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715T vs Competitors - Which to Buy?

E

EaglesFlyOver

.22LR
Just discovered the ads and specs on the 715T (handled & flat top). Sounds appealing. But are its rivals that much better -- S&W M&P 15-22, Ruger SR22, Colt M4? Is price the only factor in deciding which to buy?
 
read my posts on it. i sold mine last week to buy a 15-22. it is the most unreliable firearm i have ever owned. because of that i took a loss on it, not as much as i could have thanks to the madness, but still a loss.

it is basically the 702 plinkster in a plastic shell...look at the price difference between the plinkster and the 715t.
 
EaglesFlyOver said:
Just discovered the ads and specs on the 715T (handled & flat top). Sounds appealing. But are its rivals that much better -- S&W M&P 15-22, Ruger SR22, Colt M4? Is price the only factor in deciding which to buy?
Click to expand...
Personally, I'd make a list of what I wanted in a gun then do a spreadsheet of each of the guns that you listed with availability and best pricing - then make an informed decision.
Also try and shoot as many as you can, consider mag costs and how many you might want and read all the reviews that you can find.

Have fun with the hunt.
 
I just bought an M&P flat top and i spent 2X the price i gave for my mossberg. I could get both the flat top and the handle version for the cost of the M&P if you ask me your paying for the name.

I can see $350-$400. being reasonable for the M&P but i gave $500.

If you were to hold them side by side and look and feel the plastic i dont see much difference. The M&P feels slightly heavier but thats because of the design of the internals of the receiver. The mossberg feels lighter only because its a more simple design. Its not any less in its quality its just a more simple basic design.

I like how the M&P breaks down, i like how its more like an AR and i like how the mags fit compaired to the mossberg. It doesnt charge on the side like the mossberg but if you get the flat top you will prefer the side charge over the 2 finger pull design. On my M&P the scope is in the way so i had to buy a riser just to get the scope out of the way so i can charge it.

The M&P also has a pistol grip that you can replace or change if thats important to you.

That said of them both i like them both, there are some good and bad about both. Is the M&P worth the extra $250. compaired to the mossberg? i dont think so

I will be buying the mossberg flat top in a few weeks so ill have both versions. Ive put close to 600 rounds threw the mossberg now worth every bit what i gave.
 
I bought my 715T 2 weeks ago and have put about 500 rounds through it.

My friend has an MP 15-22 and I've shot that as well.

From an operations point of view, if you want a "training AR", the MP is much closer to how an actual AR works.

I don't see much difference between shooting the MP vs. the 715T. To me they both seem equally accurate and have about the same feel - neither is as heavy as a real AR would be and both of them have the similar "plasticy" feel. The MP is a little heavier.

I like the mag release on the MP a little more than the 715T, but for what I wanted that wasn't worth the extra $150 for the Smith and Wesson.

I have had no problems with my 715T and the $150 I saved vs. MP can go into extra ammo and magazines, although magazines are in short supply for both rifles now anyway.

I'm happy with my 715 for target shooting and just having fun with a tactical looking gun. Eventually I'll build a dedicated .22lr AR anyway, and I'm guessing I'll sell my 715T when I do.
 
I went to my local gun shop last night and they had an HK 416, now that one looks pretty good.

I think ide want to get one that i could put a 223 upper on if i wanted. I kinda thought maybe these M&Ps could run 223 uppers but i dont think they can.

If i didnt have the M&P pistol i may have got something different.
 
BowerR64 said:
I went to my local gun shop last night and they had an HK 416, now that one looks pretty good.

I think ide want to get one that i could put a 223 upper on if i wanted. I kinda thought maybe these M&Ps could run 223 uppers but i dont think they can.

If i didnt have the M&P pistol i may have got something different.
Click to expand...

