M&P 15 or M&P 15-22 First

[tomray3of4]

I have been saving up for an AR for a little while now. I was about to get an M&P 15 but have now been thinking about buying the 15-22 now instead and waiting on the AR. I don't have a 22 yet so that would fill that void as well as give me something with an AR design to get use to and much cheaper to practice with. Any suggestions or advice on this thinking?

 

[jagee]

Buy once, cry once. Get the AR, the money you save from buying two guns will allow you to buy the more expensive ammo.

 

[sheltowee]

If you want an ar I would get an ar. Not the 22 lr version. You will be wishing you got .223/5.56 version. Don't get me wrong I love 22s, but you can spend a lot less on a 22 if you don't get the ar style kind. Like a marlin model 60.

 

[tomray3of4]

Funny you say that because that's one of the things I thought about. Either way I do want a 22 in the collection but not sure it needs to be a $400 22. I have just seen videos of people who like the 15-22 as a "training" alternative to the AR.

 

[Bigtanker]

Buy the AR the buy a 10/22 for your first plinker.

 

[TheWabbit]

Have you trained with a rifle before? If not, get a .22lr first (10-22 is a good choice) and attend Appleseed. Owning an AR or AK is no good if you can't shoot properly and hit your target.

 

[KLB]

Funny you say that because that's one of the things I thought about. Either way I do want a 22 in the collection but not sure it needs to be a $400 22. I have just seen videos of people who like the 15-22 as a "training" alternative to the AR.

The 15-22 is a load of fun. It functions like an AR, so it is good for familiarizing someone with how an AR works while being as intimidating for a new shooter. When I have new shooters over we will start with the 15-22 and then when they are comfortable with it, we move on the my AR.

Put a suppressor on it and it is even more fun to shoot.

 

[venenoindy]

One of the guns the I take more often to the range is the 15-22, all though you can find decent price .223 ( $.22 per round) shooting my AR gets expensive really fast and I don't shoot it as often as I would like. While is not the same in some ways my 15-22 helps me by been set up the same way as my 5.56 AR, there is not substitute for the real thing but like I mentioned before my 15-22 gets me a lot more trigger time but with that said like been mentioned before the best thing to do is get proper instruction on how properly handle a rifle.

 

[223 Gunner]

Lots of AR options out there, they are only going to get cheaper because of a glut of them in the market right now.
I don't know your circumstances or how you feel about trading, but you may be able to trade into an AR or an AR .22lr. It has been my personal experience that the most reliable AR style .22's are the Smith that you are looking at and the HK 416 clone.
I own the HK 416 clone, it is made by Walther with the HK roll mark on it.

A couple pics of mine.

I have about $700 in this set up, with red dot and mount, sling and attachment and extra mags. The rifle came with one 20 round mag, the other two were $50 each.
Also like the post above mine, this is one of my favorite rifles to take to the range, it's great for new/young shooters, and with the red dot zeroed it gives novice shooters confidence.
I remember my Dad taking my Brother and myself fishing when we were kids, we rarely caught anything, so I never really cared for fishing. Same goes for shooting with kids, if they can't hit the target they may loose interest.
Let us know what you decide.

Here is a link to a quick review I wrote about this rifle, the pics are missing from the review, but the two in this thread were part of the missing pics.

https://www.indianagunowners.com/fo...ot-your-grandpas-22-maybe-review-hk-416d.html

 

[tomray3of4]

Thanks for the responses. I do have some rifle experience from my active duty days but certainly not an expert. That's a sweet setup above by the way. I will definitely respond with which route I go. Thanks again.

 

[DanVoils]

I have been saving up for an AR for a little while now. I was about to get an M&P 15 but have now been thinking about buying the 15-22 now instead and waiting on the AR. I don't have a 22 yet so that would fill that void as well as give me something with an AR design to get use to and much cheaper to practice with. Any suggestions or advice on this thinking?

I agree with the "buy once, cry once" mindset. I would suggest getting the M&P 15 then getting a CMMG .22lr adapter. That way you can start your initial training with .22lr and "graduate" to .223/5.56. A secondary advantage is using the CMMG with new shooters. Much less expensive to shoot and negligible recoil. Having the CMMG will fill the void until you find that other gun you didn't know you were looking for!
Dan

 

[SSGSAD]

Since, you are prior Military, JMHO, you should "know", what you want .....

.22 is still scarce, and .10 a round .....

You can buy .223 at Wal Mart, for around $6.00 for 20 .....

 

[tomray3of4]

You are right I do know what I want. Unfortunately I think I want both but can't afford to buy both right now. I do believe however that I would take the 22 out shooting more often. Plus I think it would be a good gun to teach my boys how to shoot with. The bad part is, that if I buy the 22 now I'm not sure how long it will take me to save up for the AR.

 

[DanVoils]

You are right I do know what I want. Unfortunately I think I want both but can't afford to buy both right now. I do believe however that I would take the 22 out shooting more often. Plus I think it would be a good gun to teach my boys how to shoot with. The bad part is, that if I buy the 22 now I'm not sure how long it will take me to save up for the AR.

I'm still advocating the 5.56 with the CMMG. Especially since you want your boys to shoot it. Let them start with the CMMG installed and when they are comfortable with it "graduate" them to 5.56. The heft and feel of the rifle will remain pretty much the same.
Dan

 

[JamesV]

I've never shot and don't own a .556 so I purchased a M&P Sport .22 to shoot and also have for my gf and friends. I'm currently buying parts to build my first AR which I think my gf might like also, but if she doesn't then she will still have the M&P to going shooting with.

I do have to agree that the .22 is a fun gun to shot, it even brings a smile to my gf face, which in turn make me very happy.

 

[DanVoils]

Don't get me wrong about having a dedicated .22. I have 2 of them. They are a blast to shoot and with prices coming back into this universe it's not very expensive. In deciding between one or the other I like as many options as possible.
Dan

 

[PaulKersey]

I am admittedly biased against .22, so this is an easy choice for me - get the 5.56/223. I understand that .22 is inexpensive, friendly to new shooters, etc., but it has just always bored me when compared with more substantial/powerful calibers. The relative lack of reliability in rimfire cartridges is another turn-off, in my opinion. Finally, the recoil of 5.56/.223 is so light to begin with that it just seems like a waste to neuter the rifle with the .22 round.

 

[woodstock]

I have a 15-22 that I got while I was in high school and I love it. I don't want to know how much ammo I have shot through that 22. Your boys will have blast with the 22 or the 5.56 once or if they are old enough. The 22 will make you want the 5.56 even worse though. You won't go wrong either way.

 

[venenoindy]

Since, you are prior Military, JMHO, you should "know", what you want .....

.22 is still scarce, and .10 a round .....

You can buy .223 at Wal Mart, for around $6.00 for 20 .....

I'm happy to report that in the north side of Indy .22 LR has been in stock in several stores, if you get coupons I have got more than a few rounds for .5 and .6 per round. You just have to do your homework and keep an eye on different sales.

 

[GIJEW]

I think I've seen some combos advertised: AR15+.22 upper. IDK but that might help with your budget