M&P 15-22 or 15 Sport?

[vernSL]

I'm having such a tough time with this decision. I just got my LTC-A a few months ago and now I'm looking to buy my first rifle. I've got a Ruger SR9c for my carry and what I've been using at the range but now I'm looking for something bigger.

I was originally looking at the M&P 15-22 because of how inexpensive the ammo will be and I'll be able to spend the day at the range and spend a small amount of money. But with the price of the 15 Sport just a bit more, it's very tempting. My thoughts were to get the 15 Sport and get a .22 conversion bolt for it so that I get the best of both worlds. I don't mind spending the $600 on the Sport and the extra $200 on the conversion. But then I am thinking why not pick up the 15-22 for now, and just pick up the 15 Sport later on? Then I won't have any issues with the .22 ammo gumming my 15 Sport and I'll have two guns instead. But there's just something about an actual AR15 that I really want, and I can't buy both right now.

So either buy a 15 Sport and .22 conversion bolt now
Or buy a 15-22 now and then buy a 15 Sport later on down the road

If you were in my shoes, what would you do?

Thanks!

 

[meth0d]

I would buy the 15-22, shoot a lot of cheap .22LR, skip the conversion and save up for the 15 Sport.

 

[BIG1PUN]

M&P 15-22 all the way just got one fun firearm and cheap to shoot

 

[Da_lucche]

Depends on where u live and what u wanna pay for in ammo. Me being in MA, it would be the Sport for me.

I had the 15-22. Sold it after a couple months. With the proprietary post ban 10 rounds here in MA it got boring real quick.

At least you can get preban 10+ mags with the Sport.

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[vernSL]

Yeah that was another thing I was worried about. I'm in MA, so I'll only be able to get the 10 round mags for the 15-22. Will I get bored of the 15-22 quickly?

And are the .22 conversion bolts really that bad?

 

[Da_lucche]

I know I got bored very quickly. Esp after shooting my uncle's in NH with the 30 rounders.

I have no experience with the 22 conversion. Maybe someone else can chime in tho.

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[Spike it!]

i bought the sport and love it but you really have to make the decision for yourself. i already had a 22. the sport is a 1/3 more expensive. ammo is more, pre ban mags are pricey. then start thinking optics. case etc. if you want cheap stay 22 and shoot the hell outta it. 15/22 and a butt load of ammo will still be under 500. but you are stuck with 10rd mags. the sport will be around 600. but it wont end there.

 

[wildwest]

I have the same carry gun and my first rifle was the MP sport .. for 22 I'd say grab a 10/22

 

[Tim94gt]

I have way more fun shooting AR's than any .22, so I'd get the M&P Sport.

 

[jabm]

I love my 15-22 and went with it because of ammo costs. Sure you're stuck with 10 round mags, but burning through .223 in a 20 or 30 round mag gets expensive fast. I say start with the 10-22 and if you get bored, upgrade. You can always sell it to help fund the "real" AR.

 

[Passthemacs]

my first gun was SR9c and MP15 sport at same time.... too bad i haven't even taken the rifle outta the box yet.

 

[Vagrant]

I love my 15-22 and went with it because of ammo costs. Sure you're stuck with 10 round mags, but burning through .223 in a 20 or 30 round mag gets expensive fast. I say start with the 10-22 and if you get bored, upgrade. You can always sell it to help fund the "real" AR.

^This. My first and only rifle (so far) is my M&P15-22. I opted for the .22 because it's so cheap to shoot...$16 for 525 rounds! It's also good practice for when I get a .223/5.56 later on.

 

[jraysig]

I went .22 because it allows me to shoot in doors,and the ammo is far less expensive allowing me to shoot it more.

 

[Mustang5L5]

I have the same carry gun and my first rifle was the MP sport .. for 22 I'd say grab a 10/22

I have the m&p15 sport.

For a .22, I'd rather get a ruger 10/22 for $200

 

[TonyDedo]

I don't understand how having to make more magazine changes makes a gun boring...

You know what makes a gun boring? Not having the ammo to shoot it.

.223 = $0.40/round
.22LR = $0.04/round

That makes the M&P 15-22 10x less boring than an AR.

I'd get the 15-22 now, and the full sized 15 as soon as you can afford it...

 

[Mustang5L5]

I don't understand how having to make more magazine changes makes a gun boring...

I have to agree, and also say that reloading is no big deal.

My first day at the range I took seven 30-round magazines with me, loaded them all and honestly thought I'd shoot them. I did a mag dump (new AR, I was having fun) , and reloaded while talking to friends. Didn't even touch 6 of the mags all day.

Then, I stopped caring about looking cool and worked more on accuracy, my breathing and basic fundamentals. I started to leave the 30-rounders at home and started taking my 10-round mag instead. I load up 3-4 shots, shoot my group and then evaluate.

Nowadays, most Of the time I'm shooting my m&p15 at the range, it's with a 10-round mag....and not even topped off usually.