I very recently acquired an Advantage Arms .22LR conversion kit for my 1911. I've since put 150 rounds downrange and thus far, I am very pleased with it. Bottom line is that it is a reasonably accurate conversion kit which pays for itself after a single brick of commercial ammo. It will not win any bullseye matches, but it does allow me to train using the same trigger pull as my 45. Unlike some others, this slide does lock back on an empty magazine. Just for laughs, I fed this every type of ammo I had on hand. It functioned flawlessly with everything except for Eley Match, which would not cycle the slide fully. It worked great with CCI Standard Velocity, CCI Minimags, Remington Golden Bullets, and American Eagle.
The kit itself comes in a plastic clamshell case. Inside the case you'll find:
1 magazine
slide with an integral recoil system
cleaning kit with a rod, some patches, a brush, a jag, a patch holder, and some gun oil (not pictured).
small tube of threadlock
small hex head wrench
two-piece slide stop (more on that shortly)
small bar for dropping the magazine follower (makes loading the mag MUCH easier)
The slide fit my SAM Military Enhanced 45 very well. Not a custom fit, but certainly not at all sloppy. The sights are typical target style and are adjustable for windage and elevation. They are Kensights, so replacing them will be fairly easy. I've sent in an email to AA customer service to find out which specific sight it is so that I can replace the front sight should I need to.
Assembly is easy as can be using the two piece slide stop. Mount the slide so the cutout section of the guide rod (just left of the gun's dust cover in the photo) lines up with the slide stop hole. Note the steel insert on the left side of the slide so the notch isn't worn by the steel slide stop. Also note the idiot scratch I put in the pistol within five minutes of bringing it home two years ago. I cherish that scratch as a reminder to slow down and do things carefully.
Put the two piece slide stop into the hole and push through until its flush with the other side of the pistol.
It uses a two-piece slide stop so that you can tighten down on the slide stop pin while still allowing the rest of the slide stop to pivot. Use the little hex wrench to tighten the pin to the slide stop pin. Note how meaty the barrel is. Do NOT tighten the screw when the slide is all the way back. I had to take the picture with the slide back because I don't have three hands.
The magazine is your basic mag - all plastic except for the spring and the part that engages the slide stop. It does not drop free. If it doesn't start to loosen up on its own, I will likely go over it with some fine emery cloth. There is a fair bit of tension in the spring and it is somewhat difficult to get rounds 7-10 in. Conveniently, there is a small loop molded into the bottom of the follower. Included in the kit is a small steel rod which you can use to pull the follower down a bit, making it MUCH easier and faster to load the magazine. I appreciate the effort, but I think a molding a channel into the side of the mag and installing a small metal button on the follower (like Ruger mags) is a better solution.
With that, onto the range:
The first five shots out of the box (indoor range, 15 yards):
I promptly ran out of space on my phone, so additional target pictures will have to wait for a few days when I can get back to the range.
I could have gotten a Swiss Arms/GSG/Sig 1911 22 and it would likely have produced groups as good for roughly the same price. But I enjoy getting trigger time of my favorite pistol and didn't need to wait for a transfer.
Cheers,
FF
The kit itself comes in a plastic clamshell case. Inside the case you'll find:
1 magazine
slide with an integral recoil system
cleaning kit with a rod, some patches, a brush, a jag, a patch holder, and some gun oil (not pictured).
small tube of threadlock
small hex head wrench
two-piece slide stop (more on that shortly)
small bar for dropping the magazine follower (makes loading the mag MUCH easier)
The slide fit my SAM Military Enhanced 45 very well. Not a custom fit, but certainly not at all sloppy. The sights are typical target style and are adjustable for windage and elevation. They are Kensights, so replacing them will be fairly easy. I've sent in an email to AA customer service to find out which specific sight it is so that I can replace the front sight should I need to.
Assembly is easy as can be using the two piece slide stop. Mount the slide so the cutout section of the guide rod (just left of the gun's dust cover in the photo) lines up with the slide stop hole. Note the steel insert on the left side of the slide so the notch isn't worn by the steel slide stop. Also note the idiot scratch I put in the pistol within five minutes of bringing it home two years ago. I cherish that scratch as a reminder to slow down and do things carefully.
Put the two piece slide stop into the hole and push through until its flush with the other side of the pistol.
It uses a two-piece slide stop so that you can tighten down on the slide stop pin while still allowing the rest of the slide stop to pivot. Use the little hex wrench to tighten the pin to the slide stop pin. Note how meaty the barrel is. Do NOT tighten the screw when the slide is all the way back. I had to take the picture with the slide back because I don't have three hands.
The magazine is your basic mag - all plastic except for the spring and the part that engages the slide stop. It does not drop free. If it doesn't start to loosen up on its own, I will likely go over it with some fine emery cloth. There is a fair bit of tension in the spring and it is somewhat difficult to get rounds 7-10 in. Conveniently, there is a small loop molded into the bottom of the follower. Included in the kit is a small steel rod which you can use to pull the follower down a bit, making it MUCH easier and faster to load the magazine. I appreciate the effort, but I think a molding a channel into the side of the mag and installing a small metal button on the follower (like Ruger mags) is a better solution.
With that, onto the range:
The first five shots out of the box (indoor range, 15 yards):
I promptly ran out of space on my phone, so additional target pictures will have to wait for a few days when I can get back to the range.
I could have gotten a Swiss Arms/GSG/Sig 1911 22 and it would likely have produced groups as good for roughly the same price. But I enjoy getting trigger time of my favorite pistol and didn't need to wait for a transfer.
Cheers,
FF
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