S&W M&P 15-22 For HD

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Darren Roberts

New member
I have owned and played with the M&P for about 3 months now, and have decided to make it my primary HD rifle. With the lack of recoil I can more acurately place 4 rounds in the same time it takes me to acurately get two rounds off with the 223.
I know people will be unsure of the "stopping power" of the 22lr, but I am sure 4 well placed rounds to the chest or face will stop pretty much anyone.
Most likely if I am in a home invasion situation I have to consider the fact I have 3 kids at the opposite end of the house that most likely I will be firing from. So I figure accuracy over power at that short of range is more important...

Thoughts, Opinions and suggestions welcome.
 
Winchester has a .223 in their PDX line.

How's the .22 feed? I've got a conversion kit and it's only 90-95% reliable tops.

While .22lr is easy to stockpile for shtf I wouldn't want it to be primary my HD round.
 
Rimfire ammo is fairly unreliable, and so are the actions. I hope it works out for you. But if a .22LR can penetrate over 2 inches of phone book, how effective do you think 3/4 or 1/2 inch sheet rock will be at stopping it?
 
How's the .22 feed? I've got a conversion kit and it's only 90-95% reliable tops.
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I'd say theres a big difference between a converted upper on an AR and a Dedicated .22lr AR-style rifle. Id say its probably more reliable than a conversion kit.
 
Coyote- yeah figured it would be more reliable but don't believe it would be as reliable as a centerfired weapon.
 
better then a stick but in your home everything will be up close and personal and your first shot will be the one that counts. I dont think id want to rely on a 22 to stop a guy only feet away from me. Some may consider me a bit over the top for home protection but ive got handguns in various places in my home and have a couple loaded ars. But my main in the house protection guns are the 3 pump 12 guages loaded with #4 buck. they pretty much insure that the first time i pull the trigger will be the last time i probably will need to. Another thing to keep in mind is that you may be able to shoot 3 times accurately with a .22 but will your wife or kids? anyone in my house can grab a shotgun and hit an intruder about anywhere with it and at least put a big hurt on them!
 
Make sure the ammo you are using is the ammo that has never had any failure whatsoever. I own one and CCI Standard Velocity and Federal Auto Match are my ammo of choice. I'm sure a well placed shot will do the job. However, since I have other guns available, it's not my first choice.
 
Just get some frangible ammo for your big AR. It's penetration depth won't allow it to go through a wall, but it will still do considerable damage to someone that's in the direct line of fire.
 
FMJ 22 long rifle ammo, will out penetrate 223 hollowpoint ammo in most building materials if that is your concern.

I'd use a 22 RF if it were all I had, but quality ammo in the 223 will not only be a better stopper, but will actually penetrate building material less.
 
If I'm in my house and I'm justified in using deadly force with my semi-auto .22 rimfire, rest assured that the recipient of the fusillade is gonna look like a colander. Odds are that there will be a notable change in his attitude and intentions.

Over the years, many posts here and in the handguns forums have led me to believe that many people think in terms of shoot once and then take a look to see if they did a Good Thing. I don't.
 
The problem with any rimfire is that you never know when you are going to have a malfunction.

At the range or on a squirrel it's no big deal. When being attacked it's a huge deal.

If I had to use a .22 for defense it would be out of a revolver.
 
Agreed with this last part of a semi auto target pistol along the lines of a S&W model 41.

The MP15-22 is picky and unreliable feeding (I had one, I had it going pretty good but getting the stack right and staggered is iffy)

Also consider reinforce the walls between you and the kits with Kevlar, steel plate or ?

Kids should be trained to hit the floor if they hear an altercation.

Look into a shotgun.

Tough situation. My house no kids, I know the lanes of fire and can pretty much shoot what I want. By the time it gets through all the layers its not going to have any oomph left to go through a neighbors.
 
Art is correct. You fire until the opponent is no longer standing in front of you and/or continuing hostile action.

In most economically motivated crimes, taking any round will probably cause bad guy to cease actions. However, some motivated folks have soaked up loads of rounds of all rifle and handgun varieties and continued to do evil.

If you have the 22, sure. I'd still rather go with the 223 and quality ammo for HD. You need to ensure penetration through that crucial chest region.
 
It's been shown the latest crop of home invaders are hopped up on some sort of chemical cocktail. 22lr is no joke and does kill rather effectively, but when you need a right now stop, a central nervous system short circuit is warrented over a slower bleedout perforation.

I was 3 miles from one of the "Beltway Sniper" shootings. It really put a lethality scare in all of us, as we all knew he only shot once each time.

My vote is 223 over 22lr you want HD.
 
say what you will but I doubt anyone here would say that it would be there first choise if someone was in there home with intent on doing them or there family harm. Like I said, better then a stick.
 
Most likely if I am in a home invasion situation I have to consider the fact I have 3 kids at the opposite end of the house that most likely I will be firing from.
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An interior wall is not a substantial barrier. If children are downrange of where you plan to fire, a .22LR has as much, and in some cases more, potential to kill or injure than a .223 does.

Try looking at some online shots of ballistics gel with .22LR to get an idea; but in this thread from 2005 (http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1585939) 36gr copper plated .22LR HP ammo met the FBI minimum penetration requirements for both clothed gel and bare gel from a 1022. By comparison, Federal's 40gr VMAX showed only 8" of penetration in bare gel and would have a much bigger cavity compared to the .22LR.

I really, strongly recommend some good quality formal training if you haven't already had some. I think that would probably make the biggest difference for you.
 
A Smith 15-22 is an awesome gun that can put 25 rounds down the tube in well under 4 seconds (stopwatched it myself). With decent ammo, it would be a formitabe weapon. I wouldn't want to be on the wrong end of it. HOWEVER, in the situation you describe, I'd rather have a shotgun with 2 or 4 shot (no slugs, no buckshot).
 
I'm not an advocate for using a .22lr for SD/HD but I'm also not one to buy into all the cartridge and platform wars. A gun, any gun, will get you most of the way there and no gun is perfect. In the grand scheme of things a fast handling .22 carbine that points well and is easy to use may be a better option than a more powerful weapon. I might use one before a milsurp bolt or a scout rifle. I'd might use one before a single shot shotgun. I might even use one before a handgun of more substantial caliber since they are easy to use and hit with. Sure that will be a popular topic here at TFL. In short I'll take a .22 carbine that I shoot well and am comfortable with before any gun that I shoot so so and am not as comfortable with.

Also, reliability issues with rimfires is greatly over blown. Yes, issues can happen especially with crap ammo but if you know your gun and your ammo then you can go a dang long ways to limit issues.

I don't know about penetration of a .22 vs a .223, Seen some test but not enough to convince me AT THIS POINT. But I do know that a .22lr from a pistol will penetrate a layer of dry wall, 2 - 1" thick 100 year old pine boards and some steel siding. Build/install a book shelf in the kids room and stock it up with all those classics you've been wanting to read. Can't hurt and people should read more, tv less anyway.

LK
 
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