Smith and Wesson M&P 15/22 or Ruger 10/22 Takedown?

I'm looking to get a .22 rifle. I've been strongly considering the 10/22. No one ever has anything bad to say about the 10/22. But The M&P 15/22 looks more awesome. Has anyone ever shot an M&P 15/22? Which would you rather have?

a reply to: smithjustinb
I don't know which gun is necessarily better but I do know a 10/22 has a lot of aftermarket accessories. Many people have also converted them to full auto.

a reply to: smithjustinb
10/22 hands down.
It has been around much longer with almost no changes and fires flawlessly out of the box.
If you need a fancy looking gun or you just want to add some practical things, IMHO the 10/22 has the worlds largest aftermarket parts supply available, seconded maybe by the 1911/AR and AK platforms.
Plus I'm not much of a fan of anything S&W outside of their wheelguns.

a reply to: smithjustinb

Just a few points for you.

The 10/22 is available with various stocks if you have to pretty it up.

Are you really the sort of guy that wants a piddling .22 to look like an Armageddon assault rifle. Come on, it's a .22. I don't mean to be rude but really .......

The standard stock 10/22 is a very good carbine, great for hunting, doesn't scare insane grannies or the Police.

I would go for the reliable 10/22.

When all is said and done, it is your manliness and self esteem.

P

a reply to: smithjustinb

The Ruger 10/22 is highly customizeable.
Thousands of after market parts, barrels, stocks(including bullpup and other tacti-cool stocks) and magazines ranging from 10 rounds to 50.

A word of caution about high-cap 10/22 mags. If you want decent mags, buy the factory Ruger BX25 or BX25x2's or the MGW 50rnd coffin mags. Many after market mags are absolutely awful and you will spend money trying to find some that work right until you figure out that what I'm saying here is a fact. It's better to spend the money on slightly more expensive factory BX models, or high-end mags like the MGW50 once than to spend the same money over and over again on garbage magazines.

Also, the Takedown version of the 10/22 is NOT as customizeable as the carbine version. So my suggestion would be to stick to the carbine version as the Takedown is meant more as a survival rifle.

My problem with the AR15 style .22LR rifles is that you get the size and weight of an AR15 without the benefit of actually having an AR15 chambered in 5.56. Ruger 10/22 rifles are extremely light, and in the right aftermarket stock, can be ever lighter.

Hope this helps.

Looks like you got your answer. Agree with above posters.

originally posted by: pheonix358
a reply to: smithjustinb

Are you really the sort of guy that wants a piddling .22 to look like an Armageddon assault rifle. Come on, it's a .22. I don't mean to be rude but really .......

Yes I am. One of my considerations is, "Why not just go ahead and get the AR-15 if you're going to get an M&P 15/22?" The answer to that is, "Its a lot cheaper, and I am planning on adding accessories to the 10/22 if I get one." So I thought, "if you're going to upgrade the 10/22 to look more like a battle rifle, why not just buy one that already looks like one?". So really my question here is, "Can I rely on a 15/22 like I can a 10/22?"

Another vote for the 10/22 here. I friggin' love mine, but it's not the Takedown model. Never had a FTE or FTF after many bricks worth of (cheap) plinking ammo put through it over the years, and pretty darn good accuracy too for a .22LR.

Its a timeless design, right up there with the 1911, Rem 870 and other standard classics. (for a damned good reason)

As others have said, the aftermarket support is huge. Also, eventual availability of original replacement parts. My only other .22 rifle is a 90's model Rem 522 Viper thats been sitting for a few years now since I can't find the needed part to fix it. Grrrr.

Only experience I have with S&W is with handguns, and no complaints on that end though.

a reply to: smithjustinb

I also suggest the 10/22. That's the one I have, and it's great as far as .22s go. lol. I've never had any issue with mine, other than hitting my target so consistently that I get bored! (and I'm definitely no super marksman or anything!)

It's lightweight, and like others said, customizable.

I'm just a Ruger fan in general though.

a reply to: MojaveBurning

2nd on the Ruger fandom.

I've only handled one Ruger I didn't like and it was the P89. It functioned flawlessly, but the trigger travelled too much before breaking(although it was a smooth break and very light) and the weapon didn't really fit my hand well.

I have my 10/22 that I am in the process of customizing, my wife and I both conceal carry LCPs, I have an abused mini14 that I am rebuilding the gas system on(rescued it from an idiot), and my first carry weapon was a Ruger SR9 full size in OD green with parkerized steel alloy slide. I could hit 5 inch groups with that thing at 50 meters.

