Any value to a dedicated 22 LR SPR clone upper for training precision shooting?

I got a BCM SPR build in 556 & a Compass Lake .22 LR upper built like the BCM. I bought the CL 22 upper as a cheap way to practice on my SPR lower without spending a fortune on ammo, but I am questioning the merits of my decision. I mostly shoot at simulated distance targets at 25 yards designed to simulate targets at 50, 100, and 200 yds. But obviously the recoil and possibly the wind drift and drop are very different. Would I be better off selling the 22LR upper and just buying more 556 to practice with? Thanks.

I built my dedicated .22 AR trainer during the ammo panic of '09, and have never regretted it. It's great to train with on the fundamentals (transition, trigger discipline, breath control, and yes - marksmanship, if only on a limited basis), and there's no law that says you hafta use it ALL the time. My SPR RARELY gets used... but it was built for a purpose, and I'm not getting rid of it - unless I move to a submarine!

I'd say keep it, buy some good quality 22 ammo (if you haven't already), and start shooting targets further out.

A CL 22 upper should be plenty capable of shooting within a couple of inches at 100 yds, likely much better with ammo it likes. It's still good practice for shooting from improvised positions, kneeling, standing, etc., and is a great way to reinforce trigger control and follow through.

The fact that 22s are more affected by wind than something like a 5.56 is a feature, not a bug. It's one more element of shooting that the little gun will force you to begin paying attention to, somthing you're not likely to get shooting 77gr 5.56 until you move out past 200 yds.

I have a CLE 22lr upper and I say keep it. I use mine for smallbore in the winter months and for reduced course training out to 100 yards. CLE recommends Wolf Match Target witch is also SK Standard Plus. At 11 cents per round you can't beat that kind of economy vs .223 ammo prices.

I use a 223 Rem 700 as a trainer for my 308 and 300WM shooting. So a trainer is a good decision, if the .22 works for you go for it.

PB

For an AR semiauto trainer where the 'real' round is .223/5.56 (thus really not THAT much recoil vs .22lr, it's a whole different thing than training with .22lr for a large centerfire caliber)---personally I wouldn't second-guess your original decision, I'd keep what you have. Years ago I bought a White Oak precision upper, and they sent me to CLE to get a companion .22 upper for training. I ended up not doing that due to cost, and eventually I got into a S&W M&P-22 sport to train with, which is awesome for having a very similar AR-like operating system, but they are not terribly accurate and any garden variety 10-22 with a halfway decent trigger and aftermarket barrel---not to mention your precision CL upper---can outshoot the 15-22 with ease. If White Oak says CL is the place to get a great .22 upper for precision AR training, that's worth noting, so that's all to confirm that you have a great upper there and I'd keep it.

And btw, if you decide to sell--shoot me an IM. :-)

Now that my son is shooting AR matches, we both have MP15-22 rifles. 223 is cheap, but not as much as bulk 22lr. We got his first and it just runs. Mine has 200 rounds through it and is breaking in nicely. For the match we were shooting, red dots worked so we had them on both AR and 22. We switched to 1-8 and are looking at what the offset is on zeros.

For precision, getting the target size and distance right is one way to make it feel real, with a factor of about 25% (1/4 scale) about right for 762vs22lr out to 200 yards. That way you are having to work the scope and reticle. For what we are doing, it is mainly getting on target, getting shots, transitioning to the next target. To be perfectly frank, when the buzzer goes off I don't feel much difference between my 22lr and gamed up JP upper. I do think that I'll look at adding some mass to the MP15-22 to better approximate the mass of the swing of the AR.

But transitioning from targets, and hard core positional shooting where you need to rock a V-TAC wall that usually has larger MOA targets anyways- 22LR works. For 125 yards and out, ammo selection for the 22 is more critical. If you have the upper, run with it. I can see that putting $700-1000 into an upper might not seem economical.

Do companies make quality M&P15-22 barrels for people who want to better emulate a 5.56 SPR-type weapon?

Sorry for the threadjack. I recently picked up a 15-22, and this idea had not occured to me.

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Originally Posted by JediGuy

Do companies make quality M&P15-22 barrels for people who want to better emulate a 5.56 SPR-type weapon?

Sorry for the threadjack. I recently picked up a 15-22, and this idea had not occured to me.

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Yep there's a couple companies making aftermarket parts for the 15-22, in the case where you can't use standard AR parts. Volquartsen makes a barrel that I know about; haven't ever heard of other places that did. But never heard much about anyone doing this or how accurate they are. Usually anything Volquartsen is top shelf, and spendy.

https://volquartsen.com/departments/...gurations/1379

https://www.tacticool22.com/firearms...esson-mp15-22/

Generally speaking, I think that there is merit in .22lr as a training caliber for long range shooting, if only because .22lr will turn a 200 yard range into a really good learning ground for understanding longer-range ballistics without needing 400+yards to experience even remotely the same from 5.56. Paired with a decent-quality optic, shooting .22lr at distance isn't only enjoyable, but also allows you to learn how to dial windage and elevation, as well as holds and target transitions at speed without the footprint of a true long distance range. I think that it's a fantastic training aid when used in context.