School me on .22LR AR-15s

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wcoats

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I'm looking to get a .22 caliber AR15 and trying to decide between a few options and looking for some advice. Just to give some context, I would like to long term end up with both a .22 AR-15 and a .223 AR-15. Right now I am planning on going the .22 rout first. I just purchased a membership to a local range which allows me to shoot as often as I want without having to pay to use the range each time. So a .22 AR would be fun to shoot and I can throw a lot of rounds down range and not feel bad about it.

Option 1: Buy a Smith and Wesson M&P 15-22.
Pros: Complete riffle ready to take to the range. Of the reading I've done on-line this got good reviews and has identical controls to a regular AR-15. I shot one today at the range and it was a lot of fun The only complaint I had about it was that the trigger pull was a little heavier than I would like. Anyone know if the there is an upgraded trigger available for this gun? (I'm assuming standard AR-15 triggers aren't compatible?)
Cons: Spending $600 on a riffle that can only ever be a .22
http://www.impactguns.com/mp-15-22-...california-compliant-811062-022188148961.aspx

Option 2 Build a .22 AR-15.(Buy a dedicated .22 upper and put it on a low)
Pros: I'll already have a lower for when I want to buy an upper in a different caliber. I can build build the lower the way I want it( MOE stock and grips, and upgraded trigger) and be able to use it on what ever other uppers I buy in the future.
Cons: Getting AR-15 parts right now seems to be kinda hard.

Option 3 Get a AR chambered for .223 or 556 and put a conversion kit in it.( I have pretty much ruled out this option due to the fact that it would max out my current budget not to mention the draw back of 1 in 7 or 1 in 9 twist rates not working well for .22 LR)

Thanks in advance for any advice or recommendations!
 
Wow, have M&P 15-22's gone up that much? I would put that as the first option, but not at that price. I went with a spikes .22 conversion kit for my 5.56 with a 1:8 twist. It shoots the Aguila SSS very well, federal automatch also has pretty good accuracy. If you want a range blaster for bulk pack ammo, that is very reliable then certainly go with the dedicated .22 upper. My conversion kit has to stay very well lubricated to avoid firing out of battery.
 
Some sub options withing option 2. Deciding which upper to get. The main two choices I see are the CMMG upper and the Chiappa M4 Upper 22 LR.(Please let me know if there are other options I don't know about. I see the Arma Lite one listed in a post bellow, but it looks like it's just a re-branded CMMG upper?) Unfortunately all of the .22 uppers I can find online have the carbine length handguards and I would prefer mid length or full length to have a longer site radius. How hard would it be to convert them to that? Since there is not gas system for a .22 can I just buy new handguards with a top rail and mount a front sight to it?

Looking for advice on which upper to get, it would also be useful if you can provide links to where they are in stock. Her is what I have found so far.

Chioppa Upper: Shows as being in stock and the cheapest price I've seen
http://grabagun.com/chiappa-m4-upper-22lr-16-blk-28rd.html

CMMG:
http://www.brownells.com/rifle-part...-22lr-16-no-fsb-sku100007276-43826-80490.aspx

Does the Chioppa upper have a threaded barrel?
 
yeah, that's$579 is the cheapest I can find an M&P 15-22, which is why I'm thinking I might as well build a lower and put a .22 upper on it
 
I love my cmmg dedicated 22 upper... I wanted as true to the ar platform as I could get and it's it! I keep it as its own carbine, reliable n accurate!

You can swap uppers later at will or just get another lower n upper for another complete rifle.


The wild card is the market right now... Might grab what I could get if close enough.
 
I went through the same thought process last year - made more difficult by being left-handed and preferring a pure LH design.
First I ordered a .22LR conversion kit (bolt/carrier/magazine) when I purchased my LH Stag 3G. Enough reading pre- and post- and I returned it before I used it. Then was going to build an upper from scratch to go with a home-built lower whose parts I hand-picked to match the feel of my 3G. But getting the details of the feed ramps to work properly with the proper barrel all working in LH form was a hassle and I could never get a straight story as to what exactly to order and/or have machined. Yes, I like to get things just right.
So I just ordered a complete upper, a CMMG Revolution .22LR configured for left-handers. It is of course on back-order and I hope I get it before the laws change but that's what it's come down to.
So I agree with the recommended choice.
B
 
I love my .22 LR AR, but I'm keeping my 10-22. :)

The 15-22 is a great gun, but the lower will not accept standard uppers. It's a decision many struggle with. If the cash is there, I would go with a standard lower and a dedicated .22 upper. It will of course run a bit more than the 15-22. And of course right now prices are insane, so you may have to wait for things to settle down.
 
Well, I've found an upper and a lower parts kit in stock. I was planning on buying a lower from a friend, but now he's thinking about just keeping it. So only thing I need to find is a stripped lower. Anyone know of anywhere that has them in stock that aren't crazy over priced?
 
Dedicated upper all the way.

The M&P is a good rifle but its near all-plastic construction feels cheap to me.
 
