CMMG Bravo AR .22 LR conversion kit

[quazi]

Earlier this summer I purchased a CMMG Bravo .22 LR adapter for my AR. I also purchased the CMMG anti-jam charging handle and a Black Dog Machine X-Form magazine.



The conversion kit is a drop in replacement for the normal AR-15 BCG (5.56/.223 only). Attached to the new bolt is a chamber adapter for .22 LR. It kind of reminds me of the Pedersen Device.

Installing the conversion kit is as easy as taking out the BCG and charging handle and dropping the new BCG and charging handle in. (If you've never done this it is very easy, requires no tools and takes only seconds.)

I bought this adapter for the purposes of shooting .22 LR out of my Ruger AR-556 at an Appleseed marksmanship clinic. I bought the adapter for ~$230, and it came with one 25 -round magazine. I also bought the CMMG Anti-Jam charging handle for ~$15, and the X-Form magazine for ~$20 (all prices are based on my memory).

Between sighting it in and the class I've fired ~600 rounds through it. Mostly CCI Mini-Mags and CCI Standard Velocity, but also some Federal bulk pack. As my shooting got better I fired a number of 0.75” groups at 25 yards (~3 MOA). I feel confident that if I do my part the rifle+adapter is capable of that. Maybe with a better shooter it would be capable of greater accuracy.

I didn't notice any significant difference in accuracy between CCI Standard Velocity and CCI Mini-Mags, although there was a POI shift of about two inches, which surprised me a bit at such close range. I wish they still made Aguila SSS, as that seems like it would be perfect to run in .22 LR AR conversions.

Out of the 600 rounds I experienced 2-3 malfunctions, but I am positive that two of them were my fault and I'm not 100% sure the third even happened. The first time I went prone at Appleseed I fired one shot and there was a failure to eject. I pulled back on the charging handle, let go and there was a failure to feed. I dropped the mag and noticed the cartridge that didn't go in had a significant bend/dent in it. There was an empty case on the ground that also had a dent. It turned out I was resting the magazine on the concrete, and had pushed the magazine out of proper alignment. So, I stopped using the magazine as an improvised monopod and that problem stopped happening.

(Note: In between the two days of Appleseed I gave it a very basic scrubbing and oiling, so it wasn't 600 rounds without cleaning.)

The third malfunction was one of the times when we were loading our first magazine with two rounds and our second magazine with eight. I fired one shot, and then the rifle was empty. I was confused, but as we were on the clock I just switched to the second magazine. After we were done firing I looked down and saw an unfired .22 cartridge on the ground. One of my targets was missing a hole. It's possible it was all coincidence, but I think that somehow an unfired cartridge was ejected. (Possibly I racked the charging handle after firing the first shot. My brain doesn't work so good sometimes.)

Overall I would say the conversion kit performed very reliably. I was using the CMMG charging handle designed to work with this kit and keep cases from getting jammed between the bolt and the charging handle. This charging handle does not come in the base kit, but comes in some of the more complete kits and can be purchased separately. I never bothered to try shooting without the CMMG charging handle, so I can't say if it has made a difference or not. Looking at them, the difference seems to be that the standard charging handle has an open channel running the full length along the bottom, while the CMMG only has a short channel near chamber-end and the rest is solid.

Both magazines worked well. They were also both surprisingly easy to load, considering they hold 25 rounds. They are single-stack magazines. The CMMG mag is opaque light gray, and significantly heavier. I'm guessing they weighted it to feel more like a loaded AR magazine. The Black Dog Machine X-Force magazine is a semi-transparent black and much lighter. Neither magazine dropped free in my AR, which surprised me a little especially as the CMMG magazine was weighted. I prefer the X-Force as it is lighter and the transparency is a nice touch.

Here are the weights of the various components according to my scale:
CMMG conversion bolt: 9.7 oz*
CMMG charging handle: 1.0 oz
CMMG magazine: 7.35 oz
X-Force magazine: 4.35 oz

*Contains an indeterminate weight of carbon fouling.

Since the Appleseed shoot I haven't used except for to kill a fox that had been eating my livestock.

[quazi]

Overall I've been impressed by the reliability of this adapter, and I find the accuracy to be acceptable. Would I recommend it? Well, it depends.

The biggest problem with this conversion kit is the POI shift between .223 REM and .22 LR. If a person was only looking to use the conversion kit every once in a while for high round-count activities then re-zeroing is not a big deal. If a person wants to be able to just throw the conversion kit in whenever and start blasting then it's a problem, except maybe for dinging large steel plates at close range.

I wish I had written down what the POI shift between .22 LR and 5.56 was, but I got a wild hair up my ass to go sight my rifle back in and I didn't write anything down.

With turrets that tracked reliably a person could probably quickly adjust an optic back and forth between .22 LR and .223. Another set of sights on an offset mount or maybe QD rings that held their zero might also work, but would add more expense and more junk either hanging off the rifle or that needs to be toted around.

A real .22 LR rifle is going to be much more accurate, and many are a lot cheaper than this conversion kit. If a person was looking for a .22 rifle for hunting I would say skip this conversion kit.