All in all I have NEVER seen a Ruger that didn't function reliably every time. Love the company and it is probably the reason why most of the responses in this thread have been for the 10/22.

a reply to: smithjustinb

Have you checked out DPMS RFA2-22LR? Its a pretty decent rifle for about a grand, available in .22lr so its a nice plinking gun.

originally posted by: TheLieWeLive
a reply to: smithjustinb
I don't know which gun is necessarily better but I do know a 10/22 has a lot of aftermarket accessories. Many people have also converted them to full auto.

In what country is it legal to make such a conversion? Can you tell to me the number of people you know who have converted their rifles to full auto and what permissions were required before/after?

a reply to: smithjustinb
Another vote for the 10/22. The 10/22 it a very reliable rifle, if you want a .22, start with the Ruger. If you want an AR, buy an AR 15 and buy a .22 upper for plinking. I have the 10/22 Breakdown and it shoots as well as the Carbine. If you buy the Carbine, there are so many things that you can do to customize it (parts are everywhere and inexpensive) The 10/22 is accurate as an "out of the box" .22 could be. BUY THE 10/22!!!!

originally posted by: DigitalJesusWuang

originally posted by: TheLieWeLive
a reply to: smithjustinb
I don't know which gun is necessarily better but I do know a 10/22 has a lot of aftermarket accessories. Many people have also converted them to full auto.

In what country is it legal to make such a conversion? Can you tell to me the number of people you know who have converted their rifles to full auto and what permissions were required before/after?

You can get a tax stamp and buy a full auto rifle. Other than that, you can get a slide fire stock which simulates full auto.

More than likely, I'll be getting the 10/22.

a reply to: projectvxn

You definitely can't go wrong with Ruger. I also own the lcp.

having shot both the rugers (10/22 and 10/77) i would say they are a very safe bet, they perform flawlesly and were very easy to maintain

i would also second projectvxn with the cheap mags, don't bother, for the little extra that origional rugers cost they dont let you down like the cheaper ones will, especially on larger cap mags

also if you are looking at the takedown why not try an alternative, take a standard 10/22 and add a butler creek folding stock, they are almost as small as the TD and there is no issue with realignment after reasembly (not that i have heared about any issued with the TD but why risk it)

I'll stand out as the sole hater of the 10/22. It's a pointless rifle in my opinion. There are far more accurate .22's out there in the same price range and if you just want a plinker to send cheap lead into cans and berms the 10 round rotary mag is a serious PITA and the BX high caps are obscenely expensive.

Why do you want the rifle?

If for fun get an AR and a dedicated .22 upper. Warning: the M&P .22 looks like an AR but it uses a proprietary lower receiver which means you cannot just slap any upper you want to on it.

Get yourself a real lower, either complete or stripped, and pick up a .22 upper. That way later on you can get a 5.56, 6.8, 9mm, 300BLK, etc... upper and do anything you want to all with the one lower.

If you want it for target shooting forget about it. 10/22's have minute of barn accuracy out of the box. If you expect to compete with a 10/22 at the minimum you'll have to replace the barrel and the trigger and a barrel change will most likely require a stock change so you're looking at another $400 or more to get that 10/22 running at low match level.

If you want it just to have a 10/22 then go buy it. No reason not to have it simply for the sake of having it. Somehow it has an iconic presence in American firearms lore. Probably just because it was cheap 50 years back and everybodys daddy had one because as rifles go there are better shooters for less money.

originally posted by: smithjustinb

originally posted by: DigitalJesusWuang

originally posted by: TheLieWeLive
a reply to: smithjustinb
I don't know which gun is necessarily better but I do know a 10/22 has a lot of aftermarket accessories. Many people have also converted them to full auto.

In what country is it legal to make such a conversion? Can you tell to me the number of people you know who have converted their rifles to full auto and what permissions were required before/after?

You can get a tax stamp and buy a full auto rifle. Other than that, you can get a slide fire stock which simulates full auto.

Oh, I thought you meant that people were buying semiautomatic guns and then converting them to full automatic themselves.

And why would anyone want to "simulate" full auto with bump-firing and horrible accuracy?

Insure you can get ammunition for your .22 rifle. I don't know how it is everywhere in the nation, but there is an App for Walmart in particular. Other stores likely have the same thing. It tells you when the truck arrives to supply the store. People in some areas use it to insure they buy the popular ammunition down to the last box, before it even sees a store shelf for more than a few minutes. Many resell at gun shows for many x's retail price. It's a point of fury among the gun community here.

Rumor has it, other areas aren't near impossible to find .22 ammunition and it seems insane to suggest. That has been the case where I live for the better part of a couple years though. I have a few bricks of .22 from before the madness, but I wouldn't shoot them now for anything but survival, given the cost and effort required to beat the hoarders for more.