22LR AR Build.

[ShooterwithNoName]

I've been hunting parts down for this thing for over a year. I finally happened upon a barrel. I had been searching for a complete upper but haven't seen one for sale in years.

This barrel/bolt combo is from an old 1st gen DPMS A/B-22 dedicated 22LR upper. These weren't made for very long and are kind of hard to find nowadays. They are based on the old Colt .22LR conversion. But instead of a chamber adapter, they have a slip block similar to a CMMG.

I have several of these Colt conversions and 8 mags, which is the reason I sought the DPMS out over the CMMG which is easy to get. But now that I have an original barrel, I can get a new barrel made much easier.

I wanted to make a trainer for high power. Since I already have the mags, this set up should fit the bill. It drops in any AR upper so I can build it to clone my high power rig. I'm going to pick up a Douglas .22LR blank. Then I just have to find someone to duplicate the DPMS barrel but with a 20" HBAR profile.

I'm going to go ahead and assemble the 16" and try it out. I am probably going to get the 16" barrel threaded.

You guys have any recommendations on who would be able to duplicate this DPMS barrel? It's almost identical to a CMMG barrel but the extractor cuts are in different locations. Looks like the DPMS barrel is one piece, no threaded extension.

 

[TerryH]

Keystone made a nice job of mine a while back: https://www.keystoneaccuracy.com/match-grade-uppers.html

I had a 2 groove Benchmark barrel as the base for the build, slightly heavier profile to balance the bloody heavy stock I wanted to use

 

[Pre-64]

You're killing me with the socks and sandals, I can't read or look at anything but your feet in that picture. How can one function doing that?

 

[ShooterwithNoName]

Lol, yea those are basically my house shoes. But my damn feet get cold, lol. I take my work boots off on the porch and just slip these on til I get to the bathroom.

I have heard those Keystone 22lr uppers are really good shooters. I have test fired this one just to function test, it runs great. I'm going to probably have the DPMS barrel cut down and threaded after I get a new one made. I am gonna try it out this weekend and see how it does. Try it at 50yds.

 

[TimK]

Keystone is out of the .22 upper business. I called them today to try to order one, they said they didn't have time. My Compass Lake experiment was a disaster and now I'm on the hunt for another high quality .22 upper. Sheesh. You'd think there'd be a big market for these things, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

 

[ShooterwithNoName]

Keystone is out of the .22 upper business. I called them today to try to order one, they said they didn't have time. My Compass Lake experiment was a disaster and now I'm on the hunt for another high quality .22 upper. Sheesh. You'd think there'd be a big market for these things, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

That's too bad Keystone got out of the rimfire uppers. They make quality barrels, never tried one of their rimfire set ups.

I've had really great luck so far with this old DPMS set up. It's just an old Colt conversion set up with a dedicated barrel. The barrel and extension are very similar to the CMMG dedicated barrels but the extractor cuts are clocked different on the Colt/DPMS.

I'm going to convert my Colt kit to this setup too. Have another barrel made to the same profile as my service rifle barrel. I'm going to make the stainless adapter that slips over the barrel extension, the silver part that the carrier threads into and has the feed ramp, at work on the lathe and Bridgeport.

Blackdog makes mags and has spare parts for the Colt conversion. Maybe better off going to a CMMG dedicated barrel and conversion kit. Lots of support for that set up. Nordic also makes a really nice dedicated rimfire upper:

22RB Dedicated 22 Upper - Nordic Components

Nordic Components' 22RB Dedicated 22 Upper converts your AR15-pattern rifle into a dedicated 22 rimfire just by changing upper receivers.

nordiccomp.com

 

[ShooterwithNoName]

Been out playing with this little rifle today, me and my son... It makes for an excellent little trainer.

These Blackdog Colt/DPMS conversion mags are really great for these little guns. Maybe a little long, lol, but they are top notch so far for me. They hold 32 rounds and are made of some type of polymer.

Mounted an Athlon 3-15x on it I picked up here on the PX. It is zeroed and we are going to shoot some groups with different ammo tomorrow. It loves CCI Mini-Mags and Velocitors. Got a temporary makeshift handguard set up on it for now. I'm ordering this set up to be the permanent home for this conversion:

- NBS Slick Side Billet Receiver & M-LOK Handguard Combo - AR15Discounts

This NBS Slick Side Billet Upper Receiver and M-LOK Handguard combo was designed and machined to match up beautifully together.

ar15discounts.com

My son has his heart set on a folding Sig MCX adapter and skeleton stock. I looked at the KNS picatinny stock adapter as I figure the MCX adapter won't align right with a standard upper.

I have the material together to make another conversion trunnion to slip over the barrel. Just gotta get a .22RF blank and get a duplicate turned. All in good time, maybe something I can undertake at work on the old South Bend now that I've got it dialed in better.

 

[bhoges]

I have 2 dedicated builds. One is a DMPS and the other is a JP. Both shoot about 1/2-3/4 inch at 50 yards and run very well. I only shoot match ammo though them. Keep in mind you want a 1/16 twist in a 22LR.

 

[ShooterwithNoName]

Been in mind you want a 1/16 twist in a 22LR.

That JP is amazing, that's a nice rig they really are top notch. My 16" DPMS barrel is 1:16 so that's what I planned to duplicate. Seems to be most blanks I've looked at are 1:16 for .22RF. Lothar Walther has rimfire blanks for a decent price and I've been pondering one of them.

 

[ShooterwithNoName]

Tried a few groups today at 50yds with this 16" barrel. It shoots surprisingly well for what it is. Was shooting CCI Mini Mags so nothing special on the ammo either. But not bad I thought.

I have some Eley Match ammo stowed away I may try in it just to see how well it does. I am sure it can do better than above so why not try it and see...