Best .22 Conversion for AR-15

[narcolepticsniper]

I've got (the parts that will eventually be) a new AR-15. I want to know which is the best .22 conversion kit out there for me to use. I've got the aero-precision lower, CMMG LPK, Magpul stock and pistol grip, and a DSA arms forged upper with a 16 Inch 5.56mm Nitride Treated Chrome Moly 1:9 Twist barrel, and a ridiculous piece of glass.

Any expertise? I'd like to have a reliable plinker that I can shoot wherever I have to use .22 only, but still be able to hit the bowling pin at 300 yds with 5.56.

Ready.......GO!

 

[fivepointstar]

I have a CMMG Conversion kit and use Remington Golds out of my AR. as long as you keep the kit clean it works well. once it dirty it jams or FTE

 

[jmira]

I have a dedicated spikes upper st-22.. lots of FTE's - it has gone back to spike's once and is waiting parts for round 2 of repairs. they sent me a note back saying ' bad magazines ' so I bought 6 more from brownells. the problem persists soI now have 10 rebuilt 'bad' magazines and 6 new 'bad' magazines. =)

working with their customer service has been great, its just that the issue is not resolved yet.

 

[boatbiologist]

I have a Ciener kit that I polished the feed ramp and bolt/ carrier sliding surfaces. Runs pretty much everything all the way down to Remmy subs. Hear his cust service sucks. Accuracy is not so great. I follow up every 100 rounds or so of .22lr with a few 5.56. Leading has not been an issue. Runs with all trigger/ hammer combos I have.

I have a Tactical Solutions upper also. Parts look better made than the Ceiner. The buffer broke this winter, fell into and locked up the trigger. It does not run without it. Still waiting on buffers from Andrea at Tac Sol. She is nice on the phone and says she will send me one no-charge whenever they get them back in, but I have not been able to shoot it since... it was cold enough to shatter their plastic buffer. Needs a strong hammer spring and rounded M16 style hammer. Bolt jams with notched and 9mm hammers. Timney trigger/hammer light strikes primers. The SBX Tac Sol is much lighter than M4 upper- that could be good or bad depending on what you want it for.

I really want to like the Tac Sol, but the Ceiner works and more closely replicates the feel of a 5.56 upper (since it is).

 

[narcolepticsniper]

Judging from the above, I think I'll go with the CMMG kit.

Unless anyone has bad words for the CMMG...

 

[boatbiologist]

I think the CMMG is the same as the Ciener, only with better customer service.

 

[clandestine]

I think the CMMG is the same as the Ciener, only with better customer service.

Correct.


A good CMMG and a Few Polished Poings and they run like a slicked booger.


Always shoot some .223 when done to blow out any lead buildup in the gas tube and FSB.

 

[boatbod]

I have a dedicated spikes upper st-22.. lots of FTE's - it has gone back to spike's once and is waiting parts for round 2 of repairs. they sent me a note back saying ' bad magazines ' so I bought 6 more from brownells. the problem persists soI now have 10 rebuilt 'bad' magazines and 6 new 'bad' magazines. =)

working with their customer service has been great, its just that the issue is not resolved yet.

Have you studied the tuning & polishing threads over in the Spikes Industry forum on arfcom?

Excessive FTE can be attributed to a number of different problems, so identifying where to start can a bit frustrating. First thing I would recommend is checking the sides of the mag lips and top of the bolt catch to make sure there are no contact marks (abrasions).

Are you running a notched or rounded hammer?

Take the conversion unit apart and separate the bolt from its rails. Place an an empty casing in the recess on the bolt face, with the rim under the extractor hook. Is it held snugly? Does it stay put, or slide down if you gently shake the bolt? If it is loose, there is a good chance you need a new extractor, or need to reshape the one you've already got.

Does the FTE problem change depending which ammo you use? Sometimes higher velocity ammo ejects better due to fast bolt speed. Typically, increasing bolt speed (by shortening the recoil spring) has been known to improve ejection, but only if you're not having some other problem.

Have you tried the upper on a different lower? Tolerances can be a tricky thing, especially if you're running a notched hammer or are having contact issues with the .223 bolt catch.

 

[Kevp]

Tactical Solutions dedicated upper. Runs like a top. Are the guys that are having problems using lube on their kits and uppers? If so, that may be your problem. Go with no lube.

