.22LR conversion kits

[7-3-2 9]

Hey everyone,

So I'm still waiting on my permit and I recently figured instead of going through this process all over again to but a .22lr handgun why not just look at the gun I can purchase in 9mm or maybe even .40S&w that have the option to be converted to .22lr to keep range costs down ... after all more shooting = better shooting .. right? Kinda stinks cause I was leaning hardcore towards the M&P in 9mm but they dont have any conversion possibilities. I was just curious what guns out there have such kits and what would you recommend? Or would I be better off just buying 2 separate guns and just throwing the whole conversion kit idea in the trash?

[7-3-2 9]

Oh and I'm not really a glock fan because imo theyre ugly ... no offense to anyone in the forums its just my opinion.

[AnthonyG 36]

Sig p226 or p229 have .22 conversion kits, the cz75 has the kadet which is a .22 conversion kit.

[mcbethr 42]

The Beretta 92FS / M9 has a conversion kit available. I have one myself with the kit and IMHO it is the finest combat pistol ever made.

 

If you live near Philadelphia, I usually go to Firing Line on Front street every Wednesday or Thursday. I'd be happy to meet you there and you can fire my 92. PM me if you are interested.

 

All that being said, handgun ownership in New Jersey is fundamentally different here than any other place because of the permitting process. In other states, if a person buys a gun they don't like, they can trade it for something else. Here, if you buy something, you better like it because you will be stuck with it for at least 30 days.

 

So I would consider purchasing the S&W M&P if you really like it. I'd rather have a handgun I love that I shoot less than a handgun I only like that I shoot more.

[7-3-2 9]

You know I really did like the Beretta 92fs I was shooting at shoreshot and that was only a rental ... maybe thats an option for me to look into if as well .. thanks Mcbethr.

[RecessedFilter 222]

I would highly suggest looking at CZ's, such as the 75b or the P06. Then buy the conversion kit (called the Kadet .22 kit, I believe). That way, you have a quality pistol as well as a .22 kit that takes 20 seconds to drop in.

[rlsbee 1]

I bought a Sig P226 as a 22LR, then bought the 9MM conversion. It worked out a little cheaper that way. Of course, I bought all new stuff and 22 conversions for the Sigs can be found used, usually at some savings.

[Daedalus 19]

I run a Kimber conversion on my Springfield GI 1911. Flawless operation, cheap to run .22LR and no need to burn a purchase permit!

[n4p226r 105]

i had a 22 kit for my p229 and ultimately sold it for a buckmark. i prefer to have a gun designed and built as a 22 from the ground up. its more fun and less issues. i think, that any of the kits that have a full slide to push back, are going to either require more expensive high velocity ammo at a minimum and need to be oiled exactly right and be picky with how well its going to work. it is a good training tool, but i find it better to do two separate guns myself.

[bLxZe 1]

I just purchased a P226 TacOps .40S&W and was considering the .22LR conversion kit but have read some very hit and miss reviews complaining about slide fitment and magazine wear issues etc. Anyone here have any feedback?

[EchoVictor76 1]

I have JAC (Ciener) 22LR conversion kits for Beretta 92 and 1911, also recently purchased Advantage Arms conversion kit for Glock 19.

Here are my opinions based on experience.

Beretta 92 kit:

Pros: most reliable - not a single failure to feed or eject ever (probably due the open slide design), availability of 15rd magazines.

Cons: no safety/decocker lever on the conversion slide, no last round hold open feature.

 

1911 kit (Platinum Cup with Adjustable sights):

Pros: Most enjoyable to shoot due to the 1911 ergonomics. Availability of 15rd magazines. Adjustable sights. Safety works since it's frame mounted.

Cons: not as reliable as the Beretta kit, more failures to eject. Occasional failures to go into battery (possible weak recoil spring). Changing mainspring (hammer spring) to 17lbs seems to help a bit, but increases chances of light strikes / failure to ignite. No slide hold open on empty magazine (last round hold open).

 

Advantage Arms Glock 19 kit:

Pros: Excellent fit and finish. Last round hold open. Adjustable sights. Decent reliability (better than 1911 but worse than Beretta). Internal parts most closely resemble original Glock design so disassembly of the kit for cleaning is practically the same.

Cons: occasional failure to eject (stovepipe). Last round hold open does not work 100% of the time (probably my fault since my thumb rubs against the slide stop lever and the 22lr magazine spring is not strong enough to counteract. When shooting one handed, slide locks back 100% of the time). Magazines only 10rd (AA is in California so they can't manufacture "high cap" mags by law).

 

Based on my research, the CZ Kadet kit is the best quality wise, but expensive. A less expensive option to consider would be EAA Witness Combo (9mm/22 or 45/22)

 

It's tough finding a .22 pistol that looks and feels like a real combat pistol. Either the slide has to be aluminum or only a part of the slide actually moves so "racking" it is completely different (like the CZ Kadet or the Buck Mark, S&W 22A or 41, etc). Although recently there have been a lot of 1911 lookalikes chambered in 22LR (Chiappa) that cost on par with a conversion kit.

 

Speaking of Chiappas, anyone have any experience with their 1911-22 models? I hear some people talk about "pot metal" construction, but others seem to enjoy shooting them.

