Marvel safe for accurized 1911?

melchloboo · Post by **melchloboo** » Thu Apr 10, 2008 10:06 am

Short story:
I'm considering an accurized 1911 for bullseye, but don't see shooting .45 for some time, so a .22LR conversion kit would be needed.

My question is, despite the members in my club who use Marvels on their accurized 1911s and sometimes switch mid-match, I have some doubts about whether putting a Marvel on is wise. My thoughts are that it creates its own specific wear on the frame, which then throws off the slide the frame fit for the .45 slide over time. Just a theory, which I'm told is not the case, but wanted to see what the thoughts here are.

Long story:
Wife wants her own .22 for fun matches, so I am trying to decide if I should get her a new/used Ruger or just give her the one we have and get myself a .45 with a Marvel with an eye towards eventually shooting .45 in 2700 matches. I'm leaning towards just getting her a new/used Ruger and waiting for a club member to get bored with their .45 which happens all the time.

wlambert · Post by **wlambert** » Thu Apr 10, 2008 6:25 pm

Interesting question. I know people who put off cleaning their 1911 forever because they think they will wear out their barrel bushing by taking the gun apart. I also read somewhere that after your load the 1911 you should not rest it on the bench while you wait for the Range Officer because it will cause odd wear. I don't believe it. It takes more than that to wear out a steel part.

The Marvel slide is aluminum, and the 1911 frame is steel, so you would think any wear would take place on the slide not the frame.

Having said all that, I have a dedicated frame for my Marvel, and I wouldn't think of putting it on my .45 frame. Why? Because.........

My wife thinks I am nuts. Maybe she is right.

wlambert

recumbent · Post by **recumbent** » Thu Apr 10, 2008 7:26 pm

I personally don't think an aluminum slide will put wear patterns on a steel frame.

Post by **Bullseye** » Thu Apr 10, 2008 8:13 pm

I have found no damage caused by mounting a Marvel conversion kit onto a custom 1911. The slide is softer than the frame steel and therefore takes on the wear. I have found that the locking system for the Marvel tends to loosen over the shooting session so I locktite the recoil guide lock pin into the special bolt stop pin. I use the 242 or blue locktite so the pistol can easily be torn down for cleaning. When I reassemble, I reapply the sealant and allow it to cure again.

R,
Bullseye

melchloboo · Post by **melchloboo** » Thu Apr 10, 2008 9:13 pm

Thanks, gives me another option then. Are there any particular custom .45's that for whatever reason don't work well with the Marvel? How would they compare to the Ruger in terms of reliability? How do they handle cheap ammo for practice?

Post by **Bullseye** » Thu Apr 10, 2008 10:10 pm

The Marvels are designed to fit on any frame and I haven't found one that it doesn't fit. If you desire to use it on a wide bodied frame, like a paraord, then you'll need the wider magazines.

You can get a unit one with either a sight rib or a one with iron (Bomar style) sights. I have both ribs in my personal collection.

These pistol conversion units have a break-in period, just like any other pistol. They are very accurate but have had some reliability issues. I had to modify several for light firing pin strikes by disassembling the firing pin assembly and cutting a turn off of the firing pin return spring. No more light strike issues reported on any of the Marvels I've modified. Some folks have reported magazine feeding issues with the Colt Ace style magazines.

If you're trying to do a cost-benefit analysis, then you must decide what your intended outcome is for buying a conversion unit. Do you want a 1911 style 22 pistol for practice and match shooting? Or, will any accurate style complete 22 pistol do? A Ruger 22 Auto is less costly than a similar set up for the Marvel conversion on a complete pistol. How much is your time worth? You'd have to swap out the uppers to attach the conversion unit, and that takes a little time to do right. That is unless you do go with a dedicated 1911 receiver, which adds to the overall cost.

Just some thoughts.

R,
Bullseye

melchloboo · Post by **melchloboo** » Thu Apr 10, 2008 10:41 pm

Well there are a couple of other factors. One theory is that I will always be using the same grip and trigger pull, and thus become more consistent. I don't know how important that is, I see plenty of shooters with a separate .22.

There are other minor sentimental issues. I had a family member and also a friend who are deceased and left .45s to their children. The children are adults who do not shoot, probably never will. So I am considering purchasing those .45s to be used as they were meant, not sit around to rust. I probably don't want to have them accurized if they are not match pistols, and I doubt they are...but its an option. One belonged to my wife's uncle, and I'm sure she'd appreciate me converting it so she could use it, because his son probably never will. The other belonged to a friend, and I'm sure his family would like to see me use it as well.

So either way, by getting a Marvel there are a number of ways I might use it.

Clem · Post by **Clem** » Mon Aug 04, 2008 8:51 am

The only issue I have had with my Marvel No 1 is the mags. They are Colt Ace mags, and while they should fit any 1911 frame, of my 4 1911 frames, they only fit 1. Made it an easy choice which one would get the conversion.

Post by **Bullseye** » Mon Aug 04, 2008 10:23 am

I too feel that the decision to use off the shelf Colt ACE 22LR magazines with the Marvel conversion was a poor one. There are many flaws with those magazines. Besides their inconsistent seating in 1911 frames, the Colt ACE mags also suffer plenty of feed lip issues.

R,
Bullseye