 

[boatbiologist]

Tactical Solutions dedicated upper. Runs like a top. Are the guys that are having problems using lube on their kits and uppers? If so, that may be your problem. Go with no lube.

The buffer shattered in December on my tac sol sbx. I am still waiting for them to send me another. While it is good cust service to send me another, it is taking a good long while. I can't find them anywhere but the mfg. It will not run without one (bolt travels too far rearward).--- running minimal lube due to cold temps. Lube was not an issue with my tac sol going down. Mine came with a black buffer and no O ring. I hope they have improved their buffer material.

 

[jmira]

I contacted Spike's again and had them send me an extractor and some recoil springs.. with some spring pruning/tuning at the range today, and a broken roll pin punch ( ouch! ), I have a reliable rifle again.

It does get picky when you hold it by/near the mag well and make contact with the magazine, but again.. when held on the handguard or VFG/AFG, it is 100% reliable now.
I mag dumped 3-4 26 rounders without a FTF/FTE/Stovepipe - that is a record for me!


Spikes did good by me and I am completely satisfied now.

*edit* if anyone wants to shoot it, I can meet up at On Target sometime this weekend or MSAR during the week =)

 

[canuck]

Spikes is good people. I bought my ST-22 at their facility on one of my frequent trips to Orlando. I drop by there frequently, Angela and AJ have always been great. The ST-22 can be ammo sensitive. Mine likes yellow jacket and Aguila super maximum.

 

[mercop]

I am going to shoot my Tactical Solutions dedicated upper today. I do not like fiddling with guns to get them to work. That is why I am a Glock guy. If it is not reliable it will just get sent back. IMHO until something is reliable do not put it out.- George

 

[boatbod]

I contacted Spike's again and had them send me an extractor and some recoil springs.. with some spring pruning/tuning at the range today, and a broken roll pin punch ( ouch! ), I have a reliable rifle again.

It does get picky when you hold it by/near the mag well and make contact with the magazine, but again.. when held on the handguard or VFG/AFG, it is 100% reliable now.
I mag dumped 3-4 26 rounders without a FTF/FTE/Stovepipe - that is a record for me!


Spikes did good by me and I am completely satisfied now.

*edit* if anyone wants to shoot it, I can meet up at On Target sometime this weekend or MSAR during the week =)

Glad to hear you solved the problem. Mine runs great for 4-500 rounds until the chamber dirties up, then I know it's time to break out the cleaning kit.

 

[boatbiologist]

Got 2 tac sol buffers in the mail today for my Tac Sol AR-22 SBX--- free for a couple phone calls but months late.

put 50 remington subsonics and 50 cci standard velocity thru it in the back yard a few minutes ago. fed and ejected all. Had a short stroke (or failure to reset hammer) twice with each ammo. That isn't great but isn't all that bad with a fairly new 22. Would probably have been 100% with HV ammo, but that isn't the point of the SBX. Lower was a Anniversary Bushmaster with a chrome rounded hammer. A lighter hammer spring would likely fix that but then it may light stike primers like my Timney.

So as it is, My newish Tac Sol is running 96% at subsonic speeds. My Ceiner is nearly 100% after mods, but standard velocity ammo goes super most of the time out of my 14.5" 5.56 barrel. If you care about how the holes in your paper look with an AR-22, Tac Sol wins by a wide margian. Guess I'll keep the Tac Sol.

 

[dzlfarmboy]

How accurate are these conversion kits when shooting out of the faster twisting AR barrels compared to a regular slower twist .22

 

[Calengor]

How accurate are these conversion kits when shooting out of the faster twisting AR barrels compared to a regular slower twist .22

Not very accurate past CQB ranges from what I've read.

 

[Tmiralle]

Shot my Spike's Tactical conversion kit at On Target and apart from some double feeds I am in love. AR15.com had a lot of information on fixes that I am going to try.

 

[jmira]

were you holding the mag well by chance? that was the problem with mine. the magazine moves around a bit in the mag well possibly causing the double feeds/extraction problems.

 

[Kevmo]

I have a dedicated spikes upper st-22.. lots of FTE's - it has gone back to spike's once and is waiting parts for round 2 of repairs. they sent me a note back saying ' bad magazines ' so I bought 6 more from brownells. the problem persists soI now have 10 rebuilt 'bad' magazines and 6 new 'bad' magazines. =)

working with their customer service has been great, its just that the issue is not resolved yet.

failure to eject?... my spikes has that problem too... please let me know what happens...