Nelson 1911 - 22 Conversion

[trackcage]

Just bought the Nelson .22 conversion for my Colt commander. I had the pleasure of shooting someone's at the range today (sorry, didn't get you name...) and it turned me on. Sure it's a bit cheaper per round, but I reload so that wasn't as much a factor as it might be for some. More of a training tool (fun factor?) plus my girlfriend could really use the recoil-less trigger time.

I did plenty of research, but make me feel better about the serious coin I just dropped and post up your praise - or criticisms - of the kit. Heard really good things about the Nelson customer service factor and quality

[44fred]

I'm getting ready to pick one up as well.
I have 2 commander 1911's as well. Please post a picture of the kit on your Colt when you get it.
I've been told there's no issue with the shorter dust cover but I'd like to see it.
Marvel has a commander and regular length but I've heard the Nelson is better than the Unit I.

[trackcage]

I'm getting ready to pick one up as well.
I have 2 commander 1911's as well. Please post a picture of the kit on your Colt when you get it.
I've been told there's no issue with the shorter dust cover but I'd like to see it.
Marvel has a commander and regular length but I've heard the Nelson is better than the Unit I.

Happy to post up a pic when it arrives. The person who let me try theirs at the range also mentioned it was better than the Marvel kit (in his opinion) but his was on a government size frame. In case you are curious, here is what Larry Nelson said about using this kit on my commander. Implies there will be no gap with the dust cover

"Our conversion will work with a commander size frame. It does have a 5 " barrel. We extended the recoil spring shroud to fill the gap to the dust cover on the shorter frame."

[Furncliff]

When you look at the alternatives the Nelson looks like a bargain. I'm asking for one for Christmas because I've tried the alternative and none were very satisfying.

I'm spoiled because I've owned a CZ Kadet conversion for eight or so years and that unit is nearly perfect. Trying to get the same kind of experience with the RIA 1911-.45/.22 combo and the likes of the GSG 1911-22 has made me want the Nelson.

[trackcage]

Pics as promised. Nelson 5 inch government size upper on a Colt XSE Commander frame. No dust cover gap which was my only real concern going in. Any imperfections or marks are excess oil.

[trackcage]

Range report:

Shot a total of 425 rounds. 325 federal auto match and 100 remington golden bullets. Only one failure to fire and it happened while using the remington golden bullets. I know those to be of questionable quality, plus it's 22 LR, so until I experience the problem again I'm blaming the ammo for that one.

Accuracy was excellent. When you shoot 22 LR right after something with a bigger bang, it can take a round or two to get reaquant yourself with the recoil, or lack therof. The kit is as accurate as the shooter, no doubt.

Switching between the 22 LR upper and the 45 ACP upper is a breeze. Once you know what you are doing, the swap can be done in under one minute. It's not quite like taking a Glock upper off, but it's a 1911... so given that, it is still very quick and painless. Throughout the range session, I switched between 22 and 45 twice. I did not feel like it was a chore and was free to shoot whichever caliber stuck me at that particular moment.

Other than that, no hangups or anything worth mentioning. I would highly recommend the kit to anyone comfortable spending this kind of $$ on a conversion kit.

[trackcage]

Range report # 2:

Ate a box of federal auto match (325ct) without a single malfunction. In the world of 22LR, I'd call that pretty good. I did have one stovepipe with federal high velocity, which I thought was odd considering many believe the high velocity to be more reliable. Cleared the stovepipe and the rest of that 100ct box went without trouble.

Man, what a sweet shooter. The recoil is very lateral with almost zero muzzle flip. I know it's just a 22, but the heavy, steel frame of my combat commander really makes shooting this thing a joy. As quick as you can fill the magazines the gun is ready to eat more.

Both range sessions so far, this kit has turned heads. People are curious about it and amazed at how well it shoots. I'm not usually the kind of guy who posts targets, but here is the entire box dumped into one target. Couple fliers, but pretty good for me, strong hand only from 10 yards

[trackcage]

So I found some ammo that my Nelson kit does not prefer... winchester bulk...



I had probably one issue every other mag. Now I know, it's 22 LR, but still. Definitely derailed the range session. I don't blame the kit, since it's run well with other range/bulk ammo. All the rounds that had trouble did go off after a second strike. Some rounds bent when feeding. But again they fired after being reinserted into the next mag. I'll keep an eye on it and update here if I see a similar issue with other ammo brands. As I have said above, the other bulk ammo (even remington) have run pretty well. Even with the ammo issues, the kit is a fun addition and very accurate.

[stevec223]

So where did you buy that nelson upper ?? I have a Kimber upper that runs lights out on my kimber target 9mm ,, but have't tried to fit it on a new to me 70 series Colt commander... Thanks for the write-up ,,, and my conversion eats Remington golden bullets,,, CCI mini mags and Win super-x all day long... Cheers...

[JPZ]

I love the idea of this but it would cost me more than my 1911 did

will keep it in the back of my mind for another day.

[trackcage]

So where did you buy that nelson upper ?? I have a Kimber upper that runs lights out on my kimber target 9mm ,, but have't tried to fit it on a new to me 70 series Colt commander... Thanks for the write-up ,,, and my conversion eats Remington golden bullets,,, CCI mini mags and Win super-x all day long... Cheers...

I bought it direct from the Nelson website. Biggest push that made me ultimately choose this kit over others is when another range member let me try out his. Fell instantly in love.

I realize now when I go back and read my post about ammo that is sort of makes the kit sound unreliable. I don't believe the kit to be the problem, more just a bad batch of ammo. Stay tuned for more range reports... the kit ran flawlessly with all the other ammo brands I've tried thus far

[stevec223]

I haven't had much luck in my ruger mk II with win 333 or 555 or fed champion so i really haven't tried them out in my kimber... Seems like the really cheap stuff,, with non-plated bullets ,,,are bolt action fodder... I don't even like shooting them out of my bolt guns... More problems than they are worth... Pistols are worth the good stuff,, and yes the golden bullets usually are good to go in my pistols,, and accurate in most of my rifles... Super-x in rifles that aren't accurate with gb... CCI mini's and Velociters for above average preformance for hunting or pistol reliability... Thanks again... Cheers..

[milotrain]

I got one a few weeks back because it was basically the cost of a Ruger MK x and I have a TM 80% 1911 lying around. I have not fitted it to my RIA yet or the TM but it is really quite a nice bit of machining.

[Citadelgrad87]

That's a nice touch that there is no gap.

I have a commander frame, and my GSG conversion has a gap.

Looks like I need to flip it and upgrade.

[Corky43]

I have had all 3 models of the Marvel top ends. I won a Nelson a while back and immediately fell in love with it. It's a very close second to my 41 in my list of favorite guns to shoot. Mine is on an older Colt 70 series frame I had laying around.

I regularly shoot 22 tactical and steel challenge matches with it. Very accurate, eats just about any ammo (Not like my 41. Which only seems to like CCI std and Federal Match) Even better is you can use cheap GSG mags as well as the plastic ones.

Many members of my club have bought a Nelson upper after trying mine out at a shoot.

Although it is not on their website, they do offer a fiber optic front sight option.