.22 Conversion Kit Range Report

Inexpensive ammo, accurate shooting, lots of fun

Marvel Commander kit (will only feed CCI Mini-Mag ammo)




25 yds offhand slowfire

Sweet! I'll bet you have a buttload of fun with it.

I have three of the Cieners--four if you count the one I bought for my son after he put thousands of rounds through mine--and they're among my very favorite .22 pistols.

doc540,

That is a good looking package. Is the slide aluminum? If yes, does anyone make one out of steel?

Enjoy!

Wheelgunner

Hey doc, nice! What frame did you mount it on?

Wheelgunner said:

..... Is the slide aluminum? If yes, does anyone make one out of steel?......

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As far as I know, all the .22 conversions (Ciener, Kimber, Marvel...) have an aluminum slide. The problem is that a steel slide would just be too heavy for a .22 to reliably cycle. Even with an aluminum slide, the recoil spring is pretty soft..... with a steel slide, you'd need something about like a ball-point pen spring, making stripping and feeding the next round and going into battery a pretty tough proposition.

I have a Colt .22 conversion unit & it has a steel slide. They used a floating chamber to make it work. Adds extra recoil though, supposedly to duplicate the feel of shooting a mild .45. I don't think they are made anymore, but they turn up on Gunbroker quite often.
Would love to try a Kimber or Marvel, think I could be ok an aluminum slide.

gunzo said:

I have a Colt .22 conversion unit & it has a steel slide. They used a floating chamber to make it work. Adds extra recoil though, supposedly to duplicate the feel of shooting a mild .45.

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Hi,

A little OT since it's not a 1911 conversion, but I have a Kadet conversion for my CZ 75B. It's all steel, using a moveable bolt idea like most .22 autos. Feels just like the "big" gun as for feel and balance in the hand, and a lot like my Mk II when being shot. And is probably as accurate. Been a while since I've run any 9mm thru that gun!

Rick C

I have a KIMBER RIMFIRE TARGET. It is without a doubt the most miserable piece of trash I've ever bought. It shoots like a million bucks--six prairie rats in a row at 100 yards one time--but will NOT function consistently with any 22LR ammo except for the CCI MINIMAG+V which was discontinued twenty years ago. I bought the pistol to teach my wife the 1911 style pistol. WHat she learned was how to clear feeding stoppages and she does it so fast now you hardly know it is happening. BUT GET THIS: in the 14,000 +- rounds she has put through that pistol 250, that is 25 magazines full, have gone though with ten consecutive shots.
BUT, that is not the most aggravating part. the worst part is the mouthy POS people who work at Kimber and when you call with a problem they insult you and say it is all your fault. THE GUN IS JUNK !!! NOW DISCONTINUED JUNK.
PS: Forgot this; it may well have been the elcheapo plastic magazines tha twere/are the problem. I bought ten and seven were entirely worthless and the other three only averaged two or three stoppages per magazine.
The seven magazines went into the unplumbed depths of the Cheyenne River out by Wasta. The pistol would have followed it in but the MRS grabbed it first and wouldn't let me despoil such a scenic place with such trash in the river.

gunzo said:

I have a Colt .22 conversion unit & it has a steel slide. They used a floating chamber to make it work. Adds extra recoil though, supposedly to duplicate the feel of shooting a mild .45. I don't think they are made anymore, but they turn up on Gunbroker quite often.
Would love to try a Kimber or Marvel, think I could be ok an aluminum slide.

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The Colt unit hasn't been produced since the late 50s or thereabouts. It's actually the parts to convert a 1911 to a Colt "ACE" (priced one of them lately?). The Colt kits usually go for $600 and up, as opposed to $200 for the Ciener or Marvel, or $300 for the Kimber.

I have a couple Ciener conversions.... accurate, reliable with anything but subsonics, and reasonably priced. A friend had a Marvel and ended up replacing it with a Ciener.... too many FTF FTE, and stovepipes, and it was really finicky about the ammo it was fed.

wwb said:

The Colt unit hasn't been produced since the late 50s or thereabouts.

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Not so. I bought one brand new in the mid-70s, and they produced them for quite a few years after that--on into the '80s, I believe. IIRC Colt also built and sold complete .22 1911 Aces in the late '70s.

Mine's a blast to shoot but it's not as accurate as my Ciener units. Besides which, with the Cieners, I don't have to worry about wearing out or breaking anything and needing now-unavailable parts. I do still shoot it from time to time though, and have an estimated 25K or so rounds through it.

Yeah, one sorce has them made till '84. Colt even list a manual for a series 80 unit. FWIW, I personaly pulled mine off the shelf at a distributor in 1981. Wood grained cardboard box with a styrofoam liner.

The old Ace marked ones are scarce & pricey. But, a quick check at Gunbroker shows the later models with the accro sights are gettin high. In the neiborhood of 450-500.

I'm leary of buying a Ciener at this time though. It was just announced that Mr. Ciener is facing federal charges. So, maybe no more parts for those.

The Marvel is probably the way to go.

gunzo said:

Wood grained cardboard box with a styrofoam liner.

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I still have mine! :wink:

I'm leary of buying a Ciener at this time though. It was just announced that Mr. Ciener is facing federal charges. So, maybe no more parts for those.

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Hadn't heard this before, so googled it.

http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2011/11/07/sheriffs-arrest-jonathan-arthur-ciener-on-fraud-charges/

It's not gun charges, it's "fraud" charges, which should come as no surprise to anyone who's ever dealt with him. He has THE WORST customer service in the gun bidness, and maybe in the history of the universe. For years he has rountinely thumbed his nose at the federal commerce regulations. Have never heard of anyone actually be defrauded by him but MANY people have waited months and months for product to be shipped, while their checks have already been cashed.

My own personal experience is that if you want a Ciener unit, buy it from a retailer such as Brownell's, otherwise be prepared to be patient. But you WILL eventually get your thing, and when you do, it WILL work as advertised.

I have a documented 15,000 rounds though one of my units with no visible wear except some discoloration in the breech area. Hard to imagine anything will ever break or wear out. His magazines are quite good, too. I own four of his units and wouldn't hesitate to own another.

I have a Ciner conversion kit. Great accuracy, good quality, but I will NEVER buy another Ciner product. The guy treats his coustomers like dirt, there is basically no customer service if you have problems, and the guy was recently arrested by Florida for cheating his customers out of thousands of $$$. See January Guns Magazine.

Opps, sorry. The blurb about Ciner was in American Handgunner, April 2012 edition. Who knew it was April allready???

Thanks for the information on the steel vs aluminum slides. I thought the Colt ACE had a steel slide.

Wheelgunner

Anybody looking at one of these needs to look at the Tactical Solutions conversions. They're spendy, but worth every penny. Accuracy is very good and they have excellent customer service. If you send them your 1911 they will custom fit the conversion so you have no problems. They are made from steel.

www.tacticalsol.com

http://www.tacticalsol.com/tshome/2211-1911-22lr-conversion

I got a couple 1000 rounds through my Kimber conversion in 3 different mags, functions with any standard or higher velocity I've tried in it, no ftf / fte yet. More accurate than my Mk 3 Hunter.

I have a later Colt steel conversion unit that shoots great. I also have Kimber unit that shoots very well on my Kimber frame. No problems.

Neither are as accurate as my Ruger MKII's.

John