Any value to a dedicated 22 LR SPR clone upper for training precision shooting?

[Philo_Beddoe]

I got a BCM SPR build in 556 & a Compass Lake .22 LR upper built like the BCM. I bought the CL 22 upper as a cheap way to practice on my SPR lower without spending a fortune on ammo, but I am questioning the merits of my decision. I mostly shoot at simulated distance targets at 25 yards designed to simulate targets at 50, 100, and 200 yds. But obviously the recoil and possibly the wind drift and drop are very different. Would I be better off selling the 22LR upper and just buying more 556 to practice with?  Thanks.

[pjb45]

I have met a few GMs that use .22 conversion units.  I have a couple for both my rifle and pistols, TS and JP. There are pluses and minuses. 

Having the same sight or optic is a big plus but not a critical success factor.   The .22 AR weight of my JP is exactly the same as my JP.  The TS was lighter.

 

Honestly, my .22 conversion units have helped in a bunch of other issues; weak/strong hand, movement, and shooting positions.  

 

It is not a true 1-1 training but it helped develop the fundamental skills without the cost of 30 cents a round.

 

The specifics of wind drift and drop are significantly different but the exercise of learning both for each caliber was instructive for me. But I am just a duffer.  I lack significant experience shooting at 400-600 yards.  No 22 conversion is going to help in that regard.  Only same ammo and trigger time will benefit me.

 

I would definitely invest in both for pistol and rifle given the option again, without regrets.

[IPSCLUVERRR]

I built a m&P 15-22 with the exact same parts as my comp rifle, works great. I use it for maneuvering positions and in/out of vehicles. 

[Tom Freeman]

If you and your ammo will hold about 1-1.5 MOA at 100 yards it will be a good trainer.

 

Follow through is much more critical with a rimfire.

[Bill Schwab]

Used my JP22 upper as a DMR trainer for PRS matches in my area and it helped A LOT. Just getting efficient at getting into positions with it was very helpful. The 22 LR makes you follow through. I shot mostly at 100 yards and had to constantly watch the wind, which also translated well to competition. With the cost of rimfire ammo I was able to practice a lot more. I say keep it and use it.

[bushmeat]

On 8/19/2019 at 7:20 PM, Philo_Beddoe said:

I got a BCM SPR build in 556 & a Compass Lake .22 LR upper built like the BCM. I bought the CL 22 upper as a cheap way to practice on my SPR lower without spending a fortune on ammo, but I am questioning the merits of my decision. I mostly shoot at simulated distance targets at 25 yards designed to simulate targets at 50, 100, and 200 yds. But obviously the recoil and possibly the wind drift and drop are very different. Would I be better off selling the 22LR upper and just buying more 556 to practice with?  Thanks.

Shoot 22 precision rimfire matches with it and you will see the benefits. Some go out to 400 yards, stages are similar to PRS. Even more fun because ammo is cheap.

[ronin16]

I use my .22 to work on positional shooting positions 

Standing , kneeling , sitting etc and then do it all over again 

Utilizing your sling as well , box of .22 will last a long time and $20 a box of 500 is hard to beat 

[dghboy315]

Use your 22LR upper to compete in precision rifle rimfire matches.  Great training for centerfire.  

[slodsm]

For precision rifle I think it’s a very valuable tool, I have a T1X in a KRG Bravo chassis that I shoot out to 300 yards at 2/3 IPSC steel all the way down to 50 yards at 1/2” dots and it’s a great training tool for PRS because it’s pretty close to equal to 1/3’s. Wind drift at 300 is similar to centerfire drift at 900, etc etc. 

 

For an AR platform though, I’ve never found a 22 upper that will even approach any genuine accuracy achievable by a bolt 22 with a good barrel and ammo so for my SPR, I just suck it up and spend the money on 73gr ELDM’s and 8208 and shoot the real deal. 
 

YMMV obviously but for me, I want to at least have comparable accuracy from what I’m trying to save money training with and I can’t find a really good 22 upper for my AR. 

Edited January 18, 2020 by slodsm
Spell check

[Smokin]

What are you using for optics for rimfire matches? Ive been shooting PRS since its inception, but have never been to a rimfire match. Trying to re-configure my 22LR as a trainer but wondering if a 6-24 vortex diamondback is too much zoom, after all the bottom end zoom of that optic is the top end of what many many 3G carbine competitors use for zoom

Edited February 5, 2020 by Smokin

[dghboy315]

1 hour ago, Smokin said:

What are you using for optics for rimfire matches? Ive been shooting PRS since its inception, but have never been to a rimfire match. Trying to re-configure my 22LR as a trainer but wondering if a 6-24 vortex diamondback is too much zoom, after all the bottom end zoom of that optic is the top end of what many many 3G carbine competitors use for zoom

 

For our MARS matches, we shoot between 25 - 300 yards.  Must guys run similar scopes to their PRS rig, so 6-24 is normal.  I'm currently running 4.5-27.  I don't think anyone worries about the bottom end of the zoom, because we don't have multiple close range targets like in 3gun.  4-6x is fine.  The extra high end is useful for matchstick type stages or zeroing, but it's not totally necessary either.  The one feature that can impact shooting is how low your parallax focuses down.  I think 25 yards is minimum.  

[Tom Freeman]

19 hours ago, Smokin said:

What are you using for optics for rimfire matches? Ive been shooting PRS since its inception, but have never been to a rimfire match. Trying to re-configure my 22LR as a trainer but wondering if a 6-24 vortex diamondback is too much zoom, after all the bottom end zoom of that optic is the top end of what many many 3G carbine competitors use for zoom

 

Schmidt & Bender 5-25.

 

 

[Tom Freeman]

Scope recommendations was asked a while back.  Guess the OP didnt like the answers.