Which 1911 .22lr do you prefer?

[FreddyKruger]

Contemplating a 22lr pistol for the collection that will be fun to shoot comp with. Theres a few different brands and finishes and just like some opinions

theres the Chiappa. gets a solid "meh" from reviews and a couple of people i know who have shot one.

The GSG. Pretty good from what i hear.

Kimber. Good too, but more pricey than the others but i dont mind that. The grey finish option seems to be just that... grey. I like the Rimfire Super, except for the two tone.

The Colt/Walther/Umerex. From what ive come across theyre pretty good too. Apparently the interals are different from a normal 1911? Walther make some pretty nice target guns, ive show a few of them myself. Are they normal 1911 size too?


Why not a conversion? id prefer a dedicated gun.

Any modifications suggested? springs for shooting low velocity ammo?

 

[SteampunkQueen]

I had good experiences with the GSG 1911's, no major issues or malfunctions to speak of. Gun functioned pretty flawlessly.

I unfortunately didnt get a whole ton of experience behind it, but i did manage to put about 200 rounds through it. Everything seemed to function smoothly, no major clunkyness from the gun itself. Recoil was almost non-existent. I wish i had been able to shoot more, but for what i did get its a well made little 22.

 

[GunnyUSMC]

Kimber .22 conversion on RIA frame. I built the frame for this one. My total cost for the gun was about $400.
I would go for the Kimber.

 

[Shooter973]

My youngest son (29) and I bought a pair of the GSG 1911.22's a while back and we are very pleased with them..... They run well and shoot as accurate as I can see anymore...

 

[22-rimfire]

I almost got one of the Kimbers when they first came out. Kind of pricey, but I would expect it is of excellent quality. The only 1911 22 I own is a Colt Ace unless you feel that the High Standard Victor is a 1911 style. I honestly don't care for the grip safety much.

 

[defjon]

GSGs- already regret selling!

 

[TennJed]

I have posted this on here before but here is my review again.

Uramex/Colt/Walther 1911 .22lrs. I got the government model for $389 OTD. Seems well made. Fit and finish is good. I bought it for a fun range plinker.

It was a real close call between the different models and I did a good deal of research before I bought one. You probably can't go wrong with with either the GSG/Sig or the colt. Based on the reviews I have read I would stay awya for the Chiappa/Puma one. The reviews seem to indicate they are not well made.

Some of the advantages (IMHO) over the GSG/Sig
12 round mag
no magazine disconnect
fixed barrel
no allen wrench needed for takedown (takedown very easy)

If I understand the company relationships on this one it is made by Walther for Colt and imported by Umarex. (at least that is what it says on the gun).

I have taken it out two times and here are the results:

1st Time:
50 rounds CCI bulk--no issues
50 rounds Remington Subsonic -- no issues
50 rounds Federal bulk (walmart value pack) no issues
100 rounds of Winchester Superx -- no issues
200+ rounds Federal Lightening-- 7 failures to feed, 1 stovepipe. (note I also shot a new Ruger Mark III and had issues with the Federal Lightening with it also)

2nd time:
Shot a total of 500+ rounds and had 2 failure to feed and 2 stovepipes. All of these were with the Federal Lightening rounds.
Approx 100 CCI Blazer bulk -- no problems
Approx 50 rounds Winchester Super X -- no problems
Approx 50 rounds Remington subsonic bulk -- no problems
Approx 25 rounds of Federal Bulk -- no problems
Approx 300 rounds of Federal lightening -- 2 FTF and 2 stovepipes
Accuracy was very good today. I was shooting off a picnic table top and shooting at small stump protruding out of a pond at roughly 50 feet. (stick was approx 12" high and 4 inches wide) So it was no bullseye paper punch, but i was impressed.

Overall I am happy with the purchase. It is not a Colt Ace but it is cheaper than the Ruger Mark III that I recently bought and it was just as reliable and was close in accuracy to it.
I have to believe the issues with the Federal Lightening is ammo related. I have had trouble with it in every 22 auto I have shot it out of. Unfortuately I bought a bunch of it while it was on sale (4000 rds) so I guess I need to shoot it up quick to get rid of it

Here are some pics. I replaced the factory rubber grips with some wood ones

 

[TennJed]

3rd range report:

100 rds Federal lightening---0 issues

 

[cruiser68]

Just put my first 250 rounds through my Ruger 22/45 Mark III today. What a tack driver that thing is. Had as much fun shooting the 22/45 and the 10/22 as I did my bigger calibers Oh yeah, 0 failures with CCI minimags. Don't think it qould wualify for 1911 though.

 

[Sky]

I have the GSG and have been getting light primer strikes after the first couple of hundred rounds. I am going overseas and will be gone for a while but I do have the return number to send the 1911 back to ATI to have it fixed. When it works it is a joy to shoot but having 1, 2, or 3 FTF each mag sucks. The pistol is oiled and has been cleaned every time it was shot so I know that is not the problem. CCI, Aquila, and Federal all with the same results.

 

[K-Rod]

I went with the GSG. I'm very impressed with it. I got a great deal on Federal bulk last year & we shoot A LOT of 22's so that's all I've put through it. Never had a issue in 1050rds. 80% of the parts on the GSG are interchangeable. I've heard that the frames are cast zinc or something or other but for the life of me I can't find any casting marks & a magnet sticks to it. I'm pretty sure zinc isn't magnetic but I may be wrong? Only thing I don't like about it is the dang Allen screw you have to remove for take down. Oh, mines a Davis gun so lifetime warranty.

