The .22 cal. model 1911

[Guest tymekeeper]

I've become a great fan of .22 cal. 1911's. I have a Colt Ace made in the 1940's and a Colt conversion

unit on a Colt series 80 frame. Both are fun to shoot and at least one goes to the range with me on every

trip. Originally my purpose was to help improve accuracy with the 1911 .45 ACP by more practice with the cheaper .22 ammo, but I have come to love these pistols for their own merits.

Are there any other folks out there that enjoy shooting these? If so I'd like to hear about your experiences.

Two of my .45 1911's are custom-built on Essex frames using mostly Colt parts, and both have wrap-around rubber grips. My other one is an original military Remington-Rand from the 1940's. This last one was an interesting purchase, bought through NRA's DCM program back in 1962. Just dug out the old receipt and see it was shipped from the Texarkana Army Depot for the reasonable price of $12.50 plus postage totalling $18.00! I sure wish I'd kept the box for that one! It's in great condition and they're becoming quite collectible so I don't shoot it much any more.

[Fourtyfive]

A $12.50 1911 , I'll give you $20 for it ! What was the DCM Program ?

[gregintenn]

Welcom to the forum. I'd like to see pics of your Colt Ace. They are really neat guns. I have a cheap version of a 1911 22 made by German Sport Guns. I really enjoy shooting it.

[Guest tymekeeper]

Threeeighty,

DCM was the Director of Civilian Marksmanship, a Federal government connection through which NRA members could apply to purchase surplus U.S. military weapons. At the time several were available, the .45 1911 pistol($12.50), 1903A3 Springfield rifle($10), a few 1917 Enfields($10) and some .30 carbines($25 I think). The items and quantities varied by year. Some Garands became available later($85). As I recall each person could only buy one pistol and one long gun.

Gregintn,

I don't have a suitable camera at the moment, but I'll see if my son will make a few pics. If so I'll post them next week.

[Dave Shooter]

Growing up dad had Colt complete .22 1911 but let it get away. Also had the conversion unit--the floating chamber was a bit of a pain to clean but a heck of a lot of fun. The conversion unit on a Series 70 was one of the few handguns my wife enjoyed shooting. Conversion unit was accurate enough to pop a few squirrels.

Just ordered another conversion unit from Advantage Arms. They are running a sale, something about units needing internal machining after finishing. $225 factory direct seemed reasonable from what I've heard about them.

[Just2Honor]

Have a US Army 1911, serial #299xxx, that I inherited from my father-in-law. He had bought a Colt 22 conversion kit in the 60's. Cheap way to shoot but the floating chamber still doesn't match the real fee of a 45. Records from Colt (in the 60's they answered inquiries) show it was shipped to the Army in April 1918.

[Guest tymekeeper]

Roadkill,

True enough, there's nothing quite like the blast from a handloaded .45 cal. hand cannon, but a lot of pleasurable hours can be spent rolling cans. I expect that it's also quite nice to have a vintage Colt from 1918!

DaveShooter,

No doubt there are a number of us who look back and wish we'd kept a certain gun. I've traded away several that I now regret. My conversion unit seems to consistantly shoot more acurately than the Ace, but not by much. My sons and I have a great time plinking with them both. We do pretty good with cans but I'm not sure about squirrels!

I'm not familier with the Advantage Arms unit but I am looking forward to hearing how it performs for you.

[Guest Lester Weevils]

A couple of months ago I got a MetroArms American Classic II and an Advantage Arms .22 conversion slide (the "target" model). With the intention of keeping the .22 conversion on the pistol most of the time as a dedicated .22 1911.

Have been real happy with it so far.

[Guest Oaklands]

I've got a conversion for my Kimber Pro Carry II. I take it to the range quite a bit. It is a blast to shoot and accurate as can be. (It's the gun, not me!)

[Dave Shooter]

DaveShooter,

No doubt there are a number of us who look back and wish we'd kept a certain gun. I've traded away several that I now regret. My conversion unit seems to consistantly shoot more acurately than the Ace, but not by much. My sons and I have a great time plinking with them both. We do pretty good with cans but I'm not sure about squirrels!

I'm not familier with the Advantage Arms unit but I am looking forward to hearing how it performs for you.

Six weeks till I'm back in the states. Lots of shooting to do and so little summer!