What do think of the AR's in .22 caliber?

[Hokkmike]

I saw my first AR in .22 caliber at my LGS a couple of months ago. Last week I went into Gander Mountain to check out their ammo "buy one get one at 50% off sale". (only 3 boxes of .40 left)

On the rack they had 6 or 7 AR's of various configurations for sale. Price ranged from the low $400's to the high $600's.

I have to admit that these rifles look very cool. I am wondering how accurate they might be? Obviously, price wise, they will save the shooter a bundle on ammo.

So, is this amount of money something I want to spend on an AR .22, especially since I have no centerfire AR in my arsenal presently?

What do you think about the concept of the AR in .22 caliber?

[rovert97]

you talking about the S&W M&P15-22 22 rifle, and the Colt M4 .22 made by Walther?

[Emptymag]

you talking about the S&W M&P15-22 22 rifle, and the Colt M4 .22 made by Walther?

Yeah. Do you mean one of those factory built, "always gonna be a .22" rifles, or an AR with a dedicated .22 upper?

To me, the difference is night and day.

Aside from novelty, I wouldn't want the "lookalike" .22, but I would LOVE to have a .22 upper that I could swap out for cheap plinking with the AR I already have.

[RocketFoot]

The only fake AR I would buy is the Colt/Walther/Umarex version. It is the only one made of aluminum (not plastic), has a 30 round mag and is basically identical to it's centerfire siblings. AR15 accessories will fit it, but the upper's and lower's are completely different animals and will not interchange with regular AR parts. The main difference is that the rimfire AR is blow back action, not gas operated.

All in all, it looks fun as hell! I'd definitely buy the Colt before a GSG5 or Armscor M-16!

[tomgun1]

S&W M&P 15 22 is what ive setteled on...the issues with open breach slam firing are on the first run.
Ive ordered the second run, model numbers changed only the 2nd run has the threaded barrell.it should be in wed/thurs....$459.00++

[Hokkmike]

Yeah. Do you mean one of those factory built, "always gonna be a .22" rifles, or an AR with a dedicated .22 upper?

To me, the difference is night and day.

Aside from novelty, I wouldn't want the "lookalike" .22, but I would LOVE to have a .22 upper that I could swap out for cheap plinking with the AR I already have.

Emptymag - To be honest you are "schooling" me here. I didn't know the difference. Guess I'd better get to my research! Thanks!

[Azzy]

IIf it is worth the extra cash, you could buy an AR and get a dedicated upper or bolt conversion. figure $800 for a typical lower end "less stuff bolted to it off the shelf" AR, and then about $300 for a conversion kit to 22LR.

But then you have 2 rifles, and the ability to go all the way up to .50bmg with the same lower.

Nice thing about the one lower solution is that you practice or train with that rifle, you develop muscle memory with that one platform (if in the same config) which for the most part will transfer no matter the caliber.

That said, I have shot the Colt 22, and it isnt a bad weapon. Fairly accurate and has a decent feel.

[Stooperzero]

I went with the CMMG Conversion.

Coolest thing is , I can toss it into my SBR for CQB style shooting then toss it into my Colt SP1 for longer range shooting.

Really thinking about just building a 7" bare bones upper and tossing a cheap red dot on it for this purpose.


Most of the "REAL" .22 AR guns I've seen suck IMHO.

[Legion_Prime]

I went with the CMMG Conversion.

Coolest thing is , I can toss it into my SBR for CQB style shooting then toss it into my Colt SP1 for longer range shooting.

Really thinking about just building a 7" bare bones upper and tossing a cheap red dot on it for this purpose.


Most of the "REAL" .22 AR guns I've seen suck IMHO.

Yeah, I went with the CMMG conversion as well and with the exception of the "bolt hold open" followers in the magazines I couldn't be happier. Since you say you don't have a centerfire AR yet I'd go with that and then see whether you want to go the conversion route or the .22 upper route. I think this will give you the most flexibility and the widest range of options and accessories.

[Emptymag]

Emptymag - To be honest you are "schooling" me here. I didn't know the difference. Guess I'd better get to my research! Thanks!

Azzy seems to have explained it, but to put it in the simplest form, some manufacturers make "lookalike" AR-15s in .22. They are not completely interchangeable with "real" AR parts.

The other option is to get a real, honest-to-goodness AR-15 lower and place a .22 upper on it. (or buy a conversion kit for an existing upper)

With the latter, you have many more options.