Who makes the preferred 1911 22LR conversion kit?

[brassburnz]

When I bought my Marvel, I don't think they had the Unit 2 in production. I built a dedicated lower for it from a Rock Island. I put a one inch Ultradot on it and use it for bullseye. I can shoot 3/4 inch 10-shot groups with it at 25 yards on a good day using a one-handed bullseye hold. It's the most accurate pistol I own. My highest slow fire target was a 96 but I average about 89 which by bullseye standards is average. I'm classified as a Marksman, which is the lowest.

It took several months of tweaking and ammo testing to get the Marvel reliable, but it now runs perfectly. Several thousand rounds and no FTF or FTE problems.

I bought an Advantage Arms Target Model in early 2007. I was disappointed by it's accuracy and functioning. I realize it takes time to get a .22 running 100%, but the AA is not even getting close. It's only redeeming factor is the slide locks open on an empty mag.

I'm very interested in seeing what the Tactical Solutions unit has to offer. I've seen their Buckmark topends and they look great.

[Pred@tor]

http://www.advantagearms.com/

[beemaze]

Sorry to resurrect this necro thread, but I'm wondering if anyone has any updates to this nearly 2 years later. I've been looking around and still can't decide on what's for me. I'm using a stock 1911 frame, with no added bells and whistles. I want something for plinking, nothing more.

I'm actually leaning towards Advantage Arms since they're a local company. I like the slide hold open feature, and they seem to have alot of parts available to tweak things to work with your frame i.e. recoil and main springs. Seems like they did their research. They have tested theirs with Remington .22LR Golden bullets which are readily available for the present and forseeable future. A 14 week backorder at present is a big disappointment however...but they don't charge you until it ships.

Marvel seems good from what I hear. Just have never seen one locally.

Kimber is everywhere, but honestly it's mass produced and Kimber production seems inconsistent. They seemed to have tested theirs with CCI mini mags which are occassionally available locally at Wally World.

Tactical Solutions seems well-liked here. Again, never seen one locally and they are the most expensive I think.

Forget Ceiner, I don't send money orders cross country and wait forever for something to possibly come from a company with poor service.

Happy New Year!

[retired]

For the price of a Tactical Solutions conversion kit, you can get a really nice Ruger MK III, a Red Dot and have some money left over for ammo. That way you get a complete new gun!

As far as the that one goes, I really don't see why someone would buy one for $400 to $500 when they can buy a true .22 pistol. I realize some of the other brands are less expensive.

[kmca]

For plinking, any one of the conversions should work. I have the Kimber (not made by Ceiner) and it runs about 95%. Not quite good enough for competition, but it's fun to play with.
BTW, I talked to the son of the owner of Advantage Arms last August, he told me that they're making the Marvel conversions.

[beemaze]

BTW, I talked to the son of the owner of Advantage Arms last August, he told me that they're making the Marvel conversions.

Hmmm...

Which might explain why the 14 week backorder. I looked at Marvel's website, and they need a 6 week lead time.

But yea, I noticed Marvel's Unit 1 functions almost the same as Advantage Arms' Target conversion minus the slide's last shot lock open.

[Jonathan Doe]

I just bought a Colt conversion kit from a fellow Calgunner for $250. It works really well on my Colt frame. It looks nice, too.

[B Strong]

Marvel Precision Unit 1 or Unit 2

http://www.marvelprecision.com/

Marvel for serious target use, Kimber for a service pistol.

[-hanko]

Sorry to resurrect this necro thread, but I'm wondering if anyone has any updates to this nearly 2 years later. I've been looking around and still can't decide on what's for me. I'm using a stock 1911 frame, with no added bells and whistles. I want something for plinking, nothing more.

Forget Ceiner, I don't send money orders cross country and wait forever for something to possibly come from a company with poor service.

Happy New Year!

You cannot do better than one of Fred Kart's conversions, but they're no longer made & so you're looking at a used conversion...they're out there, but a bunch of patience is required.

I'd rate Marvel 1 2nd, but if you're only looking for minute-of-can accuracy try a Kimber if you can't stomach Jonathan Ceiner. You overstated his customer service quality, btw.

If AA is indeed now producing the Marvel conversions, I'd look for a real Marvel version.

-hanko

[twotap]

I like my kimber. Had it now over two years and about 3k rds. eats everything after a break in of 200 rds. cci minis.Every 100 rds. I give it a quick spray of rem oil to keep it happy .Good frame fit and no problems..