[chris327 30]

echovictor,

i have a chiappa 1911-22. At first i hated it. nothing but feed and extracting problems. Then realized it was dry fired at the store and it had a small nick in the barrel. I sent it in for service they fixed it and sent it back to me. Then it worked a little better for a few hundred rounds. Now it was great. Jams once in a while but I think thats from magazine issues of not being lined up properly. The finish is not great, comes off easily. i actually pollished mine up in some spots due to the finish rubbing off. It is deffinately pot metal. I enjoy shooting it and i dont plan on selling it as its so cheap why would anyone buy used and what would i get instead. Would i buy it again? no i would not buy this again. If i was going to buy a 1911 style 22 i would get the gsg 1911 22. That is fully customizable with 1911 accessories and have heard no problems whatsoever with it. any other questions feel free to ask.

chris

[bLxZe 1]

I ordered the conversion kit for my p226 directly from Sig well over a month ago and they are still backordered without any delivery date in sight.

[AntZ 1]

Bullet holes had sig 226 and 229 conversion kits a while ago. Not sure if they still have them.

[bLxZe 1]

So after getting a strange phone response from one of the Sig CS people about how they weren't sure when they were going to be fulfilling their backorders and to just suck it up because I was behind a long list of other people I email Victoria (CS rep) and within a few days the kit arrives at my door. That woman makes things happen! Looking forward to going to CR and doing some plinking.

[jaybirdtke 13]

I like the EAA Witness and CK combo recommendations, but in 9mm they have a magazine capacity of 16 and 17 rounds. What about the NJ 15 round magazine capacity limit? How would you go about acquiring either of these with a 15 round magazine or less in 9mm?

[tony357 386]

I like the EAA Witness and CK combo recommendations, but in 9mm they have a magazine capacity of 16 and 17 rounds. What about the NJ 15 round magazine capacity limit? How would you go about acquiring either of these with a 15 round magazine or less in 9mm?

 

I have a witness 9mm compact with 15 round mags, they also have full size 15 rounders.

[jaybirdtke 13]

I have a witness 9mm compact with 15 round mags, they also have full size 15 rounders.

 

Would that be the Zastava only? I can't seem to find a full size in 9mm with a 15 round or less mag.

[jaybirdtke 13]

Does the CZ 75 B Model # 91102 have a 16 round magazine as seen here or a 15+1 as seen here?

[Mr.Shoot_It_All 13]

Sig 226 and conversion great purchase I made only neg is 10 round mag cap and no last toi d hold open. But can be upgrades aftermarket

[Shermar76 0]

I am a new member to the forum and I just bought a STI Spartan in 45acp and am looking to buy a 22 conversion kit for it. The one offered by STI is over $450 and it is the same KIT offered by Marvin. I am looking at the Advantage Arms 1911 Target KIT but want to get the opinion if someone had used this kit on a STI Spartan and how reliable it is.

Thanks for the help.

[Jon 264]

I would recommend getting a GSG-1911 instead. $300, and runs like a raped ape on bulk ammo, plus you can modify it as much as you want.

[this_is_nascar 162]

A couple questions. Is there a .22LR conversion kit for the Beretta 92A1? Not the 92FS or 92M1, but the 92A1? Also, does the purchase of a conversion kit require a P2P in NJ?

[autoxnyc 4]

IMO. The best conversion kits are:

 

* CZ Kadet. You get slide lock up after last round, and it'll be more or less the same weight/balance as the center fire version.

* Nighthawk Custom 1911 Conversion kit. - This one is basically the same as the Bob Marvel kit. It is designed by Marvel. Again, more or less the same weight and slide lock up.

 

Most others will be lighter than the center fire slide and the balance/weight will be very different once mounted. They also don't have slide lock up after last round.

[Bt Doctur 188]

My Ciener conversion is flawless in my Commander

[diamondd817 828]

Oh and I'm not really a glock fan because imo theyre ugly ... no offense to anyone in the forums its just my opinion.

 

How about a Glock.

 

Get a 40 and you can convert to 9mm, 357sig, and 22lr with one frame.

 

BTW, Glocks are purdy.

[NJJim 37]

I have a Beretta 92 and a Beretta 22 conversion kit. It works very well. I have only fired about 150 rounds of 22LR but that was without a hitch. The slide locks back on an empty magazine and it has fully functional slide mounted safety/decocker. It's a nice kit and almost forgot, adjustable rear sight is included. It was pretty accurate too!

 

Not in stock from Beretta right now but probably sometime in May. To get mine, I signed up to be notified and bought the same day as I was notified. They were out of stock again in two days.

 

http://www.berettaus...ce-kit/j9022pk/

 

Man, I've edited this post 4 times. Just added the link and noticed availability date of August.

Edited March 27, 2012 by NJJim

[this_is_nascar 162]

From what I've read last night, the .22LR conversion kit for the 92FS DOES NOT work on the 92A1, so I guess I'm SOL for now. I'm still trying to find out if one has to use a pistol permit when purchasing a conversion kit like this.

[NJJim 37]

I'm still trying to find out if one has to use a pistol permit when purchasing a conversion kit like this.

 

No, you do not need a permit.

[blizzzarddemon 0]

I run a Kimber conversion on my Springfield GI 1911. Flawless operation, cheap to run .22LR and no need to burn a purchase permit!

 

I agree I have a kimber 1911 and run the kimber .22lr kit and have had no issues with ammo it fires everything I run through it you get choice of silver or black and they come with target sights