[Lucho]

I am thinking of getting a 22 and see Kimber makes one that looks just like a 1911 which sounds to good to be true. I know they are very light & Marvel makes a conversion kit that is very good and Kimber & Wilson have them and they are made by Ciener. Kimber makes one that looks like a Super Match …are they any good ?? They say 1 ½ inches at 25 yards for a 5 shot group ?. I know they are expensive but if they are reliable and are accurate ammo prices for a 45 are getting crazy. I could still shoot a 1911.… 22 for 300 rounds than put 100 to 150 rounds with 1 of my 45’s and get my shooting fix. I have been shooting twice a week with my 45’s and doing 300 to 500 rounds each week and I don’t reload .
Thanks for any info !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Barry in IN]

I hd a Kimber Rimfire Target for about a year. It was a pretty good gun, but I found a 38 Super I wanted more and traded it.

I thought the Kimber was neat because it was so light, but figured if I got anything it would be a conversion kit rather than an entire gun. Then I found that used Rimfire Target for not much more than the cost of a convesion unit and got it.

It may be cheaper to get the conversion unit, but having the complete gun is awful handy.
It's nice to be able to just grab the gun and go. I found the same thing with TC Contenders- I had the Contender Carbine stuff for a while (shoulder stock, long barrel, etc) and it was a lot handier to have a second frame to leave the stock on as a "dedicated carbine".
There were a few times when I was able to run out and shoot that Rimfire Target a little bit just because the gun was ready to go and didn't have to waste time putting it together.

I never shot mine from a rest. What testing I did was standing, unsupported, at 15 yards, and shot each round as fast as I got a sight picture after the previous round. What struck me was how consistent it was. I don't see my figures right now, but I shot something like 11 types of ammo, and almost every 10-shot group was around 2". Some were around 1/8" or so more, some about 1/8" or so less.

I've read that some people have had touble with them not feeding. Mine ran fine. I noticed that most of the people who had trouble are a little vague about what ammo they were using, saying something like "target stuff". That definition can mean anything from cheap standard velocity ammo to R50 or Eley Tenex, depending on who it is.
Kimber does say to use Hi Velocity ammo. I tried some Winchester T22 standard velocity out of curiosity, and it worked fine.
Also- I seldom put more than 100 rounds through mine at one time, since I mostly shot mine when I had a little spare time here and there. I would imagine most people ran more though theirs each time, and/or between cleanings. I would think malfs would be more likely as it was shot more, like any other .22.

 

[Highpwr]

I had toyed with the idea of getting a Kimber conversion unit for my Super Match .45, but didn't relish the thought of running an aluminum slide on the SM's stainless frame. I did a bit of research on them at rimfirecentral.com and personally came away with the following impressions:

The Kimber conversions are ok as a "plinking" gun, and most likely will need some time to break in and/or some "tuning" my be needed to get them to function reliably. Accuracy was "OK".

The Marvel conversions seem to hold a higher rating for accuracy and reliability, but getting one seems to be a major issue with regards to very long lead times in production.


Since I wanted a relatively accurate pistol to practice with I ended up buying a new Ruger MK III Target pistol instead. :nuts:
That said, I wouldn't be against buying one of the complete Kimber rimfire pistols now, just to have fun with. :biggrin:

Your mileage may vary.....

 

[ZeroTA]

I had the black .22 kit for a while. It was pretty accurate and reliable using Winchester SuperX ammo. I ended up selling it because I hardly ever used it.

I'd consider the whole Kimber pistol if I had to have a .22 caliber 1911,but I'm not infatuated with it. Personally I'd take a good .22 revolver.

 

[Lucho]

Thanks Guys !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Bud White]

The Kimbers seem to be ok but i have seen a few that wouldn't run with 9 or 10 round in the mag

 

[Ping Ping]

I'm still on the side of getting the wilson upper installed by wilson on your classic frame. Tell them the ammo you want to shoot so they can tune it for that ammo. For me, it's the Federal 500rds Value Pack at Wally World.

The Kimber is nice, but I'd prefer something closer in wt to a standard 1911.

Whatever you do, don't get a Ceiner coversion from Ceiner. Get it through another manufacturer. If you ever need customer service, you'll be glad you did.

 

[Reconvic]

Marvel I feel makes the best conversion for a 1911

 

[Pat-inCO]

Kimber 22lr conversion

The Kimber is nice, but I'd prefer something closer in wt to a standard 1911.

If you take a stainless frame and add the Kimber conversion, it ends up being 4oz. heavier than an aluminum frame Pro Carry.

The largest point with the Kimber conversion is to break it in by hand. When I got mine it was "not good". So I cleaned it and the frame, oiled them properly and started cycling the slide by hand. By the time I had done about 150 cycles it was noticeably better. - - I cleaned both the slide and frame again, oiled them again and started cycling by hand again. Continued until I had somewhere around 500 (could have been 450, but I was not counting carefully).

Cleaned and oiled again and took it to the range. 100%

Took it to the range again last Friday and it was 100% with Winchester Super-X but only about 90% with WWB (DUH!).

Imagine a 32oz. 1911 with no recoil. That's what it shoots like. I'm even thinking of adding a steel, arched, MSH to replace the plastic one. That will add 2oz. more to the weight and makes it even more comfortable (at least for me) than the flat plastic one.