AR15 Conversion kit to .22lr, any good? Worth having?

[Sthunter987]

So my son in law was up from Florida on some family business this week and he wanted to check out my AR15 because he got the "AR" bug recently. After looking mine over he informed me of this conversion kit. So here i am looking into it.

First off, I did the web search and found alot of info on this conversion kit. I also found Eskimos buy the most ice cream from the web too (believe what you like, lol). My point is the web is great reinforcing whatever you think if you look for it. I'm hoping for some real people who have this kit, used this kit or knowledge on this kit to lend a hand.

Does this kit really work that easy (change the charging handle and carrier bolt and off you go)? Is it worth owning this kit (I have 3 AR15s at the moment). Is it reliable? If so which manufacturer is the way to go?

I'm sure there's more questions I haven't thought of or questions I didn't mention so please feel free to add anything.

As usual thanks guys for your input.

 

[Slow Hand]

I have a CMMG kit I’ve had for a few years. Probably have a couple thousand rounds through it. It has been fun and generally reliable. They have to make them somewhat loose to be a drop in fit in any 223/556 AR, so they can have some slop in your rifle.
They are a simple swap, open up the AR, pull the bolt carrier drop the 22 conversion and shoot away. They will deliver good enough accuracy for close range drills and fun plinking. The bore of a 223 is slightly larger than .22lr bullets so you havw that. The twist rate isn’t really designed for the lighter 22 bullets either. I would advise against shooting through a 22 or 223 suppressor if you have one. I’ve shot mine with my 9mm cans and it was fine.
22 can also gunk up your gas system, so if you plan on shooting a lot of 22lr in a session, I’d recommend swapping back to 223 and firing a magazpine of full power ammo every 500 rounds or so. I would definitely recommend shooting a magazine of 223 ammo through the gun when you are finished with 22lr to ensure it still functions properly if you use that AR for any kind of defensive purposes. It should take a lot of lr rounds to really cause issues with the gas system but it’s better safe than sorry.
I have a mix of CMMG, and Black Dog magazines and they all work well, I even have a 50 round drum and it works well. I also have a Kel Tek SU-22 and it uses AR conversion mags so that’s why I have a larger number.
I think it’s the black dog mags that have an extended follower that will hold the bolt open when it’s empty, but it won’t lock it back. I don’t think they’re is enough bolt travel to be able to use the standard bolt catch either. But your other functions will be the same on your AR.

 

[Mason513]

Like the poster before me, I have had a similar experience to him. Reliability was pretty good, but .22 runs dirty, is finicky sometimes and isn’t made for 1/7 twist barrels. I eventually went with the MP 15-22, great little gun.

 

[hammerd13]

There really isn't that much money to be saved by going with an AR conversion vs buying a dedicated .22lr rifle.

My recommendation is that if you want to use .22lr in an AR platform, I'd skip the conversion kit and buy a rifle designed for .22lr from the beginning. The two best options (imo) are a Tippmann M4-22 Elite or M&P 15-22. I own both the Tippmann and M&P in .22lr and couldn't be happier. The Tippmann is more accurate than the M&P and would be my top choice (but either are very good firearms).

As was mentioned by Slow Hand and Mason513, the rifling on your 5.56/.223 AR barrel (1:7 or 1:8 usually) is not well-suited to making a .22lr fly straight (1:16 or 1:15 with Tippman and M&P, respectively).

Another issue is that once you set up your sights/optics on an AR platform in 5.56, it's not trivial to get it switched over to work with .22lr. Having a separate rifle for 5.56 and .22lr will eliminate the back-and-forth that would be necessary with using a conversion kit.

https://tippmannarms.com/dealer-portal/m4-22-rifles/firearms/

Good luck with your research!

 

[binkerton]

I bought the cmmg kit years ago at the 1500. I've used it a few times just for something different, but it mostly just sits on the shelf. It functions fine, came with 2 25rd mags that are a pain to load. The only ar I had to shoot it out of at the time was scoped and that was a pain too cause the poi was way off from where I had it sighted in for .223 rounds and I didnt feel like readjusting the scope every time. I honestly prefer to shoot dedicated .22 rifles over it but I recently thought about trying it out again just to see if my mood has changed on it. It is a neat idea, but I'd recomment having a decicated scope to swap with it or iron sights.

 

[Tyler-The-Piker]

I have a CMMG kit I’ve had for a few years. Probably have a couple thousand rounds through it. It has been fun and generally reliable. They have to make them somewhat loose to be a drop in fit in any 223/556 AR, so they can have some slop in your rifle.
They are a simple swap, open up the AR, pull the bolt carrier drop the 22 conversion and shoot away. They will deliver good enough accuracy for close range drills and fun plinking. The bore of a 223 is slightly larger than .22lr bullets so you havw that. The twist rate isn’t really designed for the lighter 22 bullets either. I would advise against shooting through a 22 or 223 suppressor if you have one. I’ve shot mine with my 9mm cans and it was fine.
22 can also gunk up your gas system, so if you plan on shooting a lot of 22lr in a session, I’d recommend swapping back to 223 and firing a magazpine of full power ammo every 500 rounds or so. I would definitely recommend shooting a magazine of 223 ammo through the gun when you are finished with 22lr to ensure it still functions properly if you use that AR for any kind of defensive purposes. It should take a lot of lr rounds to really cause issues with the gas system but it’s better safe than sorry.
I have a mix of CMMG, and Black Dog magazines and they all work well, I even have a 50 round drum and it works well. I also have a Kel Tek SU-22 and it uses AR conversion mags so that’s why I have a larger number.
I think it’s the black dog mags that have an extended follower that will hold the bolt open when it’s empty, but it won’t lock it back. I don’t think they’re is enough bolt travel to be able to use the standard bolt catch either. But your other functions will be the same on your AR.

