.22 conversion for TEOTWAWKI

[ham385]

I wanted to put this out there and see what people think. This is just in the scope of post SHTF foraging/defense.

I've been thinking about getting a .22 conversion for my AR and stocking up on some heavy 60gr .22lr. It makes perfect sense to me, on paper.
1. I'm not one of the guys from Call Of Duty, I don't want to have to carry multiple rifles, so if I can multi purpose my AR that's a huge plus.
2. while .22 is nowhere near as reliable or capable of stopping someone as .223, if caught unaware with the kit in, the heavier bullets should have more stopping power than regular .22, giving me the ability to get to cover and possibly swap back to .223.
3. the subsonic ammo will work nice with the can I plan on installing in the not so distant future
4. having 1000 .223 rounds in the BOB isn't realistic, having 200 .223 and 800 .22 is.

I do recognize there are some risks:
1. reliability of a conversion is likely to be less than a 10/22
2. accuracy of the kit with a 1:7 twist, even 60gr, may not be enough to be useful for hunting
3. non-copper washed ammo may clog up my can.

I might still buy the kit for fun, but would like to know how realistic the risks are and any others I haven't thought of.
Thanks

[streaker69]

I have the older CMMG conversion, I've shot it both in my rifle and my AR pistol. In about 3000 rounds, I haven't had any problems that are worth mentioning. A jam when it was first getting broken in, but nothing that I would consider a reliability issue.

As for accuracy, I wouldn't see any reason why you couldn't hunt with it. I found mine to be fairly accurate out to 100 yards, just haven't tried it past that yet. I understand the new CMMG kit is supposed to be more accurate than their previous version because the chamber insert engages better and can't shift slightly the way the version I have does.

I think it's a worthwhile investment, and I've been shooting nothing but Federal and Remington bulk packs through it.

[elementfreak431]

I have a 22 conversion for my AR and I love it. Im a college student so I don't have any money. My .22 conversion gives me exponentially much more trigger time on my AR and the kit was worth every damn penny. They are pretty reliable and mine runs without a hiccup. The only time it will jam is when I run it dry with no oil, but even then jamming is a rare occurrence. If your not going with a dedicated upper, then I recommend going with the CMMG .22 conversion. I haven't tried the newer version, but the older one works just fine. The newer version has a few features the older one doesn't have. On the old model, you can't use the forward assist and the bolt will not lock open on the last round.

This is the new one, the CMMG evolution

http://www.amazon.com/CMMG-Evolution...1170484&sr=8-1

This is the older one that runs like a clock

http://www.amazon.com/CMMG-ARC-22-CO...1170597&sr=1-1

Either way you look at it, its definitely worth it to get the kit. It gives you more trigger time with your rifle and if need be, it COULD be used in a SHTF scenario. Many people don't think so, but the .22LR is definitely a round that will put down a man. Especially if your using hollow points. Now its definitely not as effective at long range, but I sure as shit wouldn't want to be hit with one. And if it turns out you don't like the kit, it is an easy sell because so many people have AR's and would love to have that kit

[bigandy1966]

I got one recently, its really cool, it ate any .22 I put into it. I got some BlackDog magazines at the gun show but I haven't tried them out yet. It sure was fun to shoot an AR at the .22 range

[JeeperGuy]

did you look into a dedicated upper? ive read youll get better accuracy and thats alot quicker to change back to .223

[renalp]

1. I'm not one of the guys from Call Of Duty, I don't want to have to carry multiple rifles, so if I can multi purpose my AR that's a huge plus.

OTOH, having a 2nd complete rifle as a backup could also be a plus in a survival scenario. I'm thinking an AR-7: 3.5 lbs and packs down to 16.5".

[West Chester]

I would think a 2nd small bolt action 22LR would be a better option.

Leave your battle rifle set up and ready to defend.

[cds_arms]

One thing to note is that many of the heavy .22 or subsonic .22 rounds won't cycle the conversions, so plan on using the charging handle a lot.

Otherwise the BCG drop-in kits are great.

[ham385]

Thanks for the feedback everyone.

I bought the CMMG echo kit from epicenterofdefense.com for $225 + other stuff, shipping was only $8. They seem like a good company to deal with. I ordered on Thursday night and received it Tuesday afternoon. Shipping was cheap, and the price was the best I found on the net.

It was mislabeled as an india kit on their site (which they fixed immediately on their website after I told them I received the wrong product). They explained that it was a mistake, that they aren't selling the India kit right now because of supply issues with that particular kit with CMMG. I offered to pay for the upgrade parts because it was obviously a mistake and $225 is cheap even for an echo, let alone an india, but they insisted on sending me the missing upgrade pieces free of charge. Needless to say, I will be doing business with them in the future.

I took it to the range already and tried it with the crappy Rem. golden bullets which was a disaster. I also ordered 200 rnds of the Gemtech 42gr. subsonic ammo with and and shot 190 without a single malfunction. I was also very impressed with the Gemtech ammo, it's very quiet and I was getting 2" groups @50 yards with iron sights.

I tried 10 of the Gemtech bullets in my bolt action .22 w/ 4x scope and got a 3/4" 10 shot group - impressive for me.

Glad I bought it, it was a lot of fun and costs a heck of a lot less to shoot. I think next I'll give the plain jane CCI standard velocity a try and see how they work out.

[theyoungone]

I also got a cmmg and I like it alot. Swaping back and forth is pretty quick and you can stuff the .22 mag and the conversion bolt, with a 100 rounds pack of CCI .22 ammo in a double AR mag pouch. Weighs about the same as two loaded AR mags.

Its a great backup if the SHTF.