22 conversion for 1911

garyz

garyz

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anyone have a 22 conversion for their 1911
recently saw a couple, an ati model and not sure of the other brand
any experience w/ these kits? any to stay away from or lean towards.

garyz
 
Gsg kit . I think I paid like 150$ or 200$ from psa. It's the same slide as sigs .22 1911.
Gsg makes sigs 22 1911's. Think the frames too?

Comes with spare parts so you can set it up for series 80 or 70..
Last round hold open . Mags aren't over priced.
Can get single stack mags with spacers for double stack frames .

Barrel is threaded with a cap so if your in a free state you can put a can on it . Or a fake can for the looks . Also come with different front sights , cleaning kit ect. Comes with its own slide release . Not sure what's different with it tho.

Has cycled every thing I've tossed at it .
I suck at pistols and its a tack driver.
 
If you're looking for the most accurate, then you want the Marvel conversion. They will hold sub 1/2 inch at 50 Yards. They run between $385 and $485 depending on model
 
There seem to be 3 main tiers of kits

Low - They are all based on the Ceiner design. They can be great or terrible depending on how they are made. The slide does not lock back when empty.

  • [*=1]Ceiner
    [*=1]Kimber,
    [*=1]GSG,
    [*=1]any of the $150 kits.

​
Mid -

  • [*=1]Advantage Arms - they have a standard and target kit. It gives you better accuracy over the cheap kits and also the slide locks back on an empty mag. They also come with very nice Kensight adjustable sights. This is what I have. Figure $250 for the standard and $300 for the target. The target model has a fixed barrel, like a S&W model 41. The target advantage arms model was designed by Bob Marvel, which will mean something to you in a minute. AA makes high quality mags that sell for about $20. They work in Tac Sol uppers.

High - this really falls into 2 groups
Tactical style -​


  • [*=1]Tacsol is the leader here. You can get theirs with a threaded bbl or scope rail, and the slide locks back. I believe this is the only .22 conversion kit that uses a steel slide, so it retains the weight of a real 1911.
Target Style - Most of these models are derivatives of the Advantage arms design by Bob Marvel except built to a higher price point of higher quality.​


  • [*=1]Marvel Precision - Used to be owned by Bob Marvel. These are very very accurate and generally do not lock back on an empty mag.
    [*=1]Bob Marvel Custom Guns - This is Marvel's latest endeavor. He had some very nice .22 conversions, but has stopped producing and is "back to the drawing board"
    [*=1]Nighthawk Custom .22 conversion kit by (you guessed it) Bob Marvel - top quality. I dont' know if they make them any more. But they locked back on an empty mag and were very accurate.

Here's my AA Target model on my Les Baer:

 
Last edited:
the gsg slide dose lock back *

I wouldn't call it a target kit but more mid range level vs being lumped with the crapy kits.

But at the .22 range at mra I was getting quarter sized groups with bulk federal non match . Witch is pretty damn good for me since I suck.
 
I have a Colt branded .22 conversion for 70 series 1911's, not sure where that falls into the list or even if Colt makes them anymore.
 
warwickben, when you say gsg kit, is that the ati, or does gsg make a kit
also, do you know if it will fit a rock island armory 1911
garyz
 
Last edited:
garyz said:
warwickben, when you say gsg kit, is that the ati, or does gsg make a kit
garyz
Click to expand...

Gsg
German sport guns ? They mainly make .22 clones .
http://palmettostatearmory.com/index.php/review/product/list/id/11616/
Where I got mine.

http://www.americantactical.us imports them . But there know for the .22 clones .
every thing I've read sigs .22 1911 is fully made by gsg and sig slaps there name on it and charges more vs if you buy it with the gsg name. I think a few others do the same.


http://www.americantactical.us/934/detail.html

In stock for 179.95$
 
I have a Marvel "Long Slide" which I use for steel matches. The gun came from the mfr with a test target (.72 in for ten rounds at 50 yds). Unfortunately it was very picky as to the ammo it was fed and needed to have the chamber reamed out to increase reliability. The individual mags had to be tuned (feed lips adjusted) and one out of the seven I bought still won't work. As of now the gun with this conversion is 100% reliable but it took a lot of work to get it there. I wouldn't recommend this conversion for a steel gun or any use where reliability is absolutely necessary.

I also tried a Ciener which did not have a frame mounted barrel like the Marvel and found the accuracy lacking (about 4 in @ 25 yds) but it would probably work for steel/iron sights. If you are going to mount an optic it will be worth your while to get a conversion with a frame mounted barrel as these barrels have rails for optics.

Although I don't have one, several of my friends have Advantage Arms conversions with frame mounted barrels. This is the "Target" conversion and my friends are very happy with theirs. If I were to buy another conversion I would go with AA. TacSol makes a similar conversion with a good reputation but the mags are too expensive for me.
 
The .22LR conversions seem to be a great idea, in theory, but in practice I've found they rarely work as well as they should. I had an Advantage Arms and a Marvel conversion, but after dealing with reliability issues, ammo sensitivity and questionable function and accuracy, I ended up selling them both. My Ruger MKII 22/45 shoots circles around them both...
 
TonyDedo said:
The .22LR conversions seem to be a great idea, in theory, but in practice I've found they rarely work as well as they should. I had an Advantage Arms and a Marvel conversion, but after dealing with reliability issues, ammo sensitivity and questionable function and accuracy, I ended up selling them both. My Ruger MKII 22/45 shoots circles around them both...
Click to expand...

Comparing a 1911 22 conversion to a Ruger 22 handgun is retarded.
 
Tacsol works pretty well for me and looks cool. If is a little testy with standard velocity, but the weight feels pretty balanced and good for an upper.
 
warwickben said:
Lol you mad bro .....
Really tho I see a conversion kit as a great plinker and training tool for the bigger caliber .
If I wanted a .22 1911 etc I'd buy one that started life as a .22
Click to expand...

The best .22 1911 is a conversion kit on a high quality lower. My Advantage Arms target model on my Les Baer shoots much much better than any pot metal .22 1911 could ever hope to shoot. That includes Chiappa, GSG, Colt, Umarex, etc.

Its got a Les Baer trigger and a les baer safety and it has a fixed barrel, something the dedicated 1911 .22s don't have.

So while I do agree that it is tough to beat a nice Mk II or 22/45 or even a Buckmark with a .22 1911, the conversions are far far better than the POS ones that come as a .22.
 
dcmdon said:
The best .22 1911 is a conversion kit on a high quality lower. My Advantage Arms target model on my Les Baer shoots much much better than any pot metal .22 1911 could ever hope to shoot. That includes Chiappa, GSG, Colt, Umarex, etc.

Its got a Les Baer trigger and a les baer safety and it has a fixed barrel, something the dedicated 1911 .22s don't have.

So while I do agree that it is tough to beat a nice Mk II or 22/45 or even a Buckmark with a .22 1911, the conversions are far far better than the POS ones that come as a .22.
Click to expand...

I was thinking more of building a 1911 in .22 vs the cheaper ones.
 
I was thinking the same thing a couple of years ago. Once I ran the numbers on a caspian frame with top quality components, I was up around $600.

It could be done for a lot less. But in the end, I just decided to keep it on another 1911 that I never shoot.
 

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