.22lr AR conversion, or 10/22?

[CHALK22]

So I am sortof tossed up on this one. I can't decide if I want a high-end .22lr conversion for my AR, which I love to shoot normally in .223, but I might love even more in .22, OR just go out and start building the 10/22 of my dreams or something like that. I understand that the AR platform wasn't designed to operate with such a small powder charge, so I am sortof looking for anyone with some experience on this one. I mean, I would like nothing more than to add anotther rifle to the safe, but I am just exploring options.

Discuss.

Oh, and Merry Christmas, I hope santa all brought lots of fun stuff!

 

[hirundo82]

I love my TacSol AR-22 upper. I also have a Marlin 795 with
Tech Sight, which give the same sight configuration as A2 iron sights, but it doesn't feel the same as a real AR-15.

 

[CHALK22]

I guess I should be more specific, I was referring to a "drop-in" .22 conversion for the AR.

 

[GCBurner]

I've tried the Ceiner .22 conversion unit on two different ARs in .223. It gives pretty decent groups at 50 yards in my Colt HBAR with the 1:9" twist barrel, and prints hand-sized groups at 50 yards with a 16" Olympic upper. I use it pretty regularly for plinking with the Colt; it has a BDC scope on the handle, and the 200 yard setting for the .223 is right on at 50 yards with .22LR.

 

[rcmodel]

This is Rugers SR-22, which is a 10/22 in AR-15 clothing.
http://www.impactguns.com/store/ruger_SR22_rifles.html

This is the Nordic stock conversion kit which Ruger is using if you already have a 10/22.
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=715382

rc

 

[Patriotme]

I have the stainless CNMG conversion kit. It works pretty well in my AR's and it's intended as a training aid and it lets me shoot my AR's at an indoor range when my local outdoor range is closed. I'm 100% satisfied with the CNMG conversion kit.
It is however not as good as a dedicated .22lr such as the Ruger 10/22. I've got two of the 10/22's and they are great guns and the accuracy is MUCH better than an AR with the conversion kit. The rifling in the 10/22's is intended for .22lr while the AR is not.
I've heard that you should shoot some .223/5.56 through your AR after using the conversion kit in order to clean out the gas tube. I do it. I don't know whether or not it's truly necessary but it can't hurt. I have seen a pic of a badly leaded up gas tube on www.ar15.com or www.m4carbine.net a while back but it may be one of those one in a million things. I've also read that you shouldn't shoot non copper jacketed bullets in the AR's when using the conversion kits.
I like the conversion kit but if I seriously wanted to shoot .22lr for accuracy instead of just playing with my M&P15 at the indoor range I would bring my 10/22's. I like the idea of knowing that even if we have another ammo drought or prices go crazy I still have ammo for my AR's and I can still train with them. The groups are really lousy though once you get past about 50 yds and a dedicated .22lr rifle is a better choice if you are serious about target shooting that day.
BTW, CNMG has (or will soon have) a conversion kit that has a bolt hold open device. The model that I have does not have this but it has never been that big of a deal. The training would be more realistic however if the functioning was closer to that of an AR using 5.56mm instead of .22lr.
I got my conversion kit from CDNN. They had the best price, cheapest shipping and they always get your gear to you quickly. I've used them several times and have never been disappointed.
I will say that these conversion kits seem to be inconsistent with some rifles. I've seen YouTube vids in which shooters cannot get their M4(gerys) to run with them. I saw a Colt shooter at the range have failure to fires constantly with his kit. We tried it in my Bushmaster and M&P15 with similiar bad luck. Mine has been good to go however.
Anyway...this is my take on the topic. I've got both of the weapons you've discussed and like both setups. I guess it depends on what kind of shooting you want to do and if you're willing to risk getting a bad kit (or having a rifle that won't work with a good kit). I'm far from being an expert and I hope a few other shooters will weigh in on the topic.