 

[GreySmoke2]

I have one of these - http://www.22lrconversions.com/1911-pg.htm
I like it - 15 Rd Mag and dammmmm accurate and fun to shoot.
I run it off my RIA Two Tone Tactical .45.

Only Problem is there is a web site dedicated to his poor practices - http://donotbuyciener22lrconversions.org/
Decide for yourself????

 

[Beaux Nehr]

My kimber conversion is really, really stinking accurate.

 

[Nakanokalronin]

I really like my GSG 1911. I feed it nothing but the bulk Federal 550rd. HV ammo you can buy from Walmart and it's never failed to feed,fire or eject.

 

[TonyT]

If you truly want a 1911 in 22 then purchase one of the reliable conversions for your favorite 1911 (Marvel, Tactical Solutions, etc). If you want a reliable 22 semi auto then go for a Browning Buckark or Ruger.

 

[doubleh]

I bought a Chiappa quite a while ago. The only other available at the time was the GSG and they were not to be found in my area. I've put several hundred rounds of ammo thru it. The owner's manual says to allow at least 200 rounds for break in and I found that to be true. There has been some improvement since. The trigger is smoother and lighter and the feeding problems I had with one brand of ammo went away. I find that I'm about as accurate with it as any other of my various hand guns. I'm happy with it except I would like to have adjustable sights but I'm that way with any fixed sight handgun. Nothing has broken or quit working.

 

[BCRider]

Fit and finish of the GSG is far better than the Chiappa. I also like how the magazines on the GSG work compared to the Chiappa mags. And since the bushing thing was fixed by the steel replacements I haven't seen anything in terms of problem reports.

Mind you both of these guns are fairly new. It'll be interesting to see how they stand up when the round counts with various owners get up over 20K.

 

[EddieNFL]

Marvel conversion, Colt frame.

 

[wally]

Not the Chiappa. Mine is a total POS and won't go 50 rounds without a stovepipe. I wasted $60 sending it back to them for "Warranty" repair, and they didn't fix it. Then they ignored my followup Emails.

I won't even go into how poor the trigger is and how lousy the fit and finish is.

 

[hq]

The Colt/Walther/Umerex. From what ive come across theyre pretty good too. Apparently the interals are different from a normal 1911? Walther make some pretty nice target guns, ive show a few of them myself. Are they normal 1911 size too?

I got myself a Rail Gun version of Colt last year. Not originally my first choice, but it just... followed me home. At least that's what I told my wife, after unsuccessfully trying to blame the sudden appearance of yet another gun on Santa Claus.

All in all build quality is very decent, it works like a charm with just about any ammo I've fed it so far and accuracy has really surprised me. It could be that I just lucked out and got a proverbial tack driver. What I hate is the trigger. Gritty, heavy and downright horrible. It improved slightly after light polishing but I'll probably get an aftermarket sear, hammer and springs for it - the mechanism is standard 1911 so there are plenty of offerings to choose from.

The barrel has been borrowed from Walther P22 so if you're as much into cans as I am, a regular P22 thread adapter is all you need to fit any ½"UNF -threaded suppressor.

Not a hint of buyers remorse with this gun. I'll probably get another, as soon as they'll finally start shipping the nickel-plated Gold Cup that's long overdue.

 

[TennJed]

Not a hint of buyers remorse with this gun. I'll probably get another, as soon as they'll finally start shipping the nickel-plated Gold Cup that's long overdue.

HQ is the nickel a sure thing or are you just hoping?

 

[cyclopsshooter]

Not as accurate as some but it's on par with standard Ruger Mk series. Half pop can groups at 35 ft, all Colt steel and a hell of a lot of fun
Bought the conversion off of Gunbroker on a buy it now for $235, bought a 70 series with a Bubba'd feed ramp and trigger guard for $300, sold the 70 series upper on Gunbroker for $385, Colt rubber grips $30

Total investment: $180 (Feb 2008)

 

[mljdeckard]

I run a Ciener on a Kimber frame. (I do intend to build a dedicated frame for it.) I have found that most .22 kits need some break-in. (I also had a AA kit I ran on a G-22 frame.) They like hotter ammo, but what I have found with several thousand rounds through this Ciener, is that after they break in, they are much more forgiving. I can crank bulk Remington through it for a LONG time before it gums up and needs to be hosed out with gunscrubber. I also like that I have three 15-rd magazines for it.

 

[hq]

HQ is the nickel a sure thing or are you just hoping?

Persistent rumors that have been circulating since mid July. I even have a faint recollection of seeing it mentioned as an upcoming model in official Colt/Walther literature (press release?) but haven't been able to confirm that. In any case that doesn't seem to happen in very near future and local dealers haven't even received regular black Gold Cups yet, which is the reason I got the Rail Gun.

My other Gold Cups are stainless so it's a matter of principle.

 

[Mcon]

Beware of the gsg or sig 1911. My slide split and sent a shower of alumimum and powder residue in my face, was wearing safety glasses of course. I have done some research and found this to be a common problem with all of the failures happening at the exact same spot, left side behind ejection port running along the top of the slide. There have not been any serious injuries to my knowledge, but that is just a matter of time. Cast aluminum should have no place if firearms. Also this gun has other problems... Ambi safety will break if you use it, cast bushing will also break, the guide rod buffer will wear out very quickly and beat your gun up if you dont replace it, and others have had different problems but these seem to be the norm. You get what you pay for.