Where to start with AR22

Where to start

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When building a .22lr AR there are a number of different factors to consider. The first thing to decide budget, and second is how much you want to build vs buy.

The cheapest way to get into shooting .22lr in your AR is by just purchasing a conversion bolt and some magazines. Because .223 and .22lr have similar diameter rounds, the same barrel can be used. CMMG has dominated the market here for a long time, but the market favorite is BoreBuddy who sells a CMMG style kit that has been upgraded to reduce some of the common issues people have shooting .22 in their ARs.

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Pros of conversion kits

• It's the cheapest and easiest way to start shooting .22
• You can use your existing AR setup
  

Cons

• The #1 con is accuracy. Standard .223 barrels are +- 1:10 twist. .22lr barrels are closer to 1:16. This difference in twists (as well as barrel diameter) make shooting .22lr in a .223 barrel much less accurate. You can expect ~4 MOA accuracy which is fine for plinking cans, but not great for accurate target practice.

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If you decide to go the route of a dedicated upper, the next question is build vs buy. Overall, there are enough different options for uppers currently that fit most objectives and budgets. As with most things, in our opinion the best value is somewhere in the middle. The cheapest dedicated uppers have pretty poor reputations (BCA, Chiappa, etc.), but the most expensive ones can come with diminishing returns and less "bang for the buck" (CMMG). We think that uppers like BoreBudy and PSA are the best middle ground.

For building a dedicated upper, it's largely the same as building a .223 upper. The only core parts that are different are the bolt and the barrel. The upper receiver, hand guard, etc. are all the same.

Once you have the upper half of the build sorted out, it's time to move onto the lower and accessories. Thankfully this is a lot more straightforward.

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Lowers

It's the same! You can use your .223 lower interchangably with .22 lowers. The key difference between the two is that .22lr doesn't need a buffer tube. So, if you're doing a dedicated .22lr build, you have the option of things like folding stocks which are a lot harder to accommodate with .223.

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Accessories

As with all guns, there's always more accessories to purchase. Overall though there are a couple of highlights to keep in mind during your build.

• Pressure plug ~$9some text
  • This sits behind the bolt and applies forward pressure. This helps keep the bolt more locked in place and subsequently improves reliability.
• Charging handle ~$20some text
  • Standard AR charging handles are hollow on the bottom. This creates a U shape (pointed down) that's the perfect size for a .22lr casing to get stuck. The .22lr charging handles are solid and so there's nowhere for the casings to get stuck.
• Bolt catch ~$35some text
  • The .223 bolt catch isn't able to catch .22lr bolts. There are two main bolt catch options (Catch22 and BetterMag) that will help you get this functionality back. There are a handful of different options between the two products that will/won't work with certain magazines.
  • Without the bolt catch, some .22lr magazines have a follower that can get in the way of the bolt after the last round is fired. This will keep the bolt open, but the bolt will close as soon as the magazine is dropped.

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Magazines

You'll need different magazines for .22lr. For generic feeding, they all work about the same. Functionality between them is usually dependent on if you're running a .22lr bolt catch (and which one).

• CMMG
• Black Dog
• Kriss
• S&W (will need either a spacer or BetterMag to fit)

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