 

[sappyg]

i've been exploring the conversion option/ 10-22 option lately myself. build a 10-22 and you're in it for $350 or so build a 10-22 and you're in it for $350 plus or minus. a dedicated upper will run that as well.
i'm not completely convenced that a conversion unit is the way to go even though they are relatively cheap in comparison. twist rate is much quicker and i keep getting visions of trash build up in the AR gas tube. the CMMG unit looks great but the review i read just yesterday of it on m4carbine.com just pushed me away from a conversion unit. in fact, the guy that started the review gave up and went with a 10-22 after two units failed. it was a two year old thread though. google CMMG and you'll find the review.

 

[CHALK22]

Thanks guys! I have a buddy that just texted me a pic of his brand spanking new christmas SR-22, and now that I see where the parts come from, I am thinking I need to find a pawnshop 10/22 or something of the like and pick up that conversion kit from Midway.

As I stated before I know there are many "pros" to just doing a real 10/22, and I think I just might go that route anyway.

 

[GCBurner]

If you already have an AR-15, the CMMG .22 conversion costs the same as the AR lookalike kit for the 10/22.
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=526737#productTabReviews

 

[Patriotme]

AR-15 .22lr Stainless Conversion Kit w/1-25rd Mag New CNMG

http://www.cdnninvestments.com/ar22stcokitw.html

$149.99
Shipping is generally $6 on all orders.

This is what I've got and I'm 100% satisfied with it for my purposes (general plinking).

 

[wnycollector]

I have both a 10/22 and a CMMG dedicated .22lr upper. I love the upper since I can pop it into either of my two lower's and get the exact same trigger feel as my .223 at $0.03/round. I will say that, my stock 10/22 will out shoot my dedicated upper most days.

 

[stiletto raggio]

In my experience, a 10/22 will cost you about $1500. If you think I am crazy, ask someone who has caught the bug.

I would get the 10/22 first and, later on, an AR upper.

 

[Avenger29]

I faced your exact dilemma earlier this year. I've got a Ruger 10/22 that's not getting shot. I've got an AR-15 that I really like, but it's too expensive to shoot a lot, plus a .22 with similar controls and handling would have been very beneficial. I thought about getting a conversion kit like the CMMG. The dedicated uppers from Nordic Components also really attracted my attention. And then I found out about the S&W M&P 15-22.

I figured that putting AR furniture on the 10/22 would be rather expensive. $165 for the kit from Nordic Components, plus the money for a free float tube (likely would have gone with a YHM forend), plus a buttstock assembly (what, around $40?), plus a grip ($15 or so), and plus a barrel upgrade ($100 for a Green Mountain). Plus an optic of some type.

You can see that adding that up comes up to a hefty penny, and then you still don't have the charging handle of the AR nor the mag release or bolt catch, and the 10/22 trigger is the same. And that's for a 10/22 that I already own, not buying a 10/22!

I ended up deciding to leave the 10/22 in it's current configuration and buying a S&W M&P 15-22. It has the exact same controls as a standard AR except the forward assist and dust cover are deleted. You have the working bolt stop, working selector, and working mag release. Irons are included on the rifle. Many AR aftermarket FCGs work in them. I can throw a cheap Konus red dot assembly on top and have a decent trainer, or I caThey come in threaded bbl versions from the factory, so I don't have to have my bbl threaded or track down a threaded bbl when I get my suppressor.

 

[wally]

Really depends on what you are after. For inexpensive trigger time on your actual AR a conversion kit or dedicated upper would be the way to go.

OTOH a dedicated upper will cost more than a decent 10/22 setup. So if you just want a .22 plinker, the 10/22 is pretty hard to beat. Throw in a Blackdog drum with either and you've 50 shots of fun between reloads.

If you just want an evil black .22, my wife loves the SIG522 and it takes the same mags as the AR conversions/uppers. Got ours for $300+tax at a gun show a few months back.

 

[Shawn Dodson]

I have a 10/22 that I fitted with an ugly @ss Choate pistol grip stock and XS Sight Systems Ghost Ring sight set. I use it as an "understudy gun" to my M4s. I usually install the 0.191" ghost ring, which is identical to the large aperture on my M4s. I keep the rear sight zeroed at 50 yards, but if I want to shoot point of aim at 100 yards all I have to do is unscrew the ghost ring 1 1/2 turns and it's dead on. The front sight blade is similar to the XS Sight Systems 24/7 tritium stripe front sight I have installed on my M4s.

