colt 1911 w/ 22 kit

me said:

Just a quick search about a colt 1911 45 acp with a 22 lr conversion
anyone had one shot one?
what are they worth? 90 % condition
does the 22 kit work good. Like to bend your ear and see what you think here at the think tank.

Click to expand...

I was looking at the GSG's last week..............they look pretty good for the money, but I've got a Colt conversion unit I built onto a Caspian frame into a didicated 1911/22...............I haven't shot the gun in 4 of 5 years, so I decided to take it to the range this morning.

As Luck would have it, a friend showed up with his new GSG............I was able to shoot both pistols side by side. I found the GSG to be lighter in weight and have less recoil that the Colt/Caspian, due to the floating chamber of the C/C, but the accuracy of the GSG was not quite up to the Colt for me.............Some of that may be my familiarization with my pistol, but my friend seemed to shoot mine almost as well as he shot his GSG.....Except I could see the greater recoil of the C/C was an issue for him, and he said so........The Colt conversion recoils similar to a 45ACP.

I put a lot of work into building my pistol to get it to shoot accurately, and it was a very long and involved process.......The result is....It's NOT really an easy gun for me to shoot accurately, 'cause I expect MORE from a 22RF at 25 yards than I do a 45ACP........The added recoil is out of character for a 22 pistol weighing 43 oz's.....That's just me, with my years of Smallbore Bullseye shooting.

I won't say my pistol shoots more accurately than the GSG, but I can't make an argument to buy a GSG while owning the Colt/Caspian..........the only downside I have, is the cleaning and maintenance of the Colt floating chamber, and a little extra weight and recoil.

Over-all, I think the GSG is a fine little 1911/22...........it's NOT a match gun like a S&W Mod 41, but it was never supposed to be.

1911 22LR Conversion Kits:

Regarding the value of a Colt Conversion pistol..........Generally, it comes down to the gun itself, how well it's built, it's condition, and the value of the sum of its parts................

Most 1911/22 conversions built as dedicated pistols are priced in the $750-$900 dollar range.........I've seen them cheaper, but then, you get what you pay for...............And I've seen them priced a bit higher too. Real Colt ACE's will be even more money, but then, only as a collector item........they are NO more accurate or dependable... Speaking of dependability, most all conversions I've shot are very reliable, although I've heard the Cieners can be tempermental, but I have no experience with them. Another friend has a Kimber with a convesion kit, and he shoots it very well, and its 100% reliable for him.......Most all conversions like Hi Velocity ammo better than Target ammo. Mine included.

Are the other 1911 upper conversions worth playing with?.........I think so, but I like all steel parts, too. Most of the current convesions have Aluminum slides,and some have plastic magazines which I don't care for. Some, like the Colt ACE II, the Kimber, the Marvel, and the lesser quality Cieners have 1 pc barrels (NO floating chambers) and I view that as a Plus........
I think the Marvel unit is presently the best current (Alum) conversion available.......it's similar to a KART, so it's similar to a S&W 41 too........

KART.................The undisputed Accuracy KING of 1911 22 conversions is the KART.......Hands Down!......Another gunsmith named Day in Texas, also built a good conversion unit similar to a KART in the 60's but they're (his are) very scarce..
There was also a third conversion builder too, but his name escapes me.........Al Dinan, possibly??

I also own a KART 1911/22...... Karts have a fixed barrel and sight system that is similar to a S&W 41, with the slide operating indepentantly under the sights....... My Kart is MORE accurate than my two 41's...................Fred Kart built exceptional conversions, and barrels of every caliber.

All these 1911 conversions are fun to shoot, and all have their good, and bad points for the money. If you want a "Can Shooter'.........any of them will be fun, but if you want accuracy on paper, buy or build the very best you can.....Again, you get what you pay for. Here's a picture of my Colt/Caspian and my KART below.

What, exactly are you looking at, in terms of the conversion unit and frame??.........What sights? What condition??

Tom

I had a Colt Ace years ago...with the price they're commanding today, I wish I still had it...but I never found it to be all that accurate or reliable. As I recall, the floating chamber would foul quickly and was a pain to clean. Even when it was clean, it required high velocity long rifles to function at all, and I never did find a a brand or style of ammo that made it shine, despite trying a large sampling. I applaud Tom if he was able to get his to shoot well. It's quite an accomplishment in my book.

After selling the Ace, I tried a Jarvis conversion unit. It's no longer offered, but is an all steel unit where only the rear half of the slide is free to move. I chose it over the Ciener way back when, as it used Colt Ace magazines and I had a few that I had kept. It was tempermental on some frames and fairly reliable on others but it was considerably more accurate than the Ace. Biggest problem was it shot far from where the fixed sights looked and I had to replace the front blade and spend an afternoon filing and testing.

Next came a Kimber conversion unit that sees action on the frame of my Clark Kimber .460 Rowland. It is of aluminum construction and has Kimber's version of a "Bomar" adjustable rear sight just as the .45/.460 slide does. This unit has proven to be quite reliable, not only with high velocity fodder, but will function quite well with standard velocity target ammo...not 100%, but quite close. When mounted on the Clark customized frame it has been very accurate, maybe not Bullseye worthy but good enough to account for a handful of squiirrels the few time I've taken it out to the fall woods. The sight picture is excellent and adjustments quick and easy.

I still haven't had the chance to fully wring out the GSG I purchased a couple of weeks ago but plan to rectify that soon. The little bit I shot it indoors showed good potential, and the fixed sights were right on the money. As Tom mentioned, it is lighter than the others with an alloy frame and slide, but recoil is very minimal and functioning quite smooth. I don't expect it will have the accuracy of a true target rimfire pistol or even something like a Browning Buckmark, but for fans of the 1911 it should make a good understudy. Unless you already have a centerfire 1911 and wish to use the same frame with a conversion unit, the GSG is certainly worth a look, especially considering it's modest price.


GSG 1911-22 & Kimber Conversion

Roe

I've had a Colt .22 conversion kit for the last 20 yrs. My boys learned how to shoot a 1911 at a early age. Like most .22s it prefers some loads better then others. Been a great training tool for my backyard practice. One other interesting historical point for me is that the designer of the floating chamber is David M. Williams (also designed the M1 Carbine) is my wife's great uncle.
on old AMT frame

on new Double Star frame


CD