Just got this Spike’s .22LR upper and 6 BDM full size Ciener mags. I set the upper up to closely match my 12.5" 6.8SPC setup. Spike set up the barrel a bit too long, but it’s close enough for government work (as the saying goes).
I put a little Slip2000 EWL on the Ciener rails and hand cycled the bolt about 50 times. Then I ran 180 rounds through the upper across all 6 mags. No mag or upper related failures at all - just one round that failed to ignite (probably the ammo). Shot Aguila 38gr copper washed. Single ragged hole at 20 yards (indoor pistol range) shooting off a bipod.
I’ll be cutting the mag springs by 1" as suggested by BDM. Right now, it’s very hard to load more than 22-23 rounds into the mags.
What a great combination - I’ll be shooting this thing like crazy over the winter.
It’s set up so I can practice some basic drills while shooting ammo that costs a fraction of what 6.8SPC costs. Instead of owning six different AR-pattern configurations, I’ve decided to focus on a main gun and a practice gun, both set up very similarly.
Spike uses a modifier Ciener bolt - it mates to a dedicated 1:16 twist .22LR barrel with a proprietary extension.
$550 for the upper with Ciener kit installed (direct from Spike’s Tactical), $284 for the LT 10.0 handguard. Spike also installed the LT handguard at no extra charge.
I spoke to Spike about this at the last Miami gun show and they will do all sorts of custom lengths and profiles (although I believe the profiles cost more).
1. Support
DPMS no longer makes a .22LR upper - they’ve been in “redesign” for over a year. JAC continues to pump out kits, spare parts, etc.
2. Compatibility/Choice
Spike uses a modified Ciener kit, so you have choices like the BDM skinny or full size mags, enhanced spring kits from Lakeside Guns, etc. No one but DPMS makes mags for the DPMS uppers, and all those are 10-rounders.
3. Customization
Spike and Angela will work with you to configure an upper exactly the way you want it.
4. Communication
You can talk to Spike or Angela pretty much any time, via phone or email. Communication is top-notch.
I’ve had an M261, a DPMS dedicated .22LR M4 upper, and a Spike’s dedicated upper. The Spike’s is far and away my favorite (so far).
I too recently acquired a Spike’s Tactical .22LR M4-style upper with 16-inch barrel and several BDM full-sized magazines. It took about three weeks to receive my upper from the day I ordered it. Since then, in the span of about a week, I have put about a thousand rounds of assorted .22LR ammo through it without doing more than adding some lube once in a while. Although the magazine springs were a little stiff at first, after a few hundred rounds I had no trouble loading 25 rounds every time. Although lips-to-base about half an inch longer than a PMAG 30, BDM magazines fit in all the same magazine pouch shingles I use for said PMAGs. The BDM magazines are pretty sturdy, but I’m not tempted to drive a truck over them.
The only malfunctions I had were with Remington .22LR “Thunderbolt” rounds. For some reason, these so-called Thunderbolts did not want to feed all the way into the chamber – they would sometimes get a little stuck, as though they were just a little too fat, so that the bolt would not completely go into battery. But no worries, for everything else – the Winchester Super-X and the Wal-Mart Federal “550 Value Pack” ammo – fed great, without any problems whatsoever.
The upper is also plenty accurate. From the magazine-monopod prone, with irons, without trying particularly hard, I found that I was able to shoot about 2 inch groups at about 50 meters with the Wal-Mart ammo.
Of course, there is no recoil to speak of. And the bolt doesn’t lock back on an empty magazine like on a centerfire upper. But for certain kinds of training, such as reflexive or snapshot-type shooting, transition drills, &c., it is perfect. For field-expedient instant shooting gratification, you can also buy a bunch of cheap steel reactive portable popper type targets that are only designed to stop .22LR or lead handgun rounds, and shoot at those at distances that would be unsafe to shoot non-frangible 5.56mm or any kind of jacketed bullet at any kind of steel.
I highly recommend this upper. Besides its training value, it is a lot of splendid inexpensive fun. Once it pays for itself after another thousand or so rounds of .22LR, it will make shooting it practically free.
