Options for .22

[billofrights]

Alright, as much as I love my Glock 21 it's EXPENSIVE AS HELL TO SHOOT. Reloading is a 'next year' project so I'm looking at getting a .22 to work on my fundamentals (and because why the heck not?).

I've looked at some of the rail conversions for Glocks (I also have a Glock 17 currently in jail, picking up on Sunday) so I'm wondering; would you folks recommend one of the .22 conversions or a dedicated .22 pistol? I'm assuming that the conversion kit doesn't count as a firearm and thus won't count towards my "one every 30 days", correct?

[gorenut]

Conversion kit doesn't count as a firearm, correct. I owned an Advantage Arms conversion kit and of all the conversion kits I've tried on various platforms, its one of the best (tied with the CZ Kadet). The downside is that it is kind of picky on the ammo (mine was) and it only really liked the dirty Remington Gold stuff. I've personally had that ammo flake out some golden crust while shooting once and it burned right below my eye (yes, I was wearing eye protection, and it still managed to went over my glasses and on to my face).

Personally, I'd get a dedicated 22. I've played around too much with conversion kits and realized I just like having a separate firearm. It's easier and more convenient to just bring both guns and swap between them whenever you want. Otherwise, you'll be fuddling with the slide/barrel changes at the range. Its just me and its definitely an easy task.. but I still don't like the idea of unnecessarily taking my gun apart at the range. Also, same as with standard Glock affair.. you need to dry-fire it in order to take off the slide.. which is bad for rimfires not built for it. Even the Advantage Arms conversion kit notes that while it is a necessary step.. they caution against dry firing too much.

What I do today is simply use a Ruger 22 (I own the 22/45, but standard MKIII and SR22 work just fine). They're built from the ground up to be 22s and are very accurate. They are also built to withstand dry firing (which is one of the main reasons why I chose this over the Buckmark). I know the argument FOR conversion kits is that you get to practice on your defense weapon.. but personally I think you only really benefit from this if you practice with a lot of running and gunning along with speed reloads. Otherwise, marksmanship is marksmanship and any 22 will do because the conversion kit will have no recoil, weight will be WAY lighter, and even point of aim is different... so you will not really be getting a good mock of your defense rounds.

[sholling]

I'm not big on conversion kits so my suggestion is to invest in either a Ruger MKIII which is a really nice pistol with a similar shape to the Glock, or a Browning Buck Mark.

[mixicus]

If you want to primarily work on marksmanship fundamentals: a .22LR pistol such as a Ruger MK3 is a great path.

If you want to work the gun handling for your Glock, go with the conversion kit. Same manuals of arms, sight picture, trigger,...etc

[9mmepiphany]

The big advantage, from either a accuracy or manipulation stand point, of a conversion kit is the use of an identical trigger feel.

Since managing your trigger control is more important to accurate shooting than recoil management or even balance, the more time you can get with the actual trigger you want to become good with, the further ahead of the learning curve you'll be.

If you just want to work on gun handling, you can get an airsoft pistol patterned on your Glock

[Ervb44]

The conversion kit is just an accessory.It's a great way to get comfortable and efficent with your glock,because your getting trigger time on the same gun.I'd go with that,and also get a seperate .22lr handgun.

[iloveyourmom562]

I bought a gsg 1911 to practice with cause ammo prices are way up there now compared to what they use to be 10+ years ago..

[dpop24]

I got a Beretta .22 conversion kit and it's crazy expensive. You could buy any number of dedicated .22's for the amount these things cost, but I like that it's the exact same controls as my HD Beretta 96.

On the other hand, mine is pretty inaccurate. I can't get a group tighter than a couple of inches at 10 yards no matter what I do. My groups are much tighter shooting .40! With my brother's Mark III, I can shoot a dime sized group at the same distance as my softball sized group with my conversion kit. I don't know if others are experiencing this as well, but that's what I've found.

BUT, shooting the conversion kit is just plain fun. I have more fun blasting away with that than any of my other guns. I think it's the fact that every time I pull the trigger it's $0.03 instead of $0.30 and I know that it's muscle memory training for my HD gun.

Conversion kits definitely have their place, but you should understand what you want out of your rimfire shooting before you decide between a conversion and a dedicated .22

[Big Ben]

I'll chime in with another vote for a dedicated 22. I own an Advantage Arms conversion kit for my Glock, as well as Ruger Mark III pistol. The cost of the conversion was almost as much as I paid for the Ruger, and it is far to "sensative" for me. At this point, I rarely use the AA conversion kit. When I want to shoot 22, I use the Ruger.

[billofrights]

Ok, thanks for the input. Guess my next pistol will be either the MKIII or SR22.

[INFAMOUS762X39]

Look into a MKIII or a MKIII 22/45.

I love my new mkiii 22/45 "275$ on sale right now", and I highly recommend them, everyone should own one. Just install a Magazine Disconnect Bushing(5-10$) so your magazine can drop freely and your set.

They are so much fun and accurate, I want another one. =P

[23's Dad]

I LIKE my conversion kit

I have the AA conversion kit, and I like it. A couple of poster's have already stated that the Manual of Arms is identical, so true.

The other think I really like is that it allows me to properly wear-in the trigger with use, developing feel for my own trigger and letting it naturally smooth up.

If you don't want to always change your slide, get another Glock. I keep my G21 as a .45 and my G20 with the conversion kit on it. I bought the G21 Gen2 used and its really smooth. The G20 Gen3 is a little rougher thru the trigger, but improving with use. (You think .45 is pricey - try 10mm ).

BTW AA recommends several brands of ammo - It's flawless on Mini-Mags.

[morrcarr67]

You can't go wrong with a Colt. All of the Woodsman series guns are C&R and are roster exempt.

[mc21]

I have gone with a conversion kit and a dedicated .22 before and I would personally just get a dedicated .22 pistol. The gun feels completely different with the .22 conversion and any practice I have with it isn't going to carry over any more than a .22 pistol. The kit also had a bit of FTE(xtract).

[cwin]

Yes, a conversion kit will not count as a firearm purchase so you will not be subject to the "30 days," rule. I hear good things about the Tactical Solutions and Advantage arms kits. Personally, I prefer dedicated .22's. I have a Ruger SR22 and a Smith and Wesson MP22 and they're both accurate and reliable. YMMV.