DPMS Dedicated 22lr Upper
- Thread starter OldTurtle
- Start date
OldTurtle
Moderator - Deceased
The next update won't be out until about the 15th of Jan.. The wife and I are going to head for FL, for a three month stay, in a couple of days and it will take that long for us to get unpacked, settled, and functioning on some semblance of normalcy..
My next range session is going to be of some length and the write up pretty detailed about the ammo involved..
My next range session is going to be of some length and the write up pretty detailed about the ammo involved..
Terry N.
New member
Originally Posted By: OldTurtleObvious question Terry...Have you personally contacted DPMS about the problem??
Sure did; they're very sorry, but they no longer make repair parts, mags, or anything else for that upper.
I'll shoot them an e-mail and see if there is any parts interchangeability with the new and old models.
Sure did; they're very sorry, but they no longer make repair parts, mags, or anything else for that upper.
I'll shoot them an e-mail and see if there is any parts interchangeability with the new and old models.
OldTurtle
Moderator - Deceased
Well, after two trips to two different ranges, there is not a whole lot more to report...
The first one was a local indoor range in Merritt Island, FL (The Gun Site) and it was limited to 25 yards and wasn't really set up for bench type rifle shooting..... I will say that Steve, the owner, bent over backwards to make it a good experience.... Fun place to shoot a handgun, but not much for rifles..
The second one was to the Titusville Rifle and Pistol Club and we have variable head winds that were blowing bullets all over the place at 50 yards...I did, however, get some pretty good groups between wind gusts, but not enough to make a valid assessment..
One thing that did come out of that session was that the Black Dog magazines that came with the upper are really great...I was a little concerned starting out since the springs seemed too light, compared to some of the Butler Creeks high cap mags I'm used to using with my Ruger 10/22, but they fed flawlessly and right before leaving the range, I loaded the 20 round mag with one round of each of the 20 brands and ripped off the full mag in about ten seconds...
No hiccups and the upper displayed reasonable 50 yard accuracy considering that there was a wide variety of power and bullet types...My free hand standing group was in the 3" vertical range and very narrow in width...
Hopefully, a week from today (5 mph breeze forecast) will be better relative to the wind here and I'll give it another try...This week is forecasting rain and 20 mph wind gusts...
The first one was a local indoor range in Merritt Island, FL (The Gun Site) and it was limited to 25 yards and wasn't really set up for bench type rifle shooting..... I will say that Steve, the owner, bent over backwards to make it a good experience.... Fun place to shoot a handgun, but not much for rifles..
The second one was to the Titusville Rifle and Pistol Club and we have variable head winds that were blowing bullets all over the place at 50 yards...I did, however, get some pretty good groups between wind gusts, but not enough to make a valid assessment..
One thing that did come out of that session was that the Black Dog magazines that came with the upper are really great...I was a little concerned starting out since the springs seemed too light, compared to some of the Butler Creeks high cap mags I'm used to using with my Ruger 10/22, but they fed flawlessly and right before leaving the range, I loaded the 20 round mag with one round of each of the 20 brands and ripped off the full mag in about ten seconds...
No hiccups and the upper displayed reasonable 50 yard accuracy considering that there was a wide variety of power and bullet types...My free hand standing group was in the 3" vertical range and very narrow in width...
Hopefully, a week from today (5 mph breeze forecast) will be better relative to the wind here and I'll give it another try...This week is forecasting rain and 20 mph wind gusts...
OldTurtle
Moderator - Deceased
Well, I can't figure out how to get the upper on the plane as carry on baggage, or it would be at the PM Hunt and if you would bring the M&P 22, we could do one...
So far,,,I've been able to determine that it's almost impossible to cause any kind of function problem, it's reasonably accurate (more within my limitations than the uppers), very easy to clean/maintain, it's fit and finish is flawless..It feeds every type of ammunition that I've been able to put my hands on (25 different brands/types), 20 of them at one feeding...
So far,,,I've been able to determine that it's almost impossible to cause any kind of function problem, it's reasonably accurate (more within my limitations than the uppers), very easy to clean/maintain, it's fit and finish is flawless..It feeds every type of ammunition that I've been able to put my hands on (25 different brands/types), 20 of them at one feeding...