If you want an interchangeable .22lR & .223 upper. You will need to buy a complete AR15 lower and buy a complete .22LR Upper. I dont recommend just buying the .22LR Bolt/carrier and mag upgrade as the .223 barrel inner diameter is slightly bigger than .22LR bullet thereby compromising accuracy.
 
leadgunner said:
BowerR64 said:
I went to my local gun shop last night and they had an HK 416, now that one looks pretty good.

I think ide want to get one that i could put a 223 upper on if i wanted. I kinda thought maybe these M&Ps could run 223 uppers but i dont think they can.

If i didnt have the M&P pistol i may have got something different.
Click to expand...

If you want an interchangeable .22lR & .223 upper. You will need to buy a complete AR15 lower and buy a complete .22LR Upper. I dont recommend just buying the .22LR Bolt/carrier and mag upgrade as the .223 barrel inner diameter is slightly bigger than .22LR bullet thereby compromising accuracy.
Click to expand...

I see, thanks for the info.
 
after selling the 715t a little over a month ago, i found a 15-22 somewhat locally for less than retail. i promptly purchased it. i am glad i did. it just seems like a more solid firearm. at 50 yrds, it took only 4 rounds to zero the sights as opposed to 10+ with the mossy. once sighted, my groupings were tighter. i think this may be because the sights are not mounted to a shell that can flex, move, etc.

all in all, the 449, i paid for the smith is too much for a .22, especially when my 1500 round cache of ammo will be depleted soon, but it is still a better value than 300 for a gun that i did not have confidence in.
 
speedyquad said:
all in all, the 449, i paid for the smith is too much for a .22, especially when my 1500 round cache of ammo will be depleted soon, but it is still a better value than 300 for a gun that i did not have confidence in.
Click to expand...

The more I shoot my 715T the more confidence I have in it. But I didn't do my homework and failed to understand how cumbersome and time-consuming it is to disassemble/clean/reassemble the rifle.

I've been looking at different .22lr AR-style designs and am currently leaning towards a Sig 522, since the S&W 15-22 models are now very pricey and difficult to find. For the money the S&W guns are selling for I might as well buy a real AR-15.

A friend is buying a GSG soon and I'm anxious to see how that system works. I've read a lot of good things from GSG owners and the price is reasonable, besides the number GSG's .22lr models based on different assault rifles.

If I manage to find the right AR-style .22lr that doesn't involve so much time for maintenance I think I can always trade my 715T for some other firearm I want, especially since I have two of the 25-round magazines that function just fine.
 
There's always a dedicated .22lr upper that'll fit on any standard AR lower. This is a great option for anyone who already has an AR or is thinking of upgrading to a .223/5.56 at some point.

Mine is a 16.5" DPMS AP4 .22lr upper sit'n on a DPMS lower...




The wife's is a slightly modified 16.5" Chiappa M4-22 upper on a Spike's Punisher lower... :D

 
unit1069 said:
speedyquad said:
all in all, the 449, i paid for the smith is too much for a .22, especially when my 1500 round cache of ammo will be depleted soon, but it is still a better value than 300 for a gun that i did not have confidence in.
Click to expand...

The more I shoot my 715T the more confidence I have in it. But I didn't do my homework and failed to understand how cumbersome and time-consuming it is to disassemble/clean/reassemble the rifle.

I've been looking at different .22lr AR-style designs and am currently leaning towards a Sig 522, since the S&W 15-22 models are now very pricey and difficult to find. For the money the S&W guns are selling for I might as well buy a real AR-15.

A friend is buying a GSG soon and I'm anxious to see how that system works. I've read a lot of good things from GSG owners and the price is reasonable, besides the number GSG's .22lr models based on different assault rifles.

