1911 coversion to .22LR

S

saands

New member
I have been looking at the conversion kits out there to allow the 1911 to shoot .22LR and was wondering if anyone has any experience with the Ciener or the Marvel kits. With the C&R discount at Brownell's, the Marvel is about twice the price of the Ciener ... is it worth it? For that matter, are these worth it at all?
Thanks,
Saands
 
I have limited experience in this area but........... I own a Ciener. When I bought it, it was too tight to go on my frame. They gave me static about it on the phone, I sent it back, and it now fits. However, most of the rounds requre multiple strikes to fire. I wish I would have bought the Marvel. I am not happy with it at all and consider it a paperweight. YMMV
 
In the CDNN catalog I just got, they have EAA 1911 conversion kits for $139 with fixed sights and $169 with adjustables.

I would think that EAA is more reputable than Ciener.

Are these any good?
 
Hi, 444,

Have you tried different ammo? The .22 LR seems so simple, but there is a lot of variation in case hardness among different brands. You might also check the firing pin profile to see if it is too blunt.

Jim
 
I've had my Ciener fixed sight conversion for almost 3 years. Mines been reliable and fairly accurate out to 25 yards, with the kinda cruddy sights being the limiting factor. I had a few doubts at first since it made of Aluminum, but it's held up ok so far.
 
I used to own a Colt Ace.I currently have a Ceiner and think it's great.I understand Ceiner makes the Wilson and Kimber kits for Them.Ceiner's are the least expensive of the three.tom.
 
I have a Wilson Adj. sight unit and it works very well...

I believe it is pretty much the same as the Kimber and Ceiner units..I believe the EAA unit puts the ejector on the mag so you are dependent on EAA mags..

The Marvel is supposed to be the best of the bunch as far as accuracy goes..if you compete..I would look at the Marvel..if you just want to plink go with one of the others...
 
Pistolsmith.com has a report from the NRA Convention.
Marvel was showing the prototype of a conversion with full slide like a Ciener and expected to be about the same price or only a little more. He did not say when they expected to have it on the market.

The EAA I saw at a gun show looked about like a Ciener, but was marked "Made in Europe." A little vague, huh?
 
Jim: I haven't tried different ammo with it. I think there is something wrong with mine. Since there are number of people here that own them, how do you remove the firing pin ? Mine must be broken, assembled wrong or something. I have already sent it back to the factory once and I wasn't overjoyed with the guy I talked to on the phone that time. It sounded like they were having a party or something in the background. I guess I got the lemon that slipped through the cracks.

One thing I will note is that mine seems very accurate. I got the Platinum Cup version with the adjustable sights. The last time I was out shooting it in the desert, a truck pulled up with two local guys that I knew slightly. They started telling me how good of a shot one of them was, and how great his S&W .22 autoloader was. He then set a clay pigion up on a hill about 50 yards away and proceeded to show me how good he and the gun were. He fired the whole mag and only came close. I loaded my Officer's Model with the conversion on it and hit it on the first shot. I then shot several of the remaining pieces (while thumbcocking it to strike each round multiple times). That certainly gave me a good laugh since this was just one of those days when everything came together and I was able to shoot well when the chips were down.

I also used to have a Colt Ace and that is just one more gun that I regularly kick myself for getting rid of. NEVER SELL A GUN. You will live to regret it.
 
Cost aside, it seems that the Marvel unit is the way to go ... The problem is that cost is never really "aside" :) ... The Ciener is discounted with the C&R, but I haven't found the Marvel below list anywhere yet, so the difference is even bigger than it "should" be.

I looked at Pistolsmith.com and found the blurb on the new Marvel ... not many details, but it said that the new one was nearly as accurate but in the $200's. I wrote Marvel an e-mail and will post a synopsis of their reply. Hopefully that will include price, availability, and accuracy!

So far, I think that the concept sounds like a winner ... In all my reading, I see very few reasons for not getting a conversion. Now, it is just a matter of choosing the right one. Marvel introducing another model certainly muddies the water! I don't/won't compete with this, but that doesn't stop me from wanting the the best.

Saands
 
Sorry, 444, I don't have a Ciener and have not had a chance to look at one in detail. The Colt conversion unit firing pin comes out the same way as the .45 firing pin, although the original Colt Ace is different.

Jim
 
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