I'm waffling.. 15-22 or dedicated .22LR upper?

[Tram]

I'm on the same fence. I have the following in the "cart" at CMMG: Sierra .22 LR Upper Receiver w/Low Profile Railed GB (Un-notched .22 Stainless Steel Bolt Upgrade, Stainless Steel Collar), .22 Evolution Conversion Bolt Hold Open Actuator, (2x) BHOA 25 Round Magazine for .22 Evolution. That's $492 shipped. There's an M&P 15-22 down the street for about $475. I'm going to shop around for 15-22s and see what's available. I think if I can find the one I want (possibly with the MagPul furniture) for around $500... I have to go with it.

My CMMG upper will be here Monday..

 

[scanner]

Excellent choice! But...

IMHO either way will bring you tons of .22lr fun. But you will probably feel some regret for not going with the 15-22. I have a 15-22 and absolutely love it. I also love my 9mm conversion that is not yet completed. I loved my 1st AR build but sold it and have not regretted it. You can always save up for a 15-22 later. Or just dive into the multitude of other caliber conversions available for your SBRed lower, 9mm, .45acp, 7.62x39, .40 s&w, 10mm...!

 

[Tram]

It should be here tomorrow... We'll see what happens..

 

[Army_ROTC]

15-22 or CMMG Quebec?

Jeff,

What's the deal with the "Complete" M4's from CMMG? Is the lower an "off the shelf" AR15 lower or is it like the 15-22 in that it's "Close" in dimensions but "slightly different" so that you can't buy one of these and then later drop a .223 / 5.56 upper on it?

The 15-22 was the only clean sheet approach, but it looks like with the CMMG complete rifles that has changed. And were I in a position to buy a complete .22LR AR platform today, the CMMG would probably be my first choice. It is a little more money but the functioning forward assist and dust cover (while not needed on a .22LR) are nice because it then makes it a 100% functional clone of it's bigger brothers.

I am looking at getting either the 15-22 or the CMMG Quebec. I am thinking that I would start with the .22lr but I wouldn't mind upgrading to a full AR-15 in the future. So my question is whether a CMMG is a good AR-15 Rifle if I was to buy a CMMG upper? Or would it be better to buy the dedicated .22lr (15-22) and buy a different AR-15 when I was ready?

This is my first rifle purchase so I don't know much other than the research I have done on the internet and shooting a few 10-22's and a few rounds out of an AR-15.

 

[SEMPER-FI]

buffer/spring

just spoke with cmmg tech and it is a fact the spring/buffer can infact be swaped out

 

[JaPes]

Are the 22lr AR's produced by Colt, S&W, etc built on a standard AR lower or a look alike?

The Umarex Colt M4 isn't anything like an AR at all. I used to own one, and found out the hard way.

Looks real good on the outside. It's reassuringly heavy. The "Colt" name & prancing pony logo make you feel all warm & fuzzy.

One day the barrel dislocates from the action. Then I saw the garbage inside.

That's just the upper.

The lower has a proprietary enclosed trigger group. Proprietary fake buffer tube that isn't compatible with any aftermarket AR stock. The bolt release paddle is fake & non operational. The pistol grip is proprietary & not compatible with any standard AR grip.

I catch flack for saying this on every forum I visit. Stay the hell away from the Umarex Colt M4 as if it can give you contact herpes.

 

[guy22]

If I was waffling on whether to spend ~ $500.00 bucks on a conversion kit, or a new gun.

I would buy the new gun everytime.

Just me.

Guy22

 

[Aceman58]

I also toyed with this option since I have two AR15s. The best upper I found went for $398 to about $490. When my friend showed me the M&P 15/22 for $488 out the door, I got a complete rifle for one price verus half a rifle, so that helped me make my decision. Also the M&P has all the functioning control group as the full size, so training can be done as if using my full size, and I can save on ammo cost without cramping my training skills. You can't go wrong. One more thing, now you can shoot both at the range instead of swapping and only having 1 rifle available to shoot. Guess what the M&P was a hit at my PD, Officers lined up to shoot it and all started looking for their own to purchase.. I hope that helps you. Keepem in the 10 ring..

 

[rojodiablo]

Personally? I'd look for a deal on a 15-22, or see when someone has a CMMG on a smokin' deal.

When you start tossing around 450-500 for a .22????? You are talking a lot of money for a plinker with no ability to stretch it's capabilities to bigger targets. It's limited, and I'd rather have the 15-22 pistol as a miniature lead spitter.

(I'll not say you can't kill a deer or a pig with it, 'cause the minute I do, someone will sneak up on a grizzly and drop him with one magic rimfire, and I will have to eat my words!!!!)

By the same token, I would not be keen on running 23,000 .22lr down a 5.56 barrel and then try the full size stuff and find out the remnants have loaded the gas vent and reduced it's extraction ability or reliability. I'd get a dedicated barrel to match a CMMG bolt so I would never have to worry about it. It's all a compromise.

 

[DesertFox]

15-22 is hard to beat. Usually grab one of them instead of the dedicated M4-22 upper setup. Only advantage I see with the upper is that I get to use my lowers that have bad-*** triggers. I run basic A2 stocks on my other ARs, started getting into the 15-22 for easy adjustability for the wife. Too bad the 15-22 uses different mags than the uppers I've seen...

 

[RunninKurt]

It may be just me, but I think MOST posters have missed what the OP said. He already has a spare lower, its not like he's having to break down his 556 everytime he wants to plow through a box of 22. Right Tram?

 

[EchoBravo]

There's an M&P 15-22 down the street for about $475. I'm going to shop around for 15-22s and see what's available. I think if I can find the one I want (possibly with the MagPul furniture) for around $500... I have to go with it.

$461.77 MOE in black/flat dark earth from Cheaper than Dirt:
2-SW811035 - Smith & Wesson M&P15-22 Semi Auto Rifle .22 LR 16" Barrel 25 Rounds Magpul MOE Grip Black and FDE Finish

Picked mine up at the FFL yesterday and went right to the range after a cleaning. Shipping was $11 for my location. All black is sold out. I like the two-tone more anyway.

 

[Aceman58]

A friend of mine had the CMMG dedicated upper and the last shot locks back the bolt via the MAGAZINE only, not the bolt latch up. Since the 22lr mag is center of the magazine well, the bolt latch doesn't work on the AR upper that is dedicated to being a 22lr.

This means, as soon as you pull your mag to swap with a loaded mag, your bolt slams into battery, you now have to charge the Charge handle to load a round, to me this is not the same as a true AR so one more vote for the M&P 15/22 for it works just like a true AR15.