AR-15 .22 upper VS. Ruger 10/22

[radioflyer]

My Fiance got me a .22 conversion kit for my AR for Christmas last year, but I've been noticing that the accuracy is pretty sad especially compared to the Ruger 10/22 I got her.

Understanding that the conversion kit's accuracy is not it's strong suit, I'd like to get a setup that is comparable to the 10/22. I've noticed that the dedicated .22 uppers for the CR are as much if not more than a brand new 10/22. I'm curious if there's any decided advantage to the .22 upper over just another .22 rifle.

 

[berettaprofessor]

Just buy yourself a Marlin 60 or 795 if you want to beat that 10/22. Your girlfriend did that on purpose.

 

[BillyJack3]

If you get an upper, you basically have a strong trainer for your AR set up. You can duplicate your AR upper set up and since your using the same lower, you're using the same, trigger, control group, grip etc. If your conversion was simply the BCG and your using your AR barrel, you don't have an optimal twist rate. That's throwing off your accuracy.

If you're not looking for a trainer, it's still an option but as you mentioned, you can get another rifle for the price of a .22 AR upper. I'm a big advocate of the M&P15-22.

 

[Onward Allusion]

Big difference between a conversion kit and a complete upper for 22LR. The conversion kit will never match the accuracy of an upper built in 22LR or a complete 22LR rifle. BTW, get a Marlin 60 if you want to shoot better than your GF.

BTW, it ain't the bullet diameter that is throwing you off on your AR conversion kit. It is the smooth bore in the 1st inch of the barrel and the 1:9 twist that gets ya (unless you're shooting Aguila SSS 60gr).

 

[Fishbed77]

In my personal experience a CMMG dedicated .22LR upper is much more accurate than an out-of-the-box Ruger 10/22.

 

[karlb]

I agree with Fishbed. My CMMG upper easily out shoots my 10/22. I never even shoot my Ruger anymore.

 

[CharlieDeltaJuliet]

+1 for a CMMG. I have their Quebec-A rifle(standard AR lower, .22 upper), it is a great shooter. It shoots as good as the wife's 10/22. I just prefer the AR style over the 10/22.

 

[Pfletch83]

I would have to say that you would be better off with a S&W 15-22.

If you want a high degree of accuracy the little rifle is hard to beat,plus it's a very good understudy for a centerfire AR.

I've had some pretty good groups with the CCI mini-mags (36 grain hollow points and 40 grain round nose)

The standard model is the best choice,you can set it up as you want later on.

Plus with either stock iron sights or a red dot optic it would make for a fine small game getter.

 

[Fishbed77]

I would have to say that you would be better off with a S&W 15-22.

That's OK if you want a plastic AR replica in .22LR.

If you want a real AR in .22LR, with parts interchangeability, and the same feel and construction as any other AR, it's hard to beat CMMG's offerings.

 

[krunchnik]

I will have to agree on the CMMG complete upper.This is their Sierra model on a DPMS lower.I sure cant complain on the accuracy,and no malfunctions of any sort.

 

[Marquezj16]

For about the price of an upper (more or less), you can get a complete rifle in a M&P 15-22. Two rifles are always better than one. Careful about letting your girlfriend shooting it though. She may take it away from you.

 

[radioflyer]

Is there an accuracy/reliability difference between the Complete AR.22 (like the S&W) vs the CMMG upper?

 

[Crow Hunter]

The CMMG upper didn't used to actuate the bolt hold open. You had to get an add on kit and use special magazines.

I don't know if that is still the case or not.

Fishbed77 probably knows for sure.

Personally, I went with the M&P 22-15.

I have one set up as close as possible to my Colt 6920, I have the other setup as a lightweight tree rat rifle.

Significantly lighter than both of my other tree rat eradicators a Marlin 39a and a Marlin 881.

 

[Fishbed77]

Is there an accuracy/reliability difference between the Complete AR.22 (like the S&W) vs the CMMG upper?

In my experience, the CMMG uppers are very reliable with a wide variety of .22LR ammo. Here is a link to my experience with my CMMG WASP upper:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=668410&highlight=cmmg+wasp

I can't comment on the S&W M&P15-22, as I don't have extensive experience with them, but the concensus is that they are quite reliable as well.

I believe either option is a good choice, but as mentioned above, I prefer the parts interchangeability, feel, and construction of the CMMG offering over the S&W. I lilke the fact that the CMMG is a real AR-15 (chambered in .22LR), as opposed to the plastic proprietary construction of the S&W. I can confirm that the CMMG uppers are very accurate out-of-the box.

The CMMG upper didn't used to actuate the bolt hold open. You had to get an add on kit and use special magazines.

I don't know if that is still the case or not.

The CMMG upper will hold the bolt open, but only if you install a Bolt Hold-Open Adapter (BHOA) in the lower (it's a drop-in piece). You will need to use either CMMG magazines or the Black Dog magazines (my preference) with hold-open compatible followers.