1911 .22 ideas, cheaper end.

I

Idaho 45 Vaquero

New member
Some ideas to look into.

I want a .22lr 1911 just for plinking/ practice. My main dedicated handgun is a fullsize 45acp 1911. I could buy a used gun or a new one.

Don't want to spend a ton of money, under $250 would be nice. Kimber conversion kits are about $250 and I'm worried it might not fit my Rock Island. Chiappa & ATI make some in the $200-$280 range. Some options? and experience with them?
 
I have a johnathon ciener conversion and I love it. Have only had it about 18 years and only put about 12000 rounds through it. Never had a gun related issue. .22 ammo being unreliable had some failure to fire but otherwise functions flawlessly.
http://www.22lrconversions.com
Not too expensive either. In fact I liked them so much I also got a conversion for my AR
 
I don't like conversions because it means disassembly/assembly at the range every time I want to switch calibers.
So, I usually opt for dedicated pistols. Colt, Sig, make some good looking .22LR 1911.
If conversion, I would go for an Advantage Arms with adjustable sights - it has a last round hold-open slide.
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My only 1911 .22 experience is with a Ceiner non-adjustable sight conversion. I did not like it very much on my Kimber custom II lower.
 
neither the 'colt' or 'sig' are made by the respective companies. one is made by an airsoft company the other is a GSG with new markings.
 
I've heard good things about Ciener conversion units and Kart but those are hard to come by now. I would NOT recommend the Colt conversion unit.

I had a genuine Colt conversion .22 unit mounted on a genuine Colt 1911 .45 that was...odd. It functioned best with Remington standard velocity .22 ammo. Cheap, bargain lead nose .22 would lead up the floating chamber so that after 50 rounds or so you'd need a mallet to get the floating chamber off the barrel. Strangely the gun would still function fine with the floating chamber totally leaded up and unable to move. Regular copper washed .22 avoided the leading problem but didn't function as reliably as the Remington standard velocity. Accuracy with any ammo was poor but I admit that could have something to do with the .45 I was mounting it on, an older civilian Colt. The Remington standard velocity lead was more accurate than the copper wash.

I read in the American Rifleman that a little careful polishing between the floating chamber and the barrel could eliminate the leading problem and I took it to a smith once but it still did the same thing on return so I now just (happily) shoot my Ruger Mark II.
 
I have a Ciener conversion mounted on a dedicated 1911 frame and it has always been flawless. Ciener offers both Government and Commander length conversions, with either fixed or adjustable sights. Iver Johnson also sells conversions, which appear to be rebranded Cieners.

I have also tested a Kimber conversion. It's very similar to the Ciener, which should come as no surprise since the early Kimber conversions were made by Ciener. The Kimber also has adjustable sights. It's a decent unit but I think it's over-priced.

Whatever you do, DO NOT give in to the temptation to buy a Chiappa/Puma 1911-22. There are only so many ways to spell J-U-N-K, and that's not enough ways to adequately describe just how terrible that thing really is.
 
Suck it up and pick up either an Advantage Arms target model, or, better yet, a Nelson target conversion. It's going to run you around $400+, but, you'll never look back..

JMHI

Jim
 
I kinda like my Colt Ace. No worry about swapping anything, no floating chamber to get dirty.

Or a Ruger 22/45.

Jim
 
It seems that everyone wants nice equipment but they are unwilling to pay for it. It is like wanting a Cadillac with all of it's amenities but only willing to pay for a Fiat....then being disappointed in what they bought. If one should want a decent shooting .22, conversion or complete pistol there are numerous choices available. Find one you like then save until the purchase price is covered, it may take longer but you will sure enjoy the quality and fine shooting of your new "Cadillac", that you picked not some person in East Podunk that is happy with his choice.
Opinions may differ, this is mine.
 
I have a pair of 22 conversion kits and like both of them, while I could have got a dedicated 22 for what I have in each of them, that does not make them worth less.

The first was a cz kadet conversion, the barrel is fixed to the frame, and only the inner part of the slide moves, the slide and sights do not move. This will hold its own with most of my target 22's for accuracy.

I liked the design and function so much I got a advantage arms target model for my 1911, as it is the same type design. Once again, it will hold its own with most of my target 22's for accuracy.

I prefer running standard velocity ammo through mine, and sometimes that means a main spring change, I noticed this more in my 1911 than the cz.

The 1911 was initially set up to run high velocity ammo, but gives better accuracy with standard velocity.

