AR 15 Upper Conversions .22, 9mm, .45, 300, .458, .50

So one day you go to your local gun store or ammo supplier to pick up some .223, but they're out. No biggie except its starting to seem like there's almost never any .223 around. The reason is .223 is always the first ammo to disappear from store shelves during a time of change. Well there an easy way to get your shooting fix & still use your favorite rifle.

The answer is to change or convert your existing AR 15 upper into a different caliber. This can be easily done & undone in seconds. All you have to do is drop the magazine, ensure no rounds are in the chamber, push both take down pins, & replace with a new upper. Here are some of the different calibers that can be added:

Note that when purchasing these conversion kits that the price quoted includes the bolt-carrier assembly (unless not needed), charging handle, & sights. The manufactures will also have a plethora of additions & modifications you can make to the upper that will shoot the price up.


.22 Long Rifle

The .22LR conversion is special because its the only the upper doesn't have to be changed. In this case you could purchase a CMMG .22LR conversion kit that only replaces the bolt-carrier assembly & the magazine.
These can be found for as little as $140 to $300+.

You will lose a hair on accuracy versus a dedicated .22LR upper which normally go for $400+. The stainless steel models are recommended just because they'll stand up to moisture better than the regular steel. Many companies manufacture the quality dedicated uppers but i'd only recommend the CMMG for the bolt kit.

The magazines available for .22LR upper/kit are 10 rounds, 26 rounds, & 30 rounds. Add in the fact that this caliber is extremely inexpensive.


9mm Luger


Being able to use the same ammo in both a handgun & a rifle would be convenient. Well, several companies decided that AR 15's should be able to shoot 9mm ammo. This conversion requires a 9mm upper & magazine. Model1sales, Rock River Arms, Lone Wolf, CMMG, & a few others build this conversion. The kit will set you back at least $600.

The magazines available for 9mm upper are 10 rounds & 32 rounds. A rifle, a handgun, & one caliber of ammo makes for a good day.


.45 ACP


Same as above. Being able to use the same ammo in both a handgun & a rifle would be convenient. Well, several companies decided that AR 15's should be able to shoot .45 ACP ammo. This conversion requires a .45 ACP upper & magazine. The kit will set you back at least $700. It is manufactured by Olympic Arms.

The magazine available for .45 ACP upper is 18 rounds. A rifle, a handgun, & one caliber of ammo makes for a good day.


7.62-39mm (AK47)

Why carry two rifles when you can carry one? In this scenario your AK gets a tactical build. The AR 15 is missing one thing, Power. By adding the 7.62 upper kit your rifle will live up to its true potential. Many would say that firing 7.62 from an AR 15 is sacrilegious but I completely disagree. These uppers run $500+ & are produced by Model1sales, Yankee Hill, Bushmaster, Precision Weapons Systems, & others.

Note that the reliability of the AK platform will not cross over to the AR platform. AR's are precision machines with extremely tight tolerances whereas the AK's have very loose tolerances.

The magazine for the 7.62-39mm is 30s round & is shaped like the AK47 banana clip.


5.45-39mm (AK74)

I don't see a big demand for this conversion.  It is too similar to 5.56 NATO ammo because the Russians wanted to improve their accurace & distance. The AK74 & AKM belong to a great platform but spending $400+ for  a 5.45 upper may be pushing it. There is a demand for these though.

The magazines for the 5.45-39mm upper are 10 rounds, 30 rounds, & 45 rounds.


.458 SOCOM

Do you want to spend a $1+ per round & be assured that anything down range from you will be annihilated? If so, the .458 SOCOM is the conversion to get. These run $700+ will kick a little. There can be purchases from Rock River Arms, Red Jacket, & Teppo Jutsu.

The .458 SOCOM will fit into any standard .223/5.56 magazine. A 30 round AR 15 magazine will accomodate 10 .458 rounds.


6.8-43mm Remington


The 6.8 was originally made by Remington for special forces because of problems they were facing with the 5.56 Nato. The switch was short lived & the 6.8 became a civilian hunting round. A lot of times the round will not exit the animal so it has gradually been ignored. The go for $400+.

The magazines available for the 6.8-43mm are 10 rounds, 15 rounds, 25 rounds, & 30 rounds.


300 AAC Blackout

Many would love to shoot an AR 10 but can't justify spending $1200+ on another rifle. Well the people at Advanced Armament came up with a solution. They cut the tip off a .223 casing & put a .308 bullet on it. The 300 AAC ammo is accurate, silent, & powerful. The ammo usually runs 0.80¢ to $1 per round though. When joined with a suppressor, the ammo is more silent than a .22LR. The 300 AAC can range from $320 to $1000+ from DSArms, Advanced Armament, or Model1sales.

For the 300 AAC conversion you can either replace the barrel & front sight or get a separate upper. It will also use the same bolt-carrier assembly & magazines. I put up a previous post on how to do this specific conversion is here: http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4671581336335862057#editor/target=post;postID=109008702501325361



.50 Beowulf


A .50 caliber upper, nuff said.

The .50 Beowulf ammo is decently priced compared to the more expensive .458 SOCOM & 300 AAC Blackout. The uppers usually go for $700+ through Impact Arms & Alexander Arms.

The magazines available are 4 rounds, 7 rounds, & 10 rounds.




.308 Winchester (AR 10) - Why can't it be converted?

Unfortunately the .308 Winchester cannot be used in the AR 15 because of round's length. For this reason the 300 AAC was invented. The AR 10 is mainly a sniper gun in my opinion because its ammo can go extremely far without losing acquisition.


Other Tidbits

A lot of times when looking at conversion uppers you may notice that they have short barrels. This means that they are an NFA weapon & require the ATF $200 Tax Stamp.

I mentioned above that these prices are for the bare bones unit, so make sure you know what you're getting before you buy.

AR 15 Uppers come in 3 sizes (non-NFA). Carbine length is around 16", Mid-length is around 18", & Rifle length is around 20". The benefit to carbine length is that its very maneuverable & light. Rifle length AR's on the other hand are more accurate & are easier to handle.

I'm sure there are other calibers but these are the most common.


DS Arms Uppers:
http://www.dsarms.com/Lowers%20&%20Uppers/products/59/

Olympic Arms:
http://olyarms.net/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&page=shop.browse&category_id=76&Itemid=5

Rock River Arms Uppers:
http://www.rockriverarms.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=page.Search%20Results

Model1sales Uppers:
http://www.model1sales.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=category.display&category_id=300

Yankee Hill Uppers:
http://yhm.net/index.php?keyword=upper&SUBMIT.x=0&SUBMIT.y=0&main_page=advanced_search_result&search_in_description=1

Red Jacket Uppers:
http://www.redjacketfirearms.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&page=shop.browse&category_id=8&Itemid=2

Impact Arms Uppers:
http://www.impactguns.com/ar15-uppers.aspx

Alexander Arms:
http://www.alexanderarms.com/index.php/products/50-beowulf/9-uncategorised/117-50-beowulf-upper-receivers.html

Buying an NFA Weapon:
http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4671581336335862057#editor/target=post;postID=2171069518306984106