M&P 15-22 10 round mags

[dcr25060]

Hey All, New here and enjoying browsing the topics. I just purchased an M&P 15-22 for Rimfire Challenge shooting. Had good results last weekend at my first match with it. (Have been using a slightly modded 10-22 for years) Suffered, maybe 6 or 8 failures to extract/fail to feed malfunctions. (Not sure which malfunction as I just cleared it and continued the string.) Another competitor suggested that I should very carefully inspect the loaded mags to make sure the bullets are staggered properly, other wise it causes feed issues. Duly noted. That got me to thinking, since RCSA is limited to max 10 shots/string and by the rules, you can only load 10 in a a high-cap anyway, would the 10 round mags maybe be more reliable in this discipline? I can think of a couple reasons why they would be, at least in theory, and am wondering if anybody has thought on this or given it a try.

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[Knobgoblin]

No personal experience.
I have a couple of the 10 rd mags for mine ,and a decent amount of the factory 25s. The one obvious benefit of the 10s is the compact size. Beyond running whichever ammo you know to be reliable in that exact gun , I'd visited Tandemkross. They have a few aftermarket upgrades for your rifle. Extractor and related would be a good place to start.

 

[dcr25060]

No personal experience.
I have a couple of the 10 rd mags for mine ,and a decent amount of the factory 25s. The one obvious benefit of the 10s is the compact size. Beyond running whichever ammo you know to be reliable in that exact gun , I'd visited Tandemkross. They have a few aftermarket upgrades for your rifle. Extractor and related would be a good place to start.

Love Tandemkross products. I'll certainly start making upgrades after more time with the gun figuring things out.

 

[308]

Hey All, New here and enjoying browsing the topics. I just purchased an M&P 15-22 for Rimfire Challenge shooting. Had good results last weekend at my first match with it. (Have been using a slightly modded 10-22 for years) Suffered, maybe 6 or 8 failures to extract/fail to feed malfunctions. (Not sure which malfunction as I just cleared it and continued the string.) Another competitor suggested that I should very carefully inspect the loaded mags to make sure the bullets are staggered properly, other wise it causes feed issues. Duly noted. That got me to thinking, since RCSA is limited to max 10 shots/string and by the rules, you can only load 10 in a a high-cap anyway, would the 10 round mags maybe be more reliable in this discipline? I can think of a couple reasons why they would be, at least in theory, and am wondering if anybody has thought on this or given it a try.

What ammo were you shooting?

 

[ilikegunspdx]

Imo the mags are poorly made compared to other excellent mags such as colt m4/beretta arx160/hk 416/hk g36/tac r1. Don't know if there are any alternatives out there except plinker (plinkster maybe can't remember) tactical. I have had issues with some oem and plinker tactical mags. But then I'm using a binary trigger and shooting @ 600 rpm on a mag dump can expose weak spots more than normal shooting.

I would look at ammo first, extractor 2nd, and mags third. My money is on the extractor (assuming u are using good ammo) and it can be upgraded with tandemkross (maybe other brands also?) extractor as others said above. Volquartsen may make an upgraded extractor also I don't know.

also I assume U purchased new, but if u bought used they had a recall on the bolts u can get a free spacer to check to see if yours is to spec.

 

[dcr25060]

What ammo were you shooting?

Slow fire sight in with 40gr LRN Federal Auto Match and had no malfunctions Used up the rest at the match then switched over to Win 40gr LRN. Occurred with both brands. Frankly, all together it performed better than I would have thought for not even being broke in. But those malfunctions in competition suck. I'll keep trying different ammo to find out what works reliably and what does not.

 

[dcr25060]

Imo the mags are poorly made compared to other excellent mags such as colt m4/beretta arx160/hk 416/hk g36/tac r1. Don't know if there are any alternatives out there except plinker (plinkster maybe can't remember) tactical. I have had issues with some oem and plinker tactical mags. But then I'm using a binary trigger and shooting @ 600 rpm on a mag dump can expose weak spots more than normal shooting.

