Speaking of .22s, I have been spending so much on ammo, sometimes over $100 per week, I’ve been considering getting something like the Mossberg Tactical 22 or getting a 22 upper for my AR. I am leaning towards the Mossberg because I would rather spend $300 on something just to go plinking with than $600 on an upper and risking putting even more wear and tear on a $900 AR.
Anyone have an opinion on the best way to go?
There are conversion kits (Ceiner, et al) for converting your AR to .22. DON’T DO IT. You’ll just lead up your AR barrel.
As for a dedicated upper, they’re nice, but you can get a complete AR-type rifle in .22 for about $550. Colt, Smith&Wesson and others make them and many of the components appear to be common, so you can switch your red-dot back and forth (you’ll need to re-zero, of course). The .22 can not be converted back to 5.56mm.