Smith & Wesson Begins Shipping M&P15-22 Rifles
Wednesday, August 19th, 2009 at 3:40 PMSmith & Wesson Begins Shipping M&P15-22 Rifles
New M&P15 Tactical Rifle Chambered in .22 LR
Smith & Wesson M&P15-22 Rifle
Smith & Wesson
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Smith & Wesson Corp., the legendary 157-year old firearms maker, announced that it has begun shipping the new M&P15-22 tactical rifles. Offering the fit and feel of the company’s popular Military & Police (M&P) Rifle Series, the M&P15-22 is a dedicated .22 LR platform manufactured with a high strength polymer upper and lower receiver, offering reduced weight while being chambered in the more economical ammunition.
“The new M&P15-22 was specifically designed to offer consumers, law enforcement and military professionals, as well as AR-15 enthusiasts a lightweight yet durable rifle with operating controls that function identically to other M&P15 rifles currently in production.” said Tom Kelly, Vice President of Marketing for Smith & Wesson. “Since the rifle is chambered in the more affordable .22 LR ammunition, the M&P15-22 provides sport shooters and working professionals with an opportunity to practice and train without the higher cost and scarcity of .223 ammunition.”
The M&P15-22 features a 16-inch barrel with a twist of 1 in 15 inches. The semi-automatic rifle is standard with a six-position collapsible stock to accommodate a variety of shooters and shooting positions, an A3 style flat top upper receiver with a quad-rail handguard for easily mounting optional accessories and an A2 pistol grip for improved firearm control.
The M&P15-22 also features a fully functional charging handle, an AR-15 style magazine release, bolt catch and a two-position receiver mounted safety. The M&P15-22 is complete with a removable 25 round magazine along with a removable A2-style front post sight, an adjustable A2-style rear sight and a single stage trigger. An optional barrel shroud will be available later this fall.
By remaining true to the standard AR-15 design while offering all of the preferred features found on the M&P Rifle Series, the M&P15-22 is well suited for a variety of recreational shooting applications while also serving as an extremely viable training firearm for law enforcement and military personnel.
The M&P15-22 has an unloaded weight of approximately 5 pounds. The rifle measures a compact 31 inches with the stock collapsed and 34 inches with the stock fully extended. The M&P15-22 is designed to accept all 1913 Mil. Std. rail adaptable accessories, Mil-Spec carbine stocks and most standard after-market AR-15 pistol grips.
About Smith & Wesson
Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation, a global leader in safety, security, protection and sport, is parent company to Smith & Wesson Corp., one of the world’s largest manufacturers of quality firearms and firearm safety/security products and parent company to Thompson/Center Arms Company Inc., a premier designer and manufacturer of premium hunting rifles, black powder rifles, interchangeable firearms systems and accessories under the Thompson/Center brand. Smith & Wesson licenses shooter protection, knives, apparel, and other accessory lines. Smith & Wesson is based in Springfield, Massachusetts with manufacturing facilities in Springfield, Houlton, Maine, and Rochester, New Hampshire. The Smith & Wesson Academy is America’s longest running firearms training facility for law enforcement, military and security professionals. For more information on Smith & Wesson, call (800) 331-0852 or log on to www.smith-wesson.com . For more information on Thompson/Center Arms, log on to www.tcarms.com.
