Anybody out there got a handle on a cheap place to buy?

no but there was a post not too long ago that had physical evidence about how much of a **** that particular upper could be... look it up.. the OP stated some concerning build quality issues and even posted pics of the damage.... might be worth a look tho

Sincerely appreciate the heads up Punisher, but i actually commented on that thread and asked the OP if he thought it was rectifiable. He said most likely with a file and some finesse. While that post did give me some doubts, I'm kind of in a tough spot. While i don't want to spend my hard earned money on a part that i have to fix before even using (and trust me, it's hard earned. Poor College student here), I'm getting my girlfriend into shooting and she's loving it, but she's going to want the lower kick of a .22 before a day at the range with a 5.56 pounding into her 115 lb frame for a few hundred shots. Not to mention i want to be able to afford to throw a thousand rounds of .22 down range versus a hundred or so of 5.56 for the price and a possible suppressor project brewing in my mind. :-D

That being said, I'm only really looking at CMMG because i want the full metal construction and 400 seems to be a decent price for a .22 upper with metal instead of plastic. If you know of another one around that price point, I'd really appreciate a heads up. This whole google shut out is ridiculous. Also, i don't want a whole other rifle, though i have looked into it.

Thanks again punisher, i love that a complete noob (rifle is out for delivery today!!!!!) can join a forum and get helpful advice and people looking out for them rather than the typical "go read this. Are you stupid? You must be a noob to not know this".