hop up questions from a noob

[Noximus03]

Just a couple of questions before I get hot and heavy with my 15-22.

1-If I wanted to put a flash hider, or a fake can on it do I need to file ATF paperwork for that? also, what if I wanted to shorten the barrel length a tad?

2- Can anyone point me in the right direction for upgrading the trigger (its a longer pull than I would like to have)

3- do you guys have any tips/tricks to make the gun run smoother/faster?

I plan to run rim fire tactical matches with it which is why I'm asking the above questions, (I'm not one of those guys that wants to turn it in a full auto machine gun at the range) and I'm fairly new to the tactical/ar/rifle world. I'm a hand gun guy. My thoughts about it is if I'm going to go down this road with my 15-22, I want to have as much fun as possible, but I also want to do things right the first time. All comments are welcomed, as well as any insight. Thanks for looking.

[bdavison]

First off, there are two things you need to consider. Federal Law, and State Law. Federal law doesnt prevent you from attaching a muzzle brake or fake can to your .22 provided that it in NO way reduces sound levels (like a suppressor will). If you are interested in doing this, I highly recommend purchasing a fake suppressor from a suppressor vendor such as Gemtech. The gemtech fake suppressors are already BATFE certified as legal to the masses with out any paperwork necessary. Making one yourself could be misconstrued as "manufacturing"...and dives into a whole other realm of legality.

Bear in mind that you need to check state/county laws as well. Some state laws might prohibit this depending on what state you live in.

Also, some states have individual county laws in place regarding these things.

As far as shortening your barrel. This will get you in trouble. Shortening the barrel even by a little bit can put it into NFA catagory as a SBR (short barrelled rifle). To do this legally, you need to fill out the BATFE forms, and submit $200 to them for a tax stamp to allow you to have a short barreled rifle. The rifle then becomes a NFA firearm.

There are things you can do to the trigger, and to make it run smoother/faster. However, they are far too detailed for the forum and require gunsmithing skills to accomplish. Also, making mistakes in this area can cause the gun to become dangerous, or illegal as well. If you need custom gunsmith work, I'd recommend contacting a qualified gunsmith and having them do the work for you.

In all reality, the M&P 15-22 is already well suited for tactical matches. Its extremely lightweight, and lends itself pretty well to rapid target aquisition perticularly when combined with a tactical sight such as a holosight or red dot.

If you are serious about competing. Id recommend leaving the rifle alone...and spending lots of time at the range practicing. All the trick gunsmithing in the world wont help you win matches if you dont practice.

Gunsmithing for competition really only comes into play when your skills have exceeded the gun, and it needs tweaks to bring it up to your level of shooting. Otherwise its either gimmicky or a waste of money.

[Noximus03]

Hey, great info and answers. Thanks for taking the time to break everything down for me. Having been in the Tactical Handgun side of competition the first thing I thought of was 'what can I do to this thing?'. From what I've read so far, this would be a knee jerk reaction. I'll talk to the gunsmiths I know locally about the can and I think that'll be all I'd want to do at this point. Again, thanks for the answers. Good stuff!