mp1522.pngThe more I see this beautiful little AR, the more I want one. The more I read about going plinking with one, the closer I get to placing that order . . .

Excerpt from a recent article at American Rifleman:

Another option that can curtail your plinking expenses is the Smith & Wesson M&P 15-22 rifle.

The M&P 15-22 rifle was built on Smith & Wesson’s M&P15 format from the ground up, not as a scaled-down version of the popular 5.56×45 NATO. In building a dedicated .22 on the AR-platform, Smith & Wesson has created a .22 rifle that feels and shoots like its M&P15 tactical rifle, especially when combined with Trijicon’s ACOG (Advanced Combat Optical Gunsights) and RMR (Ruggedized Miniature Reflex) sights.

Built with a polymer upper and lower, the M&P 15-22 is light – around 5.5 pounds – rugged and sleek with its four-sided Picatinny rail for mounting accessories, six-position stock and dual-aperture post sights. It has many of the features of a tricked-out AR tactical rifle, but is light enough for easy all-day carry on small game hunts for squirrels, rabbits or prairie dogs. It’s also really fun to shoot in informal training exercises in an attempt to get to know this tactical-looking .22 rifle.

It might have to wait six or eight months, but I’m definitely gonna get me one of the lightweight .22 caliber ARs. I’ll think about other calibers later.