Lightweight 22 AR Upper

GunBum · Dec 5, 2020

I made the mistake of reading this thread...

https://www.mdshooters.com/showthread.php?t=250587

And decided I needed to see how light I could make a .22 AR Upper. I started with a Ceiner style CMMG conversion unit that I added a dedicated bolt collar to. I never used it as a conversion unit anyway.

The barrel is a 5/16” barrel liner. I machined the breech end out of a chunk of aluminum to mimic a dedicated .22 barrel breech end. The breech end of the barrel liner is pressed into the aluminum and held in with a combination of friction and some bearing retainer. The muzzle end is threaded, and the front bushing provides tension on the barrel. The front is tightened with a pin wrench and 2 corresponding holes in the front of the bushing. Between the front and rear is a 1” OD 0.130 wall aluminum tube.

GunBum · Dec 5, 2020

The whole shebang goes into a lightweight ATI Polymer upper. I’m not sure what it weighs (I’ll get that later), but it feels like a toy. I completed the upper with a 15” keymod handguard that I stole from another upper I wasn’t using, and topped it off with some cheap chinesium flip up sights. I’ll take it apart and paint the barrel with black high temp paint later. I would have done it before assembly, but I don’t have any self etching primer.

They byproduct is a bunch of aluminum crap to clean up.

Arcamm · Dec 5, 2020

Pretty neat! Can't wait for a range test!

GunBum · Dec 5, 2020

And the weight (according to my wife’s food scale) of the complete upper is....

2 pounds 13 ounces, or 45 ounces

I’m sure I could have shaved a couple ounces off by using a tube with thinner walls, but the one with 0.130” walls was what I had laying around.

For reference, the 16” 300 Blackout upper I robbed the handguard from is 3 pounds 12 ounces, or 60 ounces. An upper with a .223 or .22 barrel is a little heavier than the .300 because of the bigger hole in the barrel for a .30 cal versus a .22 cal (everything else being equal).

GunBum · Dec 5, 2020

Arcamm said:
Pretty neat! Can't wait for a range test!

It hand cycles ammo, and shot 25 rounds into the bullet trap with no issues. I’ll take it to Kansas with me next week and freeze my ass off shooting it. :lol2:

Given the current price/availability of .22lr, I’m not keen on shooting a bunch. :sad20:

Arcamm · Dec 5, 2020

I just weighed my dedicated upper. 3lbs 10.1 ounces or 58.1 oz.

GunBum · Dec 20, 2020

I ran a couple hundred precious CCI Minimags through it and a couple hundred bulk pack Winchester while I was in Kansas the last 2 weeks. I wanted to shoot more, but the first week was deer season, and shooting for fun is frowned upon that week, but I did manage to escape work a bit in the middle of the day to shoot. The second week winter came, and it got damned cold. I need to deepen the extractor cut because the extractor won’t grab an unfired round reliably and take it out. Fired rounds extract and eject just fine. Other than that, she ran like a top.

Accuracy is 2-3” at 50 yards. I didn’t really bench the gun, and the cheap iron sights aren’t the best. I may play with the tension on the barrel to try to see if I can find an accuracy node. That’s going to require using a torque wrench to tighten the front barrel bushing, and check accuracy. Right now, I’m using “that seems about right.” I’m not sure if it is worth searching for the better accuracy.

John from MD · Dec 20, 2020

GunBum said:
The whole shebang goes into a lightweight ATI Polymer upper. I’m not sure what it weighs (I’ll get that later), but it feels like a toy. I completed the upper with a 15” keymod handguard that I stole from another upper I wasn’t using, and topped it off with some cheap chinesium flip up sights. I’ll take it apart and paint the barrel with black high temp paint later. I would have done it before assembly, but I don’t have any self etching primer.

They byproduct is a bunch of aluminum crap to clean up.

That's some pretty good turning getting all those long strands of swarf. :thumbsup:

John from MD · Dec 20, 2020

GunBum said:
I ran a couple hundred precious CCI Minimags through it and a couple hundred bulk pack Winchester while I was in Kansas the last 2 weeks. I wanted to shoot more, but the first week was deer season, and shooting for fun is frowned upon that week, but I did manage to escape work a bit in the middle of the day to shoot. The second week winter came, and it got damned cold. I need to deepen the extractor cut because the extractor won’t grab an unfired round reliably and take it out. Fired rounds extract and eject just fine. Other than that, she ran like a top.

Accuracy is 2-3” at 50 yards. I didn’t really bench the gun, and the cheap iron sights aren’t the best. I may play with the tension on the barrel to try to see if I can find an accuracy node. That’s going to require using a torque wrench to tighten the front barrel bushing, and check accuracy. Right now, I’m using “that seems about right.” I’m not sure if it is worth searching for the better accuracy.

When using a stressed barrel, torque makes a lot of difference. Now, if you are going to be using it as a range toy with open sights, it probably won't be worth the effort and the expense of those Gold .22 caliber rounds. :lol:

Boss94 · Dec 25, 2020

the Tactical solutions BXR ar15 upper and barrel is extremely light. don't believe its still made , but its a great upper.

dontpanic · Dec 26, 2020

Boss94 said:
the Tactical solutions BXR ar15 upper and barrel is extremely light. don't believe its still made , but its a great upper.

That's the TacSol AR22. Probably the best .22 upper ever. I bought mine off Gunbroker about 2 months ago and they pop up from time to time. But they are not made anymore.

The BXR is the Bergera BXR, a tricked out 10/22 clone. Very light and pretty nice. It would cost a lot more to trick out a 10/22 to match it. I find these on the rack all the time. There are 2 for sale at Greentop in Richmond right now.

GunBum · Dec 26, 2020

The TacSol AR22 was advertised at 3 pounds. And it was over $600 new from Tactical Solutions. Mine is lighter, and it has less than $250 in parts, and it was a lot more fun putting together than shelling out cash and pinning on a factory built upper.

Lightweight 22 AR Upper

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