If I manage to find the right AR-style .22lr that doesn't involve so much time for maintenance I think I can always trade my 715T for some other firearm I want, especially since I have two of the 25-round magazines that function just fine.
Click to expand...

i had my choice of the gsg or the smith when i bought the smith. the smith won out because it was $100 cheaper and had an adjustable stock. my 11 yr old daughter will be shooting this from time to time and the adjustable stock was basically the decision maker. being $70 under retail for the smith was not bad at all. there are a lot of the 715t's available locally for more than retail.

if i had already had an ar, then i would have gone the route of the .22 upper.
 
speedyquad said:
i had my choice of the gsg or the smith when i bought the smith. the smith won out because it was $100 cheaper and had an adjustable stock. my 11 yr old daughter will be shooting this from time to time and the adjustable stock was basically the decision maker. being $70 under retail for the smith was not bad at all. there are a lot of the 715t's available locally for more than retail.
Click to expand...

It was a beautiful day so I decided to run through the 200+ rounds of Federal 36-grain bulk pack HP rounds I had. Even with the bent recoil spring the 715T ran flawlessly, except for one Failure to Feed early in the session.

I think it's amazing you were able to buy a Smith for less than the GSG and hope I could be as lucky. Like I wrote yesterday, I have increasing confidence in the 715T but the maintenance routine is cumbersome and time-consuming. The Sig Sauer 522 is priced at the moment at $500 and it's tempting as long as the S&W 15-22 is commanding premium prices. Like you mentioned, at the prices some of these AR-style .22lr guns are selling for it might be worth it to spring for a real AR-15 and save up for the conversion kit.

At the moment I'm happy with the 715T performance and aside from the nagging maintenance issue a bigger problem I now have with it is that I have to shoot a full 25-round magazine every range trip just to sight the damn thing in. Just when I'm starting to accept the maintenance routine the accuracy issue rears its head ... My latest thought is if I end up keeping the 715T I might try pimping it out a bit.

I want an AR-style .22lr that is quick to disassemble/reassemble with sights that are adjustable and secure in place, at a reasonable price. All recommendations are welcome, Mossberg readers.
 
unfortunately, the way the 715t is built, every time you clean it you will almost need to rezero it. how do you guarantee that you get the shell back together exactly the same everytime, or put the sights on in the exact same spot every time. the smith is so easy to clean. push a pin to release the upper and the gun "folds" in half. pull the charging handle all the way out and the bolt comes out with it.that is it, it is completely apart for cleaning. i can disassemble and reassemble in less time than it takes to remove all the screws for the mossy's shell. one thing that i have noticed is that it seems to get dirtier than the mossberg.

the mag is so easy to load too. it does not have the speedloader included as one is not needed.

when i saw the gsg hanging on the wall, i expected it to be less than the smith. actually when i emailed the shop, i expected the price on the smith to be about $100 higher. when they replied back that they were 449...it was a no brainer that i was traveling the 56 miles to pick it up. then i got a little excited seeing the gsg on the wall, until i saw the price tag. they had lots of 715t's. the carry handle version was 319, the flat top was 349.
 
I've not heard too many bad reviews of the S&W. I've been weantingt to try a 715 but am a little hesitant based on reviews.

A Ruger 10/22 is hands down the most customizable arguably reliable semi auto .22lr you can buy. I have completely altered the appearance of mine several times over and it still runs flawlessly as long as you stick with quality mags.

The Marlin Model 60 has been the most accurate semi auto .22lr I've ever shot. The tubular magazine does make it a little slower to load and unload.

I know neither of these are AR style guns but just my 2cents.

If you have an AR a dedicated upper or a 22lr conversion bolt works great.

Despite the issues, I've still been wanting to try a 715.....perhaps someday.
 
there are some pretty cool stock variations for the ruger 10/22. it was on my list as a possibility, but by the time i bought the ruger and the stock, i'd be into it way too much.

the smith is very accurate, i put the utg red dot on it and at 50 yrds, had it zeroed in 5 rounds at rest. the third was what i stayed with, just added 2 more for good measure. rounds 4 and 5 touched round 3. then i went free hand pulling the trigger as soon as the dot was near center. all 25 were within a 6" circle. i was not able to do that with the 715t at 25 yrds.
 
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