What .22lr AR rifles use a standard lower?

[dglock]

Originally Posted by diverdman

The thing is, unless a .22lr AR is designed to take a .223/5.56 upper receiver, the internals of the .22 lower receiver can be comprimised due to the fact of a 5.56/.223 round is a extreme higher pressure chamber. So unless the manufacturer says that a .22 AR can accept a .223/5.56 upper receiver dont try it.

None of the pressure you are talking about is passed to the lower, thats why it can be made o aluminum rather then steel.

don

[diverdman]

Originally Posted by dglock

None of the pressure you are talking about is passed to the lower, thats why it can be made o aluminum rather then steel.

don

No its not, but the parts a designed and tested for a .22, not a .223

[TCS_XDM]

Originally Posted by dglock

None of the pressure you are talking about is passed to the lower, thats why it can be made o aluminum rather then steel.

don

The buffer tubes, recoil springs, and buffers aren't always the same.

[TRUST8383]

My suggestion would be to build a "real" AR-15 lower. What I mean is, build it the way you ultimately want your 5.56 rifle to be like. If it takes a little longer, so be it.

You could get a stripped mi-spec lower $80-$100.

Then get this lower completion kit from Palmetto state armory. Which is a smokin deal right now. It includes a Magpul STR stock, MOE grip, complete lower parts kit with trigger, castle nut, receiver extension, buffer, spring, endplate...Everything to complete the lower! for $150!

PSA STR Lower Build Kit - Black

Then get a DEDICATED .22lr upper. One day, when you decide to build a 5.56 upper, you can swap them back and forth. You definitely want an upper that's chambered in .22lr with the correct rifling/twist. I wouldn't recommend the .22 conversion. I have gone that route. Reliability is Ok, but the worst part is accuracy. Shooting .22lr out of a 5.56 barrel has terrible accuracy. Your shot group ends up looking like buck shot! haha

What is the point of fun .22 plinking if you can't make fun accurate shots?

I have done the conversion, then 15-22...then full build. I can tell you, nothing beats the build. Don't get me wrong, the 15-22 is fun...But there's something about an all metal gun.

[zipgun]

Take if from me, buy a dedicated 22 upper and not a conversion kit. The kits aren't very reliable in my experience as a rifle instructor, range officer and owner of a kit.

In regards to the New Frontier vs. Plum Crazy. NF bought Plum Crazy and changed the name. Did they do any improvements? I don't know but they seem to have good reviews.

I do know that the M&P 22 has a polymer lower so it is debatable whether it is better or worse than the NF one. You can buy a complete NF lower for around $100 which is the cheapest anywhere. Throw a dedicated 22 upper on it and you have a AR 22 for about the same price as the S&W but can use centerfire uppers. That's probably what I would do if I was looking for an inexpensive AR in 22lr.

[PistolEd]

I'm going to throw out my vote for buying a dedicated .22lr AND a dedicated 5.56.

I know the question was asked about the conversion option, but since the price of buying a 5.56 and conversion kit cost almost as much as just buying separate rifles, I suggest there are cost savings by avoiding the headache of converting back and forth.

Also, if you ever go to the range with a friend, you can both shoot at the same time.

[zipgun]

Originally Posted by PistolEd

I'm going to throw out my vote for buying a dedicated .22lr AND a dedicated 5.56.

I know the question was asked about the conversion option, but since the price of buying a 5.56 and conversion kit cost almost as much as just buying separate rifles, I suggest there are cost savings by avoiding the headache of converting back and forth.

Also, if you ever go to the range with a friend, you can both shoot at the same time.

There is likely at least a couple hundred buck difference between having two rifles and one lower and two uppers. That's a deal breaker for many people.

With the price of 5.56 ammo these days, buying a the 22 first makes more sense than getting a centerfire AR, IMO.