Which .22 trainer upper: Nordic, Taccom, CMMG?

[Corvette Z06]

I'm building a dedicated .22lr trainer and I'm trying to decide which upper to buy or build.

One main concern is that I want to use S&W 15-22 magazines and the Redi-Mag adapter as I really want functional bolt-hold-open.

1) Are all three options (Nordic, Tacccom, and CMMG) compatible with the Redi-mag and S&W magazines?

2) Is a build it yourself Taccom or CMMG more reliable and or accurate than the Nordic?

3) If price were not a concern, what is the ultimate .22 Trainer upper for accuracy and reliability?

[DarksideCZ]

We do a indoor pistol USPSA style stage twice a month in the winter. A lot of the guys also bring their 22lr ARs and run the stage w it too. Out of probably 100 different runs over the course of this winter I bet less than 5 were malfunction free. It seems like the conversions or even the dedicated uppers are very ammo sensitive and even with the good ammo are malfunction prone. The only one that I would say was mostly reliable was a s&w 15-22, not the conversion but the dedicated 22lr rifle.

[lumberjack149]

From my experience...

The s&w 15-22 has been real reliable but feels like a toy and has mediocre accuracy. It also does not act like a free floated barrel when trying to shoot barricade or prone. I added buttstock weights and forend weights to try give it a more real feel. Bought it 4yrs ago and I rarely shoot it now.

I tried a drop in conversion and had poor accuracy and poor reliability. I sold it.

Carbon arms upper - Is a real tack driver, pretty reliable but light weight due to handguard and barrel design. I bought it 9 months ago or so. I use it when working accuracy or for youth shooters.

Nordic upper - Good accuracy, reliable and weighs the same as a normal upper. Bought it 4 months ago and I shoot this one the most now.

As already stated, ammo does make a big difference for reliability and accuracy. I mostly run federal bulk pack; CCI or wolf for accuracy; Winchester bulk or Remington bulk if i find it cheap but it gives me the most ftf.

[NoKimberDave]

In shooting rimfire matches and being a rimfire enthusiast, I have seen many many conversions.

Never encountered one I would shoot in a match, unless winning wasn't a concern. One malfunction can send you from 1st to 15th.

The S&W 15-22 is awesome however. They really got that gun right. And it can be had for the price of a decent .22 upper.

I have heard many touting a "dead reliable" gun they have, but when seeing it in action, there are many problems. These may be very minor to some, but a FTF every 50 rounds is totally unacceptable in a competition gun. But, probably OK for a plinking gun. So, depending on your use, one may be fine for you. Just my opinion.

[T.McDevitt]

We do a indoor pistol USPSA style stage twice a month in the winter. A lot of the guys also bring their 22lr ARs and run the stage w it too. Out of probably 100 different runs over the course of this winter I bet less than 5 were malfunction free. It seems like the conversions or even the dedicated uppers are very ammo sensitive and even with the good ammo are malfunction prone. The only one that I would say was mostly reliable was a s&w 15-22, not the conversion but the dedicated 22lr rifle.

As mentioned above LESS than 5 were malfunction free, Thats why I went with the JP 22R and don't regret the extra cost it just keeps running even on ammo that is considered inferior by most. It uses BlackDog mags, they even have a metal mag heavy but really nice.

[kurtm]

None of the ones you listed are compatible with the S&W magazines as far as I know, so your choice very well may be a S&W 15-22 if you just have to use those magazines.

[pjb45]

Tactical Solutions!

All 22 ARs will puke if not cleaned regularly. My TS is sensitive to ammo. I have both pistol and AR conversions. The pistol needs about 1200 fps, the AR a little less sensitive.

Gnats ass accurate.

[v1911]

None of the ones you listed are compatible with the S&W magazines as far as I know, so your choice very well may be a S&W 15-22 if you just have to use those magazines.

I may be mistaken, but Tim at Taccom has made a small mod to the Reddi Mag adaptor to work with his uppers.

I haven't fired enough rounds through my 2 uppers from Taccom to say whether or not they're 100% match reliable. But their CS is top notch and I have always enjoyed calling and vein able to speak with Tim.

[Dyoung1987]

I'm running a Nordic components dedicated .22 upper for my son, so he can get used to the controls of the AR platform. We have run just about every type of Ammo through it, and He has even used it at several speed steel matches and it runs impressively well. I don't know about the magazine compatibility, we are using the black dog mags.

[bobert1]

Chris Keen turned me on to CMMG. It works with no issues in my Rock River.

[bagdrag]

Hard to argue against the Nordic for me. Under 1/2" groups at 50 yards and barely trying (shooting relatively fast for group shooting) with irons. Uber reliable since they upgraded my bolt (I believe I had 1st gen with related issues). Weight is similar to my actual rifle.

Taccom is great too but you'd specifically have to spec it out to mimic your actual rifle.