22lr.

I just bought a 9mm upper and extras here in the classifieds and I’m going to try a 9mm AR to see if I like it as much. I’m also looking at building a .22 AR pistol to play with. What a great gun!

I really like my S&W 15-22 and it's a blast to shoot.

AR15 rifles are hard to dislike - with so many options and calibers, usually you can find something you like.

quote:

Originally posted by RHINOWSO:
AR15 rifles are hard to dislike - with so many options and calibers, usually you can find something you like.

Despite not personally liking the AR in any configuration I’ve shot, I have long been telling people that the platform might be the greatest ever based on the limitless options for customization.