AR 22 conversion?
- Thread starter Jedi
- Start date
I was considering going the same route, but from what I've read, running a conversion will foul your upper something awful. .22LR is supposed to burn real dirty, and leave lead fouling in the barrel, and the fast twist rates (mine is a 1:7) in an AR15 upper are not ideal for .22LR bullets.
In the end, I just ended up going for a MP5SD-22. It didn't cost me much more than an AR22 upper would have.
In the end, I just ended up going for a MP5SD-22. It didn't cost me much more than an AR22 upper would have.
For an AR .22? I don't think you'd need to spend too much money on scope & rings. Any old thing you can pick up at Walmart would be just fine. Hell, I have a $30 red dot on my Benelli M4, I'm not spending $250 on a Burris FastFire until that red dot is good and dead.
Three choices:
1) Conversion kit. Replaces BCG and magazine to fire .22 rimfire using the .223 barrel. Has some issues with leading the gas system. Good thing, uses your current lower with nice trigger and current optics, but POI may change.
2) Dedicated Upper. Replaces entire upper with one setup for .22 rimfire. NO gas system. Good thing, uses your current lower with the nice trigger. Need other optics
3) Dedicated Rifle. Either a build with a regular lower or something like the S&W MP 15-22 (pin spacing is different so lower will not accept a centerfire upper). Bad thing and also a good thing in some ways, uses nothing from your current gun. But you have another gun.
Your choice. Personally, I like options 2 and 3 best.
I ended up with an S&W MP 15-22.
1) Conversion kit. Replaces BCG and magazine to fire .22 rimfire using the .223 barrel. Has some issues with leading the gas system. Good thing, uses your current lower with nice trigger and current optics, but POI may change.
2) Dedicated Upper. Replaces entire upper with one setup for .22 rimfire. NO gas system. Good thing, uses your current lower with the nice trigger. Need other optics
3) Dedicated Rifle. Either a build with a regular lower or something like the S&W MP 15-22 (pin spacing is different so lower will not accept a centerfire upper). Bad thing and also a good thing in some ways, uses nothing from your current gun. But you have another gun.
Your choice. Personally, I like options 2 and 3 best.
I ended up with an S&W MP 15-22.
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At a recent 22 carbine action match, every single AR type rifle suffered a malfunction or two, my 1982 stock 10/22 ran perfect, I even scored a stage win, IMHO unless its purely a training aid using the same platform get a 10/22, invest in mags that have steel feed lips and shoot the crap out of it.
I have the CMMG conversion. It's fun, reliable for the little I've used it (I've only shot a few hundred rounds with it), and worth the money. The accuracy is not quite as good ass with 223, but it's not bad. If I was to do it again I would probably go with a dedicated 22 thought because I would probably use it more.
I have an ancient Ciener conversion in my 614. At the time it was the only full auto option.
It's in an older upper that's worn past measuring with an erosion gauge.
Min of can out to 50 yds and runs flawlessly, semi or full auto.
The dedicated uppers look very nice. I like the Compass Lake as a couple service rifle shooters here use them for practice and they are nice.
It's in an older upper that's worn past measuring with an erosion gauge.
Min of can out to 50 yds and runs flawlessly, semi or full auto.
The dedicated uppers look very nice. I like the Compass Lake as a couple service rifle shooters here use them for practice and they are nice.
Its a matter of opinion. What do you want? Identical feel to your AR with best possible accuracy? Go with a dedicated upper. I bought barrels from a guy named Khrul and put them together. He's out of business now but there are others who make barrels and conversion assemblies. 1:16 is the right twist. This route is only if you have to have the pride in making it yourself. Otherwise CMMG upper will do and is cheaper. As for dedicated, the Smith is...well its a Smith. Plastic is what plastic is. I like the feel of a Colt better for about the same price. The Colt is a whole lot easier to accessorize to match your regular AR. Just remember what you're likely to do with it. Makes a great initial trainer. Accuracy is ok out to about 100yds. in the end, buy what you can afford. As for drop in conversions, I have a Colt model that gathering dust and is really just for a collector. CMMG and Ceiner fall in the same category. The military didn't care if the rifle got fouled. Hell you have recruits to clean them.
