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Home »Guns» CMMG Resolute Uppers Three guns in one

It is no exaggeration to say that the AR-15 rifle is the most versatile and modular weapon system on the planet. Shooters can use optics, furniture and other accessories to configure their rifles exactly as they wish. AR-15 can be configured as a rifle or pistol-there is even a shotgunner's choice. Caliber options range from 22 rimfire all the way to a single-shot 50 BMG upper receiver, as well as almost all traditional (and some less traditional) rifles and pistol cartridges.

For anyone who cares about preparing for any disaster, it makes sense to have at least one AR-15 on hand. Using various upper receivers and suitable magazines, you can make this rifle more versatile.

Companies like CMMG have eliminated the guesswork of switching from one caliber to another, providing a 22-caliber conversion kit and various upper receivers of everyone's favorite pistol caliber.

They sent us 5.56 and 9mm Resolute series complete uppers for wringing. The CMMG Resolute upper is a high-end choice provided by CMMG, with all the bells and whistles you expect.

You don't need to use a lower manufactured CMMG with these uppers. In fact, we contacted them for one of their subordinates, but they insisted that we run them with any subordinates on hand.

No stranger to AR platforms, your platform has indeed been photographing, building, and trying to destroy them since the 1980s. These CMMG uppers can easily run on Colt, FN, Cobalt Kinetics, Mega, Bushmaster, Palmetto or any other models. Instead, we chose something that would allow some snob shooters to climb up the wall—the Anderson-made lower receiver with a CAR-15 stock from the Vietnam era will be our main gun.

Reading any Internet forum or social media group dedicated to AR-15, you will find that many users slander Anderson and his products, calling them "poor pony". Some people will assure you that the rifle will fire a grenade in your hand.

You might argue that a cheap budget invites builders who use substandard, cheap, or problematic parts—this is true for any building. When we were looking for a house with a TPS component kit, we put this together and found a low price of $30 for sale.

There is absolutely nothing in the Anderson receiver that does not meet specifications. The lower part kit is perfectly installed and functionally checked, as is the replica CAR-15 stock from the Vietnam era. Once upon a time, this would lay the foundation for the construction of the light rifle, but since then it has been accumulating dust in the safe. So we decided to give it a new life.

The first and most important upper in the CMMG system is the 5.56 NATO upper. It has a beautiful bronze finish, a rail system compatible with M-LOK, and one of CMMG's excellent smart charging handle, medium-length gas system and CMMG's ingenious muzzle device. It took less than a minute to bounce the receiver pins off, and when they were locked back in place, the upper was ready.

For the 5.56 magazine, we ran the Sure Feed aluminum GI version of Okay Industries. They always perform well and are strongly reminiscent of the version we use in the military. C-Products produced many such magazines that year, and over time, all they did was improve their products.

Sometimes we would be lazy and install a set of MBUS sights on the rifle for testing, but this time we want to install a low-power variable optics (LPVO). We chose Sun Optics USA Mantis 30mm 1-6×24, with luminous BDC markings in the integrated Weaver tactical mount. As reformed optical snobs, these telescopes are excellent value for money.

LPVO provides the shooter with a true 1x shooting with zero magnification. It is not as fast as a red dot or holographic sight, but it can be very close to one second. Except for the few 1-10X oscilloscopes on the market, LPVO can usually adjust the magnification, and the maximum power can reach 4 to 8 times. This allows the shooter to increase the magnification for long-range shooting and aggressive target recognition.

Mantis is the second focal plane range, which means that the size of the reticle remains the same regardless of the magnification. We zeroed at 200 yards and found that the CMMG was installed in the lower part of Anderson, and the SOUSA scope was a MOA rifle.

To be honest, with a good optical system and consistent vamp, there is almost nothing that a rifle like this can do. Of course, the bull moose may not be on the menu, but there are other uppers that can help you in this regard. 

The second upper we received from CMMG is a 9mm Resolute; luckily, it has a gray finish that can distinguish one from the other. It is helpful to be able to easily identify your shoe uppers, especially when you change calibers. Some people etched the caliber on the ejection port cover or painted it on the receiver. These are reasonable ideas, especially if all the uppers you order are the same color. 

Not long ago, a major manufacturer shipped a rifle for review. At the same time, they sent a similar rifle to another writer. I got his, he got mine. Fortunately, he called me, because there is no mark on the gun, I will inadvertently load the 458 SOCOM into the 50 Beowulf.

Although I am not a big fan of pistol caliber carbines, they do have some uses. They can be quieter, ammunition can be cheaper, and certain ranges only allow pistol calibers. One of the problems is the magazine they designed. There is no universal standard-some use Glock extended magazines, some use Uzi or MP-5 magazines, and some use other pistol magazines. Shooters usually make a choice based on the number and type of 9mm magazines they have on hand.

