.22 conversions for 1911s?

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Spells

.22 conversions for 1911s?

Post by Spells »

Are .22 conversions for 1911 pistols reliable? This seems like a no-brainer purchase given the savings in practice ammo, but they don't seem popular. Are their downsides to getting one or potential damage to the pistol?
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Erik
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Re: .22 conversions for 1911s?

Post by Erik »

Chris, what's your opinion of 1911-style .22s?
I've shot the SIG Mosquito myself once, the instructor used it because it works the same way as a "real" 1911. But it's still a .22 with the cheap ammo and low recoil benefits. So that's one way to go.

But I've heard others say that the Mosquito isn't a very good gun, so it would be interesting to hear others opinions on 1911 in .22 caliber.
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Catbird
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Re: .22 conversions for 1911s?

Post by Catbird »

Since there are lots of .22 automatics and not a lot of .22, 1911 conversion kits in gun stores, it's safe to say they aren't very popular.

To explain why, lets look at some reasons why one would make such a conversion:

1) To practice with cheaper ammo using the same platform and holster used in defensive carry
2) ???

I really can't think of any other reason. The problem is that the .22 has a much lower recoil than the .45. To cycle properly, you need a whole new slide assembly made of a lighter material such as aluminum, zinc, or plastic. It's hard to make such materials look as good as a nicely finished 1911. You also need to design a magazine to fit the 1911's mag well and reliably feed the .22 cartridges. To be marketable, you must do all this for the same or less than the price of a complete .22 pistol.

Since the slide and the magazine are so much lighter in the conversion, the balance, feel, and recoil of the pistol will be completely different than your carry piece anyway. Most shooters have concluded that the better value is in purchasing a separate .22 automatic pistol for high-volume marksmanship practice.

That said, I think that if a company such as Ruger or Browning could produce a 1911 lookalike which accepted their existing .22 magazines, they would probably sell more than a couple. Until then, you're stuck with the Ruger 22/45 and the like.
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Erik
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Re: .22 conversions for 1911s?

Post by Erik »

Catbird wrote:1) To practice with cheaper ammo using the same platform and holster used in defensive carry
2) ???
2) To be able to have another .22 caliber pistol in places where the law limit the number of weapons allowed. :roll: (A conversion kit isn't counted to the total number of weapons)
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Aglifter
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Re: .22 conversions for 1911s?

Post by Aglifter »

Dad and I both had Kimber 22 conversion kits for our Kimber 1911s, and they've both worked quite well -- I'm a big fan of conversion kits, and have one for my G29 as well -- I plan on getting one for my Sig, and if they ever come out, my XD. I think it helps a great deal, esp. on increasing the amount of range time I spend w. a gun.
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Combat Controller
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Re: .22 conversions for 1911s?

Post by Combat Controller »

I have a Ceiner and a Sistema .45 military trainer conversion. I must say, the Ceiner is reliable but gives fist sized groups at 7 yards and the Sistema is super accurate but the floating chamber gets fouled after a few hundred rounds.
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Re: .22 conversions for 1911s?

Post by Captain Wheelgun »

I have the Kimber conversion and I am very happy with it. No problems at all so far.
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mekender
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Re: .22 conversions for 1911s?

Post by mekender »

Sig just released .22 conversions for their P series... ive heard great things about them so far.

http://www.sigsauer.com/SigStore/ShowPr ... ductid=266
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Flintlock Tom
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Re: .22 conversions for 1911s?

Post by Flintlock Tom »

I look at those occasionally for my SA G.I. .45, but I get turned off by the price. $200-$250, that's half way to a Ruger 22/45.
If time, chance and random process can produce a platypus why not an ammo tree?
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Re: .22 conversions for 1911s?

Post by randy »

I only paid $245.00 for my Browning Buckmark (NIB at a local gunstore) 2 years ago.
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