Hi , I was thinking of taking one of my uppers and dedicating it to .22lr . I know alot of people will tell me to just buy a dedicated upper for that caliber , but I dont really have the cash to buy a $600 upper when I already have one I could use for it .That and if I ever want to switch back I could rather easily. My question is ,1.how reliable are the conversion kits out there? 2. And which one to recommend? 3. Will the .22 screw up a chromlined barrel ? 4. If I remove the gas tube will the round still function properly? 5. How much will the accuracy be affected with a 1/9 twist compared to the proper 1/16 twist? 6. Anybody out there think this is just a bad idea ?Sorry if there is already a thread on here about this I didn't look very far. Any info would be helpful. Thanks
Wow, lots of stuff here.
Basically, there are two "mainstream" conversions out there right now. One is based on the Atchisson/Ciener design, and sold by Ciener (he's a dick), CMMG, Spike's Tactical, etc. It looks like this:
The other is the USGI M261, which you can still find in it's USGI form, and is also marketed by Oly as their Rimfire Adapter (RFA). It looks like this:
Both can be had with 10-27 round magazines, depending on your need/laws. Both work essentially the same: remove the BCG, and slide in your unit (so to speak). So, to your questions:
1. My experience is both can be extremely reliable, given proper ammo, lubrication, and magazines. These can be somewhat ammo finicky, and don't usually like heavily lubed lead bullets. Luckily, they devour the cheap stuff like Federal Value Pak ammo. On this ammo, my M261 will run all day long without a hiccup, as fast as I can pull the trigger.
2. Although I have an M261, and I like it, if I were to get a new one tomorrow, I'd get a Atchisson/Ciener model, simply because they seem to be more popular, and I think long term parts availability may be greater. Beta vs VHS, IMO.
3. I don't know how. It's a copper washed lead bullet, at a
bunch slower velocity than M193. It certainly hasn't harmed my CL barrel.
4. Beats me. Sorry.
EDIT after I gave it some more thought: I'm sure you'd be fine without a gas tube, although you may blow some crap into the handguards. The conversion is strictly blow-back, and does not use the impinging gas system at all. In fact, both Spike's and Model 1 Sales' dedicated .22LR uppers come without a gas system installed. Spike's even includes a plug for the gas system with their conversion, but it's a PITA to remove the gas block to put it in place. Bottom line: you'd be OK without a gas tube.
5. No as much as you think. I can break clay targets (trap? skeets? What's the right name for those little guys) all day at 50 yards with my red dot. I usually clean up the leftovers on our range after the shotgun guys finish. Out at 100, I'm guessing I'm more like a 6" group or so. Great for casual plinking and training. Not a Service Rifle.
6. How can cheap shooting be a bad idea? Three main advantages, IMO: 1) I can shoot much cheaper. 1100 rounds of .22 is 2x$13.47=$26.94. 1000 rounds of .223 is at least $400; 2) I maintain the same manual of arms as my primary long gun. It's all good training--sights, trigger, mags, feel, everything; and 3) I can shoot my AR at any indoor range. I don't have to go outside or look for a public range. I'm just another .22 at the range.
Brownell's has the CMMG unit at $169 with the C&R discount, and an unconditional lifetime warranty. What are you waiting for?