.22 conversion units

[owlhoot]

I am starting this thread primarily for newer shooters who haven't yet mastered many of the aspects of handgun proficiency.

Of course the keys to mastery include proper instruction, a good practice plan, the right gun and plenty of trigger time.

I'm not going to get into which gun is the right gun, but I will say that a newer shooter will learn faster if he/she is shooting a full size pistol. And because of ammo costs, it is very helpful if there is a .22 conversion kit available for that pistol.

I don't think I have ever read a review of a field test of a conversion unit. So prospective buyers are in the dark when it comes to purchasing such a unit. Therefore, if you have a conversion unit, I'd like for you to tell us what gun it is on, who makes the unit, and how the unit performs in terms of accuracy, convenience, reliability, quality of workmanship, quality of sights, cost, and anything else you might care to add.

I have a Colt unit that has been mounted on a Gold Cup for almost forty years. Unfortunately Colt hasn't made this unit for many years. Which is a shame because mine has been perfect over the years. It is totally reliable even with standard velocity ammo. It is almost accurate enough for serious bullseye competition, but not quite. But it will do everything short of that. To top it off, it is all milled and beautifully blued with the same adjustable sight that is found on the Gold Cup. Although I have many high quality .22 pistols, the conversion unit is the only one that gets any serious trigger time.

Now please tell us about your conversion unit.

 

[mm6mm6]

I think you're absolutely correct! While any .22 is helpful (because sight alignment, breath control, and trigger squeeze are the same), a conversion kit for a centerfire pistol is great. Using the actual gun that is carried or kept for home protection helps reinforce the same controls (safety, decocker, mag release, etc).

As apples to apples as possible, 9mm Federal ammo at my Wal-Mart is $10 a box or 20 cents a round. Federal .22 ammo is $1.50 a box or 3 cents a round. You can shoot almost 7 times as much for the same cost. 9mm is the least expensive ammo, so any other caliber is an even better deal when it comes to shooting .22's

There are .22 conversion kits for just about every gun out there today. Here's Sig, Kimber, and Witness kits:



.22's can be finicky in any gun and especially tempermental in conversion kits. I got lucky in that my Sig P220 .22 conversion shot best with Winchester Wildcat ammo, which is one of the least expensive I can find. It did not function well with the Aquila ammo, but the Aquila ammo worked best in my Witness.



The good thing is that you can figure out which ammo works best by trial and error and it won't cost you all that much.

 

[76shuvlinoff]

My wife doesn't like my 9mm, .38, .357, .40 or .45, but when I set up my Kimber .45 with the .22 conversion she actually enjoys shooting.. and if she enjoys it she can only get better with it.
When I am away I set it up and we go thru a mag or two before I leave. Now I know .22lr does not a perfect HD round make but she's good with it and with 15 in the mag it's better than sharp words.
....That and the fact she can run my .357 1894c pretty well too allows me a bit less to worry about if I'm on the road.

 

[Paints]

I have the .22 conversion for the CZ-75B. I forget why (it's been over ten years), but it needed a trip back to the factory.

Since then, it works, it shoots fine. But I'd rather shoot a Ruger Mk II when I'm shooting .22s. Besides, a dedicated .22 is probably less costly and more reliable than the conversions.

Ken