.22LR AR Uppers

[Seven_Sicks_Two]

First, a little background:

I live in CA and thanks to our draconian gun laws, centerfire, semi-auto rifles equipped with a pistol grip (rifles like the AR/AK/FAL/etc.) must have a "fixed" 10 rd. mag that requires a tool to remove... the infamous "bullet button". As a result, ARs are essentially range toys here. However, rimfire rifles are specifically exempt from this requirement. As a result, a dedicated .22LR AR rifle is able to be equipped with a standard magazine release.

I've been thinking that buying/building a dedicated .22LR AR would be a fun and inexpensive way to practice things like reloads and manipulations while staying within the boundaries of California law (since I won't need to use a bullet button). I understand that I'm not going to get any useful practice with regards to recoil management, but I'd like to be able to practice things like reloads and clearing stoppages. Another upside is that I'd be able to shoot at the indoor pistol range where I work, something that I can't really do regularly with an AR chambered in 5.56.

I'd like to stay away from BCG conversion kits like those offered by CCMG for a couple of reasons:

1) I hear accuracy isn't great thanks to 1:7 twist rates being sub-optimal for .22LR
2) I'd like to avoid the potential legal hassle of having a centerfire upper with a rimfire BCG on a lower with a regular magazine release.

I've seen/sold/handled/shot both the TacSol and CMMG .22LR uppers and internet reviews of both are pretty good, but I thought I'd ask the folks at P-F.com for some input:

- Is this whole idea dumb?
- For those of you with first hand experience, is there a preference in .22LR uppers? Any brands besides CMMG and TacSol to be looking at?
- Things like the M&P 15-22 are on my radar, but I'd like something similar in size/weight to my existing 5.56 hunting/SHTFantasy gun. But, If the M&P is "better enough" than an AR upper, I'm all ears.

Thanks in advance!

[SeriousStudent]

I have a dedicated TacSol upper. I bought it because the M&P 15-22 did not exist at the time.

I would buy the M&P 15-22 if I were in your shoes now. The only time the TacSol gets shot, is when we have an entire pack of yard-apes at the range, and we need all the .22 long guns we can get. Otherwise, it pretty much stays in the back of one of the safes.

[HCM]

I picked up one of the CMMG complete uppers not long after they were released, 2008? It was actually only a few months before Smith & Wesson released the M&P 15–22. Due to work issues it sat unused in storage for about two years. When I finally got to shoot it in 2010 I had function issues and a round which fired out of battery. I sent it back to CMMG and they replaced the faulty upper. The replacement has been going strong for a few years now.

The CMMG upper uses the black dog pattern magazines which are also used in the sig. 522. They are reasonably common and available. There is also an adaptor available from Boonie Packer which will allow you to use the CMMG upper with S&W M&P 15-22 magazines in a standard AR lower.

Normally I would recommend the M&P 15-22 but I use my upper regularly. I like that it approximates the weight of a normal M4. If CA allows you to have a standard AR configured lower with the .22 upper I would say it makes sense given the circumstances.

[LOKNLOD]

I had a Tac-Sol upper for a while, it ran great. I have an M&P 15-22 now, but agree that if you have a standard AR lower without Cali neuters if it's got a .22 upper, that's the way to go, for, you know, reasons and stuff.

[SLG]

I think thats a great idea. I love my tacsol uppers, as well as my mnp's. Cant go wrong either way.

You can actually train your recoil control quite effectively with a .22, you just need to use very small targets that force you to do things right.

[nalesq]

I have a Spike's Tactical .22LR upper, which predates the M&P 15-22 as well. Since 9mm is basically the new .22, I now mainly shoot my Colt 9mm AR when I want some carbine practice at an indoor range or hitting plates up close, but I agree that as long as you use very small targets, the training value of the .22 trainer is substantial.

[LittleLebowski]

I have personally witnessed JL Bourne slap a CMMG conversion into a 1/7 AR and without adjusting his Aimpoint, hit a golf ball at 50 yards. One off? Maybe. Personally, I wouldn't worry about the barrel twist.

[Dropkick]

I've got a DPMS .22LR Upper with Black Dog Metal Lip Mags, and it looks, runs, feels, just like my 5.56 Upper. I haven't had a chance to put a ton of rounds through it yet, but I'm happy so far.

[SecondsCount]

I have personally witnessed JL Bourne slap a CMMG conversion into a 1/7 AR and without adjusting his Aimpoint, hit a golf ball at 50 yards. One off? Maybe. Personally, I wouldn't worry about the barrel twist.

It's possible. I have a CMMG conversion and in my 1:8 twist 16" middy it is only off 2" at 50 yards and is amazingly accurate for what it is, hovering around 1.5" at 50 with Federal bulk pack.

[Seven_Sicks_Two]

You can actually train your recoil control quite effectively with a .22, you just need to use very small targets that force you to do things right.

That's really interesting. I had planned to use reduced size targets to simulate longer range, but hadn't considered using them to train recoil management. How small of a target should I be using to practice this?