1911 22LR conversation kit

My advantage arms kit has been 100% on my Colt series 80 commander with the recommended ammo. It’s not match accurate but then neither am I. Mags are cheap and they lock back the slide empty.

Works on my RI GI too.

It took A LOT of tweeking to get a Colt Service Ace conversion to function.

I have had two Ciener conversions that worked well in Kimbers, Colts, and Springfields... But when we tried to drop the Ciener kit into a RIA/ARMSCORP Citadel it took major grinding on the Ciener 22 barrel lug to get it to fit into the Philippine M1911.

I have a Ciener conversion on an Officer's frame. I love it. Great pistol.


I also have a Kimber 1911 and bought the Kimber conversion kit for it. I loved it so much that I got an alloy, Govt size 1911
dedicated frame for it. It is light and accurate. A fun gun. Most conversions I've seen state that you should use a high quality, high velocity
ammo in it for best results. That is very true. If you use CCI Minimags in it, it runs 100%. If you try to run the cheapo bulk .22 ammo in it,
you will not be be a happy shooter. If interested in buying the Kimber conversion, shoot me a PM. I have other plans for the alloy frame
and have too many .22s.

I have a 22 RF Wilson Combat slide and barrel kit mounted on a Colt Mk IV, Series 70 frame that I retired from centerfire work. It performs well and it is nice to have to switch stuff around between centerfire and rimfire shooting.

I'm not sure if Wilson still offers the kit. I bought mine around 2003.

I have run the AA kit on a Glock, and I have been running the Ciener on my Kimber for years. I have a .22 upper for my AR. I love it because I can train a lot longer a lot cheaper.

Something they all have in common, is that they like hotter ammo. Stingers, Velocitors, or the CCI 40 gr that's made for autos. The conversion kits require some break-in. Call it several hundred rounds. After that, they are a lot more forgiving. I can run cheaper ammo through them, but I plan on them gumming up with a few hundred rounds. I frequently get failures to fire with Remington bulk or Wildcats.

I like that I have 15 rd magazines for the Ciener. I wish it had replaceable sights. I'm not sure Ciener is still around, I know they were in trouble a few years ago. If I were going to get another one, I would try to get one that locks open on empty.

Very pleased with the quality and overall fit and finish of my TacSol Model 2211 .22 conversion kit.

I got an old Colt conversion unit with the floating chamber that increases recoil. It works really well and shoots reliably with standard and high velocity ammo but it probably isn't the most accurate unit. It is a lot of fun, though.

I have my buddy's Kimber conversion on his 1911.
Works OK, needs high velocity ammo even with a reduced mainspring on the 1911.
Not nearly as accurate as a Mark II, much fussier. Doesn't lock open on empty (like most conversions).
I rarely shoot it.

I bought a Ceiner for my Colt Gold Cup back before the millennium. Zero problems with it after thousands of rounds.

mljdeckard said:

I'm not sure Ciener is still around, I know they were in trouble a few years ago.

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They are still around.
The old man almost ran it into the ground with his caustic personality.
He was a real gem. Good product. Terrible CS.
His son took it over a few years back with an emphasis of customer service.
Much better place to buy today.

The bottom gun is a Kimber with a CWA conversion. Very fast and accurate. Uses the steel GSG 1911/22 mags.
Between my brother and I we have, or have had, Marvel, Nelson, Ciener, AA and CWA. I have settled on the CWA with the Nelson coming in a close second. My brother doesn't readily part with any of his firearms so he struggles with the Ciener and only loads 9 in the AA. His Marvel runs great on his big bore custom.

Waterboy3313 said:

I have read reviews on kits and they seem all over the board

I live in Ca so my pistol choice is limited to what is on the roster. One dedicated 22 pistol that I may consider is $400 locally.

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I also live in CA and considered getting a 22LR conversion for my Sig 1911 but after reading reviews of various conversion kits with issues of reliability and accuracy, I decided to buy GSG 1911 for around $200 which is on the CA roster.

If there's a Turner's near you, they are selling for $259 - https://www.turners.com/american-tactical-imports/american-tactical-imports-gsg--14234

And Gunmag Warehouse has German made factory "metal" magazines for $16.99 - https://gunmagwarehouse.com/ati-german-sport-guns-gsg-m-1911-22-lr-10-round-magazine.html

GSG 1911 has been reliable with various ammo (regular cleaning and oiling definitely contributes to reliability) and produced the following 25 yard groups with Armscor 36 gr CPHP that I bought for $16.50/500 - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...15-20-500-shipped.853059/page-2#post-11226086

I have the Accurate Arms unit and have had only 1 fte. I've used several types of ammo,it even worked with 2 types of standard velocity ammo CCI and Fiocchi. Can't comment on the accuracy dept as I don't consider myself that great a pistol shot.

He will like the trigger on the GSG 1911.

We bring many different types of guns when we go shooting with new/younger shooters and last several times, once they shot the GSG 1911, they never went back to 22LR revolvers.

And once they shoot the ARs with CMMG conversions and MagPul BUIS, they don't go back to 10/22 with factory ghost ring sights because MagPul BUIS is so much better for 25/50 yard targets (even with Federal 36 gr CPHP which produce largest groups for me) and I usually end up putting a scope on the 10/22 to engage longer distance and smaller 50/75/100 yard targets with better ammo like Aguila/Armscor/CCI Blazer.

Family fun taking out zombie soda/soup cans and 2 liter bottles.

II had a CMMG conversion for my AR. It worked fine but it was not as accurate as I wanted. The twist rate for the .223 and the .22LR are different so if you did not have a dedicated .22LR upper with the conversion, you won't get great accuracy.
I finally got a dedicated .22LR upper from PSA. Night and day difference for accuracy. If you are a serious .22LR AR shooter, look into a dedicated upper.
It is well worth the difference between the conversion kit and a dedicated upper. I can switch uppers in seconds since they are complete. The lower is a standard AR lower.

Another option for an AR in .22LR is the Colt AR22 (Walther made). I bought one for my wife and it has been 100% and just as accurate as my PSA AR22.
CDNN usually has them for $299. Not much more than the conversion kit and a little cheaper than the PSA dedicated upper (~$350). It is not a true AR in the mechanical sense but it looks and shoots like one.

I have a Ciener for my Springfield Loaded model. Never had a problem with the conversion kit. My problem was with my brain - Springfield Loaded model has a FLGR which requires that nifty little wrench to remove so that the conversion kit can be installed. One trip to the range without the wrench and subsequent non-use of the kit was all it took for me to replace said FLGR with a GI style guide rod.

I have the kimber conversion on a kimber custom classic 2 and it’s been an accurate reliable conversion even with crappy bulk ammo. I clean the mags after a couple hundred rounds and it seems to help.

My AA kit for my glock 23 likes to be run wet

First gun I shot was a ruger 10/22. Great gun for building confidence/getting used to being around firearms