I'm firmly in the camp of get the CMMG upper of your choice, and build a lower. The two CMMG uppers I put onto rifles built for family over a year have been exceptional. My franken upper made from CMMG dedicated parts and what used to be a Ceiner Atchisson conversion kit has also worked very well (not surprising since the CMMG .22LR stuff is based of the Atchisson bolt assembly).
 
Go with option 2. You will be happier in the end with a dedicated upper. Don't rule out Taccom, TacSol as well as CMMG. The Taccom and TacSol cost more, but they are great uppers as well.

I like my CMMG a lot and I would recommend getting the SS bolt.

Option 3 isn't even a good option as 22LR is very very dirty.

Option 1 is ok...everyone I know who has an MP15-22 like theirs, but they aren't exactly experts with firearms. As another poster stated...the MP feels cheap and it really does. It's nice for the light weight, but if you want to use the rifle as a trainer...why not buy a dedicated AR22 that will feel like a "real" upper?
 
I purchased a S&W M&P15-22 a couple of years ago. It shot great and was one of the most dependable semi auto .22's I have owned. I ended up selling it and buying a CMMG Quebec-A AR15 in .22. I have not regretted it once. The S&W will be perfect for 98% who want an AR in .22. I just wanted more options. I wanted to easily be able to change the handguards and such. The CMMG I bought has a 1.5" barrel extension inside the upper and 14.5" external barrel. I like the shorter profile. Please know I am not knocking the M&P15-22 at all, as a matter of fact I love them. It just wasn't the perfect fit for me. The CMMG was $450 out the door at my LGS for the barebone(no optics or sight version). You and only you can decide which is best for you. Another plus side for the M&P is the weight, that sucker is lightweight.
 
I'm firmly in the camp of get the CMMG upper of your choice, and build a lower. The two CMMG uppers I put onto rifles built for family over a year have been exceptional.
Click to expand...

Ditto.

My CMMG dedicated .22LR upper (on a PSA lower) has been a fantastic rifle. It's a tack driver and has been even more reliable than my Ruger 10/22.

DSC_0021.jpg
 
Normally I advocate getting a .22 LR upper for an AR lower assembled to your tastes. With a good upper the quality is better than anything I have seen with respect to the .22 LR AR lookalikes. If one is after a trainer, this is a much better option as well. It is more versatile too in that you have one more real deal lower on hand that you could use for other uppers. Personally I'd get a Tactical Solutions upper over CMMG based what I've seen across the product lines for both companies. If you get a CMMG check to make sure its not one of the older batch with too long of threading that required a spacer (.7" versus the proper .4"). Even the shorter ones I've read of not being the best thread jobs. I've seen more than one report of non concentric threads with the CMMG uppers as well. Tac Sol thread jobs are much better and can be trusted out of the box. Also is CMMG still using plastic charging handles? If so I'd budget in a replacement for if/when that things breaks.

However, right now prices and availability might dictate getting one of the .22 LR lookalike guns such as the S&W. I'd avoid the Umarex guns badged with reputable names like colt and HK. From what I have seen of those guns they are junk. One of my shooting buddies just wouldn't listen when I told him to skip the HK. He got it and, after about 6 months of headaches and reliability issues, he sold it.

yeah, that's$579 is the cheapest I can find an M&P 15-22, which is why I'm thinking I might as well build a lower and put a .22 upper on it
Click to expand...

That may be proportionally cheaper than what a it was vis-a-vis a dedicated upper. Stripped lowers are selling for 3x what the were.
 
I went with the M&P 15-22 and I am very happy with it. The last range trip with the 15-22 is the most fun I have had at the range in a while and certainly the cheapest.

Standard AR-15 fire control parts will drop right in so no worries there. I plan on adding an ambidextrous safety and Troy ambi magazine release eventually.
 
I am not sure about the plastic CMMG charging handles. Mine is metal, but that might have changed. The bonus on a CMMG Quebec-A is the lower will work with any standard AR upper. Just food for thought. That was the other reason I bought mine. That way if I build my 300blk it will pin right on. CMMG uses the same lower kit and same lower on their .22AR's as they do the 5.56.
 
I am not sure about the plastic CMMG charging handles. Mine is metal, but that might have changed.
Click to expand...

It may have changed. I've not really researched them since I was in the market. They may have resolved all the issue I was concerned with back then: threads that required spacers, non concentric threads, and the charging handles. I'd still imagine based both on the specific uppers I've seen of each as well as their broader product lines that Tac Sol is likely to be a better product.
 
I love Tac Sol's products. I would almost guarantee they are higher quality. They are. Top notch company. While I have not ran into a single issue with my CMMG, I would love to get my hands on the Tac Sol. I just could not beat the CMMG. I paid $450 for the complete rifle and one magazine. Mine is just before they introduced the Revolution series or whatever. I am not even sure if hey still offer my model.
 
I've had a CMMG .22lr upper for maybe 2 years now and have put several thousand rounds through it. The first 500 or so I would have occasional hiccups but it has been flawless since. I enjoy shooting it more than my 5.56 upper but cost of ammunition might be why. I've added a YHM free float rail as well as a leupold mark 4 1.5-5x in a larue mount. Probably a little overkill for a .22 but it sure is fun.
IMG_0962_zpsa48bdc98.jpg
 
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