Advantage Arms .22lr 1911 conversion

[mike93lx]

So I'm pretty sure that I am going to be purchasing an Advantage Arms .22lr conversion for my SW1911

http://www.advantagearms.com/1911conversion_kit.html

My debate here is between the Standard kit and the Target kit. As far as I can tell, the only benefit to the Target kit is the ability to easily mount a scope. However, I can't see myself wanting to have a scope mount only for when I'm shooting .22 and not .45, so I'm thinking the Standard kit is the right choice.

Any insight on this?

 

[mike93lx]

bump...

any insight on these kits or any other conversions? I'm planning to order one in the next week and I'm leaning towards the Standard Kit.

thanks!

 

[dixidawg]

I have a standard one for my Glock and it is great. Highly recommend it.

 

[Len-2A Training]

AA kits are the cat's meow, at least for non-serious target shooting. The Marvel kit is the Rolls Royce for the serious target shooter.

I have the AA on my Wife's G17 and it runs great . . . but ONLY with Rem Golden Bullets (cheap from Wal-Mart), per the included instructions.

I bought a Ciener kit for my 1911 because the AA kit was unavailable. I lucked out as my Ciener kit also runs flawlessly with the Rem Golden Bullets. Ciener has a very spotty reputation (which I didn't know when I ordered it from Brownells, and it took 6 months before it was in stock) and no real customer support, so I feel very lucky.

I would buy the AA kit with no hesitation whatsoever.

 

[jpattersonnh]

I am not familiar w/ AA. I have a Wilson and I've used Kimbers, both are great.

 

[mike93lx]

AA kits are the cat's meow, at least for non-serious target shooting. The Marvel kit is the Rolls Royce for the serious target shooter.

the AA std kit is $300 (direct) and the Marvel Match kit is $420 (midway). what do I get for the $120? anything of significant note?

I'm sure either are far more accurate than the shooter that will be operating them, so I think the AA will be plenty for me. I'm really just looking forward to being able to put 7-10x the number of rounds down range for the same money

edit: I would really like last round lock open and I beleive that the AA kits are the only ones with this feature. does anyone know of another kit that does?

 

[Len-2A Training]

I am told by some friends that compete with the Marvel kit, that they are much more accurate. These shooters are in the 280-290 class.

For me, the AA works great, is fun to shoot and dirt cheap to feed. I scooped mine from GlockTalk or DefensiveCarry.com (can't recall which one) for ~$225 with 2 extra mags. It had never been used! It was the luck of the draw to score it, they don't last long once they are posted on any forum.

AA kit does indeed lock back when empty. The Ciener kit does NOT lock back.

I've seen the Marvel kit, but never shot one, no idea if it locks back or not.

 

[Moderator]

I have a Marvel kit. I find it to be very reliable and accurate.

 

[Gammon]

There is a new kit on the market, but I am not familiar with the MFR. I have seen a couple and like what I see. PMD has one, perhaps he will enlighten us.

 

[mike93lx]

well, I just went ahead and placed an order for an AA Standard kit. lead time is currently 6-8 weeks, so I'll be waiting for a while.

From what AA says, the target kit runs fine with SV ammo, but the standard needs HV. I assume that this is due to the extra weight needing more force to cylce the action? Can a different recoil spring fix that? I would love to be able to run quiet ammo with this and that may actually sway me towards changing my order to a target kit.

thanks!

 

[Dan S]

There is a new kit on the market, but I am not familiar with the MFR. I have seen a couple and like what I see. PMD has one, perhaps he will enlighten us.

That is the Tactical Solutions unit.

 

[gerrycaruso]

.22 conversion kits

There's a new kit by Tactical Solutions that's all steel and locks back. It's pretty expensive at $400-$450 depending on model.

 

[Gammon]

If the Tactical Solutions kit is the one that PMD has I would buy it if I hadn't already bought the Marvel. The Marvel kit is top notch, but a little tempermental. It took me quite a while to get the mags tuned to the point that the kit was 100% reliable, and this is only with a couple of brands of ammo.

 

[mike93lx]

Well, my Advantage Arms Standard kit arrived via UPS last night.

I haven't installed it on my SW1911 yet, but built quality seems quite nice. I'm hoping to pick up a few different rounds of 22LR tonight and hit the range.

Is it typical for conversion kits to use plastic mags? For $25 each, I would have liked metal, but these seem pretty stout.

 

[Len-2A Training]

Well, my Advantage Arms Standard kit arrived via UPS last night.

I haven't installed it on my SW1911 yet, but built quality seems quite nice. I'm hoping to pick up a few different rounds of 22LR tonight and hit the range.

Is it typical for conversion kits to use plastic mags? For $25 each, I would have liked metal, but these seem pretty stout.

Follow the directions with the kit as to what ammo to use . . . or you will be sorry (but become real experienced on "clearance drills")! BTDT

 

[mike93lx]

I hit the range last night with the kit...

Installation was a piece of cake; It is easier to install the conversion kit than the stock S&W top end. Fit and finish is quite nice and it is significantly lighter than the S&W parts.

The magazines are a pain in the ass to load. Between the tiny rounds and the shape of the top of the mags, my right thumb was getting pinched on every round.

I made the mistake of buying a 500 round pack of Winchester SV ammo thinking it was HV. Damn things would not cycle the action at all. I had the same problem with a pack of Remington SV's as well (those I bought just to see if it would cycle on SV).

CCI Mini Mags worked well, but I did have a few rounds FTF in the 100 that I shot. For $.10 a round, I'd rather shoot reloaded .45's though. I'm going to try to find a bulk pack of Remington Golden Bullets tonight and see how they do. To justify keeping this kit, I'm going to need to find something that runs reliably and doesn't cost more than 5-6 cents per round.

 

[Len-2A Training]

See my post above. AA tells you what will run 100% (except for duds, not their fault) and Wal-Mart carries them for cheap ($16.50/550 last I looked). Anything else is a crap-shoot at best and aggravating as a minimum.