I have a Colt .22 Conversion I got back in 1974, and have used it often on my Colt Government.

I sold the Colt and got an SW1911CT. When I mounted the slide, and racked it, it went a long way past the notch for the slide release. Is this normal? I don’t remember it doing that on the 5” Colt. I also tried it on my Colt Commander, and it did the same thing.

I have 2 Colt Conversion Units, one from the late 40's and one from the late 70's. Neither will go on my SW1911PC with the ejector installed on the barrel. Without the ejector, they both go on without issue. The barrel lug hole wont line up with the slide stop hole with the ejector installed. The .45 ejector must be interfering with the .22 ejector.

Thanks for the info. I will check that out. I posted a question about a Colt Conversion on a SW1911, on a forum (I don't remember if it was here or a 1911 forum) and I got a yes answer. I should have done more research.

I can tell you from first-hand experience that the Advantage Arms Rimfire Target conversion kit will function very well. They are pretty much a clone of the much more costly Marvel kit. I can also tell you that Kimber kits are not very reliable.

Ed

Ed, when you rack the slide, does it go past the slide release?

Here's where I get to make a speech.

Depending on how you count it, there are three versions of the Marvel blowback .22 conversion. I'm not even going to count the recoil-operated ones because, in my opinion, they're dumb toys.

Version 1.0 is what's currently sold as "Marvel Precision". Bob Marvel got forced out of his namesake business a ways back, and the folks that took over continued manufacturing under the same name. But Bob kept working, and obviously, left his old business partners out of it. So the Marvel Precision units are bereft of all that development.

Version 2.0 is sold by Advantage Arms. Same deal--Bob Marvel started a new business and left it. AA makes an okay unit. Unlike the Marvels, they lock back on the last round.

Version 2.5 is made by a guy named Larry Nelson (Nelson Custom). It's the newest, most-updated model available. The aluminum parts are manufactured by McMillan--the rifle stock McMillan. The barrel blanks are made by Shilen.

Unfortunately, the Nelson costs ~$140 more than an AA unit for iron sights. And you're looking at a 5-7 week wait. To be honest, though, if you want it for anything more than plinking, it's 100% worth it. And if you want to use a red dot, you can get a no-sights milled-in Weaver rail version for $425, which is somewhat unique.

If you just want to plink around, go with the AA. Otherwise, pony up for the Nelson.

"Unlike the Marvels, they lock back on the last round"
Marvel now makes a couple of lock back version in their Government size Unit#1. Just a FYI, thats all.......

Yeah, I hadn't heard that. And, checking their site now, they've got a version with a scope rail. The Marvels aren't bad, there are a few guys that seek them out.

Just far enough for the slide stop to engage on an empty magazine.

Ed

FWIW, I have a Nelson 1911 conversion that I could never get to run to satisfaction on either a S&W or RIA frame.


That said, what vintage is the colt Government? I'm thinking series 80 vs 70 parts might have something to do with it?

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Dave

IIRC I purchased it new in 74, from a hardware store. Back when you could buy guns there.

I was able to successfully run my SW1911 with the Colt Conversion with no problems. It was a blast, running thru 200 rounds for under $15.

When I dropped the slide stop, it would not load the first round, from a mag loaded with only 9 rounds. When I pulled the slide back as far as it would go, which is about 3/4" past the slide stop, it cycled just fine.

I still have a 6 inch Fred Kart unit made in the early 70s still like new with spare parts and magazines made like the ACE. It works like a High Standard when installed on a 45 frame. The slide stop on a 45 and 22 are a little different. They may work but can prevent slide lock back on the last shot.

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I have a couple of the Kimber kits mounted on E series 1911’s that have functioned perfectly so far. Those two 1911’s have fired a lot more.22’s than .45’s. However, they do very well with the .45’s.

I have a Ciener (sp?) conversion unit on my 1911A1. I don't know if he's still around but it ran good. I paid extra for the delux with adjustable sights.

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NRA LIFE
Reserve Officer 9yrs

Is your S&W 1911 a series70 or a series 80?

Who are you asking?

You! Aren't you the OP?

It is a new SW1911. I don't know if it is a 70 or 80. This is my first SW1911. All of my other 1911's have been Colts.

Does it have the firing pin safety on the slide or haven't you field stripped it yet?

Yes I have. The slide looks just like my 2016 Colt LW Commander.

If it has the firing pin safety you need to get a conversion kit that makes provisions for it.

That was the brand I thought of first when I was shopping for a kit several years ago but a telephone call was all it took to convince me that customer service is not that company's first priority. The recorded greeting went like, "You may leave a message if you want but your call probably will not be returned as every question you could have is answered on our all-encompassing website." Well, my question wasn't so I moved on.

Ed

I had a Kimber Rimfire Target Conversion Kit on a Kimber Stainless Gold Match frame and it failed to function more often than not so I sent it to Kimber for repair. It came back with a warranty invoice reading, "Replaced small parts." Heck, the whole kit is a small part! Anyway, it didn't work any better.

The second time back, I sent it on my frame in case it might be the cause of the problems. They said they replaced the mainspring housing on my frame and it still didn't work very often - and I was using their recommended ammo, CCI MiniMags.

The third time, again on my frame, it came back with an invoice stating that they could not duplicate the problem but it still didn't function right so I asked for an exchange. They agreed so I put a small mark in the interior of the slide and sent it back. A new kit was sent to me and I went to my club to try it out.

I shot 100 CCI MiniMags through it and out of those 100 rounds, I had 74 that failed to feed, failed to fire, failed to extract or failed to eject! It doesn't take a mathematics expert to see that amounts to a 74% failure rate. I fortunately was able to return the kit to the place where I bought the initial one, MidwayUSA, for credit and bought the Advantage Arms kit, which has been flawless.

After that customer service experience with Kimber, I replaced all my Kimber 1911s with Smith & Wessons. I had one occasion to return one of my PC 1911s for a suspected problem and received a call from the actual gunsmith working on it explaining what he would do to it and why. THAT's good service.

It turned out that I wasn't alone in having problems with a Kimber conversion kit. A few months after my episode with their service, two fellow club members showed up at our 25-yard range to try out their new Kimber kits on their 1911 frames. I watched them struggle with the same problems I did.

Ed

I picked up a Jonathan Ciener .22 conversion a while back. Put it on my S&W 1911. Functions great! Accurate too! Bob

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I have a Colt conversion unit which worked great until I put it on a Series 70 Gold Cup. This resulted in breaking the floating chamber, which Colt repaired. I finally figured out the problem was a long ejecter which had Ben installed on the Gold Cup. I went to a stock 45 frame and have have no problems thousands of rounds later