AR15 Lower + dedicated upper or M&P .22?

[zushikikato]

I was wondering what would be a better investment/deal
getting one of those AR15 lowers like a cmmg with a dedicated upper or getting the M&P .22
What options would you guys pick or did pick and how did it work out?

[Droppin Deuces]

Don't know anything about the tacticfool .22's, but I've owned both CMMG(sold it) and TacSol(more accurate) uppers. Wouldn't think of going any other way. What are you saving by getting a complete .22 rifle? LIke $100-$150? Just go the dedicated upper route.

Edit: HA! "Tacticfool." What a great typo

[SDM44]

Better investment? Building the AR-dedicated rifle with .22 upper. Then you can swap uppers & mags for a .223 upper and you're good to go.

Better deal? It'll be cheaper to buy a complete .22 rifle like a M&P 15-22 or Umarex M4, and spend the rest of the money saved on ammo or other accessories you may want to throw onto the gun.


Best overall value? That's up to the person and what they feel is the best for their needs. Some may like the AR dedicated rifle where they can swap out their uppers for other uses. Some may want just a fun range plinker and be happy with their complete .22 rifle.

Best for resale? This is a toss up, but if you've sold stuff in the past in the classifieds here, or elsewhere or on Ebay or Craigslist, then you'll know that people are concerned about price first, then quality of the item, etc. I search through the classifieds on there everyday and I see AR dedicated rifles and complete .22 rifles for sale every now & then. I'll tell you this, the cheaper complete .22 rifles are sold much faster than the AR dedicated rifles. So if you're looking to get rid of your rifle down the road and get something else, consider what the market is currently looking for or what's hot these days (IMO, the 15-22 rifle sales go pretty fast on the classifieds here).

[donw]

i went the spikes tactical ST-22 with dedicated 22lr marked lowers and ordered 5.56 LW upper along with it.

that way i have the option to go 5.56 when i wish...the .22lr route enables me to shoot more often as the cost of the ammo is now a factor.

i also have to change the mag drop to "bullet button" whenever i am using the 5.56 but i can leave the mag drop in while using it as the 22lr.

[MaHoTex]

If I had a penny for every time this question comes up on this forum I would be rich!!!!

S&W15-22... you will not regret it. It is very lightweight, adds another rifle to your collection for relatively cheap. I lost count but I have somewhere around 17K rounds through mine without a problem.

[thunderbolt]

If you already have a centerfire AR platform or plan on getting one, go with the dedicated upper. My CMMG is pretty nice and didn't break my budget.

If on the other hand you don't have/want a centerfire AR, stick with the M&P .22. It's not a bad little rifle.

[zushikikato]

Thanks for the input guys!
I was just concerned over the reliability of one of the complete .22 vs the dedicated upper ones.

I already have an ACR so I probably won't be looking for an AR 15 down the road so I will probably go with the m&p thanks a lot!

[3GunFunShooter]

I went with the Model 1 Sales 22 upper. Others have got the Tactical Solutions, excellent.
I would stay away from any 22 that you can't use the Black Dog mags.
I hate it when I have to buy the manufacturer mags at their inflated prices and can not work with any other gun.

[usmcchet9296]

For the money I would go with a dedicated upper or complete rifle
Why?
Because they will last and can be converted back to centerfire with ease
sure they cost more but unlike Colts potmetal monstrosity and S&W plastic gun milspec guns like Spikes, CCMG, TacSol, etc. can be treated like a real AR and not break.
Yes S&W plastic guns may last the test of time but I hate plasic but thats just my preferance and Colts gun may last but do you want to chance it?
I have a Spikes complete AR22 and it is great. Unlike some I rarely have any mechanical problems with it and as long as you do a real basic cleaning to it neither should you.

spikes 22 (3) by usmcchet92_96, on Flickr

[lugee]

Although this might not be a factor for you, but when I was choosing between a dedicated 22 AR or a stand alone 22 rifle like a mp15-22, I was more concerned about how picky it is with ammo. My CMMG dedicated upper has eaten the crappiest and dirtiest 22LR ammo and cycled fine. That, and it runs off black dog magazines.

[goofcat]

Do you want 1.5 guns or 2 guns?

[zushikikato]

Although this might not be a factor for you, but when I was choosing between a dedicated 22 AR or a stand alone 22 rifle like a mp15-22, I was more concerned about how picky it is with ammo. My CMMG dedicated upper has eaten the crappiest and dirtiest 22LR ammo and cycled fine. That, and it runs off black dog magazines.

This was one of my concerns also. I thought the M&P could spit out anything that is why I left all the other tacticool ones liek the umarex and the gsg out of the picture.

[shadow65]

Remigtons are not recommended by CMMG and most other .22 manufacturers of AR dedicated uppers. The bullet profile is slightly different and it is very dirty.
That said, mine runs it fine until it gets gunked up.

[rojocorsa]

As someone who doesn't have an AR yet, I think it makes more sens to buy the proper 5.56 lower, and then a quality .22 adapter kit/upper.

One less DROS to worry about....

[NorCalDustin]

If you already have a centerfire AR platform or plan on getting one, go with the dedicated upper. My CMMG is pretty nice and didn't break my budget.

If on the other hand you don't have/want a centerfire AR, stick with the M&P .22. It's not a bad little rifle.

I agree.. I think a dedicated upper is the way to go....

Thanks for the input guys!
I was just concerned over the reliability of one of the complete .22 vs the dedicated upper ones.

I already have an ACR so I probably won't be looking for an AR 15 down the road so I will probably go with the m&p thanks a lot!

My dedicated uppers from CMMG have been EXTREMELY reliable.

Remigtons are not recommended by CMMG and most other .22 manufacturers of AR dedicated uppers. The bullet profile is slightly different and it is very dirty.
That said, mine runs it fine until it gets gunked up.

Same here... While they may not be recommended, mine runs them fine.