I can swap out the ghost ring with larger and smaller apertures, and I can also use Williams Gun Sights peep apertures with a threaded ghost ring I purchased separately from XS Sights Systems.

I took a hacksaw and cut down a Power Custom Weaver mount to fit my 10/22 (using the foward mounting holes in the receiver) with the XS ghost ring sight installed. This I use to mount a cheap BSA red dot optic when I want to work on my red dot skills.

I've had this 10/22 set up this way for 10 years and it has served me well. It's a fun little carbine to shoot.

Good luck with your choice.

 

[kimbershot]

i've owned a colt, dpms and ceiner drop in conversions. all functioned very well. accuracy was acceptable for plinking but not moa. i now have a spikes tactical dedicated unit. accuracy is excellent and it functions flawlessly with federal bulk pack. i use it for reactive targets mostly. i know my groups would be much better with an improved trigger.

 

[CHALK22]

I am not really looking for sub MOA stuff out of it, I mostly would like a somewhat cheaper alternative for gopher hunting when I run out of .17 HMR ammo, and .223 handloads. I LOVE my HMR,(if you don't already own one, go buy one!) but sometimes it gets a bit spendy for a good day of gophering.....I am planning on a trip this year to a gopher mecca ( I have heard 4200 gophers in 3 days....) so I am trying to add another cheaper alternative to bring with me....

Thanks for all the tips so far....

 

[A_Matthew]

I've shot a Colt AR with a drop-in conversion kit once. It was having problems where he would pull the trigger and it would slam-fire 2-3rds. He oiled it, and it fixed the problem. (Just a tip, in case yours starts doing the same thing....)
We didn't test it for accuracy, but at 90yds, you could hit a 3in spinner target almost every single time, pulling the trigger as fast as possible to boot! That's good enough for me.
The best part IMHO, is you can shoot your gun and get used to handling it without busting the bank. If your AR is going to be your go-to gun, but your used to your 10/22 because it's cheaper to shoot, when the time comes to use your AR, your not going to be able to do anything with it 'cause you were out having fun with you .22. (Please don't misunderstand me. I'm not putting the .22 down, just saying that you should practice the most with the gun you're planning on staking your life on.)
So my vote goes to the conversion kit.
Matthew

 

[mongo4567]

I have both and really like them each for what they are. I have an A1 M16 upper on my AR with 1:12 twist using the Spike's conversion; it shoots really great. I've shot a Bushmaster HB carbine using a Ceiner conversion and it was accurate enough for plinking. I like the Spike's conversion because of the nickel plating of the conversion; it cleans easier.

The base 10/22's usually have a horrible trigger; like 10 lbs and gritty. I upgraded the trigger on mine by getting a quality replacement hammer and sear and swapping them out. It really shoots now.

I really have the most fun with my Marlin 880 SQ though, I would vote that way for a groundhog gun.

 

[hardluk1]

Chalk22 Get the used 10/22 and go to rimefire central. The stock ruger is not a real great shooter and with a little bit of extra cash over time you can have the stock barrel recrowned and rechambered and that can cut group size's in half. That can be from several guys on the site and NEMO is one or send the barrel to Clark Customs to do the job. Price is around 80 or 85 bucks. Also Clark use to do trigger work on your assemble with barrel work for 65bucks and you will have a great 2.5lb trigger, NEMO does that too or buy some tuneup parts from midway usa for that or less and have one real fun gun that look stock and shoots with some 22 bolt guns that cost way more. I have 360 total invested in one ruger that shoots tighter than anything i ever had . Bought a barrel, stock and trigger parts on sale over time. Fun guns easy to work on and help and info is all over the net

 

[pat19.5]

10/22 question?

I was at the range and a guy was shooting a 10/22 with a bull barrel and noticed after every shot he pulled the bolt back by hand to reload.what was done to modify this?