I won this rifle at the 2011 Sportsman Team Challenge Nationals in San Antonio, TX. I had considered buying this rifle several times but never could make up my mind. After shooting this gem for a few months now I can say without a doubt that this rifle is absolutely worth the price.
The biggest upside with this gun is that the ergonomics are exactly like an AR15. I shoot 3-gun matches frequently, and burn through a lot of .223 ammo in the process, so when I’m at the range for practice, I found myself focusing on pistol shooting to conserve rifle ammo, and my rifle shooting suffered as a result. Now that I have this rifle, I can practice every bit as effectively as I can with my match rifle, and not use any of my match rifle ammo. This rifle comes with a free-float 4-rail handguard, a flat-top upper receiver, and a 6-position adjustable M4 stock. The muzzle is threaded and comes with a flash hider attached. The trigger group is standard AR15 parts, and can be upgraded if desired. The trigger in my rifle is better than most factory AR15 triggers I’ve used, and I see no need to change it.
Accuracy is very good, although I use a red-dot scope so shooting for groups to see just how accurate this rifle will shoot is something I probably will never do. Accuracy won’t be on par with a custom 10/22, but on the same level as a factory 10/22.
The 25-round magazines have load-assist buttons on the side, which make loading a breeze. The gun has thus far been very reliable; the only failures I have experienced have been caused by crappy Remington ammo. All other bulk ammo has run well, and CCI Standard runs exceptionally well.
I have a Vortex StrikeFire red/green dot scope on this rifle, and it works well. I don’t know that I would put this sight on an AR15, but this gun has zero recoil so I’m not worried about the optic.
Overall, I love this rifle. Several of my friends have purchased these after shooting mine. There is no better or cheaper way to train for/with an AR15 than this gun. The bolt locks back on an empty magazine, which is a feature not found on most .22 conversion kits on the market, which makes this a much more accurate representation of the operations of an AR15, as manipulating the bolt during reloads is a critical skill which should be practiced often.
The real only improvement that could be made is an upgraded trigger, and that’s not a requirement. Just buy this gun and enjoy it!
Aaron
By: Aaron Hayes
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The trigger on mine is like dragging your fingernails on old asphalt. Lots of travel and very gritty. Have ordered replacement from “JoeBob” and will re evaluate after change-out. Won it from an NRA friends raffle, so shouldn’t complain to much. I really want to like this rifle, so will remain patient and open minded.
Good Review! I been looking at that Smith myself. I bought a SCAR clone in 22 and its fine but I want the Smith because I see the slidefire stock will fit on it and work. I have been burning up entirely too much 223 myself since I got that stupid really fun thing:) I was surprised to hear you say Remington ammo wasnt working for you. I’ve always had good luck with the thunderbolts but 22’s sure can be picky. I think your Strikefire choice was probably a really good one for that rifle too. Thanks for posting.