A few AR questions

[calsdad]

Forgive me if these questions have already been asked - I am still learning about AR's and this will be my first rifle.

disclaimer:
First let me state that some of what is driving this the recent election results and events down in New Bedford - both of which may have an impact on my ability to even own an AR style rifle in the future.

1) Since my my cash flow is somewhat constrained at the moment and since eventually I can envision owning 2-3 AR type rifles (at some point) - and given the disclaimer stated above - what I am thinking is that I should buy 2-3 lowers from a reputable mfr., like Rock River (ar15sales.com) - so one of my questions is: in an AR type rifle is the "lower" the part that gets registered in MA? In other words if I buy 1 lower - or a few lowers, can I later buy uppers to my hearts content and not have to worry about paperwork?

2) Does anybody know where to get a quality .22LR upper for an AR? I know DPMS makes one - and I have found them listed on the Brownells website, DPMS also makes a complete rifle in .22LR - according to my local dealer however they are backordered months out.

I would like to get an AR in .22LR so I can shoot cheaply indoors - and also use it as a way to introduce the uninitiated into shooting - with an "evil black rifle".

3) Is it good practice to mix and match AR uppers and lowers from different manufacturers? I have read that the Colt uppers dont swap easily without a little modification.


If it wasn't for the political situation I would not be thinking of buying a few lowers right now - I would just wait until I felt I was at the point where I wanted the gun(s). Since we may reach a point where no (reasonable) amount of money will get me an AR I figure I should think ahead a little and maybe buy the lowers now as the cheapest way to cover my butt.

 

[hminsky]

Get the Ciener .22 conversion kit, it's just a swap out of the bolt and it has its own .22 magazine. It only costs about $120, compared to five times that for a dedicated upper, and you can swap back the .223 bolt in 30 seconds. Mine works extremely well, no feed problems, super accurate.

 

[calsdad]

I had seen the Ciener .22LR conversion kit, but had discounted it because I read a few bad things about it on the web here and there. If it works good that is a cheaper route than a dedicated upper.

 

[adweisbe]

Get a Stag Arms lower, it is cheaper and they are all made in the same place anyhow. No fancy paperwork as long as you don't want to build an AR pistol. Mixing and matching is fine, even Colt uppers can be made to work.

 

[PatMcD]

1. I don't know what gets registered in Mass., but the lower is the part the ATF considers the "firearm". I can't imagine Mass. would make you register or get a permit for multiple uppers, but then again, I don't live there.

2. DPMS used to make a .22 upper. I have one and it works very well. I have heard here that they don't offer one anymore. Bushmaster makes one. Haven't heard any reviews of it. A few high-end AR builders make one (Compass Lake, Accuracy Speaks). They are the best, but the best costs $$$.

3. The Colt pin size is usually different from all other manufacturers, so they need a special offset pin to work. No big deal: $10 part. All others will generally interchange with each other.

 

[TOM-P]

I picked up a lower from Pete at ar15sales on tuesday. I called him up and he had no more RR lowers but he does have some stag for 109- so I took a ride up and grabbed it. Pete was a great guy to deal with highly reccomend. I have since ordered a kit from Del-ton.com so this is my first AR project...we'll see what happens...

 

[SKS Ray]

I was told most lowers are the same but went with a complete Rock River one for $299 this past gun show simply because I want to build on quality and I heard too many good things about RR to not get one. When I spoke to someone at RR about getting an upper they mentioned that they control the life of their machine tools and will replace them if they think they're getting worn no matter if they've only built 20 parts, or 200 simply because they have a reputation to uphold and their customers expect the best quality.
You can buy stripped receivers if you want to go the ultra cheap route and add whatever parts you need later when you build. Either way the lower has to be bought through an 01FFL, or through a transfer form if buying from a private seller. I got mine at the Springfield gun show from a dealer.
One note, Rock River parts can take a long time to get. Sometimes up to 8 weeks.

 

[outofbattery]

I had seen the Ciener .22LR conversion kit, but had discounted it because I read a few bad things about it on the web here and there. If it works good that is a cheaper route than a dedicated upper.

Mine works well,I swap it between my AR's as moods fit.It likes to run pretty wet but is generally very reliable.Not a target rifle,but lots of cheap fun.

 

[calsdad]

I did find a few places on the web that offer .22LR dedicated uppers:

http://www.kuehlprecisionfirearms.com/ - is one.

I also found the DPMS .22LR uppers in the Brownells online catalog:

http://www.brownells.com/aspx/ns/store/ProductDetail.aspx?p=17447&title=AR-15+.22+LR+UPPER+RECEIVERS

Since the AR uppers are not the legally registered firearm - do places like Brownells ship into MA? I know a lot of places out of state have issues with shipping ammo into MA - or would the uppers have to also go thru an FFL?

 

[FalArAk]

Uppers don't go through FFL's,just the lowers(the part with a serial number) Brownells should ship uppers to MA,but there are a whole crapload of places that will ship lowers,cheaper than Brownells.

 

[Rob Boudrie]

2) Does anybody know where to get a quality .22LR upper for an AR? I know DPMS makes one - and I have found them listed on the Brownells website, DPMS also makes a complete rifle in .22LR - according to my local dealer however they are backordered months out.

Not cheap, but if you want a .22 upper that is in an entirely different league from the $120 conversions, check out http://www.jprifles.com/1.2.10.php

 

[calsdad]

Not cheap, but if you want a .22 upper that is in an entirely different league from the $120 conversions, check out http://www.jprifles.com/1.2.10.php

I found jprifles online when I was searching yesterday - I think their high end stuff is a little more than I need at the moment, but they do carry a DPMS .22LR upper also that looks to be a decent price - at least compared to some others I found online.

I am weighing a bunch of options, what I may do is get a cheaper AR - something like the DPMS Panther AP4 that Four Seasons and the ShootersBox carry, and then get a DPMS .22LR upper for that. Then get 1 or 2 lowers from AR15Sales for any future builds I might want. That should cover me for some time.

 

[icyclefar]

Get the Ciener .22 conversion kit, it's just a swap out of the bolt and it has its own .22 magazine. It only costs about $120, compared to five times that for a dedicated upper, and you can swap back the .223 bolt in 30 seconds. Mine works extremely well, no feed problems, super accurate.

+1 Mine runs flawless !