So this all started years ago when I bought a Kimber .22 target conversion for my 1st gen Kimber Custom. Always shot great but then my son decided that the Custom was his gun. Sooooo.
Tried the conversion unit on a few other 1911s but always felt like in order to get the best out of it I would have to fit the slide to one frame. Not willing to alter anything I had I found a brand new RIA frame on GB for a really good deal, fitted the conversion unit to it and ended up with a very accurate dedicated steel framed 1911 .22! Winner…
But recently I started itching for a Commander sized 1911 again. So look on eBay and dang! There’s a bunch of suitable slides in there for every budget. So I found a nice Kimber Pro CDP II and bid low enough to make it worth my while. And won.
Came in today and I’ll be damned it’s dirty but should clean up to like new. Fits the frame like it was made for it! Slides really smooth on the rails and no play at ALL anywhere!
So now it’s a nice gun (set?) I can throw in the Jeep when going off road and gives me SD, target and small game hunting opportunities with just a slide swap. If I like the setup I MIGHt get a 10mm slide just for yucks. Maybe a 6”?
I need to clean it and delete the stupid firing pin block. That’s tomorrow’s project. But this shows the end result as it will look. Then off to shoot
Having 22LR conversion kit is a great addition to 1911/2011 collection. With today’s ammo prices shooting 22LR is the less expensive way to train without compromising your techniques. Same frame, same grip, same holster (adjusted a little bit with width) same draw stroke and shooting process… just less money spent every trigger pull.
Because of different manufacturers of my 1911 and 2011 pistols I didn’t want to stick to particular brand and looked for something universal.
Finally I found Marvel Unit 22LR Conversion Kit which worked with any 1911/2011 platform.
They even came with double stack option, but I never tested it.
Definitely I highly recommend having 1911 or 2011 in 22LR . It’s not only money saver but makes shooting nicer and quieter and brings more fun for newbies.
I just dont see a need for conversion kits. You can practice all day with 22lr (which is fun) but when you put the 45 slide on, its gonna shoot differently.
Im a believer in having a gun in whatever caliber and keeping it that way. Have others to blast ammo and have fun.
Thats just me of course. Ive used many excuses to the wife to buy guns and accessories. So i understand
If it were me i would have one weapon dedicated to 22lr and one to 45acp. i don’t like messing with the conversion systems. Yes, i have one for my AR platform so I can shoot 22lr thru it, but they recommend that as soon as you are done to remove the conversion kit and place it back into 5.56. I haven’t used it yet.
The original Kimber .22 full size target gun is a very desirable firearm. I like the idea of a full size .22 1911. The controls and administrative functions are exactly the same as a CF 1911 and there is almost zero recoil to contend with. Sheer pleasure to shoot.
At this point “need” has nothing to do with any of my purchases. I have enough dedicated guns in just about any platform and caliber to satisfy all my “needs” real or imagined. Multiple 1911s in several CF chambering and sizes and quite a few dedicated .22 pistols and revolvers including a set of twin Ruger Mark 1s and a pristine Colt Huntsman from 1959 and a Pre-Model18 and Pre model-17 S&W revolvers.
This is just a FUN kit that I can keep in one bag with a few boxes of ammo and magazines that will give me the opportunity to use the same gun for multiple uses in case I just want to grab-and-go something on the spur of the moment with zero thoughts associated with it.
The only true part is… it gonna sound and recoil differently. Shooting fundamentals and process remain the same. Recoil occurs after you press the trigger, so what is gonna change is only your follow through reaction time, nothing else.
However it is understandable that people do not want use 22LR for training or practice. This is very subjective and hard to discuss. What works for one person doesn’t need to be good for somebody else.
That said, I trained my children to shoot a gas operated blowback action airsoft 1911 (the slide blows all the way back, and loads the next BB as it moves forward)
When I put the genuine .45apc 1911 in their hands they bullseyed a groundhog target at 15 yards on the first shot!
Yes. And I get it. But that is actually the biggest issue with shooting training.
I’ve been always trying to remove “boom” part from students’ heads. Less you react to the shot effect, better shooter you become.
Thats why when i was an RSO i would throw a spent cartridge in the magazine of new shooters. I would show how they flinched when they tried to squeeze the trigger on it.
Nothing is perfect and i dont have an issue what anyone does or buys.
I thought about a 22 conversion for one of my AR’s but i got my late brothers walther ar clone in 22 so i didnt need to
I train with every gun I own and carry whatever makes me smile that day. Swap between guns at the range and hop from Glocks, to .22s to 1911s and never miss a beat. Must the the product of the THOUSANDS of rounds I’ve fired through decades of serious training that prevent me from being so picky as to what I put in my hand.
Bingo…. I’m not here to educate any trainers but thinking that recoil and noise HAVE to be part of the training of shooting fundamentals is wrong and ancient doctrine. You teach a new shooter fundamentals and then recoil and noise management separately. Then you have a complete shooter.
So you don’t? Then what is so different about shooting this gun in .45 configuration and enjoying that and then switching to the .22 configuration and enjoying that as a separate firearm WITH THE BENEFIT of it having the same controls and handling characteristics as many of my carry guns?
In any case caliber, recoil and noise make zero difference to me and only matter to people that cannot physically handle it or don’t know how to manage it because of lack of experience or training. I fall into neither camp.
I’m used to (and proficient with) all and any of the above and have zero issues running my drills with a .45 1911, a Glock 9mm or a 4” .44mag revolver and throw in a nice Single Action in .45 Colt for giggles at times. That’s the benefit of knowing what you’re doing and being good at it.
And by the way did I ever mention this particular gun being any kind of a training tool? Nope. I said, fun, target practice, potential carry/SD or small game hunting while out in the wilderness. You decided to bring training into a discussion that has NOTHING to do with it.
