Smith & Wesson M&P15-22

Last updated
Smith & Wesson M&P15-22
M&P15-22.png
Smith & Wesson M&P15-22
Type Semi-automatic rifle
Place of originUnited States
Production history
Manufacturer Smith & Wesson
Produced2009–present
Specifications
Mass5.5 lbs / 2.5 kg [1]
Length33.75" Extended, 30.5" Collapsed [1]
Barrel  length16" / 40.6 cm [1]

Cartridge .22 Long Rifle
Action Blowback
Feed system10 or 25-round detachable box magazine [2]
Sights Picatinny rail-mounted iron sights

The Smith & Wesson M&P15-22 is a .22 Long Rifle variant of the Smith & Wesson M&P15 semi-automatic rifle, but is blowback-operated rather than direct impingement-operated. It is intended for recreational shooting ("plinking") and small game hunting. It is made with a polymer upper and lower receiver rather than the aluminum alloy that is normally used in AR-15 style rifles, and uses proprietary polymer box magazines. [2]

Contents

Design

The M&P15-22 was designed to be a less expensive alternative for training with an AR-15 style rifle, as the rifle itself is much less expensive than most AR-15s, and the .22 LR ammunition is often much less expensive than the .223 Remington/5.56×45mm NATO. The rifle features a safety and bolt lock that operate just like an AR-15's. The M&P15-22 can also be an alternative in jurisdictions that restrict magazine capacity for centerfire cartridges.

The M&P15-22's lower recoil is used as a way to ease new shooters into the sport, allowing them to familiarize themselves with AR-15 controls without the fear of excessive recoil or noise. [3] The disassembly process is very similar to the AR-15 and S&W M&P 15. [4] The lower receiver detaches from the upper with two captured pins. [4] The lower receiver contains a standard M&P15 trigger assembly that is compatible with most AR-15 trigger groups. [4] The upper receiver contains the bolt, barrel, and charging handle. [4] However, the upper and lower receivers of the M&P 15-22 are both deliberately incompatible with standard AR15/M4 uppers and lowers.

Variants

The M&P15-22 Sport II can be had with MOE (Magpul Original Equipment) furnitures, MBUS sights and a threaded barrel. [5]

Smith & Wesson offers the M&P 15/22 in a variety of finishes including Kryptek Highlander and Muddy Girl in addition to basic black or tan. [6]

Temporary safety issue

In 2016, Project Appleseed temporarily banned use of M&P 15-22 rifles at their shooting clinics following a series of out-of-battery discharges, pending a full investigation and correction from Smith & Wesson. This was based on several incidents that occurred in multiple states, including one that injured a shooter on the line and another where multiple cartridges fired with but one trigger pull. [7] [8] The issue is already solved.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Revolver</span> Firearm with a cylinder holding cartridges

A revolver is a repeating handgun that has at least one barrel and uses a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers for firing. Because most revolver models hold up to six cartridges, before needing to be reloaded, revolvers are commonly called six shooters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Semi-automatic rifle</span> Type of autoloading rifle

A semi-automatic rifle is an autoloading rifle that fires a single cartridge with each pull of the trigger, and uses part of the fired cartridge's energy to eject the case and load another cartridge into the chamber. In contrast, a bolt-action rifle requires the user to cycle the bolt manually before they can fire a second time, and a fully automatic rifle fires continuously until the trigger is released.

The scout rifle is a conceptual class of general-purpose rifles defined and promoted by Jeff Cooper in the early 1980s that bears similarities in the design and functionality of guide guns, mountain rifles, and other rifle archetypes, but with more emphasis being placed on comfortable portability and practical accuracy, rather than firepower and long range shooting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Action (firearms)</span> Functional mechanism of breech-loading

In firearms terminology, an action is the functional mechanism of a breech-loading firearm that handles the ammunition cartridges, or the method by which that mechanism works. Actions are technically not present on muzzleloaders, as all those are single-shot firearms with a closed off breech with the powder and projectile manually loaded from the muzzle. Instead, the muzzleloader ignition mechanism is referred to as the lock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colt AR-15</span> Semi-automatic rifle

The Colt AR-15 is a lightweight, magazine-fed, gas-operated semi-automatic rifle. It is a semi-automatic version of the M16 rifle sold for the civilian and law enforcement markets in the United States. The AR in AR-15 stands for ArmaLite rifle, after the company that developed it in the 1950s. Colt's Manufacturing Company currently owns the AR-15 trademark, which is used exclusively for its line of semi-automatic AR-15 rifles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smith & Wesson</span> American manufacturer of firearms and ammunition

Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. (S&W) is an American firearm manufacturer headquartered in Maryville, Tennessee, United States.

A semi-automatic firearm, also called a self-loading or autoloading firearm, is a repeating firearm whose action mechanism automatically loads a following round of cartridge into the chamber and prepares it for subsequent firing, but requires the shooter to manually actuate the trigger in order to discharge each shot. Typically, this involves the weapon's action utilizing the excess energy released during the preceding shot to unlock and move the bolt, extracting and ejecting the spent cartridge case from the chamber, re-cocking the firing mechanism, and loading a new cartridge into the firing chamber, all without input from the user. To fire again, however, the user must actively release the trigger, allow it to "reset", before pulling the trigger again to fire off the next round. As a result, each trigger pull only discharges a single round from a semi-automatic weapon, as opposed to a fully automatic weapon, which will shoot continuously as long as the ammunition is replete and the trigger is kept depressed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.22 Short</span> Variety of rimfire .22 caliber ammunition

.22 Short is a variety of .22 caliber (5.6 mm) rimfire ammunition. Developed in 1857 for the first Smith & Wesson revolver, the .22 rimfire was the first American metallic cartridge. The original loading was a 29 or 30 gr bullet and 4 gr of black powder. The original .22 rimfire cartridge was renamed .22 Short with the introduction of the .22 Long in 1871.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smith & Wesson Model 500</span> Revolver

The Smith & Wesson Model 500 is a five-shot, double/single action large-caliber revolver produced by Smith & Wesson, firing the .500 S&W Magnum cartridge.

