If you have ever dropped a kit into your AR-15 so you could plink all day on cheap .22LR, or seen a stubby pistol-caliber PDW that swallows a magazine in its grip, you have run into CMMG. The Missouri company built its name on the patented .22LR AR conversion kit, the AK-mag-eating Mk47, the compact BANSHEE, and the buffer-free DISSENT — and it will chamber an AR in just about any cartridge you can name. Here is who they are, what they make, and what is worth buying.
Who CMMG is
CMMG is a Boonville, Missouri company that built its name on the patented .22LR AR-15 conversion kit, the AK-magazine-eating Mk47, the compact BANSHEE pistol-caliber line, and the buffer-free DISSENT, chambering ARs in an unusually wide range of calibers.
CMMG was founded in 2002 in Fayette, Missouri by the Overstreet family — John, Jeff, Gretchen and Stephanie — with a simple goal: build a quality AR that a normal person could actually afford. It started as a family operation and grew on the strength of well-made, fairly-priced parts. In 2016 the company moved to a new, much larger plant in Boonville, Missouri, the Overstreet brothers’ childhood hometown, which let the existing team make the move with them.
The four letters are part of the lore. CMMG no longer officially spells the name out, and the company is happy to just be “CMMG” — though it is widely said to have started life as “Central Missouri Machine Gun.” Whatever it stood for, the identity today is clear: an American, family-run AR maker that competes on innovation and caliber selection rather than on prestige.
In tier, CMMG sits in the value-to-mid range — built to a real quality standard, with a lifetime-grade reputation for customer service, but priced for working shooters rather than collectors. You are not paying boutique money, and you are not getting bargain-bin parts either.
What CMMG makes
The .22LR AR conversion kit
The product that built the company. Patented and released in 2010, the conversion kit drops into a standard 5.56 AR-15 and lets it run dirt-cheap .22 Long Rifle — same controls, same trigger, a fraction of the cost per round. For high-volume practice it is one of the smartest accessories an AR owner can buy.
BANSHEE
CMMG’s compact pistol and short-barreled-rifle line, and the gun most people picture when they hear the name. The BANSHEE is a stubby, AR-pattern PDW built around CMMG’s Radial Delayed Blowback action, offered in pistol calibers like 9mm, .45 ACP and 5.7×28, among others. It is the do-it-all truck/range/home gun in the lineup.
DISSENT
The newest flagship. The DISSENT uses CMMG’s patented Compact Action — there is no buffer tube, which lets the gun fold and shrink dramatically while keeping a full-length feel. It is one of the more genuinely original AR designs of recent years.
RESOLUTE and ENDEAVOR rifles
The RESOLUTE is the bread-and-butter 16-inch rifle family across a huge spread of calibers; the ENDEAVOR is the longer-range, precision-leaning platform. Between them they cover most of what a rifle buyer actually needs.
The Mk47 and AR parts
The 2014 Mk47 is an AR built around the 7.62×39 round that feeds from standard AK-47 magazines — a clever bridge between the AR ergonomics people love and the cheap, plentiful AK ammo and mags. Beyond complete guns, CMMG makes a deep catalog of AR components: barrels, bolt carrier groups, handguards, lower parts kits, gas systems and stocks.
Build quality and the caliber obsession
CMMG’s signature is breadth. The company will chamber an AR in well over twenty cartridges — from .22 LR and 9mm up through 5.56, 6mm ARC, 6.5 Grendel, .300 Blackout, 7.62×39, .350 Legend, .308, and oddballs like 5.7×28, 8.6 Blackout and .338 ARC. That is only possible because they engineer their own actions, most notably the Radial Delayed Blowback system that tames pistol-caliber and high-pressure rounds without a piston. Everything is made in the USA in Boonville. The honest counterpoint: chasing exotic calibers means some CMMG chamberings depend on ammo that is niche and occasionally hard to find, and a few of their systems lock you into CMMG-specific parts.
How CMMG compares
Against premium AR makers like Daniel Defense, BCM and Knight’s, CMMG is more affordable and far more adventurous on calibers, while giving up a little of the ultra-refined fit and mil-spec pedigree. Against budget houses like Palmetto State Armory, CMMG costs more but brings tighter quality control and real in-house engineering rather than assembled commodity parts. For the BANSHEE specifically, the rivals are pistol-caliber carbines like the CZ Scorpion and B&T — CMMG’s pitch there is AR controls and AR familiarity in a compact package.
