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While it might be a little overdue, I thought it would be helpful to post a review of a CMMG 22LR upper that I got a while ago. Got the stainless bolt option along with all the other nice little add ons, including the forward assist. The only thing I passed on was the BHOA (bolt hold open actuator). I couldn’t be happier with the purchase and it’s been fun fun fun.
Right out of the box, you can tell it’s the same build quality as any other CMMG upper and it feels nice and solid. The upper mounted nicely on an Aeroprecision lower that I had thrown together. I used some leftover parts to put the lower together along with some reduced power springs. I was going to throw a red dot on there, but the riser I had was jacked up, so I threw a MBUS2 on it instead. Overall, it’s a very light setup, very simple, and pretty compact. I was pretty generous with the CLP when I pulled the bolt and purchased some CCI Tactical 22LR when I ran errands later in the day.
On the left is the AR-22 and on the right is a 223 version that I have set up very similar. Very basic, no frills, less stuff for me to break.
When I got to the range, I was pretty pumped. Loaded up the CMMG mags with the CCI Tactical 22LR, inserted a mag, and started the process of zeroing in my sights. First round went down the pipe with no problem. EXCITE! Pulled the trigger again and just a click. When I flipped the rifle over, I could see that there was an unfired round smashed in it. Pulled back the charging handle and the round still stuck. I had to take a small screwdriver and pry it loose. I chambered a new round, fired, then same thing. I thought that switching over to CCI Blazer of Federal bulk would help, but no different. The magazines were tipping the rounds vertical as the bolt closed, crushing them. I was able to get in touch with the right people at CMMG thanks to Shadow65 and they took care of me by sending out a call tag for the magazines that I had issues with. Not only did they upgrade my magazines to the newest style; they also sent back my old ones (not that I would ever use them again, but still a nice gesture).
The new style CMMG magazines are solidly built and they are leaps and bounds nicer than the older ones. The lips are shaped differently and so is the follower, so rounds don’t tip up vertically any more. The only complaint I have is that I prefer a longer magazine body since I usually grab onto the magwell. It takes a little more work to load the new CMMG mags, as everything fits together a little tighter than the older ones, but it sure beats turning my bolt into a brass chopper. I also got a couple of the newer glass filled Black Dog mags while I was waiting on CMMG customer service. The new BDMs are easy to load, don’t have feed issues, and I really like them.
After using several types of ammo, I’m happy to report that my setup feeds the cheap CCI Blazer stuff very reliably and it shoots fairly well. The only ammo it didn’t really munch through was the Tactical 22LR stuff. I think the issues were due to a different bullet profile and possibly since it was meant to chamber into a converted AR instead of being used in a dedicated setup.
It took a bit getting used to at first since it's been a while since I have been out shooting. Iron sights @ 25 yards out. I think need to get my eyes checked, because I could barely see the damn dot. It got worse as I started putting holes in the paper because I started confusing the spots. I was shooting with CCI Blazer, the cheap stuff, and the results weren't too shabby. I'm going to try some of the better stuff later on to see how much improvement I can get out of it. The target spots are replacement bulls eye's from shoot-n-see targets that i already went through.
First grouping, about 30 rounds
You'll have to forgive the use of the zombie target, but I took my Dad out to the range and figured on giving him something more entertaining to blast away at.
Second grouping, about 20 rounds
For overall performance, I was very satisfied with the accuracy that I got with cheap, bulk ammo and iron sights. I think for the future, I’m going to ditch the MBUS and put a carry handle on there. I really feel like I got the best value for my dollar and CMMG has great customer service. If you already have a built lower or want to go with a dedicated setup, I can’t say enough good things about it.
Pictures coming soon! Promise!
Right out of the box, you can tell it’s the same build quality as any other CMMG upper and it feels nice and solid. The upper mounted nicely on an Aeroprecision lower that I had thrown together. I used some leftover parts to put the lower together along with some reduced power springs. I was going to throw a red dot on there, but the riser I had was jacked up, so I threw a MBUS2 on it instead. Overall, it’s a very light setup, very simple, and pretty compact. I was pretty generous with the CLP when I pulled the bolt and purchased some CCI Tactical 22LR when I ran errands later in the day.
On the left is the AR-22 and on the right is a 223 version that I have set up very similar. Very basic, no frills, less stuff for me to break.
When I got to the range, I was pretty pumped. Loaded up the CMMG mags with the CCI Tactical 22LR, inserted a mag, and started the process of zeroing in my sights. First round went down the pipe with no problem. EXCITE! Pulled the trigger again and just a click. When I flipped the rifle over, I could see that there was an unfired round smashed in it. Pulled back the charging handle and the round still stuck. I had to take a small screwdriver and pry it loose. I chambered a new round, fired, then same thing. I thought that switching over to CCI Blazer of Federal bulk would help, but no different. The magazines were tipping the rounds vertical as the bolt closed, crushing them. I was able to get in touch with the right people at CMMG thanks to Shadow65 and they took care of me by sending out a call tag for the magazines that I had issues with. Not only did they upgrade my magazines to the newest style; they also sent back my old ones (not that I would ever use them again, but still a nice gesture).
The new style CMMG magazines are solidly built and they are leaps and bounds nicer than the older ones. The lips are shaped differently and so is the follower, so rounds don’t tip up vertically any more. The only complaint I have is that I prefer a longer magazine body since I usually grab onto the magwell. It takes a little more work to load the new CMMG mags, as everything fits together a little tighter than the older ones, but it sure beats turning my bolt into a brass chopper. I also got a couple of the newer glass filled Black Dog mags while I was waiting on CMMG customer service. The new BDMs are easy to load, don’t have feed issues, and I really like them.
After using several types of ammo, I’m happy to report that my setup feeds the cheap CCI Blazer stuff very reliably and it shoots fairly well. The only ammo it didn’t really munch through was the Tactical 22LR stuff. I think the issues were due to a different bullet profile and possibly since it was meant to chamber into a converted AR instead of being used in a dedicated setup.
It took a bit getting used to at first since it's been a while since I have been out shooting. Iron sights @ 25 yards out. I think need to get my eyes checked, because I could barely see the damn dot. It got worse as I started putting holes in the paper because I started confusing the spots. I was shooting with CCI Blazer, the cheap stuff, and the results weren't too shabby. I'm going to try some of the better stuff later on to see how much improvement I can get out of it. The target spots are replacement bulls eye's from shoot-n-see targets that i already went through.
First grouping, about 30 rounds
You'll have to forgive the use of the zombie target, but I took my Dad out to the range and figured on giving him something more entertaining to blast away at.
Second grouping, about 20 rounds
For overall performance, I was very satisfied with the accuracy that I got with cheap, bulk ammo and iron sights. I think for the future, I’m going to ditch the MBUS and put a carry handle on there. I really feel like I got the best value for my dollar and CMMG has great customer service. If you already have a built lower or want to go with a dedicated setup, I can’t say enough good things about it.
Pictures coming soon! Promise!
) is definitely going to be be my next firearm purchase. Circumstances force me to wait a while longer, but I'm really looking forward to it!
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