The Smith & Wesson M&P15-22 Pistol Dr. George E. Dvorchak, Jr.
ready changed regarding what types of fi rearms are gaining in popularity for hunting. Today, AR fi rearms with their semiautomatic mode of operation, which is the civilian version of a practical and accurate carbine, is especially gaining in popularity with varmint hunters where legal. Depending on the centerfi re cartridge it is chambered for, practical applications include varmints with the .22 or bigger game with a .30 caliber. Although these two options are popular, when manufacturers began to chamber complete AR-style fi rearms for the .22 LR cartridge, I immediately saw this as a practical alternative. Or better still, com- panion to the centerfi re, for two reasons. First, one can afford to shoot this fi re- arm/cartridge a lot, and second, because of the fi rst, their mechanics/operations are all the same. Because of repetition, operation becomes second nature, which makes putting either version into action as easy as pointing one’s fi nger. Because of these two options, when the bigger centerfi re versions are used, the opera- tion is all the same except for the bigger bang. But the story does not end here since the fi rm of Smith & Wesson has taken their M&P15-22 carbine down a notch in size and added a “P” for pistol. In mid-2010 Smith & Wesson
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made available an all new AR-style .22 LR pistol based on the already popular 15-22 carbines. Since these are quite popular we know that the carbine works and now, because of being basically the same design and mechanics, except for grip and barrel length, the pistol version should also go bang every time the trig- ger is squeezed. Since I have reviewed the carbine in detail in these pages ear- lier, I will now concentrate on the high points plus performance observations of this new rimfi re pistol, of which a bal- listic comparison is interesting. Sights: The front sight is adjustable
for elevation only, while the rear can be moved for elevation as well as wind- age. Although suffi cient, an option is to remove these, which is done in seconds without tools, and then install a scope,
imes are changing or to be more specific, they have al-
For all practical purposes, the only difference between the M&P15-22 pistol and rifl e is the length of the barrel and addition of a stock.
red dot, or laser. What makes this so easy to accomplish is that there are four Picatinny rail options to use for mount- ing whatever you choose. These include a long one on top of the receiver and then three smaller ones around the barrel. Barrel: This is 6 inches long with
a 1:15" twist. At the muzzle end of the barrel is a fl ash suppressor. The ques- tion now becomes how this short barrel compares to the longer carbine version in terms of velocities. For the long answer to this, please see the table of compari- sons. For the short answer to this, you do not lose a lot of velocity. This also means that for varmints, such as ground squirrels, out to around 75 yards or so, base your choice on which fi rearm best suits your needs. Lower Receiver: Like its big broth-
er, the easy-to-use controls are in the same places. That includes a magazine release on the right above the front of the trigger. With your right hand on the pistol grip, your thumb is positioned on the left for easy access to the safety and fi re lever. This two-position safety lever operates like that on other standard cen- terfi re AR-style rifl es, which keeps it all uniform and eliminates any confusion. The bolt release, also on the left as per all ARs, is above the magazine well. Even the charging handle operates like that on
other ARs. Again, all is uniform. .22 LR Magazines: Standard with
the carbine and pistol is a 25-round detachable magazine (may not be avail- able in all states). Because of its length, it was interesting to observe that most who fi red this pistol off-hand (all were right-hand shooters) tended to grasp the long magazine with their left hand as though it was a vertical grip. All told me this helped them to stabilize the pis- tol better than trying to grasp the rails on the barrel. That works, and from a safety perspective, does act to keep the shooter’s left hand out of the way of the muzzle. Since most who hunt with pis- tols and handguns use two-hand holds, weak-hand position is an important consideration. Again, with that short barrel, make sure the weak hand is not near the suppressor and muzzle of the barrel when that trigger is squeezed. Another option, which is mar-
keted to and is specifi c for a few states where the magazine capacity is not to be more than 10 rounds, is a long magazine designed to hold only that magical number of 10. We found when shooting for groups from the bench, or when young shooters were fi ring from a stable rest, that long magazine (no matter how many rounds it held) got in the way. Therefore, I originally ordered
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