Build .22 AR upper, or buy premade

[fireflyfather]

Looking to get a .22 AR upper for my daughter in the near future.

I'd like for it to be more or less the same style as the current .223 upper I am running (flattop 16" low profile railed gas block).

Does anyone make a .22 upper in that configuration? (Needs to have easily available 10 round magazines, thanks to my state laws).

Would it be comparable price-wise to put together an upper from components? Would it need a 1-12 barrel twist, or would a 1-8 do the job just as well?

 

[ugaarguy]

.223 Rem / 5.56 NATO have a .224" bore, while .22 LR has a .221" bore. Most dedicated .22 LR AR uppers and bbls (as in those that are actually marked .22 LR) have a 1:16 twist, and the correct .221" bore. If you're going to build a dedicated .22 LR upper why use a .223 Rem / 5.56 NATO bbl? Dedicated uppers with proper .22 LR bbls also have .22 LR chambers, and don't use a chamber adapter.

 

[sansone]

you could just get a .22LR adapter for the .223 upper.
CMMG makes a nice one for under $200 with 25rd magazine

 

[gotigers]

I had a lot of issues with my CMMG conversion and my experience with CMMG customer service was awful. Accuracy with the 22 conv was terrible. The dedicated uppers are expensive, but the weight is similar to a mil spec AR and they are more accurate.

I went with a S&W M&P15-22. Mainly because it is lighter so my daughter could handle it easier. It is very accurate, functions like a mil spec AR and is easy to clean. I've had zero malfunctions in thousands of rounds. It is an entire rifle for the price of a CMMG upper.

 

[Fishbed77]

I highly recommend the CMMG WASP .22LR dedicated upper over the conversion kit or even the S&W M&P15-22. Despite what gotigers said, the .22LR upper is $360 compared to the $450-$500 that M&P15-22s run. Yes, by the time it was mated to a PSA lower receiver build and added Magpul furniture, I had about $120 more into it over a M&P15-22, but it was $120 well spent. Worth every penny. Reliability and accuracy are outstanding.

Here is a link to a little mini-review I did:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=668410&highlight=cmmg+wasp

This has quickly become the most fun firearm in my collection.