GSG .22 1911 conversion

[Cangooner]

Hi folks,
Considering the cost of .45acp (roughly $0.50 / round here at the moment) I'm thinking of picking up a conversion kit for my 1911 to give me the option of shooting .22. Apart from saving a bunch of money, I reckon a .22 is a much better intro to the world of handguns than a .45 which, while very satisfying to shoot, can be a bit intimidating to new shooters.

And so I am thinking of picking up the conversion kit made by GSG. It replaces the slide, barrel, springs, and magazine, turning a .45 into a .22. Have any of you tried it or heard first-hand feedback? A dedicated .22 is out of the question budget-wise, so this looks like it might be a good solution.

Any thoughts much appreciated.

[prodigy]

I inherited a Springfield .45 from my grandpa when he passed. It came with a .22 conversion, but I honestly haven't used it. He didn't buy cheap products so I think it worked well enough. I also inherited his reloading set up, so I shoot .45 acp for 5 to 10 cents per round, depending on primers and bullets

[Cangooner]

Reloading is in the cards long-term for me too, just not now. I currently only reload .303 with a little Lee Loader, so I don't have a usable setup for .45. But one day...

[prodigy]

Yea my grandpa was a big time competitive shooter so he left me a lifetime supply of lead and brass. Powder is fractions of a penny per round so my costs are low. I have a dillon square deal b, I think that's what it's called. Pumps out rounds lightning fast and always up to spec. It's like every other hobby I'm in or want to be in, it costs lots of money haha.

[Hirlau]

Have you shot your 45 yet?

[Cangooner]

Have you shot your 45 yet?

Oh yeah, quite a few times times. Just not as often as I'd like ($.50 a shot and all...)

But I have to say I'm extremely happy with it. It's a dirt cheap Norinco Gov't model. While the fit and finish wouldn't make a machinist proud, the thing works flawlessly. The only issue I had was a very stiff thumb safety, and after reading the workshop manual and spending 15 mins or so carefully filing, that was fixed. The very first time shooting, one mag had a jam. Not a single jam or other issue since. Two thumbs up from me.

[apipeguy]

I have not shot a GSG Conversion but have a dedicated GSG 1911 .22. Most everything has been changed out from the original but when it was original it shot just fine. I reload and shoot about 10,000 .45's a year but still enjoy shooting the .22.

[cannonfodder]

A lot of the 22 conversions for pistol and rifle can be sketchy. The better ones cost nearly as much as a 1911 style pistol in 22 or dedicated upper. Sig makes a nice one, think my upper is a CMMG. Use clean burning ammo in the conversions. They will tend to jam up bad with dirty ammo and I have seen one fire without being completely in battery. That will burst the brass and spray your hand/face with shards. I ended up going with a dedicated 22 upper and 22 pistol, or 3.

[wrxguyusa]

I have a GSG 1911-22 pistol. Ran several hundred rounds of 22LR without a hitch.

I don't know how the conversion runs because the one I gifted my dad never got used.

GSG manufactures the conversion and 1911-22 sold under the Sig brand.