Colt Conversion unit help.

[Mn Fats]

My colt 1911 22lr conversion unit is just a blast to shoot. It feeds, fires, and extracts wonderfully with great accuracy to boot.

All was well until it failed to return to battery one day. A quick peek and I noticed the two piece barrel has seperated. (Pics at the bottom).

I'm curious if anyone here can give me a clue as to why this may have happened and how this is properly fixed.

At my shop (automotive mostly) I was thinking about pounding it back tight (is there a proper way to do that?) and tack welding it at the bottom gap. But I'm a grease monkey, not a smith.



Recap, why did this seperate? Have you seen this? Can I close it up, if so how?

Thank you.

 

[Kp321]

That is the floating chamber that gives a 22 enough punch to operate the steel slide. The floating chamber must be free to move in the barrel which yours does not seem to do. Soak it in penetrating oil then when it will move, turn the floating chamber enough to clear the retaining piece on the bottom and remove it. For it to have the gap you noticed, there is probably some (lots of) lead buildup. All of this needs to be removed so the floating chamber will float again. Lead buildup is always a problem on these units but can be moderated by using plated rather than plain lead bullets. Good luck!

 

[BBBBill]

Yep. As noted, the floating chamber is fouled.

 

[1KPerDay]

Don't weld it....

 

[Mn Fats]

Don't weld it....

I guess not! Thanks again guys.

 

[bannockburn]

Mn Fats

I had a Colt Ace .22 conversion unit years ago. Worked okay but accuracy was only so-so. Keeping the floating chamber clean was the key to keeping it running properly. Eventually I sold it and finally got around to replacing it a few years back with a TacSol .22 conversion assembly. Very pleased with it's build quality and it's overall fit and finish.

 

[alleyrunner]

i kept my first one, a 70 series, scrupulously clean... until i forgot. kept shooting, worked just fine, on a 1918 from Anniston. finally when i cleaned it again, the 'floating chamber' was solidly leaded in.
current unit is pre-70 series... i keep it cleaner.

 

[jmorris]

That’s how the little .22 lr cycles a steel slide with that much spring. If it’s not running, time to clean the floating chamber.



If you made it solid, you would need less spring and an aluminum slide to make it run.

I got my conversion pretty cheap but I only found one frame it will fit on, an early series 80 gold cup, it runs well clean and is quite accurate. I don’t remember the last time the 45 slide was on the frame, been more than a decade for sure.