We all lost posts, part of the conversion to the new format, long time no see, I hope your doing well.
If you want a high quality 22 conversion I know a guy that makes one. The ones he builds are extremely accurate and perform great. Let me know if you want to know how to get in touch with him.
I was at the range this week and one of the shooters two benches over from me had a CMMG 22lr conversion. I walked over and was asking him about it and he showed it to me. Seemed to be well made and worked OK for him but that day, it malfunctioned in a dangerous way. The rim of one of the cases blew out. Not sure how or why. At first I thought that maybe it had fired while not completely into battery, but I could not tell. A small piece of brass shrapnel flew out and cut his finger. A reminder to me and all of us why we need to always wear eye protection (and maybe Kevlar gloves?).
One of your mentioned the Ciener being full auto capable. What other conversion are out there that will function on a select fire M16 lower? I am more interested in a dedicated upper for this application.
Irish
One of your mentioned the Ciener being full auto capable. What other conversion are out there that will function on a select fire M16 lower? I am more interested in a dedicated upper for this application.
Irish
Check to see if spikes is auto rated. Mine has run like a champ to a couple years. All I do to clean it is dunk it in diesel fuel in the fall and blow it off with an air gun. Like my old lever 30-30.
Nordic components makes many of the parts for the DPMS uppers and they use the Nordic bolt design:
DPMS AR-15 A3 Flat-Top Conversion Upper Assembly 22 Long Rifle 1 16
My Nordic eats everything, runs flawless for ~1.5k rounds before it needs cleaning and IIRC is full auto rated, but may require a spring change. Purchase Black dog mags with steel feed lips and you can rock-n-roll for a long time.
DPMS AR-15 A3 Flat-Top Conversion Upper Assembly 22 Long Rifle 1 16
My Nordic eats everything, runs flawless for ~1.5k rounds before it needs cleaning and IIRC is full auto rated, but may require a spring change. Purchase Black dog mags with steel feed lips and you can rock-n-roll for a long time.
Don't forget about the military conversion units. Accuracy Speaks in Az, does great dedicated conversions kits. I have one on a Air Force Kit, and it works great, using a custom Douglas bbl. Got to clean it every couple hundred rds, though.
Also have a dedicated on a Army 261 kit. Both are very accurate w/ select ammo, just as all RF's are. Hi Power practice at 50yds in both slow fire and rapid fire, on reduced targets.
Also have a dedicated on a Army 261 kit. Both are very accurate w/ select ammo, just as all RF's are. Hi Power practice at 50yds in both slow fire and rapid fire, on reduced targets.
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I've got a dedicated upper built with one of the government systems (not sure exactly what it's called) by Compass Lake. It works flawlessly and shoots well. It is also filthy. The inside of the upper and lower get coated in gritty crud pretty quickly.
Best bang for the buck? 10/22 IMHO, gives you the chance to buy another rifle. .22lr like a 1/16 barrel. Conversion kits go bang but not match grade accuracy.
For AR's I have and run:
1) M261 USGI conversion kits. Cheap and the magazines are cheap. I have six kits. Drop them in for the kids. Pull them out to fire 5.56.
2) Drop on uppers. Cost more then a 10/22. Some are better then others. The bad, cost and having a loose upper leads to another lower
3) AR copy in 22. Cost more then two 10/22's. Can't pull the upper to use a centerfire upper. Many are junk pot metal and search the web for failures. (I sold my POS).
Good luck!
For AR's I have and run:
1) M261 USGI conversion kits. Cheap and the magazines are cheap. I have six kits. Drop them in for the kids. Pull them out to fire 5.56.
2) Drop on uppers. Cost more then a 10/22. Some are better then others. The bad, cost and having a loose upper leads to another lower
3) AR copy in 22. Cost more then two 10/22's. Can't pull the upper to use a centerfire upper. Many are junk pot metal and search the web for failures. (I sold my POS).
Good luck!
