Hrmmm… I can’t decide. I was suppose to pick up a used M&P 15-22 when I got paid the other day but the guy who was suppose to “hold” it for me bitched out for an offer of $20 dollars more after agreeing to hold it for me for a couple days.
I hit my local gun shop and the ONLY M&P 15-22’s they had where the straight non-flash hider versions, I for sure want the A2 birdcage.
Now thinking, should wait on that or maybe just get a CMMG conversion or build a dedicated lower.
The CMMG stainless conversion is by far the cheapest option at $159.00 with one magazine but it would be nothing for me to put 500+ rounds threw the gun in one range session so I don’t know if I want to put that much .22LR threw my standard AR upper. Don’t know what affects it can have on over time.
What are the advantages and disadvantaged to each options?
Thoughts?
What I liked about the M&P 15-22 was I could Airsoft (China special) it out with cheap parts for the tacti-cool look and the stuff would all hold up to .22LR. Don’t need quality parts for a .22LR weekend plinker.
Gotta figure something out, I haven’t been able to afford to shoot my AR’s in months. I got tons of 5.56 but the stuffs like shooting gold so I tend to only fire 20~30 rounds per range session.
More .22 LR barrels are worn out by cleaning than they are by shooting. In general, .22 LR bullets are soft lead and lubricated. The rounds are slow moving and there is very little powder charge to drive the bullets, so barrel erosion isn’t a problem. Run a bore snake thru the barrel every 500 rounds or so when you are shooting .22s, clean the powder fouling out of the FCG and fire a round or 2 of 5.56 and you should be good to go. A conversion should work out fine for you.
If you’re still concerned about your upper, consider buying a good quality dedicated .22 LR upper from Tactical Solutions or Spikes. Nordic Components is also coming out with one any day, and CMMG is releasing an improved version of their dedicated .22 upper in July. That way you can practice with the same lower, trigger, etc. as your 5.56 and swap them out in a few seconds. It’s the most expensive of the 3 solutions, but it is a good one.
I know the wear concern is less with a .22lr conversion in the same HD upper, but the cleaning would bother me. I think for the price of an upper or M&P 15-22, you cant argue if it is indeed a defensive gun.
What bothers you about it? All you have to do is what man43 said:
I shoot Federal #750 bulk pack in my CMMG conversion. And I usually shoot a full pack (550 rounds) each time I go out. I finish up with a few rounds of 5.56 and my rifle just isn’t so dirty that a wipe down and a bore snake won’t do it.
My Cmmg has run flawlessly. I used it in 3 different AR’s a couple days ago.
After shooting .22 I run a boresnake through the barrel while it’s warm. Drop the 5.56 B/C/ in and fire 5 rounds of 5.56.
When I get home, I give it a proper cleaning.
I also only use copper washed ammo. It tends to leave less lead and crud.
How does the CMMG kit compare to the older Ceiners?
I used one (Ceiner) once and it mucked up my chamber and FCG so bad, I quit shooting it after a few hundred rounds. I’ve heard the CMMG kits are better but no mention of the crud dumped into the gun.
I went with the M&P, it gets cleaned with a bore snake and a rag about every 500 rounds. I had to send it off to S&W for the blue springs but now it works flawlessly. Pretty accurate and very easy to shoot. I have no regrets.
That is a hard decision - it really all depends on what you want to do with the .22 version.
Conversion Unit:
Pros:
Least expensive alternative
Maintains the same weight and balance as your 5.56
Allows you to use the sights, fire control group and any other accessories you use with your 5.56
Provides good plinking accuracy and loads of fun
Cons:
Least accurate choice (but still good for plinking)
M&P 15-22:
Pros:
Gives you another whole gun to shoot
Somewhat cheaper than a dedicated upper
All controls including the bolt release function like a regular AR
Allows you to install AR 15 rails, sights and other accessories, including the FCG
Does not dirty up your 5.56 lower when shooting .22s
Most owners report good accuracy
Cons:
Has some polymer parts - you be the judge if that is undesireable
Weight and balance are significantly different from an all-metal AR
Dedicated Upper:
Pros:
Allows you to use sights, fire control group and any other accessories made for AR 15s
Usually the most accurate choice
Maintains the same weight and balance of an all-metal AR
Cons:
Most expensive choice
Requires you to buy new iron sights or optics, or requires you to switch them out from your 5.56
Bolt release is non-functioning (Except that CMMG is coming out with a new version that functions normally. They are also coming out with parts that will work with other .22 uppers that will make them functional.)
You have to decide which works out best for you. I chose a Tactical Solutions M4 dedicated upper. (And then I bought a LT version too.) I’m very happy with both uppers - they are accurate, reliable and are so much fun they should be illegal.
Hey I see you’re in Michigan, me too. I’ve got one for sale. It’s the A2 birdcage model you are looking for. Selling it with 2 mags, case, and a TruGlo Red/Green dot, along with the irons and a riser for the dot sight. I’ve got under 2k rounds through it. PM me if you are interested. Still looks brand new.
Today I ran 250 rounds of American Eagle 40 grain throught a S&W 15-22. It ran flawless. I did not have time to shoot more. I ran three seperate magazines. I would like to buy two more so I can shoot more and reload less. It took me months to make the decision to buy. I wish I had done it sooner.
I plan to buy a ligh and replace the stock and grip with the same tha is on my other guns. I might opt for the straight moe instead o the CTR for this gun. I think it is a commercial size extension.
I picked up a 15-22 and haven’t looked back since. In the 500+ rounds I have put through it I have only had one problem and that was because I didn’t put the last round in correctly. It accepts all the AR bits and pieces I want to try out and it functions as intended, I can’t ask for more.
I started off with a conversion kit, had hiccups. (FTE, FTF…)
I moved onto the dedicated upper. (Finicky, but worked with CCI, cost close to 900.00)
I finished at the m&p 15-22 and it runs everything I feed it and it was half the price.
Just a heads up, it’s actually mil-spec. That’s the thing I really enjoy about it. I can run my 5.56 and .22 furniture between the two. One month the big boy is in dark earth and the 15-22 is black, next month the .22 might be sporting the magpul stock, grip, and rail covers.
Nice for turning my Daniel Defense back into fighting rifle colors, since I don’t have a whole lot of sand here in Michigan that I need to blend in with. But those black rifles have a tendency to stay camo’d after dark…
**Also the 15-22 is still for sale. PM me if interested. I’ll upload it in equipment exchange eventually…
I don’t know if any of you know this (especially with my being new here), but CMMG recently put out some products that in my opinion will make the Conversion and the 15-22 less desirable(an earlier poster mention their new dedicated upper). For $550 they have a dedicated .22lr rifle and for $350 they have dedicated uppers. They are also putting out a drop in $20 adapter to make Bolt hold open work and another adapter to make the forward assist functional.
When their website is back up I will be sure to edit my post with the links.
I had a Mega receiver, old Eotech and and DPMS forearm tube laying around. I bought the CMMG Dedicated .22 Barrel and Stainless Steel Bolt Assembly and dropped it on my Bushy lower. It has been great little gun. It will hold sub 1/2" @ 25 yard with Winchester “555” HP bulk ammo with a good piece of glass. Bought some Black Dog magazines from 44mag.com and I have a great little .22 for less than 300 bucks! It feels like one of my regular AR’s.
But those black rifles have a tendency to stay camo’d after dark…