The Smith & Wesson M&P15-22 is a .22 LR

.22 Long Rifle

The .22 Long Rifle rimfire cartridge is a long established variety of ammunition, and in terms of units sold is still by far the most common in the world today. The cartridge is often referred to simply as .22 LR and various rifles, pistols, revolvers, and even some smoothbore shotguns have...

 variant of the Smith & Wesson M&P15

Smith & Wesson M&P15

The Smith & Wesson M&P15 is Smith & Wesson's version of the AR-15 rifle with which Smith & Wesson reentered the rifle market in January 2006.-History:Smith & Wesson is a gun manufacturer and long time supplier of law enforcement and personal-defense firearms...

. In contrast to the original AR-15

AR-15

The AR-15 is a lightweight, 5.56 mm, air-cooled, gas-operated, magazine-fed semi-automatic rifle, with a rotating-lock bolt, actuated by direct impingement gas operation. It is manufactured with the extensive use of aluminum alloys and synthetic materials....

, it is blowback

Blowback (arms)

Blowback is a system of operation for self-loading firearms that obtains energy from the motion of the cartridge case as it is pushed to the rear by expanding gases created by the ignition of the propellant charge....

-operated, rather than direct impingement

Direct impingement

Direct impingement is a type of gas operation for a firearm that directs gas from a fired cartridge directly to the bolt carrier or slide assembly to cycle the action.- Evaluation :...

. It is intended for recreational shooting ("plinking

Plinking

Plinking refers to informal target shooting done at non-traditional targets such as tin cans, glass bottles, and balloons filled with water. The term is an onomatopoeia of the sound a bullet or other projectile makes when hitting a tin can, or other similar target, referring to the sharp, metallic...

") and hunting. It is made with a polymer upper and lower receiver

Receiver (firearms)

In firearms terminology, the receiver is the part of a firearm that houses the operating parts. The receiver usually contains the bolt carrier group, trigger group, and magazine port. In most handguns, the receiver, or frame, holds the magazine well or rotary magazine as well as the trigger mechanism...

, rather than the aluminum that is normally used in AR-15s. Its proprietary magazines are also polymer. The handguards are also polymer, and feature quadruple Picatinny rail

Picatinny rail

The Picatinny rail or MIL-STD-1913 rail or STANAG 2324 rail or a "Tactical Rail" is a bracket used on some firearms in order to provide a standardized mounting platform. A similar system is the Weaver rail mount.-Description:...

s. The M&P15-22 can be used as a cheaper alternative for training with an AR-15 style rifle, since the rifle itself is much less expensive than most AR-15s, and the ammunition may often be half the price of normal .223 Remington

.223 Remington

The .223 Remington is a sporting cartridge with almost the same external dimensions as the 5.56×45mm NATO military cartridge. The name is commonly pronounced either two-two-three or two-twenty-three. It is loaded with a diameter, jacketed bullet, with weights ranging from , though the most common...

/5.56x45mm NATO

5.56x45mm NATO

5.56×45mm NATO is a rifle cartridge developed in the United States and originally chambered in the M16 rifle. Under STANAG 4172, it is a standard cartridge for NATO forces as well as many non-NATO countries. It is derived from, but not identical to, the .223 Remington cartridge...

, allowing the owner to enjoy far more range time for the same cost in ammunition. While shooting .22 LR is not a perfect substitute for training with the rifle's "true" cartridge, it can be a good way to focus on basic marksmanship and handling skills without the cost or recoil

Recoil

Recoil is the backward momentum of a gun when it is discharged. In technical terms, the recoil caused by the gun exactly balances the forward momentum of the projectile and exhaust gasses, according to Newton's third law...

 associated with shooting larger cartridges. The M&P15-22 can also be an alternative in jurisdictions that restrict magazine capacity for centerfire

Centerfire ammunition

A centerfire cartridge is a cartridge with a primer located in the center of the cartridge case head. Unlike rimfire cartridges, the primer is a separate and replaceable component....

 cartridges. Because the M&P15-22 shoots a rimfire cartridge, it can be used as a legal way to shoot large numbers of cartridges without reloading. The M&P15-22's lower recoil may also be used as a way to ease new shooters into the sport, allowing them to familiarize themselves with AR-15 controls without the fear of excessive recoil or noise.