22 rim fire conversion for a pistol

[Down South]

I'm "trying" to get my wife into shooting. She is the hardest student I have ever had not saying that I'm a great teacher.
She can almost go into a panic attack at the range. I'm easy with her, patient and give decent instructions but she has a phobia/fear of handguns. She really needs to become proficient with a handgun.
I tried a wheel gun with her today although I'd rather she master a pistol."We tried a pistol, XD-9 last week. She needs a lot of work with that". The wheel gun I had her using today was my little S&W 642 J-Frame 38 Special. I loaded up a bunch of wad cutters over 3 gr of Titegroup, .01 gr below the min starting load. She had problems with that.
But it has a double action trigger every shot and the trigger pull can be a pain while trying to hold on target.

We were at one of the plate rack stands which have two sets of plate racks. While we were there a guy and his daughter about 9 yrs old came up wanting to shoot the other plate rack. I said go for it.
The kid was something else. She was shooting a 22 conversion on a Glock and knocking the plates down well.

My wife asked me what the little girl was shooting. I said a 22. Hmmmm, the wife says, maybe that's what I need to start with. Actually she was much impressed with the little girls ability as was I.

I guess that I need to get to my questions and quit rambling.

Which would be best? Buy a 22 pistol or purchase a conversion kit for one of my pistols?
I've got two full size 1911's, one a Kimber the other a Desert Eagle.
Do the conversion kits for the 1911’s work well?
What about the Springfield XD? It's a sub compact. I don't even know if they make a conversion kit for it or not....
Which brand conversion kits seem to work the best?

[I'll Make Mine]

In the current market (panic buying rampant) buying a new .22 pistol is probably going to be difficult -- there might not be one to be had in your area (they're certainly scarce around here), never mind one you and your wife will be comfortable with (though a .22 revolver will be easier to find, and many hold 8-9-10 rounds).

Conversion kits for various larger caliber pistols are probably much more available; the floating chamber ones that fit a 1911 have a long and honored history. I doubt they'll fit an XD, though, since the barrel and magazine are both full length.

[TXSlade]

I use the Kimber 22 conversion on my Colt Rail Gun and it runs perfectly. Midway has them in stock, and on sale right now, FYI.

[Mk42gunner]

The best bet, in my opinion, is to let your wife pick out the one that feels best to her. Not knowing what size her hands are makes it really hard to recommend a pistol or revolver for her.

The only .22 cal 1911 I ever shot very much was one of the Service Aces that COlt put out back in the 70's or 80's, when I was a young teenager. It shot well enough that I don't remember any problems.

Robert

[garym1a2]

walther p22 or Ruger mark2.

[boltons75]

Ruger sr22, very nice little pistol,

[nwellons]

My wife loves her Ruger Bearcat.

[wellfedirishman]

I have a couple of Ciener 1911 22lr conversion kits and they work great as long as:
1) You keep them well oiled, they run best when wet.
2) You use 40 grain High Velocity (1250 fps+) ammo.

They are a lot of fun to shoot and cheap to run. The typical price for a 22 conversion kit is about $200 used from what I have seen. Midway keeps them in stock usually.

[canthit]

I shoot a marvel conversion on a Kimber 1911 frame and it shoots great. I know several shooters who use the 22 conversion and all like them. Since you use them on the 1911 frame you have, it is a cheaper way to practice than the 45 with the same feel of the frame and trigger. Just make sure you purchase one that is for high velocity ammo.

canthit

[Down South]

After you guys replies and talking to a couple gun buddies of mine, I decided to purchase a Ruger Mark 3 Hunter.
My gun shop buddy told me he already had a couple on order and he should have them within about a week.
I looked at some conversion kits and wasn't that impressed with the reviews or
Price. Seemed like a good target pistol would fit the bill better.
Thanks for the ideas guys.

[TXSlade]

Admittedly, I wouldn't pay full price for a new conversion. I bought mine used with several extra mags and for a price that I can resell and recoup my funds easily. Especially if it failed to function well.

The Ruger is bad a**. I put some Volquartsen parts in mine and the trigger is beyond outstanding.

They are really quiet if you bother with a suppressor/Tax Stamp. [smilie=1:

[Andyd]

When I had just purchased my SIG P210, I was so excited that I spent a handsome amount of money on a .22 conversion for it. Guess what, a cheap S&W 22A is as much fun and is seeing much more use.

http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z159/Andyd173/SIGNillGriffe003.jpg

http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z159/Andyd173/DSCI0036.jpg

[Forrest r]

That was a good call on buying the ruger, they make an excellent pistol for little $$$$$.

I've owned several of them over the years, left some plain & added parts to others. If your wife tries it & thinks it jumps around too much you might consider buying one of the aftermarket muzzle breaks. The extra weight up front really makes a difference.