AR 22 conversion. Is it worth it?

[Earl33]

Is it worth the money to buy a conversion bolt and mag. for my 5.56 upper? Or just buy an AR style .22? Pros and cons. What manufacture would you go with on both ends of the question?

[PolePosition]

I've got the Tactical Industries AR .22lr conversion BCG with BDM mags. So far, it has worked well. The reason I went with the conversion instead of buying a dedicated .22lr upper/rifle, is because there is greater utility in practicing with your actual rifle, with all of your accessories, etc. instead of practicing on another rifle that is nothing like your primary rifle. Unless of course, you were a baller and actually used all of the same rails, lights, optics, stocks, grips, etc. on your dedicated .22lr rifle as whatever your main rifles are. Plus if you were to use your rifle to train in a class, you could just swap out bolts when you feel like conserving full load ammo for part of the session, and then switching back.

 

http://www.targetmasterconversions.com/

Edited June 23, 2013 by PolePosition

[Smith]

What Pole said. I thought about a dedicated but then it kind of defeats the purpose of using your "real" AR with cheaper practice ammo. I've used the regular CMMG conversions in everything from a POF to a Del-Ton and never had any issues. Only problems I've ever had are with lead nosed ammo. The soft lead can get jammed every now and then. I've never had issue with jacketed ammo. 

[Raoul]

I have one of the CMMG stainless kits. It's been reliable and I do like being able to keep my upper and red-dot on the rifle.

It used to be a lot cheaper to shoot when you could actually buy ..22.

[ted]

This will give you an idea , I have one have not had any problems it's a stainless model . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSNT-5OnT0w

[Chadastrophic]

Eventually I'd like to have a dedicated AR22, but for the price of the cmmg conversion it'll do for now.

Once I build a dedicated 22 I can still use the same bolt if I build a cmmg upper.

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 2
Edited June 24, 2013 by Chadastrophic

[TnShooter83]

I have shot a CMMG kit in a Windham Arm (Bushmaster before they sold the name)

It has worked very well. The pros are it is cheaper than a dedicated upper or .22lr clone.

The cons are it shots DIRTY and you should at least run a few .223/5.56 after 500 rounds or so,

I was told the softer lead in the .22lr could potentially stop up the gas port and tube if you blow the lead out of the system.

Also you should use a coated .22lr not pure lead. Copper washed is what I use.

I HAVE used full lead not copper washed to see if it would function. I had no issues in 100 rounds.

After that I went back to copper washed or coated ammo. I have had no issues at all with my kit.

 

I have maybe 700 round in the kit. It's a CMMG in black. 

I clean after maybe 150 rounds to keep things running smooth.

[Oh Shoot]

I have CMMG dedicated upper w/1:16 18" barrel,  runs nicely with Black Dog mags, don't much care for the basic CMMG ones by comparison.

 

Unlike any of my other .22 rifles, though, seems you really do need to clean the bolt after a few hundred rounds to keep it 100% reliable, and it's a stainless one too.

 

It's the top one in this "kit" picture:

 

 

- OS

Edited June 24, 2013 by Oh Shoot

[Tempest455]

My CMMG conversion is in my Bushy about as accurate as my M&P 15/22.

[R1100R]

Dedicated,  I have owned three conversions , none of them were as accurate as my 15/22 . Two of them were CMMG. They worked fine . But past 25 meters is where the dedicated shines.

[Earl33]

Thanks for the information Gentlemen. How well does the conversion work in a piston upper? Or will it work?  I neglected to put that in the original post.. 

[Smith]

Thanks for the information Gentlemen. How well does the conversion work in a piston upper? Or will it work?  I neglected to put that in the original post.. 

Fine. It's best to turn the gas system off or remove the op rod. Other than that works just fine.

[LawVol]

I just had to bump this thread to say that I can't believe I didn't buy one of the these conversions sooner.  I picked up one the Tactical Industries Target Master conversions on sale for $145.  I ran about 250 rounds of M-22 through it today without a single hiccup.  I can finally practice for 3 gun!

 

Oh, an added bonus is that Tactical Industries is a Tennessee company.  I didn't even realize that until after I ordered.