Ar15 - Thought on 22lr conversion

[jmorris]

I have a dedicated upper the only two things I dislike is the cost (in the end it's still just a .22lr) and the fact that AR sights are quite high off of the bore. If you have been around "normal" .22's your entire life, it's quite different.

 

[gotigers]

to dirty and inaccurate

get an upper or a 15-22.

 

[highlander 5]

I had a conversion kit that would fit ny bull barreled varmint AR no matter how hard I tried to get it into the chamber,that's when I decided that a dedicated upper is/was the way to go.

 

[Snowdog]

I have a CMMG for my PSA and love it. Not a failure of any kind as of yet, though it has seen less than 500 rounds so far. I just don't shoot the AR much. Heck, I don't shoot anything much these days due to time constraints. That needs to change.

 

[OcelotZ3]

I have both a surplus military conversion unit and an Atchisson converter unit. Both run just fine in my Colt & S&W. A lot cheaper way to practice with the AR than using 223.

Mine were free (inherited from my dad).

 

[BullfrogKen]

I got a 15-22 and love it.

Very nice for inexpensive practice. I can shoot it on the indoor range at the club - I can't do that with a high power rifle caliber. And I've brought it out for newbies who totally go bonkers with how much fun it is.

 

[HKGuns]

What is so difficult to understand? Having a dedicated 22 upper that is the same as your go to rifle is the way to go for training since manual of arms is the same.

I guess that is where the difficulty lies. I've shot enough different rifles where the "manual of arms" thing doesn't factor into the equation. (for me)

An AR, like most auto-loading rifles, is a pretty simple beast. Pulling on the charging handle and pulling the trigger I've never found too complicated. Getting the shots on target is where the practice is of most benefit, regardless of the "manual of arms".

But then I tend to be exceptional.

Practicing with a 10-22, etc, does not teach you to work the controls on an AR, practice with the .22 unit does do so.

There are literally three controls, just as with most any other rifle, including bolt actions! Charging handle, lever, bolt, whatever you want to call it.....Safety and trigger. Where does it get more complicated than that? Perhaps if you've never shot a rifle before, but come on.....aren't we exaggerating the difficulty of operating an AR just a bit?

Either that or I take too many things for granted after doing this for over 40 years, which may be the case.

 

[Girodin]

An AR, like most auto-loading rifles, is a pretty simple beast. Pulling on the charging handle and pulling the trigger I've never found too complicated. Getting the shots on target is where the practice is of most benefit, regardless of the "manual of arms".

There is a quite a bit more to weapons manipulation for an AR than simply pulling the charging handle and trigger.

Moreover, it is about muscle memory, which is instilled by doing the same thing again and again, which in turn requires things to be in the same place.

My guess is that folks interested in an AR .22LR as a trainer probably are interested in using their guns in a different way than you are.

There is a world of difference between being able to operate the basics of a gun on a calm square range and really being able to run the gun to your full potential in dynamic situations, under stress.

 

[mac66]

My Spikes conversion (same as the CMMG) is fun to shoot in my ARs but not very reliable after shooting a couple mags through it. If I was to do it again, I would opt for a dedicated .22lr upper.

 

[jmorris]

There is a quite a bit more to weapons manipulation for an AR than simply pulling the charging handle

Good thing too, if you get used to training with your .22lr AR you'll never pull the charging handle back far enough to chamber a .223. Also many .22 kits don't have the last shot bolt hold open.

 

[Girodin]

I laugh every time I see somebody who is so worried about swapping mags and firing lots of rds that they just overlook the fact that if they need to swap mags in a real fighting rifle, they are just missing way too often

I laugh when people cannot see that development of certain skills sets are not per se mutual exclusive. These people do not seem to comprehend the false dichotomy they suggest.

I also must question why people who have seen actual combat with a rifle. Guys like Vickers or Haley to name a few, teach weapons manipulation? Hmmmm. If you have been to a Vickers class you know that accuracy is very important to him. However, you would also know (as you would if you had done much training at all) that accuracy is not the only useful, or even necessary, skill. You'd also know that developing other skills, say various weapons manipulation skills, does not mean one doesn't have or cannot also develop skill with respect to accuracy.

In sum, yes accuracy is very important, and no I do not believe that practice with a .22LR upper or conversion is alone sufficient. Much as dry fire practice along wouldn't be. Firing .22LR is not a 1:1 with using a 5.56 rifle. I do think it can be very useful for working on and developing certain skills. To me it a a tool like dry fire.

 

[BullfrogKen]

Hey, I just like my 15-22 because it's plain fun.

My friends like it, and we can have fun and shoot together without breaking the bank.
I can shoot it on our indoor range, which I can't with my .223 AR.
I've brought many non-gun people out to the club and let them shoot that scary rifle, watch them smile ear-to-ear after the first 50 rounds, and want more.

 

[bowyer19]

I have been happy with a Chiappa dedicated .22LR upper. The dedicated upper has the right rifling twist for .22long rifle, has worked as reliably as any other .22 semi auto, is as accurate and has the same trigger pull as my 5.56 and 6.8 SPC uppers. It also does not put dirty gunk in your gas tube.

I got mine on sale for $300 with 2 magazines.

 

[BullfrogKen]

Oh well. It was still a fine waste of my money.


The women and children I've brought to the club to shoot it, love it. It's so light, kicks so little, and makes so little noise they warm up to it right away. It's role as an "ambassador" for non-gun owners has been absolutely priceless to me.

 

[Girodin]

Are people really crying about the expense and "waste" of money of an upper that cost $450 or so? That is nothing. Particularly in the AR world. My Noveske upper retails for $1300 or so. The lower is $100, the SSA trigger in it is $210, the other lower parts cost $100+, the stock was $100. The T1 micro was $550+. A good mount for the T1 is over $100. A decent suppressor and mount will run you over $1k when its all said and done.

In sum, wasting a whopping $450 or so is basically nothing. And the $300 difference between it and a drop in unit is pocket change. It is literally about what I spend on food tomorrow for Valentine's Day dinner. In absolute terms its very little money, and in terms of AR stuff its is basically nothing as well.