I would look at ammo first, extractor 2nd, and mags third. My money is on the extractor (assuming u are using good ammo) and it can be upgraded with tandemkross (maybe other brands also?) extractor as others said above. Volquartsen may make an upgraded extractor also I don't know.

also I assume U purchased new, but if u bought used they had a recall on the bolts u can get a free spacer to check to see if yours is to spec.

I'm using S&W mags. I managed to get 4 of them from Brownell's. I've not yet dipped my toe into the pool of aftermarket stuff yet, I've only had it 2 weeks. And yes, it is a new gun. I'm sure I'll make all those basic upgrades in due course. Probably trigger as well, the reset leaves some to be desired.

 

[ilikegunspdx]

Slow fire sight in with 40gr LRN Federal Auto Match and had no malfunctions Used up the rest at the match then switched over to Win 40gr LRN. Occurred with both brands. Frankly, all together it performed better than I would have thought for not even being broke in. But those malfunctions in competition suck. I'll keep trying different ammo to find out what works reliably and what does not.

Auto match is good enough imo. My guess is extractor. Maybe clean the crap out of extractor and entire area/spring well etc and lube it well (preferably with a dry lube such as Eezox and remove all excess oil so it won't gum up in future).

just did YouTube search for 15-22 extractor and saw this video for how to remove (apparently volquartsen does make an extractor upgrade). I noticed lots of other failure to eject videos also which I didn't watch as I haven't run into this problem (yet ha ha ).

 

[dcr25060]

Cool thanks! I had fun building up my 10-22 for RCSA and am sure I will have as much fun building this one up as well!

 

[308]

So, the cheaper ammo seems to have issues with inconsistent primer strikes. I know this from recent and past experience with Automatch, Winchester and some others. The only ammo I find 100% with the (3) M&P 15-22s we own are the CCI Minimags, Stingers and Velociters.

All that being said, we had problems with the new M&P 15-22 Pistol Version and the following is what I found solves the problem…at least for our guns.

The real issue in my opinion is an out of spec "EJECTOR"...

(1) From underneath, use needle nose pliers and twist the ejector towards the ejection port to the point where after re-inserting the bolt carrier, the ejector springs out of the bolt carrier very slightly when you rack the charging handle...it will ride with a small bit of tension on that center rib on the bottom of the bolt carrier.

(2) From the ejection port, use a flat screwdriver and bend the ejector up slightly so that it just barely rides above the magazine feed lips when the mag is inserted This will solve the problem with FTF/FTE stovepipes, or at least it has for all of mine

 

[ARFrog]

My suggestion would be to eliminate the easy items before replacing parts in the following order:

1.) inspect the mags for separation. I have previously used a Mc Fadden loader a little too fast and had the "weld" where the two halves of the mag are bonded together start to expand or come apart. This caused feed problems and I was fortunate to reglue and have no other issues.

2.) I generally have more ammo issues with something like a Marlin 795 that does not seem to like cheap, wobbly headed ammo, which causes failure to feed issues. My 15-22 seems to. Like Federal Auto T&G and especially Blazer 40 gr and CCI mini mags.

3.) inspect the current extractor system for defects

If the above doesn't solve your problems, then replace parts as needed to solve the issues.


One other thought...how are you shooting the gun? If it is supported on a bag, or if you are shooting prone and drag one of the longer mags on the ground, or if you have a sling inadvertently putting pressure on the mag, then you can sometimes have problems. The shorter mags don't generally get in the way and/or they apply less pressure on the feed mechanism than the 25 or 10/25 mags.

Good luck with solving your problem OP.

 

[spookshack]

The 1st part I replace and tell others to do also, is change out the factory extractor for a quality aftermarket extractor. I prefer VQ.

I have a few 10rd mags, but never use them. I use the 25rd mags. They are just more aesthetically pleasing to me. The 10rd'ers are as rare as hens teeth at the moment.

