M&P 15-22 Accuracy

[tulsacrittergetter]

Does anyone have a suppressed M&P 15-22? I am struggling with accuracy at 50 meters when I shoot with my can. I know that some of the wild shots are me, but it seems like I get a lot of "fliers" — I'll hit 1" - 1.5" groups at 50 meters, and then I'll get a flier that is a good 6-7" low and to the right or high and to the right of where my crosshairs are. It is frustrating! I know I'm not getting any baffle strikes, so it's not the can. I guess I need to go to the range and shoot it unsuppressed for a good length of time to see if I get the same result. I never have this problem with my Marlin 795. The target I am posting is from my Marlin 795 at 50 meters. Each group is 25 rounds. I don't get any fliers with my Marlin. I know the M&P 15-22 isn't going to be as accurate as a precision rifle, especially at longer distances, but I expect it to perform better than it has been.

 

[beastep]

Thats odd. It almost looks like baffle strikes but you said you werent getting any. I was shooting one brand of ammo that would throw me a flyer every now and then. It might have been Federal. Do you have a chrono you could shoot groups through? Im thinking about getting that 15-22 sport for my girl fro Christmas so Im curious.

 

[MadDogs]

Speaking of MP15-22's ...
http://www.outdoorhub.com/news/2016/09/16/ban-issued-smith-wesson-1522-appleseed-events/

 

[beastep]

I saw that.

 

[tulsacrittergetter]

Yep. I just got my M&P 15-22 back from Smith & Wesson a few days ago actually. I had an OOB at the range 4 DAYS AFTER I BOUGHT IT, and it blew out my extractor. I didn't notice that the extractor blew out, but I was having FTE's every 2 or 3 rounds, so I knew something was up. When I got home and started to break it down to clean, I noticed that the extractor, extractor plunger, and extractor spring were all missing from the bolt. Yay!

So, after calling S&W customer service, I learned that they will not send those parts to you. You have to send in the rifle so they can perform the repairs on the rifle. BUMMER! I had it for less than a week, and was having so much fun! Also, I had several stovepipes, and one of them had melted the edge of the ejection port (because the upper is polymer). SO, S&W had my 15-22 for 9 days. They replaced the extractor, plunger, and spring, as well as the upper receiver, and adjusted the ejector. They also sent me a ton of swag, and an extra magazine. I was very impressed with the customer service. Since I've had it back (about a week now), I have put over 2,500 rounds through it, and have not had a SINGLE failure to eject, failure to feed, or out of battery discharge. I did have a few misfire / failure to fires, but that was an ammo problem. I was shooting some really old .22LR rounds that had been lying around that needed to be disposed of. I wasn't surprised that many of them did not go off. They weren't stored properly.

I am, however, disappointed that the 15-22 didn't perform in the beginning like it is now. It should perform flawlessly as soon as you bring it home, and not after you get it back from S&W customer service. Regardless, I'm happy to have it back, and am going to the range again today to put another 1,000 rounds through it.

Regarding the accuracy issues with the can — I put my suppressor on my Marlin 795 (which I recently had threaded by Firearms Solutions in Duncan, OK), and I was punching out red bullseyes at 50 meters NO PROBLEM. I can't figure out why my 15-22 won't do the same thing with the same can. I did do some firing with the 15-22 unsuppressed, and the gun was WAY more accurate without the can. I'm stumped. I don't understand why my Marlin is dead on with the can, but the 15-22 is throwing fliers. Maybe it is a pressure issue?

 

[beastep]

Voodoo man. Some guns just dont like some stuff. I would like to see how it shot with a different can on it.

 

[dennishoddy]

That report doesn't look good for the S&W. I shoot a lot of Steel Challenge. A lot of S&W rifles show up. We have never seen any of the malfunctions mentioned.

 

[NightShade]

Yep, I wonder if this is more prone on the newer or older model. I have the old version and only once had a WTF. Was in battery and the safety was disengaged and the hammer would not drop. Took the round out and did a quick breakdown and function check, I suspect a piece of crud got in somewhere and messed something up as it finished the match without a hitch. Otherwise it has worked flawlessly with every ammo I have thrown at it which is generally bulk box stuff with an occasional 100 round plastic case of what ever brand is around.

As far as the OOB that could easily have been the ammo, saw a guy in Phoenix have one with a 22/45 running Aguila hyper velocity or something like that during a steel challenge match.

 

[tulsacrittergetter]

I am almost certain that the OOB was the ammo's fault. Nevertheless, it did damage my weapon. I put another 500 rounds through it yesterday flawlessly. I changed the order of the baffles in my can, however, and I am getting much better accuracy now. I have two baffles that have larger diameter bores drilled out, and I moved them towards the end of the can, and went to work on the 15-22. Targets from yesterday are below (I make my own targets at home with cardboard boxes I bring home from work). Yes I am a cheap-skate for not buying real targets. But when you shoot nearly every day like I do, you'd rather spend money on ammo instead of targets!

The round targets are close range shooting off-hand (all different distances, from 30 feet to about 60 feet while moving). The rectangular target was at 50 meters. Those are the best groups I've seen with the can on my M&P 15-22, so I am very pleased. I was shooting CCI Standard Velocity. I normally prefer Aguila rifle match or Aguila Super Extra Standard Velocity, but Academy is out of both right now.

And yes, that is a picture of Hillary. hehe

The numbers on the larger target are there because me and my 10-year old son have shooting competitions at home with our .22's. I put a number next to each target to represent how many shots should be fired at each target, and we do run-and-gun drills.

I also replaced the hand guard and grip on my 15-22 last night, but I will start a new thread for those photos.

 

[beastep]

Glad your getting it sorted out. I have a 243 thats been eating my lunch and its frustrating.