DPMS
New member
The DPMS 22lr uppers are designed to fit on any mil spec lower receiver, use any aftermarket trigger, and accepts aftermarket AR parts. It's made out of all mil spec tolerance parts (no polymer/plastic components). The bolt is a based off the proven 10/22 bolt design in stainless steel and melonite coated for ease of cleaning and durability.
With the popularity of the AR we decided on building uppers only, not complete guns as most people already have a lower.
The other side of the coin is the DPMS 22's are "professional grade" we did not cut any corners or try to make a "price point" product. It is designed to be the same weight, feel and reliability as your 223/556 AR. Great for LE/MIL training, competition shooters and all around professionals.
Can you get a 22 AR for less? Yes
Are they all the same? No.
It all depends on what you want.
With the popularity of the AR we decided on building uppers only, not complete guns as most people already have a lower.
The other side of the coin is the DPMS 22's are "professional grade" we did not cut any corners or try to make a "price point" product. It is designed to be the same weight, feel and reliability as your 223/556 AR. Great for LE/MIL training, competition shooters and all around professionals.
Can you get a 22 AR for less? Yes
Are they all the same? No.
It all depends on what you want.
OldTurtle
Moderator - Deceased
For those that are contemplating purchasing a Ruger 10/22 and already own an AR, I would strongly suggest that you give serious consideration to one of these uppers....
Considering the cost of a new rifle and the normal upgrades that most people wind up investing in a 10/22, this is a serious alternative... I've built two 10/22s in the past years and my investments ran 450-$600 by the time I was finished..
When I install the .22lr upper on my DPMS lower, with the exception of the paint scheme difference, it's almost impossible to tell the difference between it and my .223 upper...
The weight and appearance are almost identical, I've wound up feeding 25 different brands/types of ammo through the upper in both slow and rapid fire situations and cannot cause a malfunction, short of attempting to get it to feed empty cartridge casings...
While various brands of ammo will provide different accuracy nodes or points of impact, the upper is certainly accurate enough for hunting or action competitions...I'm still out on Benchrest type match evaluation, due to the trigger group in my lower and less than perfect conditions existing at the attempts I've made in that area..
As you can see on the target board by my first attempt at 50 yards,,some ammo had drastically different results, while others were within acceptable accuracy standards..
These were shot on 3"x5" index cards and while later range sessions showed a little change for the better, wind conditions kept me from obtaining more definite results..
Considering the cost of a new rifle and the normal upgrades that most people wind up investing in a 10/22, this is a serious alternative... I've built two 10/22s in the past years and my investments ran 450-$600 by the time I was finished..
When I install the .22lr upper on my DPMS lower, with the exception of the paint scheme difference, it's almost impossible to tell the difference between it and my .223 upper...
The weight and appearance are almost identical, I've wound up feeding 25 different brands/types of ammo through the upper in both slow and rapid fire situations and cannot cause a malfunction, short of attempting to get it to feed empty cartridge casings...
While various brands of ammo will provide different accuracy nodes or points of impact, the upper is certainly accurate enough for hunting or action competitions...I'm still out on Benchrest type match evaluation, due to the trigger group in my lower and less than perfect conditions existing at the attempts I've made in that area..
As you can see on the target board by my first attempt at 50 yards,,some ammo had drastically different results, while others were within acceptable accuracy standards..
These were shot on 3"x5" index cards and while later range sessions showed a little change for the better, wind conditions kept me from obtaining more definite results..
tnshootist
New member
Now you got me wanting one OT.Dang this site can cost a lot of money if you ain't careful.That pic you put up of the two makes it look good.Back when we were shooting .22 a lot the plain old white box Winchester was .99 cents a box and shot really well.If you wanted to weigh it ans separate it into groups by weight it did even better.Not as good as Gold Medal Match but not 13.00 a box either.22 are cheap to shoot but they can get costly if you get to thinking you need match ammo. You had some good groups considering what you said the wind was doing.Wind can be rough on the .22
OldTurtle
Moderator - Deceased
Actually, the better groups came out of the Remington/Eley "Target Rifle" ammo and for some reason it was less expensive than the straight Eley Club Xtra and Eley Match EPS ammo...I tried some of the Wolf Match Extra and don't think the ammo was up to snuff, as it didn't do well in either the DPMS upper or my Walther single shot when compared to it's reputation and against some of the lesser known "match" ammo...
