Building a .22 AR, Trigger, Sights and Forend Advice Wanted

[wcoats]

I'm building a dedicated .22 AR(dedicated upper on a poly lower) and looking for advice on some parts for the rifle. It's a .22 build so I'm not looking to throw tons of money into it, just looking for something that will be fun and functional at the range.

First off trigger; it's not going to be a bench rest gun, but I don't particularly like how heavy the trigger pull is with a standard lower parts group. I would be very happy if I could get a 2.5 to 3lb trigger pull without spending to much money. Is there a way to lighten the trigger pull without getting an entire trigger? Are there spring kits that will lighten the pull? The RRA two stage trigger and the JP adjustable trigger are about $120. Anyone have experience and feedback on either of them?

Handguards/Rails: I don't necessarily need a full quad rail, but I'm not opposed to it. The upper I ordered is a Chiappa M4 Upper 22 LR. It has carbine length handguns, and I want to move the front sight forward to have a longer sight radius. Since it's a dedicated .22 upper it doesn't have a gas block to get in the way. Is there anything else I need to worry about for fitment issues for rails or handguards? I know if I get a a rifle length quad rail I can mount a front sight at the front of the rail. I however don't necessarily need the rails on the side and bottom of the hanguard. I kinda like the Troy Alpha Rail, the only think is that I'm a little surprised that it's not any cheaper than getting the full quad rail.
http://www.opticsplanet.com/troy-11in-alpha-rail-w-no-sight.html
I could also just go ahead and get the quad rail.
http://www.opticsplanet.com/troy-modular-rail-forend.html
I also found an Advance Technology free float forend that's a little cheaper than the Troy
http://www.opticsplanet.com/advanced-technology-ar-15-rifle-length-free-float-forend.html
Any advice or other ideas for a forend?

Sights: I would like to have the flip up sights, but not set on it. I see that Magpul has flip up polymer sight, but not sure if polymer sights will have tight enough tolerances to work well as sights. Anyone used them, and if so how accurate are the clicks for adjustment windage and elevation? Any other recommendations for sights without breaking the bank?

Thanks in advance for any info and advice

 

[tuj]

Hi!

I just went through this exercise myself.

1. Do not use a Geissele trigger. It won't work with the .22 uppers.

2. Yes, you can get a reduced-power spring kit for the trigger/hammer but you might suffer light strikes.

3. I would recommend the following 'reliability kit' with any .22 upper. http://www.taccom3g.com/22RF_RELIABILITY_KIT.html

 

[adelbridge]

If you are mounting an optic forward of the receiver on the quad rail it probably wont hold a zero on a delta ring hand guard. A free float setup might hold a better zero but it is still not 100% rigid.
I am not sure what kind of lb-age you need for a reliable .22 primer ignition but most of your dissatisfaction with the AR trigger is probably from excessive creep and take up. A good two stage eliminates the creep. I have run adjustable triggers in ARs and they eliminate most but not all of the creep. Timney has a drop in AR-10 trigger that runs 4 lbs and would provide a little more power over 3lb spring kits. The AR-10 will fit in AR-15 and vice versa.

 

[Fishbed77]

First off trigger; it's not going to be a bench rest gun, but I don't particularly like how heavy the trigger pull is with a standard lower parts group. I would be very happy if I could get a 2.5 to 3lb trigger pull without spending to much money. Is there a way to lighten the trigger pull without getting an entire trigger? Are there spring kits that will lighten the pull? The RRA two stage trigger and the JP adjustable trigger are about $120. Anyone have experience and feedback on either of them?

1. Do not use a Geissele trigger. It won't work with the .22 uppers.

My understanding is that the "standard" AR triggers tend to work best to ensure reliable ignition of .22LR rimfire primers, and that lighter match triggers tend not to work as well. My CMMG .22LR dedicated upper works great on my PSA lower with a standard PSA trigger. The PSA standard trigger is not particularly light (mine measures in at a consistent 6.5 lbs.), but is smooth enough and has a relatively crisp break.

PSA also sells a similar trigger by ALG that purports to be less gritty and equally reliable to a standard AR trigger, with a 5.5 lb break. My assumption is that it would probably work fine with a .22LR upper. Of course, like so many other AR parts, they are out-of-stock right now.

 

[tuj]

The Geissele has a full power hammer spring. I even tried switching in an extra power hammer spring. No, it's not the strike that's the problem, it's the reset. My Geissele would fire one round and then fail to reset the hammer. I even tried a lighter set of springs and that didn't work either. Not sure why it wouldn't reset.

 

[mljdeckard]

Thanks for the link on the reliability kit. I have had a few friends who bought the inserts and can't make them work, hopefully this will help.

I am running a CMMG dedicated upper and it is fantastic, but it has a the fixed front sight, I haven't messed with it at all.

 

[Lerk]

I've got a JP kit in mine with the yellow spring (light trigger), adjustable safety, and modified my hammer into a speed hammer and have zero issues with CCI .22lr ammo. I like my JP tigger as I was able to adjust out all of the creep in it and set it nice and short, and still was on the inexpensive side.

 

[wcoats]

Does anyone know if this free float quad rail will fit a Chiappa M4 Upper? Also any recommendations for sights? Anyone have and experience with Magpul MBUS sights? Or with the Pro Mag flip up sights? Or I'm kinda considering just going with fixed sights since I don't plan to put an optic on it in the near future. Any experience with the NcSTAR detachable sights?

 

[Lerk]

Was there supposed to be a link for the handguard? Or did I miss something earlier in the thread?

If you want some inexpensive irons, Leapers Inc. has some decent ones, I use them on my rifles when I don't want to drop a lot of cash. The magpul MBUS are nice, but I'm not sure how they'd hold up to long wear and tear, I've always just considered them a backup sight and not a primary. If you want to spend a little more cash, the Troy flip-up sights are pretty nice. No experience with ProMag or NcStar sights.

 

[wcoats]

Yes, there was, I forgot to include the link. Here is a link to the quad rail
http://www.amazon.com/AR-15-Rifle-Length-Free-Floating/dp/B004OQ846I/ref=pd_sim_sbs_sg_1

does anyone know if this will fit a Chiappa .22 upper?