Smith & Wesson’s Entry into the AR Market

In 2006 Smith & Wesson entered the rapidly growing AR market with the M&P 15 series rifles (AR-15). This was big from such an iconic company. The “M&P” designation meaning Military and Police has been used across various S&W firearms to indicate their ruggedness, built for law enforcement and military professionals.

The M&P 15-22: A Reliable .22LR Companion

While many manufacturers produce AR-style rifles, Smith & Wesson took it a step further by introducing the M&P 15-22, a dedicated .22LR. This rifle has been an excellent training companion. As a tactical instructor I have found the M&P 15-22 to be very reliable across different students and ammo.

Early Model Quirks: The Un-threaded Barrel Issue

One interesting thing about the M&P 15-22 is that some early models were shipped without a threaded barrel. For many firearm enthusiasts a threaded barrel is a must have feature for attaching suppressors, flash hiders or muzzle brakes. S&W later addressed this but there are still many unthreaded models out there.

Custom Tool for Barrel Removal

The first time I encountered an unthreaded M&P 15-22 barrel I had to make a custom barrel nut removal tool to take the barrel off. The nut is located deep inside the handguard and requires a specialized tool to reach it. At the time there was no such tool commercially available so I made one using gas pipe parts. Today there are barrel nut removal tools for the 15-22 but I still use my original custom built tool.

A Word of Caution: Protect Your Ejector!  If you decide to remove your barrel be careful with the ejector. It’s attached to the barrel with a pinned collar and is fragile enough to be bent or broken. Replacements are hard to find—don’t ask me how I know.

Threading M&P 15-22 Barrel

Once removed threading a Smith & Wesson M&P 15-22 barrel is a simple process. You can mount it on a lathe and thread it to the standard 1/2×28 TPI. After threading you can reattach the barrel to the upper and add:

• Flash hider

• Muzzle brake

• Suppressor

With these modifications the M&P 15-22 becomes even more versatile and effective.

Final Thoughts: Modify with Caution

Before making any modifications to your firearm consult a qualified gunsmith. Firearm modifications require expertise and this article is for informational purposes only. Be smart, stay safe and seek professional advice before altering any firearm parts.