AR-15 in .223 with 22LR conversion.

Good idea? Bad idea?

Thoughts?

Experience?

Thanks.

Given the price differential between 5.56mm and .22LR you could save a bit if you practice a lot.

There is also some advantage in noise. Even in rural areas where it is both legal and safe to practice the crack of a 5.56mm can cause concern and annoy neighbors. Using .22LR rounds, particularly if you stick to sub-sonic varieties, would lower your profile and make the difference between happy neighbors and a nagging feud.

On the other hand such conversions are not cheap and there are good quality dedicated .22LR rifles out there at similar prices as a conversion device. A separate .22LR weapon also saves wear and tear on the AR.

A possible advantage would be the savings in weight and bulk if you are in a situation where there are tight limits on what you can carry.

The police department where I live recently ordered conversion kits for all their AR-15s. By going to the conversion, the officers will be able to get a massive amount of trigger time for a fraction of the cost due to the price difference in ammunition.

CheaperThanDirt.com (standard disclaimer, I have no affiliation) shows .223 Remington for 81 cents a round, while .22 LR is 7.2 cents a round. So, you can shoot 10 rounds for the price of one.

I've not talked to any officers who've fire them, but they were excited about the prospect of being able to shoot hundreds and hundreds of rounds at the range. I'll check with a couple guys tomorrow to find out their thoughts after shooting with the conversion kits.

Why not just buy a separate .22? It will surely cost you less than an AR conversion kit. Unless you have some need to have your existing AR do multiple calibers, I don't see any reason to saddle yourself with only one rifle and the time it takes to do conversions. Two separate rifles would be easier and more practical IMHO.

I don't like conversions. I would just buy a separate .22lr. A conversion can be about the same in cost as a separate .22lr rifle. Also, you can treat the other gun like it's not your AR-15. In other words, you don't have to baby it. Likewise, you don't have to freak out if a friend is not treating the .22lr rifle with the best of care.

Plus, I view an AR-15 as being a self-defense tool. I don't like mucking around with my self-defense tools. I keep it simple. My self-defense tools are ready to perform their duty whenever they're not being cleaned. There's never any thinking about whether they're in the appropriate condition for their intended task.

I have a drop in CMMG .22lr conversion kit in a 16inch carbine (my backup). It works well for its intended use.... I use it for muscle memory transition work(left right side barricade transitiions, awkward shooting positions at relatively short distances 35yds or less. It is not very accurate (3-4 inches at 50m)in my Colt flat top due to difference in bore to bullet diameter. My STC 10/22 will shoot 1inch at 100y. I used it for about 500rds before Ft Benning last year, and the interior was really dirty. Then I realized that I didn't really need to tap the gas as the unit is straight blow back, so I removed the gas block and tube, and covered the hole with a stainless screw clamp. Will be using it again this year as we ramp up as Dec gets nearer. I really stress the visualization part of practice, but rely on live fire practice on steel reactive targets for immediate feed back. regards Les

AR supposedly field converts easily in under 30 seconds.

Accuracy said to be highly dependent on quality of ammunition, with some experimentation expected.

Conversion sub-$100.

Field conversion might allow "two rifles" for pretty much the weight and bulk of one.

Looks like we all forgot to ask you WHAT you're going to be using it for. Do you already have the AR and are looking to possibly add a conversion, or do you need to buy everything from scratch?

I have no personal experience with a conversion kit. I have heard accuracy can suffer. You can get a deidcated AR based .22 for not too much money. I think one of the other boards I participate on had this question come up, I'll see if I can find it.

I have heard mixed reviews on conversion kits. Some, the mag well will not work properly, depending on the manufacturer of the lower. Other complaints I have heard was the it never cycled correctly. I cannot speak to any of these, as they were all second hand info to me. But, it was enough to turn me off of getting a conversion kit.
I have considered a dedicated .22 upper, but I think ultimately I will simply go with a .22 rifle altogether. The difference, for me, is roughly $100-so, its sort of a no brainer for me.

I would suggest either a dedicated upper (again, check that the mags will work too), or a separate rifle. I have heard too many bad things about conversion kits, and I would want to ruin my AR with a bad choice.