22 conversion kit

[Tony13 59]

Anybody using a .22 conversion kit on their 556 AR? I plan on getting a .22 AR for the kid down the road, but am thinking of getting a conversion kit for myself. Reasons would be cheaper to shoot and stay proficient with my rifle. Not sure if there are any cons.

[Pew Pew Plates 358]

Tony, I have put some serious thought into this subject myself and I've come to the conclusion that the best VALUE is a dedicated upper such as the nordic components upper for about $500 

These points are all specific to my situation and needs but likely translates across the board.

The rifle in question is my 3-gun rifle, which is what I was looking into the options for.  Here's what I concluded.

Conversion kit:

Pros;

• Cheapest option
• Same rifle, so the trigger, grip(s), stock, optics etc remain exactly the same.  Good for training.  

Cons;

• Poor accuracy since the twist rate is for .223/5.56
• Reliability may be ehh
• Dirties your upper up.  Must clean before changing back.

Dedicated rifle:

Pros;

• Keeps the filth out of your competition/duty rifle
• Very good accuracy and reliability 

Cons;

• It's another gun
• it is the most expensive route if you want to clone a current rifle, as you need to buy the rifle, plus the same trigger you have in your existing rifle, same optic(s), grip(s), handguard, etc which depending on your setup could be an additional $200 or $2,000+
• If you don't spend all the money to make it the same as your current rifle, then it's not really a parallel training platform

Dedicated upper:

Pros;

• Keeps 99% of the filth out of your competition/duty rifle.  When you're ready to convert back, you take off your dirty 22 upper and install your clean 556 upper!
• Very good accuracy and reliability
• You don't have to "clone" the lower part of your existing rifle, as you are using your existing trigger, grip, and stock on your lower already.  Good for training, don't have to buy the parts in duplicate too.
• Not another "firearm" to buy
• Intermediate in cost, you don't have to buy another trigger, stock, grip, in addition to an entirely new rifle

Cons;

• I won't even list cost as a con here, because it's clearly the best value.  You buy half as much stuff as a dedicated rifle and you get a result far greater than a basic conversion.

Condensing the bullets down into a closing thought:

My thought is the best choice is a dedicated upper.  It is less costly to "clone" an existing rifle for training purposes this route, as you don't need to buy another trigger/stock/grip since you use your existing lower.  The feel will be the same, that's a great thing.  You can take your dirty training upper off and put your clean upper on when it's go-time.  

 

Hope this is clear and doesn't make the decision even harder!

[raz-0 1,259]

Lets see if anyone who has used a conversion kit is happy long term. Everyone I have seen claim such has really converted an upper into a dedicated host with a 22lr specific barrel. 

I have a nordic .22 upper. My experience is that from a training standpoint there is fairly small area of use it covers that it really represents an economic savings compared to just shooting .223 or doing dry fire with your .223 rig. 

Manual of arms and weapon manipulation are not 100% the same. Feel under recoil is not remotely the same. If you set it up to come close in weight, transitions are meaningful practice. All the marksmanship skills up to breaking the shot are the same. Practicing positions, control manipulation, etc can be really close or even 100%, but so can dry fire or padding out live fire with dry fire runs. 

If you are shooting irons or a cheap optic and mount, it might be worth it. If you are shooting a quality optic, you may be better off just buying more ammo, coming up with a solid practice plan, and padding your live fire with dry drills to get reps in.