.22 LR adapter

[joem]

I just tried out my Ciener .22 adapter. Works great and FA is a blast. Should have bought it years ago.

[Lance White]

I've used one of the mil-style adapters in the past, and was pleased with the accuracy of .22LR out of a 16" M4-style carbine. The only thing I have heard negative about shooting .22 out of an AR15 is lead buildup in the gas port hole.

[gunny]

I have found that lead and carbon do tend to crud up "non-technical term" the gas system. After every couple or boxes I shoot 3 .556 rds. Depending on the .22 ammo a lot of crud is blown out the gas tube into the chamber and out the ejection port. Make sure you are wearing wrap around eye protection. If it is SAFE to do you can turn the weapon on its side and none of the crud comes back at you.
Gunny

[RED]

The Ciener "Atchison device" functions great but there is a great big BUT that most don't consider. That is the twist rate for the 5.56MM barrel is much too fast for the .22LR. This results in very quick fouling in the rifling as well as the gas system. Accuracy can be OK with the first few rounds but after that it vanishes as the barrel rapidly becomes the equivalent to a smooth bore. Logically, firing full power 5.56 rounds to clear the fouling must increase pressure inside the barrel and possibly to a dangerous level.

I used one for FA fire in my NFA registered M-16 and it was a blast but back then It was a $1500 rifle. Today, $10 - $15,000 might buy you a replacement. It just isn't worth it to me. Just my $.02.

BTW I wish Jim K. would weigh in here.

[M2HB]

Dedicated uppers are the way to go. You get increased accuracy and better dependability.

[BlitzKrieg]

If you are serious about a AR in 22LR, then do not do the discovery learning as I did by buying a conv. unit and then finding out its a half great solution (read that a bad decision) and end up losing money.

The smart thing to do is to buy right the first time: buy a dedicated 22LR upper for your AR. They are not cheap but they work and in the long run, you will have a great item to shoot for a long long time.

I bought the Tactical Solutions upper and I am not regretting that decision.

Had I been smart from the start ( and I was not), I would have just bit the bullet and paid the bucks and gone Tactical Solutions.

[johnny l.]

I first bought a Military Armaments Corporation (MAC) .22 adapter. It worked O.K., but wasn't very accurate and dirtied up quickly. I was never able to find an extra magazine for it. I sold that one to a collector and bought an Army version called M261. There were spare parts available and it uses a magazine adapter that fits into a 20 or 30 round magazine. Lots of magazine adapters available. Still dirties up the rifle and is not very accurate. When the rifle gets dirtied up, it does not function well.

About 6 years ago, I bought a dedicated upper made by Accuracy Speaks in Mesa Az. . I went the retro route, and had it built to look exactly like my SP-1. Accuracy Speaks (Jim) did an outstanding job. That .22 is extremely accurate. I have fired 550 Remington Golden Bullets without a jam or malfunction (ammo related issues aside). Not like the old days of using the M261. It is a lot more fun knowing that when I go out to shoot, I have the confidance that the rifle will work and hit what I aim at. Changing the whole upper takes no longer than removing and replacing the bolt carrier / adapter and is cleaner, too. The .22 dedicated upper has paid for itself in ammo savings. I wish that I had gone the dedicated upper route before I wasted time (twice ! ) on adapters. Regards, Johnny Lawson