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What 22lr uppers should I look at?
- Thread starter higginsworksforme
- Start date
For an AR? Start with a CMMG bolt and a Catch-22 bolt catch, and build your own.
Really depends on what you want to do with it. If you want a more precision oriented AR22, JP would be the way to go. Outside of that most of them will work just fine for plinking and CQB training where you can't use centerfire rounds. I built my own with an Aero Precision Receiver, CMMG Bolt + Barrel, and BoreBuddy tuning bits. It runs just fine but will only do 2-3 MOA. Works great on the action range for some cheap fun.
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I would probably just go the CMMG/BoreBuddy route for parts in that case. You can even match your full size AR's receiver, handguard, MD, etc so it feels about the same.
JP and Keystone look awesome, especially if you want something a bit more precision oriented. The JP-22R may fill your objectives.
I bought a Rainer Arms RUC upper, back when they still made those. It works incredibly well as a .22lr upper. Zero malfunctions, its a lot of fun to shoot.
The CMMG route and mimicking the build of your regular ar15 seems like a solid route.
I bought a Rainer Arms RUC upper, back when they still made those. It works incredibly well as a .22lr upper. Zero malfunctions, its a lot of fun to shoot.
The CMMG route and mimicking the build of your regular ar15 seems like a solid route.
CMMG dedicated upper runs great. Fill in the groove on the charging handle to keep failure to eject problems from the spent casings getting stuck between the handle and the bolt carrier. Mine runs great. A few issues when new, has run 1000s or rounds with out a problem.
- Nov 3, 2010
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Pretty happy with my cmmg. Got the kit with the bcg and barrel and used an aero upper and bcm rail.
Another vote for CMMG bolt and barrel. I got my receiver and forearm from Rightobear in Florida. I used the 15" forearm and the CMMG barrel was 17" even though they call it a 16 so the fit was perfect. Most other barrels are 16" and your compensator will not be accessible so you would need a 13" forearm for those. Add the Bore Buddy deluxe bolt tuning kit and it will perform flawless. BB also offers a 21" barrel that I personally have not tried but others have loved. I also recommend the Better Mag adapter so you can use Smith and Wesson 15/22 magazines and the bolt will lock open on last round. I have run thousands of rounds through this setup and any problems are ammo related. The gun is as accurate as the ammo you are willing to pay for.
If you are looking for match quality get out your wallet and get a JP.
I've been happy with my Rock River .22 Complete Upper, Had a CMMG that accuracy was awful. I have a Compass Lake but have never shot it.
I'd avoid JP rimfire barrels for precision work unless you go with their new JPRFX which is only available as a full build right now and it sounds like they have no plans to sell the barrel alone. I've had 2 of their older supermatch barreled uppers, and while they were 100% reliable accuracy was unimpressive to say the least, and we've heard other reports of the same. Even in the manual for the barrel JP states that the best you should possibly expect is ~1MOA with top quality target ammo at 50yds, and 1.5-2 MOA at 50 yds with standard match ammo. When I asked JP about about the poor accuracy I had experienced, I was told their supermatch rimfire barrel was never designed for precision the chamber/barrel was designed for ultimate reliability as an AR trainer.
That said if you are not looking for super accuracy and just training, it has been super super reliable, just not accurate.
That said if you are not looking for super accuracy and just training, it has been super super reliable, just not accurate.
He my as well build his own then. I get those kind of numbers with my CMMG. I was referring to JPRFX in my comment. Thats why he need to get off his wallet. I saw Josh on Pursuit of Accuracy with one and he was shooting 200yds I believe with one. He hammered his KYL at 100 with that thing. I just cant see getting off 4g of cheddar to get it any more than I will for a Rim X or V22. If I had that kind of money to throw around I wouldnt be shooting bulk 22 rounds and reprofiling them for better accuracy......LOL
Just to piggyback here....
Is the M&P15-22 Sport still a decent trainer?
Used to be the only off the shelf option that mimicked a full sized AR pretty well.
Is the M&P15-22 Sport still a decent trainer?
Used to be the only off the shelf option that mimicked a full sized AR pretty well.
Agreed, unless you don't care about accuracy the standard JP is not impressive aside it's super reliable, or you get a unicorn that's a shooter. If all you want is a trainer for an AR that's okay, but considering it's a $600 barrel, that's a lot for something that's not bringing accuracy to the table. If you don't care about accuracy it's not hard to make a semi-auto 22 reliable, you just open up the chamber more and ensure your feeding/extraction is reasonable. If you care about accuracy with JP the only option is the JPRFX, which I'm sure will sell, but the price is ridiculous. Reasonably outfitted how anyone in precision games is going to want it, it's in the $3.5-4k range. That's a chunk of $ more than a vudoo in an MPA chassis. Basically the same price as a JP 6.5 LRP-07 rig. It's not even *if* you can afford it, at some point it's just not worth it. I guess if I had lottery win money I wouldn't care but at some point it's the principal of the thing.
If I was going to roll the dice on another 22 upper for accuracy I'd probably try Keystone Accuracy, but I'm actually okay with it being ammo/cleaning picky, but I want it to be accurate.
