Marvel 1911 .22lr Conversion Kit Unit 2 Ammo Suggestions

[oogabooga]

I just placed an order for a Marvel Unit 2 .22lr Conversion Kit for the 1911 and was curious what ammo you guys were able to run through yours. I want to get an idea of what ammo to look out for and buy. Pretty much, the only "clear" data I've been able to find is that CCI Mini-Mags are best, and Federal 550 bulk packs are the worst.

Have any of you guys tried Remington Golden Bullets? How about Federal 325 Automatch? (besides Mini-mags and Fed 550 bulk, those are the two I have right now for the 10/22). Any other brands feed well?

I know, like any other gun, that ammo pickiness is specific to the actual gun, but it seems that for these conversion kits, there is a general trend of what works well and doesn't work well. So I just want to get a feel of what ammo I should try.

[Black Majik]

Mine ONLY ran on Minimags.

I use "ran" in past tense because I haven't shot that upper in years since the price hike of minimags. It fails on all Wally World bulk ammo.

[chickenfried]

Minimags functioned best in mine also. They include a flyer with recommended ammo Remington golden bullets, Remington Thunderbolt and Remington Cyclone are a few on the list. I think the flyer suggests staying away from any Federal the federal stuff didn't seem any better or worse than the remington stuff. I tried all the ammo listed on the flyer and some not on there, minimags were by far the most reliable.

[oogabooga]

Thanks, guys, for the quick and informational responses.

I'll be on the lookout for more minimags, but it seems as if some of the bulk stuff might work too (according to you, chickenfried)? From your post, it sounds like all those Remington and Federal bulks worked reasonably well? I'm just concerned about FTF every other round, or it firing out of battery or something.

During my "research," I recently found out that CCI Mini-mags come in 2 different flavors. a 40gr Round Nose and a 36gr HP. Does it matter that the 36gr are HP's? (ie. feeding problems).

Would like more input if any of yall got it

[Black Majik]

Mine only ran on the 36gr. RN, it choked every round on the 40gr. HPs.

[oogabooga]

Mine only ran on the 36gr. RN, it choked every round on the 40gr. HPs.

Sorry if my post was a little confusing by the way I worded it, but it's:
-40gr Round Nose
-36gr Hollow Point

I'm guessing you meant the 36gr Hollow Points didn't work? (Just don't want to buy a case of the wrong thing )

[Black Majik]

LOL, ok. This just shows how long I've not shot my Marvel.

It shoots the round nose only. Whatever grain that may be.

[chickenfried]

Reliability was bad enough with any other ammo that I sent it back to Marvel. Couldn't make it through a magazine without problems. Felt like I was shooting a single shot pistol. After it got back from marvel it appears to function fine with all ammo. But I haven't used it that much.

not sure which minimags I was using.

I'd just cross my fingers and try the bulk stuff.

Thanks, guys, for the quick and informational responses.

I'll be on the lookout for more minimags, but it seems as if some of the bulk stuff might work too (according to you, chickenfried)? From your post, it sounds like all those Remington and Federal bulks worked reasonably well? I'm just concerned about FTF every other round, or it firing out of battery or something.

During my "research," I recently found out that CCI Mini-mags come in 2 different flavors. a 40gr Round Nose and a 36gr HP. Does it matter that the 36gr are HP's? (ie. feeding problems).

Would like more input if any of yall got it

[oogabooga]

Reliability was bad enough with any other ammo that I sent it back to Marvel. Couldn't make it through a magazine without problems. Felt like I was shooting a single shot pistol. After it got back from marvel it appears to function fine with all ammo. But I haven't used it that much.

not sure which minimags I was using.

I'd just cross my fingers and try the bulk stuff.

Hmm. Good info. I guess I'll try the bulk stuff. Worst case I'll have to send it to Marvel like you had to, but hopefully I won't have to go through the hassle.

I'll pick up some 40gr RN minimags in the meantime since those seem to work the most consistently.

Any other experiences are welcome!

[oogabooga]

So I took out the conversion kit today. It was on an SA frame.
I tried out four different kinds of ammo:
-CCI Mini-Mags 40gr RN
-CCI Mini-Mags 36gr HP
-Federal 550 Bulk Pack
-Federal 325 Automatch Bulk Pack

I know the instructions say Federal won't work, but I thought I'd give it a go anyways. I didn't have any Remington Golden Bullets on hand but hopefully I'll try those out next time. If those work, then I don't think I should have to send it in or anything like that.

The CCI Mini-Mags 40gr RN worked perfectly with the factory mag and with the Kimber mag I bought.

The CCI Mini-Mags 36gr HP worked maybe 80% of the time in the factory mag but rarely in the Kimber mag. The main problem I ran into was FTF. No jams, just failure to strip the round from the mag.

The Federal 550 Bulk Pack and the Federal 325 Automatch Bulk Pack produced similar, poor results. Most of the time the problem was FTF like for the 36gr HP Mini-Mags, but a few times, they didn't even have enough "umph" to lock the hammer back (ie. the hammer only got to the first notch). Some of them created jams, too, when trying to strip the round. I got a handful of stovepipes as well.

Just thought I'd report on what happened in case anybody else wonders about it in the future. This pretty much corresponds with what you guys have been saying, too. I hope the GB's work...