AR-15 .22 conversion kit

[Hawk]

Rethink the whole thing and then think some more. You bought the AR for the fun of shooting it in it's native caliber. IMHO converting it to shoot .22's is a waste and not the same experience. Save you money and buy bulk .223 or better yet reload! Second, find a less expensive way to enjoy your AR, instead of just ripping rounds downrange 30 at a time, look for ways or a shooting sport where you can have fun with just 50 rounds per session. Like Shawn mentioned - CMP. Or throw a scope on it and shoot it for accuracy.

[King 5.45]

Originally Posted by Hawk

Rethink the whole thing and then think some more. You bought the AR for the fun of shooting it in it's native caliber. IMHO converting it to shoot .22's is a waste and not the same experience. Save you money and buy bulk .223 or better yet reload! Second, find a less expensive way to enjoy your AR, instead of just ripping rounds downrange 30 at a time, look for ways or a shooting sport where you can have fun with just 50 rounds per session. Like Shawn mentioned - CMP. Or throw a scope on it and shoot it for accuracy.

Here's a contrary opinion.

Anyone, and I mean anyone, who is ripping 30 rounds downrange at a time out of an AR-type rifle, who isn't on a rifle range, is going to be in the middle of a polite social discourse, hopefully on the public dime. In other words, it's going to most likely be a taxpayer-supported firefight. There's good enough reason (zombies, etc.) for non-governmental types to practice the same skills.

Unfortunately, now that a magazine full of military surplus 5.56x45 is no longer the price of a fast food lunch, the only viable alternative for a civilian paying his own way is either to accept the limitations (no recoil, less accuracy from a conversion unit) of .22 LR, or opt for 5.45x39 out of an AK-74. Otherwise, it's too expensive a proposition to shoot EBRs other than in the contemplative, reserved manner that you describe above.

[bloomautomatic]

I have the ciener kit on my AR and it runs great. I've sold several of them and every one who bought them like them.

My opinion is the opposite of hawk's. If you enjoy shooting an AR - the feel, the fit, function, etc. Shooting .22's out of it differs only in recoil. Sometimes, such as on an indoor range, a .22 is the only option for rifle shooting. In that case, shooting a Marlin model 60 is a poor substitute for an AR. (not that there's anything wrong with a marlin 60, just using that as general purpose .22 rifle).

The ciener kit I have is identical to the cmmg version. Mine has flat slides, not round stock.

Vince

[Joe Smith]

It took a LOT of thinking and I considered all points of view before making a decision. I LOVE the AR and would still love it if it ran 22. In fact, lack of recoil is one thing I enjoy. And the badass looks too. And I would shoot it more if I converted it.

But in the end it was a cost factor. I don't want to spend $200 when I could get a .22 semi used for $80, scope the AR, and pick up some bulk .223 for the same price. I don't want the rifle for running the house, I have a pistol for that. I could use to do more CMP and swap in the scope and try longer range shooting, plink with the 22.



I am considering the conversion in the future if/when I sell some stuff I'm not using but not right now. This isn't the final word on the matter but for right now it's what I got.


Thanks for the replies and input, they have changed my logic on this quite a bit.

~B

[King 5.45]

Everybody has to come up with solutions that make sense for them, typically in the moment.

What I like about the conversion is that it gives me a somewhat imperfectly accurate .22 LR rifle in a case the size of a fancy watch box, no bigger. If I were absolutely hung up on accuracy first, I would go with a separate rifle, if I was okay with the extra space requirements. If we were in some sort of a post-apocalyptic world and I could hunt (would have to) squirrels with an AR without worrying about the PGC, a separate .22 LR upper with its own optic would be just the ticket.

[renegadephoenix]

Did you get a chance to shoot my Cienered AR at the last Group shoot at PMSC? if not, i'll be there for the next one and you can try it out. it might have you rethinking your position.

[Guns4Fun]

I have to say that my dedicated ar-22 is one of my favorite guns. It cost me a small fortune but it was worth it. I sbr'd it, bought a dedicated .22 upper and added a tac-65 can---if you add all that up with stamps and mags, i have over $1500 tied up in mine. But with 5.56 ammo at 350+ per case of 1k it has paid for itself. I typically shoot 500-1000 rounds of .22 through it every range trip. After about 500--600 rounds, i need to give it a quick clean / lube to prevent jams but other than that it is very reliable. My next favorite .22 plinker is my gsg-5---then the 10-22.

I understand your situation with funds but a .22 ar is a lot of fun to shoot on a regular basis for pretty cheap ammo costs.

I posted a pic of mine---sory for the poor pic quality.

[shootingolfballs]

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