Decding on a 22lr Pistol; Conversion or dedicated weapon?

[jrara]

Hey All,

I am trying to get into more Rimfire.


I was wondering if it would be better for me buy a conversion kit or just flat out buy a dedicated weapon?


Opinions and thoughts?

If Dedicated, what are the best for cheap ammo plinking?

[facn650]

Not into conversions but popular for plinking are the Ruger Mark II/III, 22/45 or the Browning Buckmark camper. The SR22P is also very nice and I just purchased one but don't have it in my hands yet.

The Ruger Mark II/III/22-45 is the least picky with ammo as far as I know.

[Izzy43]

Also might want to look at the S&W 22A. Not as pretty as a Ruger or Buckmark but nice accurate pistol and lifetme warranty. I have one and after 2000 rounds never a hiccup. Very simple to disassemle and clean. Built in Pictanny rail on top with adjustable rear sight. I have the 5.5" barrel model, wish I had gone with the 4", its kind of barrel heavy. Some creep in the trigger but breaks nicely.

[sofbak]

I have rimfire conversions for these:

Sig P220
SA 1911
CZ SP01 Tactical
and I'm planning on getting one for the Browning Hi-power as well.

I only have one dedicated rimfire handgun, and considering the "dual use" nature of the above, it rarely gets out of the safe. Much more satisfying for me to carry one pistol and the kit to the range. Practice with the large caliber first, and then switch to the rimfire kit for extended, economical work with the same frame.

ymmv.

[pennys dad]

I have to agree with sofbak's point.

I have several dedicated 22lr pistols, but since I have started moving to 1911's i am seriously considering conversions, I do have the GSG 1911 and that is working out extremely well.

I have rimfire conversions for these:

Sig P220
SA 1911
CZ SP01 Tactical
and I'm planning on getting one for the Browning Hi-power as well.

I only have one dedicated rimfire handgun, and considering the "dual use" nature of the above, it rarely gets out of the safe. Much more satisfying for me to carry one pistol and the kit to the range. Practice with the large caliber first, and then switch to the rimfire kit for extended, economical work with the same frame.

ymmv.

[cebuvfr]

I have conversion kits for my G23, Sig 229 and Kimber Stailess ll. I enjoy using them because it allows me to get used the same trigger pull. They're all fun to shoot and pretty much accurate, though not as much as my Ruger MK lll target.

[DVSmith]

I have glock and 1911 conversions. I rarely use them. I tend to shoot my dedicated .22's when out plinking. The conversions are fun though, I just find I don't grab them very often. the Glock conversion is kind of picky about ammo. Shoots CCI Mini-Mags well, but the bargain basement stuff isn't reliable in it. The Ruger, Browning and S&W .22's seem to eat anything.

[raddogz]

Great replies to the same question I am facing as well.

I have CZ and the conversion is almost the same price a Ruger 22/45 or Mark III target - tough decision as to what to purchase. I am leaning towards a dedicated .22 pistol just for an extra pistol when I go to the range with new shooters

[JNunez23]

Just get a new .22, it's a brand new gun after all for about the same or a couple hundred bucks more. Depending on how expensive your taste is

I personally own a GSG and love it. While my shooting instructor REALLY tried to talk me out of it. He seemed to think it was better to buy the conversion kit.

To each his own...

[stevec223]

22s

i have a kimber 22 conversion....shoots lights out and will fit 1911s of different makes...(fits my kimbers and colts).....ruger mk 2 has been my dedicated fun gun for 25 years (6 7/8 tapered target barrel)...will shoot quarters all day...22s are addicteve....pretty soon you will own many...lol...have fun !!

[GLOCK34]

I just put my GSG 1911 in jail Havent shot it before but the gun feels great at my hand and weight about the same as the real thing.

Here is a very detailed review just came up few days ago:

http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2012/03/joe-grine/gun-review-german-sport-guns-gsg-1911-22/

[CombatDOC]

+1 on S & W 22A... I just picked up one last week and its a blast to shoot and very accurate out of the box.

Also might want to look at the S&W 22A. Not as pretty as a Ruger or Buckmark but nice accurate pistol and lifetme warranty. I have one and after 2000 rounds never a hiccup. Very simple to disassemle and clean. Built in Pictanny rail on top with adjustable rear sight. I have the 5.5" barrel model, wish I had gone with the 4", its kind of barrel heavy. Some creep in the trigger but breaks nicely.

[brassburnz]

Depends what you want to do with it. If I want to get more trigger time with my centerfire pistols but want to save money, I throw on the .22 rimfire conversion. I've got the Advantage Arms conversion for my Glock 17 and 22. I usually start out with the .22 conversion to practice my sight picture. Much more fun than dry firing. Then switch over to the centerfire upper.

I have two Marvel Unit 1 conversions on dedicated 1911 frames. Both conversions came with test targets showing 5 shot groups at around 1/2 an inch at 50 yards. These are the most accurate .22 pistols I own. If I can't hit what I'm aiming at, it's me-not the gun.

After I picked up the Marvel conversions, I retired the rest of my .22 pistols including a Ruger MKII Target, Hartford High Standard Victor, and 2nd Generation Colt Woodsman Match Target.

If you do decide to pick up .22 pistol, the Smith and Wesson 22A is a fine little pistol. (I've got one.) But you might want to look for something kinda off the charts, like a used High Standard or a Colt Woodsman/Challenger/Huntsman or Browning Nomad or Challenger. If you look, you can find them for under $300 and they will maintain their value and perhaps increase in value over the years.

[Gatotsu77]

I had debated as to whether I wanted a rimfire conversion or a dedicated rimfire firearm for a couple months, until I finally settled on a conversion. Off to the store I went with cash in hand, only to find that they were out of stock. (I only checked two stores) While I was there I decided to check out another gun I had been interested in, and fell in love with it. I ended up buying an HK Umarex MP5 A5. I realize that it is not a pistol, but my reasoning may suit your concerns.

I wanted the rimfire conversion to get some more trigger time with my Kimber Custom II, but the notion of being picky on ammo didn't appeal to me much. I did learn that mini-mags would serve just fine.. Which wouldn't be as cheap as bulk-pack .22, but still far cheaper than 45acp. I then realized that the conversion will not lock the slide open upon firing the last round in the magazine. This was no big deal for me, as I always count my shots, but I take friends and family who I know don't always count, and I didn't want to deal with a peened chamber, or a busted firing pin. I decided to select a weapon that would both make me happy and serve well as a range gun which I can teach others to shoot on.

I'm sure everyone's oppinions will differ, but that was my reasoning for picking the MP5. (and it is a phenomenal firearm to boot... 650 rounds without missing a beat on the first range trip)

[gorenut]

Not into conversions but popular for plinking are the Ruger Mark II/III, 22/45 or the Browning Buckmark camper. The SR22P is also very nice and I just purchased one but don't have it in my hands yet.

The Ruger Mark II/III/22-45 is the least picky with ammo as far as I know.

Pretty much this.

I've owned 3 conversion kits and now I own none. Personally, I'd rather just have a dedicated 22. I don't like swapping out the slide, etc in the range. Its just easier to have another one and switch back and forth any time you want. Unless you're running and gunning drills, I don't see a big benefit of having a conversion kit over a dedicated 22. The trigger pull will be different, as will the weight, not to mention often times the sights and point of aim will vary, and on top of having a completely different recoil.

For range use, a dedicated 22 will give you all the trigger practice you need. With a conversion kit, the benefit is that the dimensions and controls are all the same as your defensive weapon so you can do drills for cheap.