Advice on a .22

Sparky64

Sparky64

New member
EE Expired
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Location
Alberta
Hi all, I'm a fairly new member to this forum and I have picked up quit a few good tips so far.
I am new to the pistol shooting world and have just bought my first pistol a month ago. I am enjoying it but as most people I wish bullets were not so damm expensive.
I currently have a Glock 17 gen 4 and really like it.
I want to add a .22 to the mix and I have narrowed the field to 2 quite different options. Option 1 is an Advantage Arms 22 conversion which would allow me to get more trigger time with the Glock and option 2 is an M&P 22 which would also be nice as it would give me a whole new gun to experience.
The one concern I have about the M&P is the lack of mags available at the moment, 1 mag seems kinda frustrating, I can get additional mags for the conversion right now,
Any advice or experience would be be helpfull.
 
Well, since the M&P and Glaock are similar, if it were me id get the conversion kit and get accustomed to the way one gun works. It also gives you the advantage of learning to hold, aim ect the same gun while practicing with 22 and then being able to use the same muscle memory with the 9mm.

Pistol shooting is fun, don't give up on it! I do agree it is expensive though, and these days I pretty much only put 2-3 mags through my SR9 and shoot a lot out of my M93 and Single Six.
 
Ooh! Tough question! Well, if I were in your situation, I would go with the conversion kit. The M&P 22 is making me frustrated! It only comes with 1 mag and you can't find one forsale in the GTA until yesterday! Anyway, you can't go wrong with either :) Good Luck
 
I have a Ruger Mark lll Bull BBl. and it is a fine pistol. Likely the same kind of money as the conversion. The GSG 1911 is a popular choice around here. I have one they are nice as well but the Ruger is better.
 
One thing to consider that won't seem like much but it will drive you nutz later on. If the magazines for whatever you get do not have the little button on the side which allows you to pull down the magazine follower you'd be wise to move on to some other option. Loading up .22's one at a time by pushing down the others gets fiddly and funky REAL quick. On the other hand the guns which use magazines with the follower button let you pick up and drop the rounds into the magazine quickly and easily. I can fill up 3 magazines that have follower buttons in the same time I can fill one rimfire magazine that does not have the follower button.

You're also wise to pick a gun which has a ready supply of extra magazines. You're 110% right that one mag only is a HUGE PITA.

Do you plan on having a few different handguns over the next few years? If the answer is "yes" then the whole issue of the primary value of a conversion kit becomes less important. On the other hand if your goal is to use your Glock in competitions then the conversion kit is a great idea. But watch out for that magazine issue again. I don't do Glocks so I have no idea if they kits use magazines with follower buttons or not. And I don't know if you can easily get the extra magazines for a reasonable cost.

Then there's the fun of having a whole new gun. The leaders in this category would be the Ruger, Browning Buckmark, S&W22a and GSG 1911-22. I suspect that the M&P22 isn't a bad gun either but I've never seen one let alone shot one so I didn't include it on the list. The GSG would be nice if you think you'll get a 1911 at some point.
 
Thanks for all the great input, the AA conversion mags do not have a follower button but they do come with a speed loader. I am pretty sure I will get more pistols in the future but for now I plan on working with the Glock. The 1911 is interesting as I noticed at the local gun store a very nice Browning 1911-22 and with a little internet searching I also found extra mags........... damm it, more choices.
 
Get a S&W 22a-1. I have one and it's a tack driver. Mags are easy to get also. M&P22 I have. BNIB one and mags are not that hard to get, you just have to backorder them from Brownell's. I already received 12 from them (on 3 different orders) and sold 4 on the EE.
 
If it is for you, get a conversion kit. Master the trigger reset and proper grip techniques with cheap ammunition.

If you go shooting with a group, get a second pistol. The advantage of a second firearm is it's a second, complete firearm.

-=--

From my range report spreadsheet;
GSG 1911 (gen2 with all the fixes) - 4490 rounds through it and has a failure rate of 0.98%
Browning Buckmark Hunter - 10,000 rounds through it with a 0.33% failure rate.

** Failure rate is for failures to eject or feed. Both firearms always go boom when the trigger is pulled (no light strikes). For both firearms they start having issues after a few hundred rounds when the ramp gets dirty.

We used to use CCI but switched to federal bulk pack as it's just as accurate for us (casual shooters), and has the same reliability.
 
Sparky64 said:
Thanks for all the great input, the AA conversion mags do not have a follower button but they do come with a speed loader. I am pretty sure I will get more pistols in the future but for now I plan on working with the Glock. The 1911 is interesting as I noticed at the local gun store a very nice Browning 1911-22 and with a little internet searching I also found extra mags........... damm it, more choices.
Click to expand...

the browning 1911-22 is a 80% size gun so I would not recommend it as compared to the GSG. A few friends have the gsg and it is a great gun, especially when you consider the cost.
 
The Colt 1911-22's are another option. Be aware that they are made by Walther though. The only thing Colt on them is the name. It has the same fixed barrel design as the M&P22.
 
Sparky64 said:
Thanks for all the great input, the AA conversion mags do not have a follower button but they do come with a speed loader. I am pretty sure I will get more pistols in the future but for now I plan on working with the Glock. The 1911 is interesting as I noticed at the local gun store a very nice Browning 1911-22 and with a little internet searching I also found extra mags........... damm it, more choices.
Click to expand...

The Browning 1911-22 is a 80% scale 1911. It's great for smaller shooters, or people intimidated by fullsize pistols.

It's a true 1911, just scaled down. The disadvantage is that because it's scaled down, you need browning parts. There is also little to no aftermarket support (accessories).

I've seen a few at the range and the owners seem happy with the pistols operation and accuracy, but the magazines are questionable. I saw one gentlemen buy/destroy four magazines in one trip to the range and the club was generous enough to keep exchanging the 'defective' magazines for new in box. He was ejecting the magazine and letting it drop onto the table (2 foot drop?) and the bumpers would fail causing the spring/follower to eject. The failure was non-repairable as the little retaining tabs in the bumper snapped off.

If you're delicate with your magazines the Browning 1911-22 is a pretty solid/slick firearm.

The GSG-1911 is the common choice as it's relatively inexpensive ($350-400 CAD), and it's a 1:1 1911 clone. If you wanted to swap grips, hammer, etc, there is a good chance OEM parts fit it.

Note that the GSG-1911 is painted, cast metal, not steel. It will show wear marks very early in it's life (first or second range trip). The wear on the slide lock and guide rod are most noticeable, but the wear stops after ~1000 rounds.

I have a GSG-1911 and it's a nice 'beater' firearm. Once I accepted that it's not a premium firearm I started to enjoy it a lot more.

-=-

For 100% reliability (and something totally different/fun), there is also the "R" option... (revolvers).
 
GSG's have the worst cast metal frame and slide with a skim of paint, expect it start breaking firing pins at over 3000 rounds in my opinion there junk to be avoided...Buy a steel pistol or junk, your choice
 
New shooter as well except without owning anything so I appreciate the question. That fact that you already own the Glock from my research I would go with the conversion kit as the more experienced members have advised.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom