Sig P229 22lr conversion kit. Field report

kiver

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I thought I would give a small report on the 22lr conversion kit as I am so thrilled with it. I received the 22lr conversion kit as a Christmas gift, however it was on back order for about two months. I was able to get in on an exclusive promotion and it was purchased for just short of $250. Now I have been thrilled with my P229 in .40 from the get go. I must have put at least a thousand rounds through it and never so much as a hiccup. I had been looking on training with my P229 but the ammo was becoming too pricey to use as a training/plinker.


My kit was mailed to me and came in a nice blue carrying case. The slide was covered in oil and I cleaned it that day. The slide is lighter in weight then the .40 slide, but fairly similar in appearance


case
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Disassembled...that's it
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My first outing I ran 100 rounds through it. The sights are adjustable and way off. I was shooting too low. The kit comes with a small sight adjustment tool and there are "screws" on the top and side for adjustment. I had two jams in the ten magazines I ran through it. Not bad for a break in period.

Sight tools
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Adjustment screws
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I took the P229 and kit out for a continued break in. I would run 100 to 150 rounds through it each time. I would get an occasional jam, but .22 do that. One outing I shot the P229 CK and then a Walther PPK. I noticed much more recoil in the PPK and less accuracy.

There is a difference in weight when switching from .40 slide to .22 slide. But after a while I became accustomed to the change. I would shoot 20-40 rounds of .40 then switch to the .22 and fire 100-150 rounds. What I really liked was that I noticed my speed and accuracy improving with my.40 along with my .22. It is very nice shooting with the same trigger.

Slides on just like the .40
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I am now somewhere near 1500 rounds through the .22 CK. I noticed a few jams here and there, but they seem to be more related to the plastic magazine. The rounds occasionally will get stuck in the magazine. The rounds would flatten out rather then tilt. I would drop the Magazine and the jammed round would come with it. If I touched the rear of the casing it would correct. I wonder how many of my previous jams were caused by this




Overall I am thrilled with the .22lr CK and highly recommend it

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I know this is not the best review but an idea of what one can expect with just my experience. Also sorry for the poor quality iphone pics

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Thanks for the report. I have been thinking of getting one of those conversions for similar reasons.

What kind of .22 ammo did you use? Does Sig recommend anything such as high velocity or plated/coated rounds?
 
Thanks for the report. I have been thinking of getting one of those conversions for similar reasons.

What kind of .22 ammo did you use? Does Sig recommend anything such as high velocity or plated/coated rounds?

I wanted to break it in with CCI Blazer but can not find it in stock anywhere near here. I used Winchester Dynapoint GT 40 Grain HP Copper plated. I am not aware of any recommended ammo
 
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I wanted to break it in with CCI Blazer but can not find it in stock anywhere near here. I used Winchester Dynapoint GT 40 Grain HP Copper plated

I "may" some some extra Blazer if you want some. I'll check my hidden stash and let you know.
 
I wanted to break it in with CCI Blazer but can not find it in stock anywhere near here.

Joe at Personal Defense Specialists in South Hadley has two bricks of 500. $39.95 each IIRC. You can call him at 533-9286 to check.
 
I have one for a P229 / 9mm. It is great with plated ammo (Federal bulk and CCI mini mags). It jams like crazy with lead ammo. It also doesn't lock back on the last round, and replacement mags are $40 for an all-plastic mag.

The .22 conversion is nice for cheap practice, but I am sick of being nickled-and-dimed by Sig on something like a cheap plastic mag (if you felt it, you would not want to pay more than $10 for the mag...).

I have a Glock too, with the .22 Advantage Arms conversion. The AA kit is represented by a great company and their product worked better than the Sig (less jams with more varied ammo) with cheaper replacement mags for an overall comparable price for the whole kit.
 
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I have the P226 .22LR conversion and love it. So much cheaper to get a lot of shooting in.

The mag sucks, but check out Sig Power for a metal follower that will hold back the slide after the last round. Really nice upgrade for the mag.
 
Nice write up, thanks for the report.

I also have a .22lr kit for the P226 and it seems to work well, never had a hiccup of FTF/FTE. I only shoot CCI mini-mags and it likes that ammo.
 
I'm glad you guys have been having good luck with yours, but I can"t say I'm entirely happy with my 22lr conversion. I got the conversion for my SIG 226 Equinox 40s&w and I had expected some occasional malfunctions based on what I had heard from others, but after more than 1000 rounds through it, I still have misfeeds and failure to go into full battery. I primarily shoot Mini-Mags through it (except for 200 rds of that high velocity winchester stuff in the red boxes, which it really didn't like.) I have polished the feed ramp, kept it really clean, and well lubed, but I still can't seem to get it to run through a full mag without a misfeed. I have 3 mags and they all seem to behave similarly.

