1911 with .22LR Conversion Kit

[45Fan]

Anyone running a .22LR conversion kit on a nice 1911?

I'm interested in how it handles, recoil, etc.

How does the recoil of 1911 .22LR vs. Ruger Mark III compare?

Thanks!

[redcliff]

Anyone running a .22LR conversion kit on a nice 1911?

I'm interested in how it handles, recoil, etc.

How does the recoil of 1911 .22LR vs. Ruger Mark III compare?

Thanks!

Recoil is negligible on both pistols.

Accuracy depends upon the conversion kit, ranging from good to astounding (less than 1inch groups at 50 yards).

[tbc]

I don't have the .22LR 1911 kit. But comparing my GSG 1911-22 to the Mark III, the Mark III is by far more accurate. In recoil, I couldn't tell the difference in any 22 caliber.

[T.Yoon]

I used to have the Kimber .22 Conversion for my Kimber Custom II. After shooting .45ACP and then switching to the .22, it felt like shooting a BB gun. Almost no perceivable recoil for me.

Quick and easy to change too, just remove the slide stop, take off the slide, and then put on the new one. Takes less than a minute if you've done it for awhile.

It shot well, fairly accurate. Ammo was a bit of an issue, as it only liked high velocity rounds like CCI Mini-Mag. Also, for the Kimber .22 Conversion, the slide doesn't lock back after the last round has been fired. Hope that helps.

[45Fan]

Thanks all.

[smittty]

My favorite 22 pistol is the Kimber kit on an alloy frame 1911. Love it!!!

[INFAMOUS762X39]

I can't chime in on the .22lr 1911 kit. I wanted a dedicated .22 platform, so I bought a Ruger 22/45 MKIII. One of the best purchases I made last year. Super Accurate, Reliable, uber fun, and it begs for any .22lr

Last weekend, I set up 4 paintballs 7 yards away...scattered at shoulder height and nailed all 4 in a row. Keep in mind, you have to hit the paintball dead center to make it them explode. If you nick them, they just bounce off.

Ruger 22/45 running Dawson Fiber Optics Fronts.

[fmunk]

Anyone running a .22LR conversion kit on a nice 1911?

I'm interested in how it handles, recoil, etc.

How does the recoil of 1911 .22LR vs. Ruger Mark III compare?

Thanks!

Better to just buy a dedicated (like GSG 1911-22) instead of a conversion. It's more convenient and costs about the same. As for handling, the same way your 45 1911 handles. Recoil, as light as you'd expect from any 22LR pistol.

[appagohm]

agreed with the above post, dedicated 22lr pistols are much better then the conversions just because most of us never really swap them out. For instance I had a kimber kit and I never used it, maybe once or twice, here and there but nothing like how I used my smith and Wesson 22a or my ruger single six.

[45Fan]

Does anyone know of any ranges in So Cal that have a 1911 with .22LR conversion kit installed?

[Kodachrome]

I have an old school Colt 70 Series .22 conversion, all steel no aluminum.
Have other 45s so I leave it on my Argentine 45.
Don't know of any ranges that have conversion kits for rent.
Some conversion kits cost almost as it would to buy a .22lr pistol.
Happy Shooting

[redcliff]

If you only have one 1911 a dedicated platform like the Ruger (or even the airsoft based GSG) can make sense.

However, if you have several 1911 though its well worth getting a quality conversion unit. The Marvel Unit 1 is the best for accuracy and can compete with S&W Model 41's, let alone the Ruger MK series. The new Marvel model sold by Nighthawk is a good combination of accuracy and convenience as it locks the slide back on the last shot and will fit more 1911 holsters.

[kmca]

I've used a few conversions but I could never get them to be as reliable as a Ruger or a Buckmark. Using them for Steel Chalenge...reliability is number 1

[MrOrange]

Not quite sure how to handle this question, since I have a conversion unit on a cheap 1911!

A while back I went shopping for a frame to dedicate to my Ceiner, and ended up buying a complete S.A.M. .45 GOVT for less than what most bare frames were going for.

It works, after I did some whittling on the frame to get it to fit, but it's not a Marvel. I just wanted it for some cheap plinking at the end of a shooting session, and really don't care about shooting tiny groups with it, so it's fine for me.

The old Colt steel units with the floating piston design were intended to mimic .45 recoil, which they didn't, but they provide a little more oomph than other units, which are made with aluminum.

Conventional wisdom and my experience say conversion units need high velocity loads to function. My fav .22 load is the CCI Mini Mag and they work fine, cheaper bulk regular speed stuff works mebbe half the time.



Pro tip: Since most conversions don't lock the slide back when empty, load an empty case first in the magazine. It will either jam or click as the last round, so if you don't want to bother with counting shots you don't have to worry about snapping on an empty chamber, a bad thing with .22s.

[Grumpyoldretiredcop]

I run an Advantage Arms conversion kit on my Springfield Armory Stainless Loaded frame pretty frequently. No recoil, but it does everything else, including lock open after firing the last round. Worth the money. At one point, I had it pretty much permanently installed on a RIA frame, but as I don't have a problem swapping slides, I reassembled and sold the RIA.