I think it has some value for cheap practice with essentially the exact same AR. There are some .22 LR rifles that are built to mimic AR rifles. Some of them aren't that much more money than the CMMG conversion, and if a person didn't already own a .22 rifle I think they might be a better choice. Most that I've seen are pretty light compared to most real ARs. A dedicated AR upper would probably be closer in weight than one of the AR look-a-like .22s and more accurate than the CMMG conversion, but the ones I've seen haven't been cheap. Of course none of these options will simulate the blast and recoil of .223.

Once I get the POI problem figured out I like this conversion kit basically because it takes up very little space in a range bag and lets me bring a .22 LR rifle along with me everywhere. That way I can always get some cheap plinking in without having to do any more gathering of junk or planning. I'm not sure how reliable the tracking on my Vortex Spitfire is yet.

Since this is a zombie survival website, one potential use for this would be in an zombocalypse/INCH scenario. This conversion kit would weigh a lot less than a real .22 LR rifle, and while not the most accurate it would be accurate enough for zombie head shots or small game body shots at close range. Again, a person would need to have the POI problem figured out.

[zantra]

here's how to beat the POI shift problem. Get luminous iron sights for the carrying handle. they will be your "normal range wing of the peep sight. Zero your 60 gr Nosler Partition softpoints at 200 yds with the "long range" wing of the peep sight. Have your 2x7 Leupold in a "see thru" mount, and zero it at 300 yds, using the 69 gr hpbt Sierra bullet.

then using dremel cutoff wheels in the Harbor freight hand held grinder and a 3 sided swiss needle file, and JB weld, cut a v notch into the top center of your luminous sights. build up a pair of "ears" with the epoxy. the channel of the carrying handle will protect it. Carefully file the glue until the "normal range" v sight is zeroed at 50 yds with your subsonic 22lr ammo (if you silence your 223, that is) Depending upon what the range/load is, utilize the correct sight. In my experience one or the other of the wings of the peep, when zeroed at 200 yds, is within 2" of zero at 50 yds with the 22lr. That's close enough for fast combat with the 223, being "off" only that much. If you have a bit of time, flip up the long range sight, that's all. If shtf, you shouldn't be out and about during daylight hours, anyway, and you shouldn't be firing much, if any 223.

[BullOnParade]

Uh, zantra, the shift was found between a standard velocity rimfire and a high velocity rimfire cartidge. No need to take cut off wheels of any sort to any part of the firearm.

Quazi thanks for the review. I'm happy to hear this purchase panned out for you in the long run. I might pick one up myself. I haven't been overly impressed with my chiappa upper, but I haven't invested much time into making it better either.

Are you happy with the "bravo" model? Do you see a need for forward assist or other features of the higher priced conversions?

[quazi]

I've been happy with the Bravo, and don't really see a need for a forward assist. I might try checking the reliability again when it gets really cold again. It's been my experience that .22 LR doesn't fair well in really cold temperatures. It might be worth getting the forward assist adapter if I start seeing a lot of malfunctions that it would help with in cold weather, but I'm guessing that most of the time it would be better to just run the charging handle again.

I actually was more concerned about the POI shift between .22 LR and .223 than the shift between high velocity and standard velocity .22 LR.

[ashwednesday]

There are a lot of those USMC KAC 200-600 rear sights out there right now. You could use that quick adjust drum to quickly adjust for point of impact.

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[RickOShea]

The tip of the firing pin in my CMMG unit broke off after about 500 rounds. Replaced it with a Taccom enhanced 22 conversion kit firing pin.

[Langenator]

Another option, which would avoid the POI shift issue: http://palmettostatearmory.com/psa-16-2 ... dium=email

Slightly higher cost, especially after you add a rear sight or scope.

[moab]

There are a lot of those USMC KAC 200-600 rear sights out there right now. You could use that quick adjust drum to quickly adjust for point of impact.

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Hey thanks for the heads up. This will work on an AR right? Will be the first thing I buy for my first AR (that I bought this summer) since the Marine Corps back in the early 80's.

[ashwednesday]

I hope it will work on an AR.

Watch out, there are some fakes out there. Mine came with the tiny sight adjustment cheat sheet.


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[woodsghost]

here's how to beat the POI shift problem. Get luminous iron sights for the carrying handle. they will be your "normal range wing of the peep sight. Zero your 60 gr Nosler Partition softpoints at 200 yds with the "long range" wing of the peep sight. Have your 2x7 Leupold in a "see thru" mount, and zero it at 300 yds, using the 69 gr hpbt Sierra bullet.

then using dremel cutoff wheels in the Harbor freight hand held grinder and a 3 sided swiss needle file, and JB weld, cut a v notch into the top center of your luminous sights. build up a pair of "ears" with the epoxy. the channel of the carrying handle will protect it. Carefully file the glue until the "normal range" v sight is zeroed at 50 yds with your subsonic 22lr ammo (if you silence your 223, that is) Depending upon what the range/load is, utilize the correct sight. In my experience one or the other of the wings of the peep, when zeroed at 200 yds, is within 2" of zero at 50 yds with the 22lr. That's close enough for fast combat with the 223, being "off" only that much. If you have a bit of time, flip up the long range sight, that's all. If shtf, you shouldn't be out and about during daylight hours, anyway, and you shouldn't be firing much, if any 223.

Ah Zantra,

How I miss the days he graced us with unabashed wisdom and we basked in it's warm glow.