A rim is an external flange that is machined, cast, molded, stamped, or pressed around the bottom of a firearms cartridge. Thus, rimmed cartridges are sometimes called "flanged" cartridges. Almost all cartridges feature an extractor or headspacing rim, in spite of the fact that some cartridges are known as "rimless cartridges". The rim may serve a number of purposes, including providing a lip for the extractor to engage, and sometimes serving to headspace the cartridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heckler & Koch SL8</span> Semi-automatic rifle

The Heckler & Koch SL8 is a semi-automatic rifle manufactured by Heckler & Koch. It is a civilian version of the Heckler & Koch G36.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smith & Wesson Model 17</span> Revolver

The Smith & Wesson Model 17 is a six-shot double-action revolver chambered for .22 LR. It is built on Smith & Wesson's medium-sized K-frame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.30 Remington AR</span> Rifle cartridge

The .30 Remington AR is a cartridge created in 2008 by Remington Arms to fill a perceived gap in performance on large game between the .223 Remington and larger cartridges such as the .308 Winchester. The design of the cartridge is considered a joint effort between companies under the "Freedom Group" name through a private equity firm and included such companies as Bushmaster, DPMS and Remington itself. It is a rebated rim cartridge designed to fit Remington's R-15 semiautomatic hunting rifle. It was made to fit the dimensional constraints of the AR-15 magazine and is based on a modification of the .450 Bushmaster, which in turn is based on the .284 Winchester.

The Remington Model 8 is a semi-automatic rifle designed by John Browning and produced by Remington Arms, introduced as the Remington Autoloading Rifle in 1905, though the name was changed to the Remington Model 8 in 1911.

The SR-556 is a semi-automatic AR-15 style rifle manufactured by Sturm, Ruger & Co. The rifle was introduced in 2009 in .223 Remington/5.56×45mm NATO and as a .308 Winchester AR-10 variant in 2013, the SR-762. It is one of several AR-15 rifles to use a gas piston operation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smith & Wesson M&P15</span> Gun

The Smith & Wesson M&P15 is an AR-15 style semi-automatic rifle by gun manufacturer Smith & Wesson. Introduced in 2006, the firearm is designed for police use and consumer markets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">7.62×40mm Wilson Tactical</span> Rifle cartridge

The 7.62×40mm Wilson Tactical is a centerfire rifle cartridge introduced in 2011 by Wilson Combat. The goal was to produce an accurate, low-recoil .30-caliber hunting cartridge that could be used in an AR-15-type rifle using as many standard components as possible.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AR-15–style rifle</span> Class of semi-automatic rifles

An AR-15–style rifle is any lightweight semi-automatic rifle based on or similar to the Colt AR-15 design. The Colt model removed the selective fire feature of its predecessor, the original ArmaLite AR-15, itself a scaled-down derivative of the AR-10 design by Eugene Stoner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cadet rifle</span> Rifle used by military cadets and others for basic firearms and marksmanship training

A cadet rifle is a rifle used by military cadets and others for basic firearms and marksmanship training. Generally .22 caliber and bolt-action, they also come in semi-automatic versions. They are often miniature .22 caliber versions of standard issue service rifles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AR-22 Rifle</span> Type of long rifle

An AR-22 rifle is the general name given to an AR-15 rifle that can shoot 22lr rounds instead of 5.56 NATO rounds. An example of such a weapon available commercially would be the Smith & Wesson M&P15-22. A popular option is a conversion kit and alternate magazines for existing AR-15 rifles. In this vein, some manufacturers sell converted upper receivers as "AR-22" or similar.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Product page". Archived from the original on 9 November 2014. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
  2. 1 2 "Main product page" . Retrieved 15 November 2014.[ third-party source needed ]
  3. Richard A. Mann (30 April 2014). GunDigest Shooter's Guide to the AR-15. Iola, Wisconsin: Krause Publications. pp. 203–204. ISBN   978-1-4402-3847-5.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Kevin Muramatsu (11 November 2011). Gun Digest Smith & Wesson M&P 15-22 Assembly/Disassembly Instructions. Iola, Wisconsin: Gun Digest Books. pp. 7–8. ISBN   1-4402-3167-2.
  5. Robert A. Sadowski (21 November 2012). Shooter's Bible Guide to Firearms Assembly, Disassembly, and Cleaning. Skyhorse Publishing Company, Incorporated. pp. 306–307. ISBN   978-1-61608-875-0.
  6. Hart, David (24 February 2016). "2016 New Rimfires and Airguns". Gun Digest.
  7. OutdoorHub Reporters. "Smith & Wesson 15/22 Banned from All Appleseed Events After Accidents". OutdoorHub. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
  8. Duprey, Rich (24 September 2016). "Smith & Wesson's Most Popular Rifle Has a Big Problem". The Motley Fool.