[Sarge57]

I would like to purchase a ar15 type rifle that can shoot both 22lr and .223. Any suggestions. I am retired army and just want to plink with it. Also teach my 10 year old son to shoot it. Thanks. Any suggestions my fellow gun nuts?

 

[Charlie Petty]

The most common practice is to buy a rimfire kit for a conventional AR.

There are several makers but Tactical Solutions or Advantage Arms are well repected.

You can also buy complete uppers but the most economical is the S&W M&P15-22.

I used an adapter for years until I got an upper and when the S&W came along got one and use it exclusively now.

I haven't price shopped lately, if you find a good sale price you can get the complete .22 for only a little more than a conversion.

 

[Sarge57]

Thank you. Makes sense.

 

[Skeptic49]

I've never been able to figure out why the uppers are so expensive. Limited market I suppose. They are all priced higher than a good .22 Semi-auto rifle.
Geoff
Who wonders about things.

 

[Charlie Petty]

I wonder about that too, but I'm sure part of that is because S&W uses injection molded parts for the upper and lower

 

[t-star]

I was under the impression it was"suckerage" when colt was the only game in town for the ar/m16 series- you got this "adaptor" as part of the promo package( it was a long funny looking thing that was a chamber adaptor- like the old marbles etc where you could fire a 32 acp in a 308/06. whatever- I never did get one- and mine was an a2hbar- came with bayonet, 2 mags and a cleaning kit- and I couldn't justify the adaptor( 300!!!!!) when brand new 10/22s were 250 or less- and I already had a nylon in the closet

 

[Snake45]

I have extensive experience with both a drop-in conversion (USGI M261) and a dedicated upper (DPMS). The drop-in conversion is cheaper but the dedicated upper (or better yet, a whole dedicated rifle) is the way to go. Much more accurate, and probably more reliable to boot.

If you get a dedicated .22 upper, it won't be long before you get the idea to get another lower for it and make it a stand-alone rifle. So you might want to just think about getting a whole .22 rifle to start with.

 

[Charlie Petty]

I agree, but some of the dedicated .22s cost as much as a regular AR... that's why the S&W appeals to me. I've heard some internet horror stories, but I've had mine since they came out with no problems.