A couple of months ago i picked up a Nordic Components NC22 18" upper. Since then I have put about 4k+ rounds through it. So here is a review of the upper
Nordic Comp NC22 website
The Nordic is a complete upper with a free float hand guard and a stainless steel barrel in 16", 18" or 20". The 20" barrel are either .750 or .920 the rest are .750. It uses Blackdog mags, which I have found to be extremely reliable. I have heard that Blackdog has changed the design slightly which may require a minor mod to work ( only read this on the internet and can not confirm either way)
The bolt is similar to a 10/22 design and the extractor is the same. The bolt runs on rails in the upper, so you can not use a upper insert vice block when working on the upper, you need to use a clamshell design
The barrel comes with a flash hider that is easily removed. I pinned a JP Cooley comp on in its place, but quickly realized that even the copper washed bullets were leading up the comp pretty bad. So off came the comp and on went a YHM thread protector.
I have run Federal Bulk pack 550 and 525 (which are different) American Eagle and CCI AR Tactical through the upper with minimal problems. The biggest issue is that after 350 rounds the chamber will become dirty enough that it will stovepipe. A quick run of a bore snake once through the barrel and you a good for another 350 rounds. CCI AR is waxed covered and it will cause problems sooner. But once again a boresnake fixes it right up. I have had an occasional misfire. But these seem to be ammo related. If I rotate the round in the chamber, it will fire. This is using a Jard 3lbs trigger with lightened hammer springs. Now that I know it needs to be cleaned every 350 rounds, I run a boresnake before I hit the range. The last few times I have gone, I haven't had any problems
Accuracy with Federal Bulk pack is Ok, nothing great and I always seem to get a flyer that does its own thing, not sure why. CCI AR is much better. Both of these groups are at 25 yards off a bipod no rear rest using a Trijicon 3.5x
The rifle handles just like my .223 AR and I transfer the glass from one to the other to keep everything as similar as possible. The range I go to limits me to 25 yards, so I spend most of my time shooting 2" spinner from different positions and shooting USPSA paper or steel on the move or while practicing transitions.
I figure that 4K+ rounds of cheap .223 Tula would cost about $760 and the .22 upper was $425 plus ammo at an average of 500 for $20 is about $585, so I have saved $175 in 2 months.
If you are looking to practice your rifle skills for cheap, I highly recommend the Nordic
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