Over the past few years, Smith & Wesson has introduced several innovative products outside its normal categories, from shotguns to lever-action rifles. Two of the company's most popular new products have been the M&P FPC rifle and its .22 WMR/5.7x28 mm M&P handguns. New for 2025, the company is releasing a version of these two firearms in .22 LR.
The M&P 22X takes its styling cues from Smith & Wesson’s M&P 5.7 and 22 Magnum pistols, from its slim polymer frame with a Picatinny accessory rail in the dustcover to its ambidextrous design. Its action uses an internal hammer, but is blowback with a fixed barrel, versus the Tempo system used with the larger cartridges. A manual safety is positioned on both sides of the frame.
The pistol uses an aluminum full-size slide with an optics cut and has a Hiviz LiteWave H3 front sight with fiber optic insert and a rear serrated notch. Magazines hold 20 rounds, and two are included with each pistol (10-round magazines will also be available). The barrel bushing on its 4.1” barrel can be replaced with an included 1/2x28 TPI thread adapter to make the pistol suppressor ready. Though its external dimensions are similar to the M&P 22 Magnum, it weighs only 16.32 ozs. The M&P 22X has an MSRP of $499.
Smith & Wesson’s Folding Pistol-caliber Carbine (FPC) brought a unique lightweight and compact rifle to the market when it was introduced in 2023. Since then, new chamberings have been offered, including .40 S&W and 10 mm Auto. The M&P FPC 22LR rifle adds the rimfire chambering in the mix. The features of the rimfire model follow those of the centerfire models. The rifle is optics ready, with a Picatinny rail along the top of the handguard, and folds horizontally so that the optics can stay in place. The remaining sides of the handguard have M-Lok slots. Like M&P pistols, the FPC has a flat-faced trigger, reversible magazine release and utilizes the same interchangeable backstraps as those used by M&P Compact models.
The overall size of the rimfire FPC matches its centerfire counterparts, with a 16.25” barrel (with its muzzle threaded 1/2x28 TPI), but it weighs about a pound less than the 9 mm Luger variants. Like the centerfire FPC rifles, the .22 LR FPC shares a magazine with a Smith & Wesson pistol, in this case, the 20-round box of the M&P 22X, which has an MSRP of $26. Two spare magazines are included, which fit into the rifle’s on-stock carrier. The M&P FPC 22LR has an MSRP of $549.
For more information, see the company’s webpages for the M&P 22X and M&P FPC 22LR.