My 15-22 is not picky. My go to ammo is the Fed Auto Match, or the hollow point version.
The only ammo that gave me trouble was the Winchester version, as it has a wider mouth hollow point and would not feed all that great. Can't really go wrong with CCI Mini mags. YMMV

Here is my speed steel "match" gun.

Starting from tip to butt.

VQ threaded ultra lightweight barrel.
Handguard converter nut.
KVP 15" CF handguard.
VQ extractor and firing pin.
C-More RDS with 6 MOA dot.
CMC 3.5lb flat face trigger.
CMC 15-22 specific hammer/trigger pins.
Radian Systems 15-22 specific ambi charging handle and ambi 45/90 safety (I run it single side only on the right side, as I'm a lefty and have it set up for short throw 45deg.).
Ergo Grip.
Strike Industries fixed stock with extended buttpad.

 

[spookshack]

Forgot to mention that I bought a new factory upper for the VQ barrel install. I still have my original upper/barrel with identical optic and handguard as used in the pic above.

I chose not to monkey with my original setup just in case I ran into any problems with the VQ barrel. Nice to be able to default to the factory setup should the need arise.

 

[spookshack]

For those new to the 15-22, you can get a handguard converter nut that will allow you to run any standard AR handguard. The factory nut is proprietary and while there are a couple companies that offer handguards that work with the factory nut, options are extremely limited.

The other downside is that you need a special barrel nut tool to remove the factory nut. They're fairly inexpensive, but unless you ever decide to revert back to the factory handguard (or loan/sell it to someone else), you'll only use it the one time.

While there is nothing wrong with the factory handguard, it's only 10 inches and I prefer a 15 inch handguard. Since my 15-22 is used exclusively for competition and have no use for the BUIS, I removed them in favor of a RDS. With no front sight to worry about, I chose a handguard more suited to competition. The KVP CF version fits the bill nicely (IMHO) and a a pretty good bang for your buck too.

Back on topic…..the 25rd factory mags have served me well over the years. They're durable and don't feel cheap. The thumb studs are nice to have also. I really wish S&W would at least update them with steel feed lips though….

S&W M&P15-22 Free Float Handguard Conversion Kit Builder | Tacticool22

You build this kit with the parts you need. You HAVE to select at least one of the hand guard converter nuts... After that, it's ALL options. This Smit ...

www.tacticool22.com

S&W M&P15-22 Free-Float Handguard Converter

Use this threaded adapter to convert your Smith & Wesson M&P15-22's "non-removable" handguard to any standard threaded AR-style handguard.

www.mp1522.com

 

[Knobgoblin]

@spookshack living that Diamond life.

He must be peanut butter, because I sure am Jelly.

 

[spookshack]

I just was calculating all the extra's (minus the gun) and it came close to a grand! Ouch…lol

 

[Knobgoblin]

I just was calculating all the extra's (minus the gun) and it came close to a grand! Ouch…lol

I only picked up the one, older 1522.
Maybe $400 pre owned, mags , bag , trs25 dot . Put another hundred in more factory mags.
Always think about dropping some upgrades in , but then I see that new pistol version....decisions, decisions

 

[spookshack]

I've been flirting with the idea of picking the pistol version up and SBR'ing it. So many guns, so little money…..

 

[ilikegunspdx]

What I'm curious about with 15-22 is will it work with an frt trigger plus cmmg auto sear trip kit. Bolt's between 15-22 and cmmg are somewhat similar if you squint real hard and look out one eye (see attached pic).

If the cmmg trip kit could be modified to install on 15-22 bolt carrier then u may be able to use frt trigger on it. But I have a feeling it will be a lot of work to get the trip kit to fit right only to end up with unreliable results. Maybe I'll just stick with binary.

Trip kit


Trip kit installed on cmmg bokt

 

[spookshack]

Interesting, that might be a bridge to far though. As popular as the 15-22 is, you'd think that CMMG would come up with a version for it too.