22 conversion vs dedicated 22 upper

fortibus85 · #1 11-20-11, 23:00

Hello. I am an occasional handgun shooter (roughly 20 range trips in the last 2 decades) who has recently become more tuned in about the value of my 2nd amendment rights. I purchased a basic home defense shotgun about 6 months ago, and recently a S&W M&P 15. (We have many fewer choices of AR-15 model weapons here in California).

I am joining our local rod and gun club, and plan to learn to shoot my new rifle, along with my 14 and 16 year old sons. I can't afford for us to learn all the rifle basics shooting .556, so I plan to use a lot of .22 ammo (and for fun we will finish off each trip with one magazine of .556).

Our club has 25, 50 and 100 meter rifle ranges.

My question is about the pro's and con's of buying a drop in .22 conversion kit for about $200 versus buying a dedicated .22 upper for about $400. I'd rather spend $200 and put the leftover money towards better optics and magazines, but I don't know what I am giving up (if anything) in bypassing the dedicated upper.

Thanks!

North · #2 11-21-11, 02:08

http://www.thehighroad.org/archive/i.../t-571793.html

crossgun · #3 11-21-11, 06:09

After owning all of the options I will make this easy on you. Buy a S&W M&P 15-22. BEST of all the options and works.

zxd9 · #4 11-21-11, 12:58

+1 on the S&W 15-22. It's the closest thing to an AR-15 in terms of form and function.

Silent · #5 11-21-11, 22:21

I agree with the SW 15-22, I have one and it has quickly become one of my favorite guns to shoot. Even when using the not recommended ammo it still eats them up. I have also run it in several courses with no issues and saving $$$$

fortibus85 · #6 11-23-11, 21:20

Thanks fellas

usmcvet · #7 11-27-11, 21:01

I bought a 15-22 for our officers to use for cheap training. It works well. The weight and feel is quite different. I'm looking forward to buying a CMMG .22 upper to use on an SBR. The weight/feel should be closer. The recoil will obviously not be.

sgtrock82 · #8 11-28-11, 21:02

I would definitely recommend a dedicated, purpose built 22LR. While youre average AR has a twist rate of 1/7-1/9 a .22LR is something like 1/16. I havent owned a conversion, but have had a custom dedicated upper for years. Id always heard the conversions were minute of beer can at best.

jaxman7 · #9 11-29-11, 11:42

Definitely if this is being used to emulate the real thing go with the M&P 15/22. I wouldn't even consider the Colt or Mossberg version.

-Jax

usmcvet · #10 11-30-11, 10:38

I have an old A1 upper and I am thinking it would be a perfect host for a CMMG drop in conversion unit. What was the original twist rate 1/12?

eternal24k · #11 11-30-11, 12:00

I have been torn between the two for awhile.
I was going to get one of the cheapo 1:9 DSA uppers and a CMMG kit, but DSA is way back ordered.

I wish CMMG offered their upper with a shorter barrel and fixed front sight.

plaskon · #12 12-04-11, 10:50

+1 for CMMG, specifically their dedicated rimfire uppers.

usmcvet · #13 12-04-11, 11:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by eternal24k

I have been torn between the two for awhile.
I was going to get one of the cheapo 1:9 DSA uppers and a CMMG kit, but DSA is way back ordered.

I wish CMMG offered their upper with a shorter barrel and fixed front sight.

I noticed brownells had cmmg .22 bbls for less than $100. If you have an upper kicking around it might. E a good option. I have a 16" cmmg M4 upper on the way we could meet up and shoot it! I might have it cut. Out for now it is perfect for a spare LMT lower I have.

usmcvet · #14 12-04-11, 11:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by eternal24k

I have been torn between the two for awhile.
I was going to get one of the cheapo 1:9 DSA uppers and a CMMG kit, but DSA is way back ordered.

I wish CMMG offered their upper with a shorter barrel and fixed front sight.

I noticed brownells had cmmg .22 bbls for less than $100. If you have an upper kicking around it might be a good option. I have a 16" cmmg M4 upper on the way we could meet up and shoot it! I might have it cut. But for now it is perfect for a spare LMT lower I have.

Id like to find an A1 upper to use for a .22 build. Nodak had some but they're gone.

incognito · #15 01-08-12, 05:08

I went through the same decision not long ago for a teaching tool for my 13 year old nephew. I went with the S&W 15-22, and I am glad I did. The 15-22 has run great.

One thing that I did not think about before, but is just as valuable as the actual shooting in my eyes, was him really taking ownership of the 15-22. He carries it, he cleans it, he is responsible for it from the time I take it out of the safe until it is safely returned at the end of the day.

orionz06 · #16 01-09-12, 08:23

As an owner of a TacSol upper I think the 15-22 is the better option. The TacSol upper runs like a top but has some tinker time associated with it, the 15-22 just works for everything that you would need it to do.

HeavyDuty · #17 01-09-12, 09:39

After decades of screwing around with M261 conversions I built a dedicated .22LR AR a few years back. Best thing I ever did.

Mine has been in two configurations now - first as a carbine and now as a midlength. I built it on a caliber marked lower with Ballistic Advantage barrels (both times) and a dedicated Spike's bolt. I later added a CMMG last round bolt hold open device.

Each configuration was intended to more or less duplicate my main 5.56 AR at the time, when I moved from a carbine to a midlength the rimfire was rebuilt. The biggest difference is that the .22 has an Aimpoint clone, I couldn't see spending the money for another ML-3 for the .22, the mount hurt enough.

I'd do it all over again. I don't have the budget to shoot as much 5.56 as I used to, so it provides me with a lot of trigger time for cheap. I highly recommend dedicated rimfire ARs as a training tool.

Wake27 · #18 01-09-12, 12:46

I'd heard a lot about reliability issues with any conversions so I got the 15-22 as well. Awesome weapon. And it is lighter, but that's not necessarily bad. Especially if you're using it to teach kids or females... Other than that, the ergonomics are the same.

Suwannee Tim · #19 01-09-12, 21:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by usmcvet

I bought a 15-22 for our officers to use for cheap training. It works well. The weight and feel is quite different. I'm looking forward to buying a CMMG .22 upper to use on an SBR. The weight/feel should be closer. The recoil will obviously not be.

That's why I converted an LMT MRP to 22 LR. Not cheap but except for the bolt stop not working it handles just like an AR because it is an AR.

Wake27 · #20 01-09-12, 23:39

For me, the weight wasn't as much of a concern as all of the parts functioning. Otherwise I would have gone with the Colt/Umarex .22. But, to each his own.