.22 Conversion?
 

I am wondering if there are any companies out there that offer a .22LR conversion for the M&P45c. That is one MAJOR advantage I think Glock has over the rest of the polymer market and since I really like this gun and enjoy shooting it, I think it would be nice to get a conversion unit so I can afford to practice with it like I want to. I haven't been able to find any information on this and so I figured I would ask you guys and see if I'm missing something. Thanks for your help.

Great idea. Been thinking the same thing. Bought a SIG recently because of the factory made .22 conversion unit, but probably would have chosen an M&P 45 instead if a conversion unit had been available for it.

I have been amazed that the marketing arm of S&W has not figured out that there is a market for a 22 conversion unit for the M&P line. If they were smart they would contract with Tactical Solutions to put out a really first class 22 conversion unit for their M&P's.
I have 6 conversion units for the 1911's - 2 Marvels, Jarvis, Tactical Solutions, Ciener and original Colt. I also have both the Ciener and AA units for the Glock 17.

So, what I gather from you two is that is not a conversion unit for the M&P at this time and I will either have to wait and hope it happens or just settle with the Glock conversion in order to get my practice in without going broke?

Just MHO but am not eager to shell out another $350 on my $450 M&P for a plinker grade conversion. Particularly not to "save" money.


I would argue that for well less than the price of a conversion kit you could either: a) buy a good dedicated .22 pistol ( with better accuracy and reliability) or b) a decent reloading set up and make you 45's for less than 10 cents /round.

These are good points, and I went through that same reasoning process years ago when I was on a tight budget and got my first 1911. I spent the money on a progressive reloader (which I still own and use) and have never been sorry.

That said, my gun budget is no longer tight, and I have the funds to spend on multiple items (translation: I'm older now :D). It's not all about "plinking" with a cheapie handgun, although cheap practice is a consideration. At this point in my shooting life it's about speed at short range, rapid recovery from malfunctions under stress, and combat effectiveness. All of the above with the same trigger, sights, holster, manual of arms and magazine carriers as my EDC weapon.

I also don't have to worry about picking up my brass from the snow in winter, or out out of deep weeds in my back meadow range at home. And when the rest of the world was completely hyper extended about the ammunition shortage after the Democrats got into the White House and took over Congress, I was still shooting a lot, whenever I wanted, with my Colt Series 70 conversion and Ceiner AR-15 conversion units.

If S&W decides to come out with a dedicated M&P .22 as an understudy for their centerfire guns (think companion M18 and M19 revolvers, for instance) that would be even better than a conversion unit in most ways. And I'd have to buy one.:D

That's a great point about train with what you feel comfortable with. All depends on how one will use that .22 conversion. Some may just plink and likes to punch holes in a target, while others train with what they EDC.

Let just say a brick of .22's averages $20. And 500 rounds of 9mm's are $200. If I want to practice my trigger pull and reset, after a 1000 rounds, I've spent $400. Where as on .22's I've spent $40.

I have a Kimber .22LR kit on an old (and blown) Colt Combat Commander frame. Worth the money.... The trigger's a little too light, and the target sights are a joke, but the worst problem is that either I use the expensive hi-velocity rounds, or keep it surgically clean.

Overall, though, if I fix the trigger, it's a great practice gun. I could also put the kit on one of my two EDC's (the other's a Para LDA - won't work) for more realistic use (other than those target sights), but so far this has worked well enough.

The only downside of the Kimber is that the slide doesn't lock open when the magazine is empty. I can see why, but....

IMHO, this would not be difficult to do in the M&P - basically a barrel, spring, and magazine swap, but somebody has to spend some money. An M&P in .22LR might be a better choice, although the price would likely be fairly high.

One of my regrets is that I didn't buy that .22 Combat Masterpiece (or whatever it was called) to match my M10 and M19, way back when.

Regards,

"IMHO, this would not be difficult to do in the M&P - basically a barrel, spring, and magazine swap, but somebody has to spend some money. An M&P in .22LR might be a better choice, although the price would likely be fairly high."

+1 A dedicated M&P makes more sense to me than a possibly finicky conversion unit. I have never liked the idea of field stripping one handgun to install a conversion unit and then having to reverse the process.

The 22 conversion units, with one possible exception, are not meant to be a subsitute for a 22 cal pistol. They are provided so that one can use an existing frame and shoot less expensive ammo in practise or to familiarize a younger shooter.
The exception is the original Marvel unit which was designed to offer bullseye shooters the same grip in shooting the 22 stage as they used for the CF and 45 stages. My Marvel unit is superbly accurate and has never malfunctioned in firing almost 10,000 rounds of quality SV ammo.

I would buy both a full size and compact 22lr conversion in a minute if they were available.

.22 Conversion units for M&P Pistols
 

When you have legislation restricting the number of pistols allowed, conversion units are a real benifit. Smith & Wesson do not see the need at present as they are pushing their M&P22's made for them. However the M&P line is ideal for this with a .40 purchase and then add .357 Sig and 9x19mm barrels, you have 3 calibres BUT practice is still not as cheap as having a .22Rimfire conversion unit. I'd have one each for my M&P's FS & PRO 5" models. Come on SMITH there is sufficient demand for these conversion units.

Slide??
 

Hard to see how the slide could be made to work. First, it's pretty heavy for a .22 LR blowback action, and the breach face has ejector, firing pin hole and extractor spacings that would beat any .22 LR barrel. Not saying it's impossible. There are some clever people in the world, but a reasonably priced, reliable conversion of the M&P platform without replacing the centerfire slide would be challenging. Far more feasible is a purpose built M&P full size .22, perhaps with a Ruger style bolt in a non-reciprocating ersatz slide (housing).

That's because they would rather u buy a .22 pistol from them instead. May sound dumb, but it s a market strategy. Same reason they stopped selling the shield 9mm barrel to the public. Because they wanted to force u to buy a 9mm shield. Instead of making it easy for u to convert ur .40 to 9mm.