Mountain Billy Gun Lab GOAT-15
- Graham Baates
- 1 day ago
- 5 min read
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At SHOT Show 2025 I was enjoying breakfast with a friend who insisted I go downstairs and check out the "GOAT-15". I wasn't sure what he was talking about, but took his word for it and when the show floor opened I headed to Mountain Billy Gun Lab's booth.
What I found was a family-run business busily shuffling between visitors while showing off what looked to me like a model of an AR15. 20% smaller, and weighing less than 3lbs, the GOAT-15 is an AR-like rifle scaled down for .22lr.
Who's It For? The tiny scale may make one think the GOAT-15 is a novelty, but after wielding all 2lbs 14oz of it I can assure you there are more applications than novelty. The GOAT-15 makes for an excellent introduction to firearms as it's easy to use, cheap to feed, and still teaches the skills needed for a full-size rifle. For those already knowing how to wield a rifle, I could see the GOAT-15 easily serving as a lightweight pack/camp gun that won't get in the way of other activities, but still offer some plinking fun.
An Interesting and unique feature is the right-side safety of the GOAT-15. This drum pulls out and rotates to lock the safety into position. I could see this as invaluable for teaching a beginner as well as pack gun or adventure use. As a veteran of two wars I can verify that one of the drawbacks of the standard AR15 safety design is that it can be bumped when the rifle is slung; it doesn't take much force to move from safe to semi. With the GOAT-15 that risk has been practically eliminated.
Take a Look at the MBGL GOAT-15 in the Tabletop Video below. Rumble Link
Specifications
Weight (unloaded): 2 lbs 14 oz
Weight (with loaded 10 round mag): 3 lbs 2 oz
Barrel length: 16" CMV Steel
Barrel Specs: 1:16 Right Hand Twist Threaded 1/2-28
Size: 27.75” – 30.75” (Fully Extended)
Cartridge: .22 Cal
Safety: Patented Tamper Resistant
Action: Blow Back, Single Shot, Semi-Automatic
Lower: Polymer
Upper: Polymer
Rail: Standard Picatinny Rail With M-Lok
Buttstock: 7 Position Adjustable
Magazine: Ships with 1 Rd and 10 Rd
MSRP: $469.99
Prices online as of date article was written
check links for current pricing
Another point of interest for me is what seems to be a rather heavy bolt for a blowback .22lr. The mechanism rides on rails from two sides to ensure consistency, but it's heavy. Typically a heavier bolt will aid in feeding, and can mean less recoil if it has space to stop movement naturally, but that also means it needs more energy to cycle. Semi-auto .22lr rifles are notoriously picky about ammunition, and this relatively heavy-seeming bolt had me extra curious as to what the gun would eat.
It was time to hit the range and of course apply the GBGuns range protocol:
Cold Shots: Truly the first rounds through the gun. No warm up, no practice.
Full Magazine +1: Suprisingly some modern guns still struggle with this. It's a test of how much play is in the magazine as well as how the slide cycles with pressure. This is also when I do my best to learn the trigger.
What's For Dinner™: A test to see what ammunition the gun will eat. Does the gun feed the round from slide lock, will it cycle and feed another round of the same type, does the slide lock to the rear on empty, and is there any notable point of impact change with different loads. With .22lr's reliability potential 5 rounds of 11 loads were tried.
For this gun the following ammunition was used:
Priced and linked where found at the time this article was written
36gr CCI Min-Mag Choot Em
38gr Federal Classic HP
40gr PMC Sidewinder 50's
40gr Federal Game Shock $4.49 / 50 at Bud's Gun Shop
40gr CCI Mini-Mag SHP $13.49 / 100 at Ammunition Depot
40gr CCI Mini-Mag $8.49 /1000 at Brownell's
40gr Aguila Super Extra
40gr Aguila Super Extra Copper Plated $3.59 / 50 at Sportsman's Guide
SK Long Range Match
SK Rifle Match
60gr Aguila Super Subsonic $4.74 / 50 at Sportsman's Guide
General Range Ammunition was 40gr Remington Golden Bullet (no longer offered in 40gr?)
Practical Accuracy: Five shots from a distance of seven yards at a one inch target. This isn't so much about printing a tight group as it is a culmination of the shooting experience and time for to collect thoughts prior to making a conclusion. For the GOAT-15 this is covered during the WFD portion.
After Shots: Final impressions and reflections from the range session.
See the process yourself from my very first shot as I explore the MBGL GOAT-15 in the Shooting Impressions video below. Rumble Link
On the Range we certainly saw the importance of the WFD segment of the range protocol, and possibly why it seems Remington doesn't offer the Golden Bullet in 40gr anymore. It's important to note that ammunition was from the original Remington and not today's post-bankruptcy rebrand which may be made to a higher standard.
The GOAT-15 was fun, and seemed to perform best with higher-quality ammunition. I may have been over-extending the stock past its last real notch in attempt to get a longer length of pull. I'm 6'1" and this is a small rifle! Overall I had fun with the GOAT-15 and will be looking for more of the ammunition it liked most. Unfortunately at the time this article was written I was unable to find more of that SK ammunition that grouped so nicely!
As an experiment I mounted the Osight X and riser on the MBGL GOAT-15. Because my range permits .22lr rifles in the "pistol-only" bays where I shoot I knew I wouldn't need any magnification. I found the dot to be plenty clear and work for my needs. It also helped keep the size and weight of the GOAT-15 down and will likely continue to live on this rifle for use as a fun plinker.
Looks like a lot of fun, but I hope some anti-gun nut doesn't lock on to this, and loose their minds .
You can bet most of the East and West coast are NOT going to like this. Sad.