.556 to .22 ARC conversion?

[ryans1010]

Im fairly new to the AR platform, but purchased my AR15 some time back from palmetto state. I built it myself, both upper and lower, and got it looked over by my local gun store to make sure its all good. Ive been happily shooting it now for some time but am interested in the .22 ARC for coyotes hunting on my property. Mostly in the effective range it boasts.
From research I cannot find a definitive answer on whether I can buy a .22 ARC upper and install it on my .556 lower! Is this possible?
If so I've also read the magazine is different so is there a solution for that?
Thanks in advance!

 

[Caseknife]

AR-15 lowers are all essentially the same. The 22 ARC upper would probably come with the bolt carrier group and a magazine. Haven't done it, but more than likely doable.

 

[rabbithuntr]

What effective range are you looking for? 223 will get you to over 400 yards with the right bullet, 22 arc will probably gain about 150 yards.
If you are swapping the entire upper then the only other thing you need is a magazine , I’ve heard the Geissele ones are some of the best.

 

[longrangelead]

6.5 Grendel mags

 

[ryans1010]

What effective range are you looking for? 223 will get you to over 400 yards with the right bullet, 22 arc will probably gain about 150 yards.
If you are swapping the entire upper then the only other thing you need is a magazine , I’ve heard the Geissele ones are some of the best.

Im just looking to add another round to my shelf. More for fun! I have a bolt action 223 already just thought it would be cool to havw another upper in another round I can switch to for range time and hunting!
The magazine was honestly my biggest hangup. Switching the whole upper was the easiest thing to do get this round without having to go through the background check and wait again. Just for ease of shipping something right to my door. Then id mount its own scope on it.
Do you know what mag from geissele?

 

[mtnbound]

Im fairly new to the AR platform, but purchased my AR15 some time back from palmetto state. I built it myself, both upper and lower, and got it looked over by my local gun store to make sure its all good. Ive been happily shooting it now for some time but am interested in the .22 ARC for coyotes hunting on my property. Mostly in the effective range it boasts.
From research I cannot find a definitive answer on whether I can buy a .22 ARC upper and install it on my .556 lower! Is this possible?
If so I've also read the magazine is different so is there a solution for that?
Thanks in advance!

22ARC Complete Upper | Shop Now

The foundation of this all new complete 22ARC upper from ODIN Works is a forged or Billet upper receiver bearing the ODIN name.

www.odinworks.com

 

[rabbithuntr]

Im just looking to add another round to my shelf. More for fun! I have a bolt action 223 already just thought it would be cool to havw another upper in another round I can switch to for range time and hunting!
The magazine was honestly my biggest hangup. Switching the whole upper was the easiest thing to do get this round without having to go through the background check and wait again. Just for ease of shipping something right to my door. Then id mount its own scope on it.
Do you know what mag from geissele?

Their ICM magazines in different capacities

 

[ZeroFoxGiven]

Easy upper swap. Depending on how the uppers are setup/gassed you may need to swap buffers as well.

 

[Fireflyfishing]

Im just looking to add another round to my shelf. More for fun! I have a bolt action 223 already just thought it would be cool to havw another upper in another round I can switch to for range time and hunting!
The magazine was honestly my biggest hangup. Switching the whole upper was the easiest thing to do get this round without having to go through the background check and wait again. Just for ease of shipping something right to my door. Then id mount its own scope on it.
Do you know what mag from geissele?

Me personally, I’m not a fan of switching uppers around on lowers. Once you get the lower tuned to a specific upper, you may have to change the buffer and spring on the lower setup to run a different upper. I’d rather just grab a gun that’s fully setup for that cartridge.

 

[Big_wals]

The Duramag 6.5 grendel mags work great for 22 arc if you don’t want to spend Geissele $.

 

[Luked]

Easy swap for sure.
Pull the 5.56 upper off and put the 22 Arc on. Swap to 6.5 Grendel mags and your good to go.
I have been contemplating on doing the same thing and just rebarrel the 5.56 to 22 Arc. Just haven't pulled the trigger on doing it yet.

 

[Mike D Texas]

Yes it will drop onto your 223/5/56 lower. You will need to make sure the upper came either with a full bolt carrier group or at least a bolt. If it came with a bolt, you will need to swap it I to one that’s in your current 223/5.56 upper.

You will also need different mags. There are plenty available, just make sure they are compatible with 6.5 Grendel, 6ARC, 22ARC.