.22 Uppers - Need Recomendations

lmar

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I am thinking about getting a complete .22 uppper.
Any suggestions on which one to get and any opinion on the pros/cons on gettting such a beast.

Also thinking about 9mm upper.

Primary concern is cheap ammo (I've got two kids who are going to force me into the poor house at the rate they are going thru .223 ammo).

Daughter still finds the weight of her AR a little daunting for off hand shooting.
Want to get her off the bench.


L
 
I've had a 9mm upper and I have a 22 conversion kit.

I know the conversion's not listed as an option but I got the 9mm for cheap practice. Problem was the upper I practiced with (9mm) was very different from the 223 upper I normally shot so training wasn't really the same.

With a 22 kit I can use the exact same rifle, with the exact same weight and the exact same optics. Way better for training.
 
I recently put together both a .22lr Ar and a 9mm.

The 22lr upper is a complete unit from Tactical Solutions... 16".
Mated to an Armalite lower
TacSolM4-AR22-conversion.jpg


TacSol22.jpg

Runs without any hiccups... only caveat is to use a standard hammer. Notched hammers won't run properly...

9mm is all RRA.. only tweaking needed was with the ejector, but according to the gurus on arfcom this is common with the type of mag block used...
9mmar15.jpg


Both guns are a pleasure to shoot... I'll even admit I like the .22lr
 
With a 22 kit I can use the exact same rifle, with the exact same weight and the exact same optics.

Only problem with a kit is that the proper/optimal twist rate for .22lr is 1:16, not the 1:9, 1:8, most .223/5.56 AR's are cut to...

So.... accuracy won't be as good as with a 1:16 barrel.
 
I ordered a 1-16 twist barrel from Joe at DLASK and built a dedicated upper. It uses an original Colt conversion and runs like a top.
 
If you're bench resting for groups this is a problem. If you're shooting unsuported in different positions it's not. Depends on what you're using your rifle for.

Only problem with a kit is that the proper/optimal twist rate for .22lr is 1:16, not the 1:9, 1:8, most .223/5.56 AR's are cut to...
 
If you're bench resting for groups this is a problem. If you're shooting unsuported in different positions it's not. Depends on what you're using your rifle for.

I use my rifle to hit targets...
Minute of pie plate might be okay if you're just out to make noise, but....
 
If you're bench resting for groups this is a problem. If you're shooting unsuported in different positions it's not. Depends on what you're using your rifle for.

What?? How you support the rifle is not going to make up for proper barrel twist for the ammo you are using.
 
What?? How you support the rifle is not going to make up for proper barrel twist for the ammo you are using.

Here's the point I'm trying to make. I understood this post to be that lmar wants a cheap way to shoot his AR. I think it's better to practice with the same rifle you'll be using when you shoot 223 instead of practicing with one rifle then shooting a very different rifle later on.

A conversion kit isn't going to be as accurate as a dedicated 22 barrel. No argument there. But, depending on the type of shooting you're going to do, the loss of accuracy may not be an issue of any importance.

If you want to shoot off the bench for tight groups every bit of accuracy counts. Get a dedicated 22 upper.

If you're going to shoot your AR standing, snap shooting, moving, etc a 3" group shot through the exact same rifle you'll use in your next 3 gun match (or whatever it is you do with your rifle) will be of far more benefit and a 2 or 3 inch group is satisfactory for that type of shooting.

Depending on the type of shooting you're going to do and your reason for shooting 22 in an AR will decide if a dedicated 22 or 9mm upper is better for you or simply going to a 22 conversion is best for you.
 
I just bought a Tactical Solutions .22 upper on a DPMS lower on the EE.

Took it to the range yesterday - :D
Better than I expected. Looks, feels, shoots great.


Does anyone have the manual for the TS upper that you would scan or copy for me??
 
I like the Tactical Solutions upper myself.

However I have had some hickups with mine. The larger mags cause a lot of jams/FTF in mine. I had a rubber something or other fall off within the first 20 rounds (buffer of some kind?). I've also had a few hangups where the base of the spent cartridge gets caught in the ejector causing a stage 3 failure. Then there are the two ruptured rimfire cases which were probably ammo related issues. But... I have two mags with chips in the front due to the explosion in the breach.

The 10 round mags ran the best for me, with very few FTF or jams. Unfortunately I only bought two of them, and one is now out of service due to a ruptured round.

The Black dog mags are good, but something like the Aluminum mags for the 10/22 would be better.

Now before anyone reads this and gets too worried. You have to realize I would fire off a whole brick on one outing. So 400 -500 rounds. They really are a lot of fun. Just be prepared for the usual problems when shooting fast and a lot with this semi. I switch between an Eotech 553 and a Falcon 4.5-18x on this rifle. It is both very accurate and a very fast handling .22 rifle. It's a lot of fun.

TacAR22-2.jpg
 
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