As much as I love my 1911 and the .45 ACP round, I still maintain that it’s VERY expensive to train with. Quite frankly, my shooting has been limited until I can afford a reloader. I’ve been saving for a progressive, but I just might borrow a single stage to get myself started. I digress. I’ve been sitting on this conversion kit from Kimber that a friend loaned me for awhile. He bought it used for around $260. He shares the same sentiments as I do regarding the cost of .45 ACP, so a kit that allows you to shoot .22LR out of your existing 1911 frame is something we thought that might prove useful to maintain sight alignment and trigger control - while keeping the cost of shooting down.

The kit comes with a plastic case with foam inserts surrounding the slide assembly and magazine. The slide is manufactured out of aluminum and the magazine is molded out of plastic, holding 10 rounds. The great thing about this kit is how simple it is to assemble on to a full-sized, 1911 frame. Typically, all it takes is a field strip down to the frame and then slide the conversion kit on, using your existing slide catch. The slide assembly is one unit that slides on; no barrel wrench, no springs to fly out, etc. This is not to say that its difficult to dissemble the slide. It’s extremely easy to clean and maintain when compared to the Ruger Mark III 22/45.

The kit comes with adjustable rear sights and a fixed front blade sight. Serrations are located on the front and back of the slide. The recoil is very light - just as it would with a .22. The slide doesn’t lock back on the last shot however. I do like having the same crisp trigger pull and reset as I would shooting .45 along. The trigger reset on the Ruger Mark III 22/45 is a bit longer. The magazine is on the light side, so it doesn’t drop out like the Wilson ones I have. Reliability wise, it’s great. I recall only three fail-to-feed malfunctions out of a entire brick of Remington Golden-Bullets. Yes, the dirty, cheap variety. Most of the FTF were the result of a dirty chamber. The barrel does come with a feed ramp to assist each round into the chamber however.

As one might notice, I used my Les Baer TRS frame. Initially, I was hesitant in using this kit on such an expensive pistol. However, I did come to my senses that a .22 aluminum slide is not likely to change anything on the frame. After several hundred rounds, I can’t claim that it’s altered anything.

Other than that, there isn’t much to discuss. The kit works very well, accurate, and is reliable. Would I buy one? Probably not since I could probably use that money towards a reloader - or another gun. Would I recommend it? You bet.