^this^

 

[sheepdog697]

Cmmg kit works decent for plinking. As others have noted, dirty and not as accurate as a dedicated 15-22. I also have the mp 15-22, and i think if you want to spend a little more (back in the good times) it was worth the money to just have a dedicated 22 AR.

 

[fordfarmboy]

Cmmg kit works ,trained a lot with it,grandson likes it to

 

[fordfarmboy]

Get one these to load mags saves the thumb. https://www.mcfaden.com/McFadden-Machine-Lightnin-Grip-Loader-s/1828.htm

 

[themadmedic]

Similar experiences with the CMMG, ran fine but had to keep it clean and wet. Did have malfunctions from it once when it got cruddy that resulted in it not functioning properly-resolved with a wipe down and oil

 

[88E30M50]

The CMMG kit can be a great add-on for an AR owner. It lets you practice drills when full power ammo is expensive or hard to find. They are generally reliable enough to be worth having but as others have said, run them wet and clean the AR well when done

 

[2ndamendlover1]

So my son in law was up from Florida on some family business this week and he wanted to check out my AR15 because he got the "AR" bug recently. After looking mine over he informed me of this conversion kit. So here i am looking into it.

First off, I did the web search and found alot of info on this conversion kit. I also found Eskimos buy the most ice cream from the web too (believe what you like, lol). My point is the web is great reinforcing whatever you think if you look for it. I'm hoping for some real people who have this kit, used this kit or knowledge on this kit to lend a hand.

Does this kit really work that easy (change the charging handle and carrier bolt and off you go)? Is it worth owning this kit (I have 3 AR15s at the moment). Is it reliable? If so which manufacturer is the way to go?

I'm sure there's more questions I haven't thought of or questions I didn't mention so please feel free to add anything.

As usual thanks guys for your input.

I have the cmmg 22lr conversion kit and it works just fine just slap the bolt in and load the mags and start plinking...it does get dirty but u expect that with 22.. its a great thing to get the kids out shooting

 

[actaeon277]

There really isn't that much money to be saved by going with an AR conversion vs buying a dedicated .22lr rifle.

My recommendation is that if you want to use .22lr in an AR platform, I'd skip the conversion kit and buy a rifle designed for .22lr from the beginning. The two best options (imo) are a Tippmann M4-22 Elite or M&P 15-22. I own both the Tippmann and M&P in .22lr and couldn't be happier. The Tippmann is more accurate than the M&P and would be my top choice (but either are very good firearms).

As was mentioned by Slow Hand and Mason513, the rifling on your 5.56/.223 AR barrel (1:7 or 1:8 usually) is not well-suited to making a .22lr fly straight (1:16 or 1:15 with Tippman and M&P, respectively).

Another issue is that once you set up your sights/optics on an AR platform in 5.56, it's not trivial to get it switched over to work with .22lr. Having a separate rifle for 5.56 and .22lr will eliminate the back-and-forth that would be necessary with using a conversion kit.

https://tippmannarms.com/dealer-portal/m4-22-rifles/firearms/

Good luck with your research!

I agree with this, and I bought a M&P 15-22

 

[M1CARBINE]

Buy a dedicated upper, not much more and easier to switch

 

[B40B]

I also have/use the CMMG kit, have zero issues with it so far. I honestly reach for the 10/22 with a nice trigger if I ever want to really just plink with .22lr though...

 

[88E30M50]

The beauty of the conversion over an upper or complete rifle is that it let's you run drills with the same trigger and optic as you would be using normally. That gives you more trigger time with your complete setup, not just a part of it.

The conversion is a training tool. Better options exist for general plinking but in a time of ammo scarcity, the conversion increases training while reducing the impact on your 5.56 ammo supply

Sent from my SM-G986U using Tapatalk

 

[hammerd13]

The beauty of the conversion over an upper or complete rifle is that it let's you run drills with the same trigger and optic as you would be using normally. That gives you more trigger time with your complete setup, not just a part of it.

The conversion is a training tool. Better options exist for general plinking but in a time of ammo scarcity, the conversion increases training while reducing the impact on your 5.56 ammo supply

Sent from my SM-G986U using Tapatalk

This is a great perspective and a valid point.

It's worth mentioning though, that I run the same trigger, optic, foregrip, buttstock/brace on my M&P 15-22 and Tippmann .22lr training platforms as my BCM and DD 5.56/300 blackout big boy guns.

The M&P 15-22 will take just about any AR trigger assembly. Same for Tippmann, although a little more selective. I use Larue and Geissele triggers primarily. Tippmann also has forward assist, if you like to train with that feature.

 

[indysims]

Buy a dedicated upper, not much more and easier to switch

Agree 100%

 

[Master tech]

I've had great luck with my Ciener arms version. Eats cheap 22lr by the brick!