Looking for a 22 rifle and want to find out a little more on the 15-22 from some owners. My main concerns are reliability, issues with certain ammo, and the extractor. Let me know how you like yours!
I've had three with no problems. Ran CCI ammo in them. From what I see of them used in competition I'd get a 10/22.
My main gripe with the 10/22 right now is having to take it all apart to clean it. Seems like a pain. 15-22 is much easier.
I have a 15-22. While I don't shoot it much, it's only because I have others that seem to draw my attention. Mine is shot open site and is sinfully easy to take apart for detailed cleaning. When it does get shot, I ask myself why I don't do it more.
I’ve had one for a couple of years now, absolutely love it. Despite the warnings, I haven’t found any ammo it doesn’t like. Most times I use Federal Match Grade, inexpensive, reliable, and consistently accurate.
From what I've seen and heard, earlier guns seemed to be more ammo-sensitive that more recent production models. Mine was very early and had to be "tweaked" to run reliably, but it has worked well (with decent ammo) ever since. Mine still will not run very cheap ammo reliably, but works fine with several middle-cost loads like CCI and Remington plated ammo. Trigger pull was terrible, so eventually I upgraded to a 2-stage trigger, which made it much easier to shoot well. It's still not a match gun by any stretch of the imagination; most unmodified 10/22s will shoot better with the same ammo. I shoot mine far less now that I have a pistol-caliber (9mm) AR carbine, which is much more realistic in the recoil department (very similar to 5.56mm/.223), but I'll probably keep it.
I was at a gun show and saw a 15-22 so I picked it up. It felt like a plastic toy. Now I have known a few 15-22 owners and all have loved them so that speaks for itself but later I bought a Umerex, Colt, Walther and loved it. Feels like the real thing. Made by Walther, imported by Umerex and licensed to have the Colt name on it. Very accurate and well made.
Yes, the 15-22 is light, but it has a thick barrel and the controls are the same as its big brother. I have a friend with the HK and it's a good gun, but a pencil bbl, the controls are different and is a bit more involved to take apart. If that isn't important, the gun itself shoots well and is reliable. To my recollection, it is also slightly heavier.
I have one of the early models and have been nothing but pleased with it. The gun cycles all ammo I have put thru it, easy to clean and just plain fun to shoot. Used it at a steel challenge match this past fall and managed to secure a top 5 spot with it.
My son bought one new 2 years ago and it hasn’t missed a beat. And, he doesn’t clean it very often. He put a 4X scope on it and has used it to squirrel hunt and has been quite successful. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I have two, bought shortly after they were available with threaded barrels, the very early models were not. I have nothing but good things to say about mine. If you are worried about the extractor, Volquartsen offers a replacement. The only real caution is in cleaning the barrel it is easy to hit and bend the ejector (pinned to the upper), but easy to straighten out. If bent it can drag on the bolt and cause feeding issues. The first thing to check if you do have feeding problems. The magazines work great, are easy to clean and there are speed loaders available to help with the 25 round mags. Good luck Mine:
I've had mine for several years. I love it. It's just plain FUN to shoot. Mine has been flawless, eating everything I feed it. Even Federal bulk runs very reliably. Also a great gun to introduce newbies to the activity of shooting. They get the "AR" experience without the loud bangs.
I have three of them. Me and the two kids each. I always bring at least one to the range. Very fun to shoot and they eat everything. With a red dot, it is the perfect rifle for a new shooter. They can hit with confidence.
I own an older quad rail one with probably 50k rounds and a newer sport II. The older one shoots a Rimfire and a stheel challange match by two shooters, so 4 matches a month. Hiperfire trigger and 12 moa cmore and it runs and runs. I did finally replace the extractor this summer with a VQ. I love that gun as much as any I own. 5 years of matches and it shoots like new. I see tons more failures with 10/22s then I do with the 15-22s. Of course there are more 10/22s but the Smith's rarely fail. That's at local matches, state matches and two Rimfire world matches. My daughter is awesome with it, last year she won high lady with it in Rimfire rifle optics at the state championships. Pistol too. I highly recommend them
I've got the version with the Magpul furniture. Thousands of rounds through it. Very reliable and accurate. No issues with any ammo I've shot through it. Loves Federal Match the best.
I have one of the earliest 15-22's with around 20,000 rounds of every make of .22 ammo there is. Not one hick up. Easy to clean, same controls as AR, light and a huge fun gun to shoot. You can get 25 round mags for it for around 10.00 to 12.00. I've got 10, they load easily. I highly recommend the 15-22. But, prepare to buy your .22 ammo by the thousands!!
