AR .22 conversion

[Arcli9ht]

I've pretty much decided my next rifle is going to be the shorty Bushmaster a3 (the m4gery). My question is in a 14.5" barrel, how well would the .22lr conversion work for small game hunting? Whats the max effective range for little critters like squirrels?

I know the .22 lr bullet is actually .221 or something in diameter, and the .223 barrel is .224 in diameter, or something. So in a short barrel, how bad is the slop?

And lastly, how difficult would it be to clean during an extended camping trip after using .22lr. Can I just fire a .223 cartridge through it and then clean it out normally? Will i need to pack a lot of pipe cleaners?


/Arcli9ht

 

[Denny Hansen]

1) If you can get close enough to hit a squirrel or rabbit, the .22 should work fine.

2) In my experience accuracy begins to suffer at around 50 yards.

3) Clean normally. I prefer to clean the bore first and eliminate any potential pressure problems rather than try and "shoot out" any lead build up.

4) Why are you going through the headaches of getting a Class III weapon for a plinker/camping gun?

Denny

 

[Arcli9ht]

Its the post ban model, new production. Not a class 3.

http://www.bushmaster.com/shopping/weapons/pcwa2x14m4my.asp

/Arcli9ht

 

[Denny Hansen]

Hate to disagree, but unless the NFA has been overturned anything less than a 16-inch barrel on a rifle puts it into at least the AOW category.

If I'm missing something here, someone please let me know.

Denny

 

[Arcli9ht]

Yeah, it has a 1.5" compensator permenantly attached to the muzzle... 16" over all, nice and legal. The rifled part of the barrel ends after 14.5".

It only weighs like 5-6 pounds overall and it's pretty short, so I figure it would make a good hiking gun. Especially if I can also use .22lr for snagging dinner and the .223 for defense.

/Arcli9ht

 

[geekWithA.45]

Some things to consider with .22 lr converters on the AR (I've got one)

--22 lr leaves your upper and lower reciever absolutely FILTHY with grit.
-- The manufacturer warns you to clean chamber and bore after shooting .22, and before returning to .223, upon pain of kaBoom, death and dismemberment. I've heard the warning from enough people to take it seriously, so if you're out in the woods, it would seem unwise to slap the battle bolt back in without a good cleaning.
--You CAN go from .223 to .22lr without cleaning, I've done that plenty of times.

Out to 25 yards, the two rounds are close enough in their point of impact that I don't bother adjusting my sights...farther than that will be a trial and error proposition.

 

[Denny Hansen]

OK.

 

[4v50 Gary]

Be prepared to accept leading in your bore when you shoot 22 LR through it. The book, The Black Rifle talks about the lack of accuracy because of the bore differences you mentioned earlier.

I resolved it by getting a dedicated 22 upper by K____. Sorry, but I can't pronounce or spell the name b/c it's Germanic. The nifty thing about it is that the bbl is set back into the receiver. Consequently, it outwardly appears to be only 14.5" long (mine is the HB 16" that isn't produced anymore). Because it's a dedicated 22 LR, it can have the evil features of a flash suppressor and bayonet lug too.

So far I've put 500 rounds through mine (conversion kit is a modified Ciener). Had some misfires, but that's attributable to the old 22 Winchester Wildcat (over 10 plus years). All rounds that didn't fire the first time were restruck successfully. Haven't tested for accuracy yet and have to try it with Federal cheapstuff next. BTW, the upper hasn't been cleaned yet.