22 LR Upper?

[DocGlenn]

Does anyone have a suggestion for a good, dedicated 22 LR upper? Looking for something as accurate and reliable as my 10-22. Any suggestions would be much appreciated. Thanks!

BTW, from what I've seen, you can get one of AR-15-22's (S&W 15-22) for about the same cost as an upper. Am I correct in thinking that you get a better gun overall when you put a 22 LR upper on a good lower or wold it make more sense to buy the "whole" gun in the form of an AR-15-22? I'd appreciate thoughts on this issue. Thanks again!

 

[pyplynr]

I'd say Nordic Components. But good luck finding one.

 

[bunsen27]

I'd say Nordic Components. But good luck finding one.

100% agree as they are AWESOME, but have been absolute unobtanium for the past 2 years. I think October 2011 was the last time they stayed "In Stock" on the website for more than a few hours. That's when I got mine. They had been "out of stock" since early May 2011 and intermittent at best prior to that all the way back to their July 2010 release.

Nordic has some "arrangement" with JP Enterprises and DPMS for their respective dedicated 22 uppers. Both are the Nordic design with a reasonable probability that Nordic is making a portion of the parts going into these. I'd go with DPMS before JP only because JP is too expensive by adding on the VTAC handguard and JP muzzle break to fully mimic the JP-15 upper.

 

[BigBlue&Goldie]

I'd say Nordic Components. But good luck finding one.

Nordic is what I run in our local 22lr matches. I have thousands of rounds through it and have never had a single malfunction, and that's with the cheap, plastic lipped Black Dog mags. I clean it every couple of thousand rounds and it runs like a top. I thought about the S&W 15-22, but it feels too much like a toy to me, and the cost was about the same.

 

[Baron85]

I run a tactical solutions upper and we have 4 in our family and friends. All run like tops after the initial break in. I run black dog gen x mags. The factory one works good too. I have never shot it off a bench for accuracy so I can't answer that for you but we have no problem with the dueling tree at the local range. Last time I had it out we were shooting with a guy that had the s&w 22 his had lots of jams. I highly recommend the tactical solutions. Only down side is they are very light weight if you are looking for a full weight trainer.

 

[slothlacrosse]

TacSol all the way. The M4 style upper has a nice weight. The bull barrel one is very light.

 

[Baron85]

AR22 .22LR Conversion | Tactical Solutions here is the link. I only have experience with ar22-lt. You won't be disappointed. Also worth mentioning the barrel is already threaded. I also have the glock 22 kit. The glock conversion is a little picky about ammo but the more I shoot it the better it gets.

 

[Redmanss]

I didn't realize the JP and DPMS were actually Nordic's uppers. I've been holding out forever to buy a Nordic and kick myself for not getting one a couple years ago when there was a discount code for them. This changes things....

Thanks guys for the info.

 

[DocGlenn]

Thanks guys! So DPMS would be worth a look since Nordic is heavily involved with them and Tactical Solutions also? Thanks guys. I appreciate the info!

 

[B3dlam]

I am just running a drop in conversion bolt form CMMG. It is by no means a tac driver but I have no issue with it running falling plates or anything of that nature. The nice thing about that particular setup is you keep your rifle basically feeling exactly the same with all the accessories you are used to including your nice optic. Just another option out there.

 

[ksthomas]

DocGlenn,

What are you looking to do with this? If it's to be used as an honest training rifle, take a look at the ones being done by Frank White of Compass Lake Engineering. I have one done by Derrick Martin of Accuracy Speaks many years ago. Frank's are right along this same line. Both were/are prietty pricey, but they both provide Anschutz or Walther levels of accuracy, and are very reliable. Most of the 22s that have come on the market inthe past few years (such as the S&W) feel like toys, don't use good quality barrels and can't deliver true match accuracy. Mine's built up as a deidcated 22 LR, weithed the same as my competition Service Rifles, same sights, same trigger, same everything. Feels EXACTLY like my XC-Service Rifles when in position, which is precisely what I was looking for. Like I said, it was pricey, but money well spent.

