Smith & Wesson M&P 15 Review
Semi-autos are gone … well, the centrefire versions are – apart from a few that’ve been allowed for pest destruction – but rimfire rifles have been pretty much left alone. Also gone is the requirement to fit silly one-piece buttstocks, but we’re now limited to 10-round magazines. What we have left are traditional 22 rimfire rifles like the Ruger 10/22, Marlin 795s and similar rifles. Oh … and rifles like the Smith & Wesson M&P 15-22.
Now the 15-22 looks like an AR15 but, of course – being a 22LR rifle – it’s not. Further to that, the lower receiver is a bespoke unit and it can’t take traditional AR15 magazines – only the dedicated S&W 22 mags. Thus, it meets the new criteria for a legal rimfire semi-auto. Some people will like that because they saw the AR15 as a good rifle; others won’t because they don’t like the look of this type of rifle. We’re going to park that argument for now and focus on whether this rifle is any good.
The reality is that it’s actually a very good 22 rifle; the AR design makes for good ergonomics, and now those silly thumbhole stocks are gone, the adjustable buttstock makes it easier for people of varying size to get comfortable.
