.22LR conversion units for ARs - Are they any good?

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Double-O-Dave

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Having recently joined the AR-15 club, I began wondering if the .22LR conversion kits for the AR-15s are any good. Can anyone that has used one provide a report? If so, specifics such as the brand name of the conversion, cost of the conversion kit, etc., would be helpful. Also, what effect does the conversion unit have on your scope and/or iron sights with regards to accuracy? I realize the .22LR bullet weight is around 40 gr., and the lightest 5.56mm round weighs 55 gr., but was wondering if you have to make dramatic adjustments in your scope or iron sights settings for shooting the .22LR.

Thank you.

Regards,

Dave
 
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I have an older Ciener kit that I use as often as I can. It's not as accurate as my 10/22, but it will hold 2-3 inches at 50 yards. It shoots to the same point of aim at 50 yards, as well.
 
The most accurate way is to have a dedicated 22 LR upper at $600. A conversion is $50 to $200. The 223 Rem barrel is in .224" diameter a 22 LR is .222 and older ones are sometimes .223. So Long Rifle ammo won't stabilize completely, hence the lesser accuracy. The Army uses one that will fit in the butt stock compartment and coverts a 20 round AR mag. This gives you some ideas. Ivan
 
I have an older Ciener .22 conversion also. There are many, many reports of problems ranging from minor to major with this kit. I had to take mine apart and smooth up burred parts amd dink it around a bit just to get to run reliably. Accuracy is adequate for beer can shooting. Guess I was lucky. My recommendation at this time is to avoid anything made by Ciener considering lack of replacement parts and sorry service. There are other kits out there that work better for about the same price. For me, the main advantage of the .22 conversion is to be able to shoot the AR at ranges where only .22 rimfire rifles are allowed.

Charlie
 
I bought a used Chiappa flattop that has been working well.
It needs plated .22 but I bought a bunch just before the panic.
The unit came with two original magazines and one aftermarket one, all
of which work fine.

It needs a cleaning currently. Time to find the stuff and get to it.
 
Have a CMMG 'Bravo' model .22 conversion kit. Works flawlessly. It does not provide match grade accuracy for the reasons already stated, but makes a great plinker.
Good luck.
 
Old Corp said:
Have a CMMG 'Bravo' model .22 conversion kit. Works flawlessly. It does not provide match grade accuracy for the reasons already stated, but makes a great plinker.
Good luck.
Click to expand...

Mine works great! Accuracy is "minute of beer can" but, it is a fun way to shoot my M4 and I have used it many times to introduce prospective shooters to high-power rifle competition in service rifle models like the HBAR.
 
I had the drop in bolt kind, Forget the name. It functioned fine. Only probaly was the twist of a and AR say 1:8 is not the best for a 36 or 40 grain 22 LR. So accuracy was fair.

But it did work without a problem. I never used it so I sold it, I just shoot my dedicated 22 rifles.

Just like conversions for 1911's Those are not for me either,
 
Pricey, but Compass Lake Engineering makes dedicated 22LR uppers that deliver match-grade accuracy.
 
I've got the original. A MAC/Atchisson conversion kit in the factory box. The unit lives in one of my MSR's.

Found it at a garage sale about 25 years ago while I was living in NJ. I don't think I paid more than $10 for the kit with three magazines. The seller had no idea what the conversion kit was or what it was designed to do. Only thing missing from my conversion kit is the paperwork, and of course 22LR ammo.

As for accuracy, it's every bit close to MOS (Minute of Squirrel) with Winchester Wildcats, Federal Lightning and Remington Golden Bullet. Mine seems to love the cheap stuff. The cheaper the better/more accurate. Never had a FTF/FTE problem with my conversion unit or any of the magazines.

Thread Drift: I got "Checked" by the game warden several years ago and he was all up my ***, thinking I was hunting deer out of season until he checked the game bag on the back of my vest and found dead tree rats and that my EBR was loaded with 22LR.

Class III
 
I have a CMMG upper in 22lr that wasn't too expensive. I put it on a DPMS lower I assembled as I wanted a gun ready to go and shoot and not mess around with a conversion kit or replacing an upper. It's worked out very well especially with CCI Tactical AR 22lr ammo and Black Dog magazines. It's pretty accurate as the barrel was made for 22lr as noted above.
I know you were asking about conversion kits but this route isn't that much more expensive and you just might be happier with one too.
I did buy a fair amount of 22lr before it dried up and now have been able to find replacement for what I shoot.
 
Thank you to all who have responded. This is exactly the type of feedback I was looking for. Rule 3: you really gave me something to consider - I hadn't thought about the rifling twist rate on my AR, and its effect on .22LR bullets. My AR has an 18.0 inch long, stainless steel match barrel with a 1:8 twist rate. Looks like I'd be better served either sticking with my Ruger 10/22, or either a dedicated .22LR upper, or a .22LR AR type rifle for my shooting needs.

Regards,

Dave
 
Me and my Brother both run Cmmg conversion kits. Run them wet and we haven't found any ammo they don't like.

Just don't run them dry. You wont be happy.
 
Hopefully without sounding like a "wise guy" but it seems the S&W 15-22 sorta put this sort of thing to bed. With all the controls and operating methods identical to the AR-15 and at a lower price than most conversion kits what's not to like? Maybe I'm missing something here but I am happy with the 15-22 as a low cost training rifle that keeps my muscle memory fresh.
 
I had a CMMG conversion and it worked well, I sold it and bought a 15-22 mainly because shooting .22LR in a AR made cleaning a real chore. The gas tube got really dirty (almost plugged up). I didn't like the idea that shooting .22LR incapacitated my AR until I cleaned it. Now the 15-22 sits in the safe because it's cheaper and easier to shoot 9mm :eek:
 
Vulcan Bob:

Sorry, I cannot upload photos of my AR, but here's what I was thinking of using the .22LR conversion kit on:

Colt Competition Rifle "Expert" Model CRE-18

Colt CRE-18

Economically, the .22LR conversion kits I've seen go for around $150.00. The cheapest MP-15-22 I've seen goes for around $400.00, without tax, etc.

I was just doing some research to see if the kit might be a way to go, which it isn't, at least for me.

Bkreutz: thanks for your report - I didn't think about the cleaning aspect of using the conversion kit.

Regards,

Dave
 
I like my CMMG Stainless conversion. It's been very reliable with no feeding issues for many hundreds of rounds in 4 different rifles.

.22 ARs are just fun as heck. Only trouble with the first gen CMMGs is the don't extract dummy/live/dud rounds. You have to either modify the extractor ramp or have someone else do it if it matters to you. With the ammo I use, duds are so rare I don't bother. I haven't had any trouble running .223 after shooting .22LR in my rifles. YMMV

Some videos if interested:

CMMG .22LR AR-15 Conversion Part 2 (Bushmaster Eval) Jeffshootsstuff - YouTube

Jeffshootsstuff CMMG AR-15 AR15 22 conversion - YouTube
 
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