AR-15 .22LR conversion

[RK1717]

Hello,

I just bought my first AR-15. The S&W M&P 15. I like it. I don't need anything special like colt. Anywhooo. I wanted to get the bolt conversion since .22LR is a lot cheaper to shoot.

I bought the AR from Bobs archery and gun. Great place, will be back. Bob mentioned CMMG. I went to their site and their were 4 kits available. What one should I get or would I need? http://www.cmmginc.com/category_s/1851.htm


"I've read" (don't know ifs its true) S&W uses a non standard upper so I couldn't have a dedicated upper for the .22LR, so at the moment I want to go with the bolt kit, just for plinking.

Thank you,

RK

 

[mac1911]

I know nothing about S&W being anything special but I can tell you a dedicated 22lr upper is better than the conversions. I have a tactical solutions it runs great until about 1500+ rounds then I need to clean it. Takes black dog Mag's and is very accurate
Cmmg seems to have a good following.

 

[dnepro-mike]

i had shot 500-600 rounds through my cmmg .22lr conversion without much of adverse effects.
exception being is leading that ges stuck inside the gas tube and then soils bolt surface and sort of not an easy wipe-off. but for a cheap and quick .22lr it's not bad and just a minor inconenience.
by all means buy a dedicated upper if you have the dough

 

[*chris*]

I have the Spikes AR .22 conversion kit which is no longer made, but I think it is very similar to the CMMG one. Mine is nickel-boron coated and has to be run DEAD DRY, if you don't install it super clean, it will not cycle. It runs flawlessly with CCI mini-mag ammo and is fun to shoot. Black Dog machine now makes a magazine with stainless steel lips, I highly recommend buying those.

Remember this is for fun, a typical .223 rifle is 1x9" twist whereas a .22 target rifle is 1x16" twist or more for more spin with the lower velocity of .22 LR ammo. Interestingly enough, this week I ran 50 .22 LR at the 75 foot range and then ran 20 .223 cartridges and the POI wasn't too far off.

I think a S&W mp 15-22 is a cheaper alternative to a dedicated .22 upper.

Chris

 

[jar]

I have a Nordic dedicated upper and it runs great. When you factor in changing the stock and trigger on an M&P15-22 to match your centerfire gun vs using the same lower, the price comes out pretty close.

 

[Gammon]

Dedicated uppers can pay for themselves. I don't shoot much 223 anymore. Inside 100 yds the 22 upper shoots to about the same point of impact; why waste $. If you shoot 20,000 rounds of 22 rimfire vs 20,000 rounds of 223 (@ $.30/round) you can save $5000, including the cost of the 22 upper. You will also be saving yourself the cost of a barrel.

I am using a CMMG barrel and bolt that I added to some spare parts that I had on hand to build my upper. This unit is extremely reliable; mine went about 600 rounds before the chamber got so fouled that I began to get light hits/FTFs. This gave me a chance to check this uppers extraction. Many 22 uppers that I have used will not extract reliably manually. This problem is at its worst with a dud. For some reason a lot of 22 uppers will not extract a round that has been hit but does not fire. The CMMG unit extracted about half a dozen FTFs with no problems. I couldn'y be happier with this upper.

 

[RK1717]

Well. I know a dedicated upper us the better way to go but the price. He is right. I can get a 15-22 for less than a dedicated upper. But which bolt do you guys think? The cheapest one or the 2nd lowest. Do I need a charging handle? Or can I get away with the one I have.

If you guys are unsure. It's ok. I'll find a dealer.

Thanks for your info.

 

[highlander]

If your looking for a 22 conversion kit someone in the classifieds has one for sale and it'a CMMG I believe.
I had a 22 conversion that fit all but one of my ARs and that one had a tight chamber. Right now I have 2 dedicated uppers one is from Model 1 and and the other I purchased from Remsport,both run with either Black Dog or Ciener magazines and have been very reliable.

 

[FPrice]

I have used both, .22 conversion kits and dedicated .22lr uppers and have come to the conclusion that I prefer the latter. Individual preference since both work but I would rather grab a rifle that is ready to go than to take the few seconds it requires to change the bolts. And then remember to change back when I want to go back to 5.56 ammo.

 

[Navy Moose]

I have the CMMG converter for my AR and have had zero problems with it. Loading the magazines is a PITA, I read somewhere they have a device which makes loading the magazine easier. Haven't looked into yet.

 

[jasons]

Hello,

I just bought my first AR-15. The S&W M&P 15. I like it. I don't need anything special like colt. Anywhooo. I wanted to get the bolt conversion since .22LR is a lot cheaper to shoot.

I bought the AR from Bobs archery and gun. Great place, will be back. Bob mentioned CMMG. I went to their site and their were 4 kits available. What one should I get or would I need? http://www.cmmginc.com/category_s/1851.htm


"I've read" (don't know ifs its true) S&W uses a non standard upper so I couldn't have a dedicated upper for the .22LR, so at the moment I want to go with the bolt kit, just for plinking.

Thank you,

RK

Any of those kits will work. The difference is some come with the forward assist adapter, some come with the bold hold-open thing, etc. The plain-jane one will work just fine, the bolt just won't lock back on an empty mag. (Big deal.)

Every M&P-15 I've ever seen (including the one I own) uses a standard lower. A dedicated .22 up should pop right on if that's the route you want to go. Personally I prefer dedicated uppers to the conversion bolts for similar reasons to those already stated.

 

[OnTheRoad]

Nothing but good things to say about my CMMG dedicated upper. The chipmunks and squirrels out back would probably disagree with me though.