Who should buy what
- The high-volume practice shooter: the .22LR conversion kit for your existing AR.
- The one-gun home/truck buyer: a BANSHEE in 9mm.
- The early adopter who wants something different: the buffer-free DISSENT.
- The all-around rifle buyer: a RESOLUTE in 5.56 or .300 Blackout.
- The AK-ammo hoarder who prefers AR ergonomics: the Mk47.
- The home builder: CMMG barrels, BCGs and lower parts kits.
Who should look elsewhere? If you want the most battle-proven, mil-spec-to-the-letter rifle and money is no object, a Daniel Defense or BCM is the safer pedigree. CMMG is the right call when you want American-made quality, genuine innovation, and a caliber nobody else bothers to offer.
The CMMG philosophy
CMMG’s whole approach is “why not?” Why not let an AR shoot .22LR for pennies? Why not feed it AK mags? Why not delete the buffer tube so it folds? The company treats the AR platform as something to be re-engineered and stretched, not just reproduced, and it backs that with American manufacturing and a customer-service reputation that keeps owners loyal.
How to choose your CMMG setup
Decide first whether you want a complete gun or to upgrade what you own. Already have an AR? The cheapest, highest-value way into the brand is the .22LR conversion kit, followed by a CMMG barrel or BCG. Want a complete CMMG? Pick by mission: BANSHEE for compact pistol-caliber duty, RESOLUTE for a general-purpose rifle, ENDEAVOR for distance, DISSENT if you want the newest design. Then pick your caliber honestly — the exotic chamberings are fun, but make sure you can actually buy ammo for the one you choose before you commit.
An AR for every cartridge
What makes CMMG genuinely unusual is the refusal to pick a lane. Most AR companies build a 5.56 rifle and maybe a .300 Blackout. CMMG builds the AR platform in more than twenty cartridges, including some it essentially had to engineer the gun around. The Radial Delayed Blowback action and the buffer-free Compact Action are not marketing — they are the engineering that makes a 9mm BANSHEE shoot soft and a folding DISSENT possible. For a family company out of a small Missouri town, that is a remarkable amount of original design.
Shop CMMG Parts & Prices
Live CMMG products and current prices, organized by department and updated automatically.
Bolt Carrier Groups
Barrels
Handguards
Upper Receivers
Lower Parts
Charging Handles
Gas Systems
Muzzle Devices
Magazines
Where CMMG Fits in Our Buying Guides
- The Best AR-15 Parts & Accessories
- The Best AR-15 Rifles
- The Best 9mm Carbines
- The Best AR-15 Calibers
CMMG FAQ
Where is CMMG based?
Boonville, Missouri. The company was founded in 2002 in nearby Fayette by the Overstreet family and moved to Boonville in 2016. Everything is made in the USA.
What does CMMG stand for?
The company no longer officially spells it out and simply goes by CMMG. It is widely said to have originally stood for “Central Missouri Machine Gun,” though that is not officially confirmed.
What is the CMMG .22LR conversion kit?
A patented kit that drops into a standard 5.56 AR-15 and lets it fire cheap .22 Long Rifle, using the same controls and trigger. It is one of the most cost-effective ways to practice with your AR.
What is the BANSHEE?
CMMG’s compact AR-pattern pistol and short-barreled-rifle line, built on their Radial Delayed Blowback action and offered in pistol calibers like 9mm, .45 ACP and 5.7×28.
What makes the DISSENT different?
It uses CMMG’s patented Compact Action, which removes the buffer tube. That lets the rifle fold and shorten far more than a normal AR while keeping a full-size feel.
Does the Mk47 really take AK magazines?
Yes. The Mk47 is an AR-platform rifle chambered in 7.62×39 that feeds from standard AK-47 magazines, pairing AR ergonomics with cheap, plentiful AK ammo and mags.
What is Radial Delayed Blowback?
It is CMMG’s recoil system for pistol-caliber and larger guns. A rotating bolt slows the action’s opening, which tames recoil and lets the gun run cleaner and softer than a simple blowback design.
What tier is CMMG?
Value-to-mid. Real American-made quality and heavy on innovation, priced below boutique makers like Daniel Defense but above commodity budget brands.
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