Which 1911-22?

[TailGator]

I have a close friend who is looking at the 1911-22s from Sig and Browning, for purposes of plinking and the occasional elimination of snakes, armadillos, and the like.

His hands are quite large and he doesn't find the smaller 22LR pistols to be comfortable, but he has handled both of the named pistols and likes how they feel.

Comments are welcome from anyone who has experience with either or both of those pistols, especially as regards function, reliability, and accuracy.

Am I correct in remembering that the Sig frame is made of a zinc alloy, or am I thinking of the Mosquito?

Thanks for the help, fellas.

 

[ttarp]

I've fired a friends Sig 1911-22, and I own a Browning 1911-22. I don't think you'd go wrong either way, but most people prefer the fullsize Sig, either for training purposes or because they find the Browning too small.

The Browning hasn't had a malfunction since I've had it, not sure how many rounds are through it, but mine hasn't balked at any ammo I've given it. Accuracy is ok, its not a match grade target pistol by any means, but plenty sufficient for dillo's and the like (ask me how I know). The Browning is a high quality piece, I don't have any problem recommending it.

 

[PT-92]

Another vote for the SIG/GSG 1911-22. Great gun for <$340 new. The slide construction IMO has not been an issue simply due to the non-violent recoil nature of rim-fire. I have bit under 2K through mine and it even likes the cheap bulk stuff after a break-in period using HV ammo.

 

[BerdanSS]

The little scaled down mil-spec browning just looks like a BLAST Though I've never shot one, they just seem cool as all get out and feel great in my hand. Gunblast did a really good wright up on them.

 

[weblance]

Unfortunately, the Browning has terrible sights. The Sig/GSG is popular, and I like my GSG 922 quite a bit. I also have the Colt/Walther/Umarex, and it has been very good also. The Colt has a couple advantages over the Sig/GSG. Its a 12 shot, is tool less takedown, and has a steel reinforcing pin in the slide stop notch. There is an all steel 1911-22 offered by Armscor. Reviews have been mixed on that one. Kimber makes an aluminum 1911-22 that is high quality, and priced to match. I have the Kimber conversion for my Ruger 1911, and its been excellent. The Kimber is probably the best one available.

 

[TailGator]

I will let him know about the Colt and the Kimber and we will see if we can find one around here to look at. Price is going to be a factor to consider for him, too. Thanks for the heads up, and for all the info so far.

 

[Claude Clay]

FWIW I put my Kimber made/marked 22 conversion (adjustable iron sights) on my Sig C-3 and get 1" @ 25' off hand. at 25 yards it is ~3". this is twice the group size as when the conversion is on the Kimber Stainless Gold and I attribute that to the slide/frame fit. NOTE: swapping slides/frames may disconnect some built-in safeties.

I mention the 45 frame as you say your friend has large hands.
he may benefit purchasing a conversion for ~200$ rather than an entire new gun for about twice as much.

 

[JWT]

I owned a Sig and currently have the little Browning. Didn't care for the Sig GSG so swapped it off. The Browning is a very nice little gun, but it is small.

I recently picked up a Kimber 1911 conversion kit so I can shoot .22 LR with any of my 1911s. It's the best way to go IMO. And it works with either Commander or Military sized 1911's.

 

[Microgunner]

The best I've ever shot is my Kimber Rimfire Target, the second best is the RIA XT22.
Both are pricier than the pistols you've listed but both are easily worth the extra cost.

 

[Jeff22]

M1911 pattern pistols in .22LR

There are several interesting recent discussions about this topic on 1911forum.com. In the "rimfire!" sub-forum

One good discussion was called "22LR battle of the 1911s" and another was called "Help w/1911s in .22LR"

This discussion is timely for me since I plan to buy some version of M1911 pattern pistol in .22 next year. (I'm hoping that .22 ammo might become more commonly available sometime too, but we'll see)

I have a .22 cal Colt Ace that I bought back in 1982. I shoot it often. It probably has 50,000 + rnds through it in 32 years.

After I had it for about two years the notch on the slide where the slide stop engages began to peen and the gun will no longer lock open when the magazine is empty. I hope to avoid that problem in the future so I was dismayed to learn that the GSG made guns are prone to the same problem .

It's possible I may buy an Advantage Arms .22 conversion and install it on a dedicated frame.

I would like to get a conversion unit that isn't real ammo sensitive. My Colt Ace will function with any thing. My conversion units for the Glock 19 & Glock 22 and Sig 226 all require CCI mini mags to function reliably and mini mags are hard to come by right now.

I would also like to find a gun that does not have a peculiar dis-assembly process. Right now, based on a little bit of research, I'm tending toward buying a Colt .22 but I haven't decided yet.

 

[Cirdan]

I like my Colt 1911-22. It's actually made by Walther and imported by Umarex. It's a full sized 1911, and "most" of the parts are interchangeable (except for a few things - slide, barrel, magazine, etc.). Decent sights and the controls are laid out just like a true .45 1911. Except for the small hole at the business end, you'd think it was one.

Shoots quite well. Given the weight of the gun, there's no muzzle flip so you don't have to reacquire a target.

I believe Walther makes similar 1911-22s for other brands as well.