 

[DocGlenn]

DocGlenn,

What are you looking to do with this? If it's to be used as an honest training rifle, take a look at the ones being done by Frank White of Compass Lake Engineering. I have one done by Derrick Martin of Accuracy Speaks many years ago. Frank's are right along this same line. Both were/are prietty pricey, but they both provide Anschutz or Walther levels of accuracy, and are very reliable. Most of the 22s that have come on the market inthe past few years (such as the S&W) feel like toys, don't use good quality barrels and can't deliver true match accuracy. Mine's built up as a deidcated 22 LR, weithed the same as my competition Service Rifles, same sights, same trigger, same everything. Feels EXACTLY like my XC-Service Rifles when in position, which is precisely what I was looking for. Like I said, it was pricey, but money well spent.

I'm just looking to shoot more for less $. I'm not really training for anything, just shooting for fun, but I don't want to waste money on something that doesn't perform well in accuracy and durability. I'd like to have something the kids can shoot for a long time and enjoy.

 

[Redmanss]

I just got off the phone with JP and their cutting over to their own dedicated upper, so you cannot order the Nordic based one now. Apparently the new one will be running off of their own upper receivers for more compatibility with their other rifles. They said to look for it after the next SHOT Show or give them a call for more information. I guess I'll try DPMS or CLE.

 

[DJ716]

I have a Colt/Walther M16 22 SPR. It works great and is fun to shoot varments with, but it is heavier than my AR-15 .223 and has a longer barrel so it feels very different. It has an internal barrel with a barrel shroud that makes it look like a real AR-15 but it's not. I don't know how it would hold up to a lot of consistant shooting, since the internal barrel isn't very thick. Also you can't swap out the trigger like you can with a real AR platform. I'm looking for a good .22 upper that I can build to the same specs. as my .223 to either swap out with my .223, or to put on my .458 SOCOM lower to get a more comparable feel, or just build a whole second gun dedicated to .22 LR. DPMS looks like a good option. I know the S&W is built a little different, but you might want to look closly at how it is constructed to see if you think it will suit your needs.

 

[mbpike]

for what it's worth I've been fairly impressed with my CMMG upper that I bought about 2 years ago. Once I found a bulk pack brand of ammo that it likes it's been doing great. I use it with Black Dog mags. And it runs CCI standards w/ suppressor like a dream.

 

[tactserv]

.22lr AR Upper

Does anyone have a suggestion for a good, dedicated 22 LR upper? Looking for something as accurate and reliable as my 10-22. Any suggestions would be much appreciated. Thanks!

BTW, from what I've seen, you can get one of AR-15-22's (S&W 15-22) for about the same cost as an upper. Am I correct in thinking that you get a better gun overall when you put a 22 LR upper on a good lower or wold it make more sense to buy the "whole" gun in the form of an AR-15-22? I'd appreciate thoughts on this issue. Thanks again!

Frank White @ Compass Lake Engineering. Match Grade dedicated .22 lr uppers. The uppers use a modified M261 rimfire conversion unit. He will make any configuration you want. I have a DCM match rifle upper and a 10.5" upper that matches my DOE 9mm upper.

Not cheap, but your get what you pay for.

Mike

 

[odonnks]

Went through the same decision process. Then one day I walked into my favorite LSG and saw they got a shipment of Walther rimfires in.
Very impressed I purchased the HK 416. Unbelievably similar to a 5.56. It feels more like a 5.56 AR than my Colt M4.

Running anywhere between $460 and $550 it's worth every penny. I'd never consider a upper again.

 

[AXEMAN]

Nordic doesn't even reply to the PMs I have been sending since they became a sponsor or vendor here. I hear they are nice too, just cant get a reply. they said they were going to have specials when they got vendor/sponsor status. never saw that happen