Dear Jim:
Recently, I purchased a .22 conversion kit for my SIG P226 .40 S&W pistol. I was not aware that SIG was making such a unit until I saw it in the gun shop. Although pricey, ($369 factory price, $315 store price, [and I] managed to get one for $295) I went ahead and bought it.
I can happily report that this conversion worked flawlessly out of the box. While I did not have the opportunity to really test it for accuracy, I was able to bounce a pop can around at fifty yards. The three kinds of ammo used were CCI Stinger, Remington Golden hollow point, and Remington Thunderbolt with the angular bullet. In firing approximately 90 rounds (all there was time for), there were no malfunctions.
The conversions are made for the P220, P226, P229R, and P228/229. I tried to put the unit on my [SIG Model] and [Model] 229, but it wouldn’t fit, (darn!). My employer is looking at purchasing the 229 kits training. We were using a K22 for shooters that were having problems. With the price of ammo, it makes no sense to keep throwing expensive ammo into the backstop, when you can drop back to a .22, work through a problem, and move back to the larger caliber.
With this unit, you keep the trigger pull of the original pistol, unlike the SIG Mosquito [,22 LR], which has a horrible DA trigger. I was told at an armorer’s class in November of 2007 that the trigger was mandated by California law. Further, I was told that SIG had no plans to bring out a conversion. I guess they changed their minds.
JWR Replies: With the current high cost of centerfire ammunition, I highly recommend getting one .22 rimfire conversion kits for each model of your rifle and pistol in your primary firearms battery. Because these conversion kits are not classified as “firearms” in most jurisdictions, they can usually be bought without any paper trail. There are a few countries that are exceptions, such as South Africa, where barrels are a restricted (registerable) part of a firearm.