[XS40]

For plinking, any one of the conversions should work. I have the Kimber (not made by Ceiner) and it runs about 95%. Not quite good enough for competition, but it's fun to play with.
BTW, I talked to the son of the owner of Advantage Arms last August, he told me that they're making the Marvel conversions.

Just to clarify, Advantage Arms is making the Marvel Custom conversions, not Marvel. The Custom is essentially AA target version with an upgrades barrel and accuracy guarantee similar to the Marvel conversions. Marvel Custom is done by Bob Marvel, but are backlogged beyond 3 months at this point regardless of what they are telling folks.

Marvel conversion unit 1's are in stock at MidwayUSA without any wait time.

[brassburnz]

I have two Marvel Unit 1 conversions and an Advantage Arms target model. The Marvels are extremely accurate and reliable once you get them dialed in with the right ammo. The AA unit goes to slide lock on an empty mag. The Marvel's do not. The AA and Marvel lock the barrel to the frame with a threaded rod and a special slide stop. Kimber, Ceiner, Colt, conversions do not have this threaded rod and the barrels are not fixed to the frame.

[brassburnz]

There is still some confusion about Bob Marvel and his .22 conversion design. Marvel Precision is still making the Marvel .22 Conversion, Unit 1 and Unit 2. Bob left that company in 2003. In 2007, Bob started working with Advantage Arms to refine his original design. The basic design of the Marvel and AA units are almost identical. Bob must have had is hand in the design of both.

Here's a link to Bob Marvel's .22 page.

http://www.bobmarvel22conversion.com/index.html

Here's a link to the Marvel Precision page.

http://www.marvelprecision.com/unit1.php

I have .22 conversions from Advantage Arms, Marvel Precision, Colt, and Bob Day. The Bob Day 30X conversion and the Marvel Unit 1 can both shoot sub 1-inch groups at 50 yards from a rest. Like the Kart Conversion, the Day 30X is out of production. Magazine inserts for the 30X are all but impossible to find.

If I was in the market for a .22 conversion, I'd buy the new AA unit from Bob Marvel. I think they are only available on his website, not from AA.

[beemaze]

Thanks for the clarifications!

I think I received all the info I needed to make an informed decision and have decided upon a Tactical Solutions model. Will post some sort of range report in a month or so.

[beemaze]

Hey all,

I finally got around to shooting my Tactical Solutions .22 LR caliber conversion kit for the 1911. One word just about sums it up - AWESOME!!! [See pics below].

I ordered the conversion with the combo rail and fiber optic front sight, with an STI adjustable rear sight from Rimfiresports.com. They seem to have the best price on the internet and shipped in less than a week. The spare mags are pricey, but I got lucky at the time and found them on sale at midwayusa.com for much less.

Fit and finish on this piece is excellent. It's basically a fixed bull type barrel with the moving part being the slide. The whole unit slides onto your existing frame, and you use your original slide stop to hold everything in place. One caveat though: This conversion will not fit on frames that have an extended ejector. That was kind of a bummer for me, because I wanted to use the conversion on my Norinco 1911 frame. It was a no go since the extended ejector prevented the conversion from sliding completely onto the frame. I ended up using the conversion on my Colt NM which has a standard ejector. It was a blessing in disguise because the NM trigger made this conversion one sweet shooter. My Norinco has a stock trigger which is a bit on the heavy side.

The magazines are also of high quality metal with a piece below the follower to hold open the slide on the last shot. The only thing I don't like about the mags is that the mag release needs to be depressed in order for the mag to lock into the well. I'm not too sure why, but I suspect it has something to do with the mag follower's last shot hold open piece which sticks out a bit.

As for function, I used only CCI Mini Mags for the 1st 100 shots. I had only one malfunction towards the end, with the slide not closing all the way on the 1st round of a full magazine. Please keep in mind, I did not remove all the gunk from my frame rails from the previous range session. I simply lubed the rails, and the conversion, and put the conversion on a somewhat dirty rail before shooting it for the 1st time. I wish I had more time to try different .22 LR ammo, but no dice this time. The literature that comes with the conversion kit recommends 500 rounds are shot through it "to ensure that the rail surfaces are properly mated to one another for reliability and to insure [sic] a proper break in."

Accuracy at 25 feet at the indoor range using off hand semi-rapid fire, double taps, and failure to stop drills was excellent. I have the Colt NM trigger to thank for some of that. And the red FO front sight picks up light in dark indoor range conditions quite nicely.

Overall, I love this conversion kit, and can't wait to break it in some more with different .22 LR ammo. I also like the option of being able to add some sort of optic (red dot micro sight comes to mind) in the future.