I've decided to go with a ruger 10/22. The reason being is that i really don't want to pay extra money for the AR15 .22lr's. Just because they look and feel like one i don't see why I would want to almost pay double the amount. Plus I just want to use it to plink around and that's it. If and when I buy the ruger and get a tapco conversion kit to get the pistol grip.
I was wondering if I do go that wrought of converting the ruger 10/22 to the tapco kit, is there any possible side effects that could happen (accuracy problems and other issues)? Is there any known issues installing a aftermarket kit?

Also is the ruger 10/22 a decent rifle?

You might want to try here.
http://www.ar15.com/forums/forum.html?b=6&f=11

About two or three years ago, I was in your same shoes - the AR15/22 looks too expensive, maybe I'll just go a 10/22 and build it into a trainer.  So I bought a little 10/22, got a rail, had the barrel threaded, got some good Tactical Inc mags, and it was a nice little shooter/trainer for trigger time.  Very reliable, and when I have standard velocity ammo and my suppressor it's very quiet.

But time has passed, and I realized what I really wanted was more trigger time on an AR to better simulate the M16/M4.  So, here I am again.  I bought complete little .22LR upper off Gunbroker, and loved it so much I started to want to shoot it suppressed but wasn't confident in the muzzle threads.  So now I'm hoping to finish a 5.5" dedicated upper so I can shoot suppressed .22LR in my AR.

Moral of the story?  Buy what you want, what you REALLY want.  Even if you have to bid time until you can afford it, you'll be happier in the long run and save some $$$.

The 10/22 is a great rifle, but if you want a .22lr AR, get the S&W M&P 15-22. It won't cost you much more than the 10/22 + Tapco stock kit, and you'll have what you really want.

Is the S&W 15-22 plastic?  I'd take a Marlin bolt gun before a plastic AR.  But maybe I'm the minority around here.

The Ruger 10/22 is a great .22.  There are so many aftermarket parts for the gun. You can go tactical, bench, etc. And parts are plentiful and usually cheap. A lot of help here and on other forums for repair and mods.

My 10/22 hasn't been shot since I've had a .22 conversion. If you have an AR, buy a conversion unit and see how you like it. Mine runs great. I had 3 10/22's. Sold 2 and have one left in a Butler Creek folder. I'd certainly recommend the Butler Creek over the Tapco.
If you start buying accesories like rails, Hi Cap mags, ect.. you will end up spending more than you would getting a AR .22 upper.
10/22's are decent rifles, left as is or with few mods. Personally, every time I see a "Tactical" 10/22 it just makes me laugh. And you will never ever get your money back out of it like you would an AR .22 upper.
Dave

This and this...... I put a Hogue stock on mine with a Weatherby scope and the polymer bushing/pin behind the bolt... it's a tack-driver with CCI Stingers.

The 10/22 doesn't do tactical all that well, IMO either.

Go here and check out the tactical section. Rimfire Central Tons of info there!

Brad

Thanks for all your info.

I think everyone should have a 10/22. That being said, I was sort of in the same position a few years ago. I really wanted an AR, but instead I bought a folding stock for my 10/22, and later the archangel stock and a GM barrel. That was a big mistake. I ended up still not being happy with the rifle. It just felt cheap and was very hard to clean with that stock, especially after I bought an AR (.223). I ended up selling the stocks and Redtazdog machined the 10/22 barrel and assembled a custom .22 upper. It is insanely accurate and very reliable. Best of all, it is the real thing (other than being .22lr vs .223). I think maybe it is a result of joining arfcom, but I try to save up to buy what will make me happy, rather than trying to make something else work. The price might sting now, but when you have dumped $500 + into a 10/22 trying to make it more like an AR, I bet you will be wishing you had bought the real thing.

It is plastic, kinds like those "here today, gone tomorrow" Glock Pieces of Crap.......

IE: it'll work for anything short of a crowbar