22lr AR Project

[GarandTd]

I put my gun enthusiasm on the back burner for a while thanks to current events. Other than a hiccup last summer, I did alright, but the itch came to me in January and parts started to trickle in. By late February the trickle became a stream.

It started as a standard stripped upper receiver and in the end, I decided to build a dedicated 22lr upper receiver. Got all the key components together and was able to try it out today. It was pretty windy so I did a rough sight in at 25yds. I was able to get my irons on pretty quickly, but I don't like them....(I cheaped out, my own fault). Since I didn't like the irons, I mounted a 4x scope from my 5.56 upper. Interestingly, that scope was close enough that no adjustments were necessary. Shot about 100 rounds of 3 different ammos with zero failures. I was able to rapid fire a magazine into a silver dollar size spot.

I'll get out there again when the wind settles and try some further distances.

[GarandTd]

Likes: It's not plastic
Seems to shoot well
Looks cool
I have ammo for it
Dislikes: I like the handguard, but prefer the feel of my
Magpull MOE handguard
I bought crappy sites when I knew better
The trigger feels different

[GarandTd]

Here's a mock-up before everything was tightened up..no sights or scope. 5.56 upper above it.

[9x19]

Congrats on the new build.

I have a few rimfire ARs, and they can be a lot of fun.

[GarandTd]

Thanks, 9x19. I usually gravitate towards less expensive things, but in this case, I just didn't want a plastic look alike.

This was my 1st upper build. I wanted to try features that I don't have on my 5.56 carbine, but didn't want to change that one. My ammo supply also pointed me toward a 22lr chambering.

[Joe-ker]

Looks good. I’m tempted to build one. But I have a hammer forged 10/22 that doesn’t get enough use as it is.

[GarandTd]

Thanks, Joe-ker. My only other SA 22lr rifle is a Remington Apache 77. It's related to the Nylon 66 family.
This dedicated upper has been 100% reliable. I was able to take a scope from my 5.56 upper, slap it on the 22 upper and rock-'n'-roll with only minor adjustments. I'm very happy with the outcome.
I haven't had a calm, non windy day yet to really see what it can do. Had one failure, but it was clearly an ammo failure.

[darkgael]

I have always been concerned with lead contaminating the gas system. Have you had any problems with that?

[GarandTd]

There is no gas system. This is a dedicated 22 upper, not a conversion. The 22lr bolt assembly is blowback operated and is all contained in the space that the center fire bcg would occupy. The buffer/spring are also not necessary The barrel has a 1:16 twist rate for 22lr and no gas port.

[Shadow9mm]

looks really slick, I gotta admit. I might have to get a dedicated 22lr upper at some point, since 223 is scare and expensive.

[GarandTd]

Got some slightly better irons and a little time at the range to get them sighted in. At 50 yards, my iron sight group on a paper plate compared favorably to a group shot with a fixed 4x scope. At 25 yards, everything shot well except armscor. It shot low. 5 different kinds of ammo. 3 different bullet weights. 3 Lead Round Nose, 1 Copper Plated Round Nose, 1 Copper Plated Hollow Point. No failures.

Thinking about using this rifle for an Appleseed event.

[9x19]

Good shooting.

I like those UTG folding sights myself. I think I have them on just about every rimfire AR I own. There are better sights, for more money, but they have served me fine for the limited amount of open sight shooting I do these days.

[jetinteriorguy]

I like this idea, never been a fan of the AR15 .22RF look alikes.

[GarandTd]

The detent for the front sight gave me some issues, but I was able to sort it out. I think these UTG sights will do. I couldn't bring myself to spend $100+ on battle sights for a 22, but the hot trash I picked up first wasn't going to work.

[GarandTd]

I did some standing offhand shooting at 50 yards today. With the irons, I was hitting clay pigeons(stationary) consistently. That was enough to make me happy. I don't shoot unsupported with rifles as much as I should.

[Hdonly]

I built a dedicated .22lr from stuff I had laying around. Plugged the gas port up. Pulled the spring and buffer out. Cut a piece of pvc pipe to butt up against the .22 bolt carrier when the upper is closed. Just a lot of fun. I love shooting .22lr.

[zukiphile]

Originally Posted by GrarandTD

I don't shoot unsupported with rifles as much as I should.

There's an online match at RFC. https://www.rimfirecentral.com/forum...play.php?f=327

[GarandTd]

I should have paid closer attention to the Project Appleseed rules and prep instructions. I bought a 2 point quick adjust sling from STI. I'm very happy with the sling, but I'm not sure it's right for Appleseed. I'm now working on fitting my M1 sling to my AR so that I can actually utilize their specific training and adapt it to my needs.

[GarandTd]

I'm now looking at a wire connect sling attachment for my Magpul MOE butt stock. I plan to run the cable through the paracord hole and utilize the sling from my M1 Grand. How does that sound?...

[smee78]

That's one of the best looking AR 22 uppers I have seen in a long time. What barrel did you use? Congrats on the build.

[GarandTd]

Thanks smee78. The barrel is RTB(Right To Bear). I believe the RTB branded items are made by CMMG. It is a 16" 1/16 twist pencil profile. Although there is no gas port or need, this barrel still has the shoulder for 1 at the midlength position. Just a cheap thread protector on the end.

[GarandTd]

I registered for a Project Appleseed shoot next weekend. I'm taking this rifle. I hope to get a little practice in this week before the event. I need to get everything buckled down with a little loctite. I didn't want to do that til I was done shifting and adjusting.

[GarandTd]

Double post

[9x19]

Good luck at the match!

I've built a couple with parts from Right To Bear (uppers and BCGs), no complaints with quality, fit or finish.

.17 HM2 (Lothar Walther barrel)


.22 LR (CMMG barrel)

[GarandTd]

9x19, do you have standard charging handles on those? Does the folded rear sight interfere at all with charging the rifle? I felt like the sight was crowding my fingers at the charging handle so I moved it up a couple slots to above the shell deflector.

I like the smaller ejection port on your uppers. I wasn't originally planning a rimfire build, hence the Mil-Spec upper receiver (and ejection port). I need a dust cover to hide the gap behind the bolt.