Regarding the mag follower by SIG Power, I actually purchased these as I was hoping to practice IDPA using the SIG 22lr conversion, however, be forewarned, all the follower does is protrude a little higher so the slide is prevented from sliding forward. You cannot do quick reloads with them because the slide is putting pressure on the follower and you have to rip the mag out, it will not free fall, and as soon as the mag is removed, the slide goes forward, so you still have to rack the slide after inserting the fresh mag. It is not a useful mod if you had planned to use it as an inexpensive means to practice for competitive shooting. That being said, Jeff at SIG Power was very good to do business with and he took the followers back when I explained why they wouldn't work for me as I had thought they would. I did purchase his Mag Cap and Spring to increase the mag capacity to 15rnds and the solid steel guide rod. I do like these mods. Also, I was having feeding problems before I changed the mags over to 15 rds so it's not the SIG Power mod that's causing the problems. Anyone have any suggestions?
 
be forewarned, all the follower does is protrude a little higher so the slide is prevented from sliding forward. You cannot do quick reloads with them because the slide is putting pressure on the follower and you have to rip the mag out, it will not free fall, and as soon as the mag is removed, the slide goes forward, so you still have to rack the slide after inserting the fresh mag.

Yes, thanks for mentioning that. The reason I bought the follower is to keep from accidentally dry firing when the mag is empty. These followers definitely do not engage the slide lock. I do wonder if there's even enough blowback for a proper follower/mag. My guess is that even if Sig designed a standard mag and follower, the slide still wouldn't cycle fully back 100% of the time.

Regarding your feeding problems, I also use the CCI's, and I haven't see that. I've had several FTE, especially with non-CCI ammo. I also get misfires with the CCI. The cartridge has a nice little dent in the rim, but no bang. Typically just pulling the trigger again will do it.

It's definitely not a perfect upgrade, which is too bad. Especially for training new shooters on a full size autoloader, you really want the gun to behave exactly like its larger caliber brothers.
 
I've been looking at the conversions for my 229 but not sure I wouldn't just get a mosquito for similar $. Can the kits be shipped directly to a non FFL?
 
I've been looking at the conversions for my 229 but not sure I wouldn't just get a mosquito for similar $. Can the kits be shipped directly to a non FFL?

Yes, the kits can be shipped to a non FFL.

I have the mosquito as well. It's quite a bit smaller than a 226/229, but you probably know that. The slide locks back correctly, but it's prone to some of the same feeding problems until you break it in. The trigger isn't as nice as the 226/229 either.
 
The only downside is that you will wear out the anodized frame with a lot of shooting. Typically I'll shoot 100-150 rounds of fortay out of my 229 then switch to a 22 cal gun and shoot hundreds more. Or sometimes only shoot hundreds of 22 cal at a whack. It would be easy to put 8000-10000 rounds/year through the gun. My 229 is a carry gun and I want to keep it in excellent condition.
 
Yes, the kits can be shipped to a non FFL.

I have the mosquito as well. It's quite a bit smaller than a 226/229, but you probably know that. The slide locks back correctly, but it's prone to some of the same feeding problems until you break it in. The trigger isn't as nice as the 226/229 either.

Mine was shipped to my house

The only downside is that you will wear out the anodized frame with a lot of shooting. Typically I'll shoot 100-150 rounds of fortay out of my 229 then switch to a 22 cal gun and shoot hundreds more. Or sometimes only shoot hundreds of 22 cal at a whack. It would be easy to put 8000-10000 rounds/year through the gun. My 229 is a carry gun and I want to keep it in excellent condition.

Good points all, was thinking if I could find the kit cheap enough and didn't need to be transfered That that might be the tie breaker, but my 229 is my CCW also. [thinking] Back where I started, thanks for the input everyone.
 
The only downside is that you will wear out the anodized frame with a lot of shooting. Typically I'll shoot 100-150 rounds of fortay out of my 229 then switch to a 22 cal gun and shoot hundreds more. Or sometimes only shoot hundreds of 22 cal at a whack. It would be easy to put 8000-10000 rounds/year through the gun. My 229 is a carry gun and I want to keep it in excellent condition.

You've worn out a sig frame? IMO 8-10K a year is nothing for a sig. I can't imagine a little 22LR comversion kit would wear out the frame.

The biggest downside to these is probably getting extra mags for the kits is a non trivial exercise...

-Mike
 
You've worn out a sig frame? IMO 8-10K a year is nothing for a sig. I can't imagine a little 22LR comversion kit would wear out the frame.

The biggest downside to these is probably getting extra mags for the kits is a non trivial exercise...

-Mike

You're right , Mike. I've not worn a frame out. But, I'd still be leery of all that wear from the slide. I guess I just want my Sig to last forever.
 
You're right , Mike. I've not worn a frame out. But, I'd still be leery of all that wear from the slide. I guess I just want my Sig to last forever.

I'd stop worrying about it and shoot the thing. [grin] You will likely put 10-20 times the value of the gun in ammo through it (or more) before it wears out, so if you manage to wear it out you should probably consider it a badge of honor and reward yourself by buying another
one. It takes a lot of effort to actually -wear out- a modern semiautomatic handgun.

-Mike
 
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