When I got the conversion for the 1911, I was looking at the marvels, tactical solutions, and advantage arms, and bob marvel's
 
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I recently bought a Kimber 22lr conversion for my 1911. It likes CCI ammo the best. The slide does not lock back after the last round. 10 round capacity. Adjustable rear sight. I like it. I would buy it again.
 
James K - do you have any leading problems with your floating chamber?

As mentioned before a box (50 rounds) of the bargain basement lead nose .22 is all it takes for the floating chamber in my conversion unit to quit floating.

I got the impression from a question in The American Rifleman that this was rather common and the fix for it wasn't difficult.
 
I really like my Colt/Umarex/Walther 1911 .22LR. But I believe you'll likely find it 300.00 +. Sometimes it's on sale from 279.00-299.00. There's two version. I'm familiar only with the basic G.I. style.
 
I don't like conversions because it means disassembly/assembly at the range every time I want to switch calibers.
Click to expand...
On a 1911, that means pulling the slide stop, and sliding the slide/barrel/recoil spring assembly off the frame. Takes about ten seconds.

On the plus side, you get to use a 1911 with a familiar trigger pull, same thumb safety, same grip safety, same grip panels...that is worth something to me. The .22LR "1911s" I have tried have had horrible triggers, and most weigh about half what they should--feel like toys.

I have a blued Ceiner Commander-sized conversion and a Kimber stainless Ultra size (3") conversion. Since my 1911s are 3", 4", or 4 1/4", this works perfectly for me.

The Ceiner kit was about $200 (bought used a year or two back) and the Kimber kit was closer to $300 (bought new about a year ago.)

To be honest, since I bought the Ceiner, my old faithful Ruger MkII hasn't seen the outside of the safe.
 
If you lived close, I'd let you try mine on your 1911 to see which you liked and that the gun would accept. That said, here's my experience.

Ciener, Marvel, Advantage Arms, and Colt's old .22 lr upper all work well, tho only the Advantage will lock the slide back after the last round is fired from the magazine. I've used them all on my Colt and Ruger 1911's. Also a WWll Remington-Rand. The utility of a .22 lr upper is less than it used to be since the SOB's that are buying up all the .22's to sell at gun-shows took over that part of the market...7-10 cents per shot is bit pricey for .22's. I really feel for the kid who got a .22 rifle for Christmas, four years ago but hasn't been able to buy ammunition for it since. Thanks Hoarders!

Ciener: works well but only with Hi-Speed ammunition of solid construction, no hollow points will feed for more than two or three rounds in the two Ciener uppers in our family. Colt and Ruger 1911's work with this unit. Reliability is near 100% with solid .22 lr's. Accuracy is less than 2" at 25 yds. Very accurate...Expensive magazines.

Marvel: Has a unique screw thread recoil spring guide that abuts against the slide stop for superb accuracy. Less than 1.5" at 25 yds with iron sights. Has adjustable sights in my example and uses hi-speed ammunition of most any type. HP's are questionable as to feeding. More expensive than Cieners but worth it in my opinion. Expensive magazines.

Advantage: As expensive as Marvel's and equally accurate. The feature allowing it to lock open is of questionable use in my opinion. Unless you're trying to practice reload drills...why bother...it's useful to be in the habit of counting your rounds anyway. Expensive magazines too.

Colts: with the sliding chamber, mine is not as reliable as the others, but has the same Eliason sights on it. Not as accurate more like 2-3" at 25 yds. Prefers hi-speed ammunition as well. Cleaning and keeping the sliding portion of the chamber clean is a PITA. It is a Colt however and for some that cachet is very important. I use it only as a last resort. Expensive magazines too.

HTH's Rod
 
I have a couple of .22lr conversion kits. They work, after a fashion. The kit for the SIG 1911 is barely adequate. I loaned the 1911 and the kit to friends who are just beginning to shoot. They liked it so much they purchased a kit for their SIG p238. The kit for my SIG p210 is really nice; it has matching serial numbers, etc. A recent purchase of a HK4 was interesting in that it came with several different caliber barrels. Using the .22lr barrel requires re-positioning of the bolt (?) components.

Both the HK4 and the SIG p210 .22lr kits are accurate, but require switching bits and pieces around.

I favor a pistol built for the caliber. So, I own and shoot a couple of Ruger Mark iii's, a Mark ii and a S&W Model 41. In the past, I've tried Browning BuckMark, S&W 22A, another model of S&W (422, I think), a Hammerli Xesse Sport and forgot what others. My shooting buddy recently bought a S&W Victory, seems nice. I liked the Hammerli; very, very accurate. Thinking about buying another one.
 
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