I did a search and it kinda looked like these were lower than airsoft quality but the thread was from 2009.
Has anyone else had experience with these?
I found one locally for $300 and was considering getting it as a range toy.
I wasn’t really looking for one, just considered it if it were a deal.
Would I be better off getting a .22 conversion kit for my AR?
I run a CMMG 22 conversion in mine. You’re good out to 25 meters with it. Mainly use mine for run and gun fun shooting especially when introducing new shooters to the AR. With it you’ll need to run a few rounds of 5.56 after a session of .22 lr.
I like mine. What kind of mags does it use? Do you have some spare optics sitting around to put on it?
The Colt .22 takes proprietary mags.
No, I don’t have spare anything. I wasn’t really looking for one. I just saw Colt and $300 and if it was some kind of great deal I was going to jump on it.
No issues that I know of. Still made by Umarex just like the HK 416 .22 and the other .22 clones. QC on them seem alright.
I looked at the Colt hard since I have a 6920 but passed.
Bought a Magpul edition M&P15-22 and could not be happier with it. Very reliable and easy to work on. More “AR-ish” than the other 22 specific ARs.
Slapped a Primary Arms copy of the Aimpoint Micro on the thing and it makes for a handy and fun little rifle. Kids love it!
I have had this little beast for a little over a year and we have run gobs of ammo through it and really like it.
Take a look at the M&P15-22 before buying any of the other “tactical” 22s.
-brickboy240
Yeah, I’d choose the M&P every time over the Umarex copies.
Thanks all. My inlaws have a M&P15-22 and love it too. I think I’ll pass on this one then.
I’d just never knew of a Colt .22 before.
Good choice. The M&P 15-22 is the only way to roll if you need .22lr in an AR.
Another vote for the Smith & Wesson M&P 15-22. I’ve seen pictures of what you have to do to strip the “Colt” .22 for cleaning…
The S&W is the only game in town for a training .22. Conversion uppers not withstanding. The Colt (not even made by Colt) is lacking in a couple of big areas to me. The selector lever has to be switched 180 degrees to be placed on fire. Also the bolt catch/ release-its simply there for looks. It is not functional. That’s a no go in a training rifle for me.
The only real difference in the Smith and an actual AR functionally is the shorter length of pull it requires to charge the charging handle.
-Jax
I’ve got one - lotta fun for the low $ - I believe it’s a Walther with the “Colt” part simply a license agreement for the name and logo
functionality makes it no training aid - not to be confused with anything like a real M4
you’re better off with a .22 upper for your actual M4 or another dedicated .22 like S&W - but hey, it’s still some fun
I don’t know anything about the Colt. I’ve had my friends S & W M&P 15-22 for a few months and as others have said, it’s great!
NYH1.
Pass. Only two 22LR tactical rifles I’d consider owning are the M&P-15/22 and SIG 522.
I own a M&P and its been flawless with standards and Hi velocity suppressed & unsuppressed, and with subs flawless when suppressed.
Are the 15-22’s still having issues running the bulk Remington Thunderbolt ammo?
I have a S&W M&P-15-22 in addition to many other .22LR Firearms and I compete with them regularly: Remington .22LR ammo is Junk, In all my Experience. I keep trying it once or twice to see if they (Remington) have improved their “Golden Bullet” or “Thunderbolt” brands over the years, and still It never runs reliably in any of my Semi-Auto’s.
Not the guns fault, just avoid that junk ammo.
Back to the OP’s question:
“Me too”, another +1 for the S&W.
Also, un-like most Conversion-bolts or Dedicated-uppers: the last-shot-hold-open works correctly on the S&W (really holds open on the bolt-catch, not that silly Magazine-follower jam that most conversion kits & 22 uppers will use).
for 300 it may be worth it. Those drop in kits in standard AR’s tend to not work very well, are not accurate and foul the hell out of the gas tube…
I would go dedicated AR over a kit…