If I was going to roll the dice on another 22 upper for accuracy I'd probably try Keystone Accuracy, but I'm actually okay with it being ammo/cleaning picky, but I want it to be accurate.
I have 3. Nordic and PSA (both purchased as complete uppers) and one I just built using bore buddy bolt and beyer barrel. All three run without a hiccup. Not enough rounds to really compare accuracy but the Nordic is better than the PSA. Beyer shows a lot of promise.
My advise would be to go Nordic unless you plan to build with quality components, specifically the barrel.
My advise would be to go Nordic unless you plan to build with quality components, specifically the barrel.
From what I've heard it still a decent option. I know it has some reliability issues and don't know of any "kits" that fix it like the stuff BoreBuddy makes for the CMMG style systems.
I have one and the only memorable malfunctions happened when it was 40 degrees and the wax on the bullets gummed up.
Sorry, I guess that might have made them sound unreliable. I've heard of some issues with them jamming occasionally, but overall it seems solid.
IIRC, it is limited on customization options though. I think I've seen some adapters that let you run other handguards and such though.
There was also something weird with the first generation muzzle threading. I think the flash hider was glued on or something and you had to get an adapter to use something else. This was several years ago though.
1st ones didn't come with threaded muzzles so only option was set-screwed clamp-on adapters.
I have the M&P 15-22 and it has never had a problem, "EVER". It has been upgraded with the VQ performance bundle, Carbon Fiber barrel with compensator, Precision DLC bolt, firing pin ($520) a two stage TT Diamond trigger ($250). Very accurate for a semiautomatic 22lr.
Got this MP15-22 (and SBRed it) when they first came out. It's seen many, many cases of CCI Blazer. Very reliable feeding and ejection if you DO NOT use the ammo that the manual says not to use.
This one is a DIY built around a CMMG bolt, Catch-22 bolt catch, and a RightToBear-branded pencil barrel. It handles like a real carbine vs. the plinker that the MP feels like.
To answer your question, no, would not go with the MP15-22 as a trainer if there was an all-metal option.
Even if you went all-in on modding a MP15-22, the core is still plastic meaning that there'll be flex so you can induce misses if your technique involves muscling the gun onto target or aggresively pulling the rifle into your shoulder.
I've filled the "buffer tube" and foregrip on the MP with steel tumbling media to add some heft but it still doesn't have the real-steel-feel of the DIY gun.
And if you like switching out triggers, you might have to do some fiddling to get the MP to run right. S&W did some generational changes to the bolt and put a pretty substantial firing pin spring in later ones. That and the head of the firing pin being a shallow cone shape means you will have to find a trigger set with a non-notched hammer (where the strking surface actually contacts the firing pin), and with a full power hammer spring. The CMMG-parts gun has no problem with the Hyperfire trigger that's in it.
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If you're wanting to build a precision AR15 in 22LR, I can recommend building an upper with a Keystone barrel. This is what my son did and he is getting insanely good results. I'm currently using SK LR brown box in my Vudoo 360 and getting not quite cloverleaf groups, and he is using SK Standard+ yellow box and getting smaller groups than me. And he is now beating me regularly in monthly matches. That Keystone barrel truly impressed us.
20” length and “.875 Comp” contour according to the invoice.
How's it when you disassemble/reassemble receivers without the collar holding the bolt carrier together, does the bolt carrier want to come shooting out of the upper?
I would assume Keystone would machine in some detents for the little clip mechanism on the BCG.
It would try to pop out if you didn't stick your finger over it, but I wouldn't say it wants to come shooting out. It's a fairly weak spring. It would probably fall on the floor at your feet.
Keystone has/had a vid showing how to mod the rails. In the vid, those hooks get ground off and the rails are angled to fit in the slots in their machined extension. I've always wondered what held it all together while your installing the carrier (Kriss's solution in their .22 POS was to install a set screw to retain the bolt on the carrier).
They don't as far as I know. That would probably lock the bolt into the upper permanently, because there's no gap between the barrel extension and the inside of the upper receiver. We ground our "claws" down smooth and it hasn't been an issue, other than the back plate wants to pop out when you separate the receivers.
I have the CMMG bolt set up with bore buddy adds. Also have the Better Mag adapter.
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While it's not a keystone, it would work for it as well.
The build/bolt carrier modification is similar to what needs to be done for a KRISS barrel adapter and a CMMG (or similar) bolt mating. What I did to hold the bolt together for disassembly , is drill a 1/8" hole in the on the left side rail, and use a binder clip arm that I clipped the ends to make an "L". An allen Key trimmed up would work fine also.
When the bolt is installed in the receiver, pull back the charging handle, put the hook in, then you can pop the rear pin and pull the bolt assembly out without it flying apart. When you reassemble the bolt, pull back the bolt body, insert the hook and install in the receiver. Sometimes the handle of the hook hangs up near the extractor cut, but it's easy to move. Removing the hook is the same process as putting it in.
The hook is another thing to keep track of, but it does work.
I did have a problem drilling into the rail...FYI: if your bit isn't cutting, it's work hardening the stainless steel...stop ASAP. I ended up having one of the shop guys drill the hole for me, in a new spot...same area though.
DW
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