The plain old Federal bulk ammo from Wally World did pretty good at $7.50 per 550 rounds...Another ammo that did well was the new Aguila Centurion...at $2.10 per 50 rounds, it shoots pretty darn good...
The plain old Federal bulk ammo from Wally World did pretty good at $7.50 per 550 rounds...Another ammo that did well was the new Aguila Centurion...at $2.10 per 50 rounds, it shoots pretty darn good...
tnshootist
New member
I bought a brick or the Wolf Match on it's reputation and like you found it lacking.I did not have much luck with the Winchester Target ammo either.The CCI Green box was pretty good,not great.At that time we could not find anything better than Fed Gold Medal Match.The next step down,I think it was just Fed Match,was not even close to as good as the Gold.Ammo in.22 shooting is,as you know,can be a hobby into itself.We shot some wolf that was pretty good but I can't remember which one,it was not the top one,I think it was their second tier ammo.Wolf at the time was supposed to have a better primer.They say the primer in .22 is what makes the difference and I believe that may be true.I still have some of the ammo we were shooting,I will see what I have and if I have anything you have not tried I'll send you a box to try if you want it.
OldTurtle
Moderator - Deceased
Like you, I bought a brick of Wolf on it's reputation and was sorely disappointed when shooting it in my nice old Walther that usually prints small cloverleafs at 50 yards with Federal Gold Medal Match...Unfortunately, I've been unable to find any locally for some time...
RWS is another that I thought was a real find when I found it collecting dust on the shelf in a small gun smiths shop that has one heck of a good reputation, but when I weighed them for a bench match, found a wide variety of weights and not very good to shoot either..
I'm really impressed with this upper...If functions better than my 10/22s for less money than I've got invested in either of them and certainly feels just like my .223 upper...If I were still on the competition circuit, it would be a great training aid and much less expensive to shoot for those practice sessions...I would just have to acquire a half dozen more magazines....
RWS is another that I thought was a real find when I found it collecting dust on the shelf in a small gun smiths shop that has one heck of a good reputation, but when I weighed them for a bench match, found a wide variety of weights and not very good to shoot either..
I'm really impressed with this upper...If functions better than my 10/22s for less money than I've got invested in either of them and certainly feels just like my .223 upper...If I were still on the competition circuit, it would be a great training aid and much less expensive to shoot for those practice sessions...I would just have to acquire a half dozen more magazines....
DLJ6
New member
Thanks for the update. Do you have access to any Fed. Gold match or Win. Dynapoint? A bit surprised about your results with the Wolf as it has always shot well out of my guns and those of my friends. A buddy sent me as a joke a cricket fitted with a match chambered green mtn barrel. It will stack holes with the wolf at 50yds similar to your target #18....in spite of the terrible trigger.
Would you mind listing the ammo used on 17, 18 and 19?
Would you mind listing the ammo used on 17, 18 and 19?
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OldTurtle
Moderator - Deceased
Quote:Would you mind listing the ammo used on 17, 18 and 19?
...Those were shot with the three Remington/Eley ammo rounds that are in the photo a couple of entries up...
Club Extra, Match EPS, and Target Rifle...
The Aguila Hyper Velocities didn't do so well..pretty wide groups..I tried to find some of the Federal Gold Match, but none was available locally...I have one box of 50 that was produced for the Olympics, but save that for my competitions...My Sig Trailside loves it in Steel Plate matches..I need to break down and send off for a brick of the current stuff..
...Those were shot with the three Remington/Eley ammo rounds that are in the photo a couple of entries up...
Club Extra, Match EPS, and Target Rifle...
The Aguila Hyper Velocities didn't do so well..pretty wide groups..I tried to find some of the Federal Gold Match, but none was available locally...I have one box of 50 that was produced for the Olympics, but save that for my competitions...My Sig Trailside loves it in Steel Plate matches..I need to break down and send off for a brick of the current stuff..
tnshootist
New member
OT I'll keep on the lookout for some gold medal match around here.Could be a brick just setting somewhere.Many of the little shops that carried such things have closed up though.It used to be around 9 bucks a 50 round box. What is it now,do you know offhand?