I ordered this upper in late February; the plan I have put in my own head is to switch all my rifles to the same platform. My hope is this will simplify my training regiment. The goal is if my long range rifle, 2 gun rifle and 22 match rifle are all the same it will make me more proficient with the AR platform. I hope that every 6.5 Creedmoor, 224 Valkyrie, 5.56 and 22 LR round fired strengthens my ability to shoot the other.

I started my testing with a Leupold VX 5 HD scope a AREA 419 ARCA rail with Harris bipod and a Timney Calvin elite trigger. I believed this was a great combination of parts and accessories. And boy was I wrong. Thank goodness for JP customer support and their aid in trouble shooting.

First round of testing was the worst accuracy I had seen to date. CCI standard velocity grouped at 2.2 and 2.3 five shot groups at 50 yards. Lapua center provided a 1.5 inch 5 shot group at 50 yards and SK long range was somewhere in between the 2 other ammo types. Disheartened is the only word that can explain my feelings at the time of this testing. It was time to call JP!

With a quick phone call to JP, I spoke with Dave we discussed my setup and any potential short comings in my combination of parts. Dave mentioned that the trigger i was using had a heavy hammer. The added mass of the hammer could lead to some accuracy issues. JP was more than willing to have the upper sent back to inspect for any deficiency. But I was reluctant and wanting to test so I took Dave’s suggestion and tried a different lower with a different trigger. This time I used a DDM4 lower with a CNC trigger I gained .5 of an inch smaller groups with all previously mentioned ammo types. After seeing such a change in my group size I got online and ordered a JP fire control group.

2 Weeks later my trigger was at the house. After a little work on the install it was time to retest. This round of testing didn’t give me bad results but it was not what I was hoping for. Any time I zero a rifle I will shoot my rifle from barricade, bench and other positions, this will show how my zero was effected by the different positions. The JP had no point of impact shift from my zero when conducting this exercise. However, I did observe that when I was shooting from barricade with my WHISKEY HOTEL Stock+Aid my groups not only had no POI shift but were also smaller. Believe me I was not mad but I was puzzled. In my experience the most accurate position a person can shoot from is prone with a bipod and rear bag. Thinking back to my time in the military and a conversation I had with my sniper brother ,we discussed his theory of pack rest VS bipod shooting. The shooters theory was no matter what type of ground he found himself shooting from his pack would change less than a bipod. If the shooting position is mud, rocks, concrete or a Humvee his rifle and rifle rest was always consistent.

Time for a new bipod. I went inside , packed a small assault pack for a match and strapped a couple of shooting bags to the outside. This created a very stable pack-rest for me to shoot from. Going back out and testing the rifle showed that not only with proper ammo could this upper achieve sub MOA accuracy but with CCI Standard Velocity I could group around 1 MOA. I believe the reason the bag rest is more accurate has something to do with shock absorption. The extended amount of time a 22 LR is in the bore vs a centerfire cartridge highlights all shooter mistakes and error in equipment choices. Add in the fact that you have the shock of an AR trigger hammer smacking the firing pin doesn’t help. Then it sends vibration down the rifle to the bipod and back. The pack rest helps dampen this shock.

With some kinks worked out and the rifle shooting more like what I expected it to, you can probably guess what came next. Time for the PRS test! I ran 2 previous rifles I reviewed through these same stages. Stage 1 was a simple stage.it consisted of one three-inch target at one hundred yards, and two different positions on the tank trap barricade. On the sound of the buzzer, I moved to the tank trap, fired five shots at the target, then proceeded to the second position and fired five more shots. I completed this stage clean in 26 seconds, I am way more familiar with AR controls than 10/22 controls I’m guessing this is why my time is faster with the JP. The next stage I ran was a little harder. On this one, I shot five different targets from five different positions, moving every two shots. On the buzzer I moved to position one and shot it, two times then moved to the new position. I cleaned this course in 67 seconds. The targets consisted of a two-inch steel circle at seventy-five and eighty yards, a two-and-a-half-inch target at eighty-five and ninety-five yards and a three-inch target at onehundred yards. All positions were fired from a barricade with the help of my Whiskey Hotel stock-aid bag. All movement was on the clock. The JP AR can be tuff to shoot off a barricade. But with a little practice it can be mastered. My times were faster than the BXR or the TCR. I’m positive this is due to the fact that I was in the infantry for 12 years and have used and competed with the AR platform in a professional capacity. Also the AR 15 has superior ergonomics compared to most rifles. I was all around faster at these test stages.

To say that the JP 22 is upping my AR rifle game is an understatement. This upper has not only taught me new tricks but reminded me of old ones. I am very pleased with the professionalism and customer support from the JP staff. Every piece of equipment I have purchased from them has been top notch.

This rifle is so adaptable it could be a 3-gun trainer, NRL rifle, squirrel hunter or just for fun. I would absolutely purchase this rifle and any other equipment from JP. If you do get this rifle stick with it and train a lot. Zero your body to the rifle. Master the art of the AR platform, and be ready to learn. Shooting precision AR is not as easy as a bolt gun, but it can be a lot more fun.