AR-styled .22 rifles

[White Horseradish]

There has been a whole bunch of .22 AR-style rifles put on the market recently. I'm thinking of getting one for my kids. Is there a good comparison of the different brands somewhere? Opinions/recommendations  would be interesting, too.

[AmbulanceDriver]

have you considered a .22LR upper for an AR?  Gives the kids something that can grow up with them.  Start with the .22 upper, then transition to the .223/5.56 upper when appropriate.

[HankB]

I have an M&P 15-22 which works well - I've got about 500 rounds through it so far with zero malfunctions. I've been using CCI AR Tactical ammo and Federal value pack 36 grain plated JHP.

It's also the first firearm I've bought that recommends some specific brands/types of .22 ammo in the manual, as well as some specific ones to avoid.

[Boomhauer]

M&P 15-22 Good. This is the one I'd get. Affordable. They have had some issues but have mostly been very reliable and S&W will solve any issues. For the price point, you cannot beat it. The S&W also uses a very affordable, well designed mag.
Colt M4-22 Not good. Made of pot metal by Umarex. Why Colt, WHY?
Mossberg- no way

Certain AR uppers? Depends. Nordic Components- good. Uses blacik dog/ciener/CMMG type mags, which are adequate and available. Most of your uppers use the same.

[zahc]

What is the appeal, over a 10/22 or something?

Speaking of which, I noticed that hell has frozen over and Ruger is offering genuine, steel-lipped, Ruger-brand 25-round 10/22 magazines.

[Boomhauer]

What is the appeal, over a 10/22 or something?

Speaking of which, I noticed that hell has frozen over and Ruger is offering genuine, steel-lipped, Ruger-brand 25-round 10/22 magazines.

Hell froze over some time ago if that's your judging mark. Ruger is selling a lot of stuff they would NEVER have done before.

The appeal is training commonality with the centerfire version, better sights out of the box/better optics mounting out of the box than the 10/22, threaded factory barrel for a suppressor (although I think Ruger is finally now offering a threaded bbl from the factory on the 10/22), and some people may claim to find an AR-22 variant to be more accurate than factory 10/22s or something. And better high capacity magazines with better reliability. Same reasons people are buying stuff like the GSG 1911-22 instead of a 22/45, and so on.

[Bigjake]

I've owned a Colt/ Umarex one briefly, and fired the Mossberg.  Avoid both,  The M&P is superior on every front. 

Most annoying was the "Colt's" controls were wrong.  Lousy analog to the real thing if you meant to use it for a trainer.  The Mossy felt cheap and didn't shoot well. 

[White Horseradish]

What is the appeal, over a 10/22 or something?

I went shooting with my 12-year old and he shot a .22 AR. He really liked it and shot well. Also, the cool factor.

[MechAg94]

What is the appeal, over a 10/22 or something?

Speaking of which, I noticed that hell has frozen over and Ruger is offering genuine, steel-lipped, Ruger-brand 25-round 10/22 magazines.

light weight.  Good ergonomics.  Common style to ARs.  Sometimes kids will shoot more if the gun is cool. 

[Scout26]

Robert has an S&W MP15-22.  Close to 1,000 rounds through it.  Zero problems even with Remington and Federal ammo. 


Mossberg, almost impossible to disassemble/clean.  All they did was take their 702 Plinkster and wrap it in AR looking plastic.  Haven't heard anything good about it.


I've also heard that Colt's was a POS.

[French G.]

I'm considering this. Much like I dislike clone .22 pistols and opt instead for a quality conversion on a real 1911. What's my options for a dedicated upper? No stupid Ciener kits spitting bullets down a wrong size wrong twist .223 bore either. Anything, including these complete clone guns that come with 100% to spec A2 type sights? I'd buy a M&P or whatever if I could throw a set of 1/4x1/4 NM sights on it.

[Boomhauer]

French G. I do believe what you want is a Nordic Components upper.

http://shop.nordiccomp.com/AR22_c5.htm

Or a Tactical Solutions upper.

http://www.tacticalsol.com/tshome/ar22-22lr-conversion

It is my understanding that many .22 upper makers use a Ciener type bolt arrangement permanently adapted to the upper while Nordic Components went a bit of a different direction, making a propietery bolt that is quite similar to the 10/22...I think the reasoning was better reliability. Fairly sure the Nordic still uses the Ciener/Black Dog type magazines.

CMMG and a few other companies make .22 uppers, too, cheaper.

[T.O.M.]

I was considering the M&P 15/22, but I'm now headed towards a Ruger 10/22.  Here's the thing for me.  Where I'm at, the M&P costs around $500 and goes up depending on model and accessories.  The Ruger 10/22 starts around $199 and goes up based on model and accessories.  If I want to make the 10/22 into a cool black rifle, I can buy a lot of parts and accessories for the $300 I would save buying the Ruger over the Smith.  I have read nothing bad about the Smith, and it would be my top choice of the .22 versions of the AR platform.  Just doesn't make economic sense to me right now.

[MechAg94]

I can see where you are coming from.  However, if I didn't already have a 10/22 and a couple others, I'd have to seriously look at the M&P22. 

[Daniel964]

I have a 22 upper from this company. I put it on my rock river. I like it a lot and havent had any problems with it or their mags. I'd buy another if I want a second 22 upper.


http://www.chiappafirearms.com/

[bedlamite]

Palmetto State Armory has a polymer AR lower on sale now, stripped for $40, or complete for $120 that would be good for a 22lr.

[kgbsquirrel]

What is the appeal, over a 10/22 or something?

Manual-of-arms and ergonomics training in addition to getting to shoot for really cheap all day?

Kinda like how I have a P226 and a Mosquito.

ETA: And of course as I scroll down I see others answered the same question.

[HankB]

Hell froze over some time ago if that's your judging mark. Ruger is selling a lot of stuff they would NEVER have done before.

They stopped restricting sales to downgraded items (e.g., low cap rifle mags) almost before Old Man Ruger cooled to room temperature.

[White Horseradish]

Kinda like how I have a P226 and a Mosquito.

I have those, too. I also have a .22 conversion for the P226. The conversion kit on the actual 226 is vastly superior to the Mosquito. As opposed to the extremely ammo-sensitive Mosquito the conversion eats ANYTHING. Even the crappiest bulk pack Remington. It's also very accurate. I am considering ditching the Mosquito at this point.

[Harold Tuttle]

I was an early fan of the idea of a blowback ar15 upper barreled for 22lr, but the added cost above the price of a nice accurate marlin 60 is a buying factor for me.

I have a lower ready to go, but other platforms appear that I desire greater.

[kgbsquirrel]

I have those, too. I also have a .22 conversion for the P226. The conversion kit on the actual 226 is vastly superior to the Mosquito. As opposed to the extremely ammo-sensitive Mosquito the conversion eats ANYTHING. Even the crappiest bulk pack Remington. It's also very accurate. I am considering ditching the Mosquito at this point.

Odd, mine eats remington/federal bulk packs and CCI minimags with equal aplomb.

[gunsmith]

if I had cash I would but the smith 22 simply because I know a lot of liberal girls that could be persuaded to the cool factor as well as the town kids that would like to do some shooting....as well as for me as a good trainer that uses inexpensive ammo

[geronimotwo]

i like the ergonomics of the ar platform.  i like shooting a .22 for it's low cost, low recoil, etc.   what would be hard to swallow is spending 2/3rds of the price of the real thing, and only having a .22.