Tell me about AR-style .22s...

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.455_Hunter

.455_Hunter

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What are the better ones?

Are they any as durable as a Ruger 10/22 or Marlin Model 60?

What are the worse ones?

Some of them look like cheap pot-metal air-soft guns rigged to shoot .22 LR.

How about magazines? Do any use 10/22 mags for interchangeability (if not so functionally correct)?

Thanks!
 
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Ruger used to make one that sorta looked like an AR based on the 10/22. It used the same magazines.

I had one of the S&W's for a while. IMO it comes closest to matching the look and feel of an AR. I had some 30 and 10 round magazines for mine. I never had a single issue with reliability and it was as accurate as a typical 10/22. Which wasn't great, but if you can live with 10/22 accuracy you'll be satisfied. I eventually sold mine, but had no real complaints. Just liked something else better.
 
.455_Hunter said:
What are the better ones?
Click to expand...
A dedicated rimfire upper for an AR.
An actual AR with a conversion kit and Black Dog magazines.
An ArchAngel stock for a 10/22, that resembles an AR somewhat, but still uses a Ruger and BX-25 magazines. If that is a point in the decision.
In that order.
 
I have been far more satisfied with the reliability and cost of dedicated and proprietary 22LR rifles which LOOK LIKE AR-15’s, such as the S&W M&P-22, than I have with conversion uppers or bolt carriers. I also don’t remotely pretend any of them are as reliable as Ruger 10/22’s or Marlin 60’s. But they’re fun, and cheap practice.
 
I had a SIG 522 and loved it. Very accurate. Really liked the adjustable stock. Bought a bunch of Black Dog aftermarket mags to include a 50 round drum. All functioned well. Gave it to my Godson. Rumor has it that gophers in SW Wyoming put out a contract on me for doing that.
 
My 22lr AR rifle and pistol have been very reliable and just as accurate in not better than my Marlins. Both uppers use a dedicated bolt and barrel. The rifle has a 16" barrel and the pistol has a 4.5" barrel. I use Black Dog Machine magazines for both.
 
I have a Colt AR22 (made by Walther) that looks like an AR but is really just a look-a-like. It functions well and does what it is meant to do which is shoot 22LR and create some fun.

I purchased a dedicated 22LR upper from PSA which I put on a standard AR lower and that thing is accurate and fun. It is the best 22LR rifle I own. The upper cost as much as the Colt but is worth every penny.

I also had (but sold) the conversion for an AR upper. The twist rate for the 5.56 caused the .22LR to not be as accurate as I liked so I sold the conversion to buy the PSA. IMO, all AR22s are fun to shoot. You can't beat them for cheap fun at the range.
 
Some of them are cheap pot metal lookalikes. Never cared much for the M&P because it's nearly all plastic and too light. I decided to go the route of a dedicated CMMG upper on a real lower. It more closely resembles the weight and configuration of my main AR15. My only gripe is that the magazine follower itself is what holds the bolt open. So when doing mag changes, it doesn't behave exactly like a centerfire upper. It would be better if it didn't lock the bolt open at all.

AR%20Trainer%2001.jpg

I just put a UBR on this one but I'm not doing that on the .22.

MandP15%2001.jpg
 
The S&W 15-22 is my favorite. Everything pretty much functions like an AR-15 and it will accept some AR aftermarket parts.

There were reports of some out of battery discharges so the company devised a little gauge that can be used to determine whether the bolt face is out of spec. My rifle is fine.

I like the light weight of the 15-22 personally.

I picked up a CMMG dedicated .22 upper. It’s OK but you are talking more weight. Some think this makes for a better trainer.

All of these rifles have magazines that are much bulkier than a 10/22 magazine. They have to be that way to mimic the AR magazine’s dimensions.
 
Almost forgot. I've done several "tactical" 10/22's, some for fun, some for utility. The SR22 was the factory version in the aluminum Nordic chassis. I've done a couple of those too. They are awesome for what they are because they combine the two platforms that have the biggest aftermarket support but as an AR trainer, the controls are completely different. So it feels and looks like an AR but doesn't operate like one. I would love to see an aftermarket trigger housing/chassis setup with an AR style safety and a left side or rear charging bolt handle.

10ex22%20SR22%2001.jpg
 
My favorite AR style of .22lr is an actual AR.

With a CMMG conversion kit in it.

You'll have to search for who actually has them in stock and with how many mags. I bought mine a couple of years ago. Been quite reliable for me.
 
Image.jpg personally I would start a build with the cmmg conversion kit, drop into any ar15 upper and start shooting.
Upgrades if you desire could go dedicated 1:16 twist barrel. Recently just finished my pistol using the cmmg conversion kit w/3 mags.
 
If you really want an AR in .22 wait till this latest panic is over and buy an AR. Then buy an upper made to shoot .22. You pin the upper on and you have .22 that works great. The rifles made to look like an AR can of course work but, by the time you buy one you will be well on the way to an AR, after this panic is over that is. The conversions work but, the twist is wrong for the bullets and you will see the results in poor accuracy. So bottom line want a .22 that is good for cheap practice with an AR? Buy an upper to go on the AR. If you do not have an AR and do not want one, may as well just buy a tried and true 10/22. Look how long the design has been around and the following it has. There is a reason for that.
 
If you want to constantly fiddle with pile of junk, get the Mossberg 715t. It's a wretched plastic clamshell goofball rifle with poor reliability and a bunch of fake controls a la Fischer price .
Other than that , I have nothing to add.
 
I have a Tapco/Intrafuse setup on an older 10/22. I found it incredibly fun to shoot right after doing the setup (2011; the gun was purchased new in 1986.)

Of course, it uses Ruger magazines, including their BX25.

The gun actually feels heavier than my M&P Sport AR-type unloaded. With loaded magazines in place, they feel about the same.
 
Thanks for in insight folks!

My first exposure to the M16/AR15 platform was fundamental marksmanship training using worn-out Colorado National Guard M16A1s and a .22 LR conversion bolt with 10 rd magazine insert. They seemed to work OK, and was a real hoot to "accidentally" click the safety switch to the "Happy" position. BRRRRRRRRP!

A similar conversion might be just the thing to drop into my Colt SP-1 Carbine.
 
The S&W 15-22 gets my vote. I have two of them, both are 100% reliable with decent ammo, including SV. I have put close to 20,000 rounds through one of them without a bobble. I replaced the cheese grater quadrails with regular AR free floats using the Tacticool adapter nuts. It gives them a real rifle feel.
 
I'm in the conversion camp. I have a A4 clone and a Troy xm177 clone that I convert often to use 22lr.

So much fun.
 
Try a Tippman M4 22 and you will be happy you did. I have a 10/22 set up like an AR and it shoots fine but the controls are not the same. The Tippman comes with a 25 round mag. I only have about 2000 rounds through it with a feed issue with some cheap ammo. I put a red dot sight on mine and have a lot of fun on my range in the back yard.
 
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