The second problem may be finding the right magazine pouches, especially when installing them on your pallet, combat harness or military belt. Then, swapping them out is troublesome, for example, when you usually run 5.56 but need 9 mm for PCC matching.

CMMG provides a dedicated magazine for this shoe upper, which has the overall look, feel and footprint of the 5.56 Magpul P-Mag magazine. We filled them with Federal 115-grain FMJ and fired hundreds of bullets down range. 

For the optics, we ran the Nikon Spur red dot. This is a clear and sturdy fixed power sight, about the same size as the RMR. Between the lack of magnification and the aging of our eyes, we achieved a group of approximately 2 inches at 100 feet. If you are satisfied with the 1x red dot, it will work very well; although in the future, we may use a low-power lens to dial.

If you have been shooting AR for a while, you may be familiar with the 22LR conversion kit of the AR platform. Just remove 5.56 bolts and replace them with plug-in special 22LR bolts. These kits use proprietary magazines and provide you with two calibers in one device.

We are ready to be disappointed, because these devices may be hit or missed in terms of reliability and accuracy-AR usually has a higher twist rate than 22LR barrels, and there is about 1¾ inch free bore.

CMMG's device is completely made of stainless steel, which is easy to maintain and clean. As we all know, 22LR is very dirty when shooting.

The magazines included with the kit are similar in appearance to typical GI magazines, so they can easily fit into your existing magazine bays. You can quickly tell the difference from the standard 5.56 magazines because they have visible rivets on the outside and the feed ramp clearly protrudes from the top. For any retrofit kit or dedicated rimfire AR we have ever seen, they are the best looking magazines.

To use the conversion kit, open the back of the upper receiver and remove the bolt bracket set and charging handle. Replace the 5.56 bolt bracket set with the conversion bolt, and then re-insert it into the upper receiver with the original charging handle, close the receiver, and you can start to snap.

It turns out that our group's impact is about 4 inches lower than 5.56 barrels; otherwise it is very consistent. A few boxes of 22LR turned into half bricks, which was really cool. We have experienced two feeding failures, but the responsibility lies entirely with the ammunition, not the rifle or the conversion bolt.

Generally, I recommend a dedicated 22 rimfire rifle and/or pistol for most survival or error situations. Shooting the CMMG rimfire conversion bolt made me rethink this. If you spend enough time using it, are willing to adjust the zero position to the elevation angle, and remember to re-adjust it when reinstalling the 5.56 bolts, this will be a good choice compared to relying on a separate dedicated rimfire rifle.

Maybe you have a different view on the type of ammunition. Suppose you prefer 300 BLK to 5.56 NATO or 45 ACP to 9mm; CMMG provides a variety of upper receivers with different calibers, including 5.7×28, 6.5 Grendel, 6mm ARC, 40 S&W, 350 Legend, etc. However, the 22 conversion bolt is only suitable for 5.56 shoe uppers. If you have a large number of Glock, Colt or SIG 9mm magazines, you can also use these magazines. Some calibers may need to adjust the buffer system, but the 9mm and 5.56 upper receivers we tested did not encounter any problems.

There is no doubt that AR-15 has become the rifle of the United States, and the manufacturer's figures prove this. On the whole, compared with other longer production rifles, it is clear that this rifle is very popular in the United States. If you want to try a new caliber AR that is not currently available, you only need a different upper receiver. 

Caliber: 5.56x45mm Barrel: 16.1 inches, 1:7 torsion, medium taper, 4140CM, SBN Muzzle: CMMG SV brake, thread 1/2-28 Port position: medium length Receiver: forged 7075-T6 AL M4 type upper part Equipped with BCG hand guard: CMMG RML15 M-LOK Hand guard finish: hard anodized coating (can be upgraded to Cerakote) Charging handle: CMMG super large and smart Weight: 6 pounds, 7 ounces Length: 25.3 inches Suggested retail price: $775 URL: cmmg.com

Caliber: 9x19mm Barrel: 16.1 inches, 1:10 twist, middle taper 4140CM, SBN Muzzle: SV brake, thread 1/2-28 Port position: Not applicable Receiver: Forged 7075-T6 AL M4 type upper hand gun 1 M-LOK Handguard Finish: Hard anodized coating (can be upgraded to Cerakote) Charging handle: CMMG Super Smart Magazine: 30 rounds of 9mm AR conversion magazine (including 3) Suggested retail price: $1,030 URL: cmmg .com

Magnification: 1-6 times Objective lens: 4 mm Tube diameter: 30 mm Length: 11.5 inches Weight: 18.3 oz Exit pupil: 4 to 11 mm Exit pupil mask: Etched illumination BDC second focal plane mask Field of view: 19 to 116 feet eye distance: 5 inches adjustment: ½ MOA parallax: 100 yards suggested retail price: $250 URL: sousaoptics.com

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