Handgun Roundup: 1911s Chambered in .22 LR

At last count, roughly 25 manufacturers are producing nearly 400 different 1911 models. They are available in a wide variety of calibers, including .45 ACP, 9mm, .38 Super, .40 SW and even .357 Magnum.

Oh, and one really small cartridge: .22 LR.

Why build the combat-oriented 1911 in diminutive .22 LR? Cost, for one thing. .22 LR ammo costs much less than .45 ACP ammo, so shooters can send a lot of them downrange without breaking the bank. Thus a .22 LR 1911 can provide plinking fun, and you can also use one as a wallet-friendly training gun. Finally, .22 LR produces very little recoil, so young shooters can enjoy and learn on a .22-caliber 1911 more easily than they can a big-bore 1911.

This article pulls together info on the nine .22 LR 1911s in production today into one place. Each pistol’s listing is an excerpt from its main-info page, which contains the full description, specs, more photos, pricing info, user ratings, editor ratings (when available) and links to online stores selling the pistol. To go to that pistol’s page, click on the link included in the excerpt (i.e., the word “here” in blue text). (Note: These listings feature complete guns and don’t touch on .22 LR conversion kits, of which a number exist.)The actual retail prices and price ranges listed below reflect prices seen recently in online gun stores. Those numbers certainly aren’t absolute—you might be able to find better deals at other online stores or brick-and-mortar gun shops.

I’ve organized these pistols alphabetically by manufacturer. If I’ve failed to include a model, please let me know via the Contact form at this link, or via the Comment form at the bottom of this article.

Finally, I’ve added a table at the bottom of this article showing the user ratings each pistol has accumulated so far. Note that some of them have few votes so far, which renders their ratings statistically insignificant. Feel free to visit each gun’s page and rate them as you see fit! I’ll update the table periodically to reflect changing ratings and vote numbers.

Browning

Model: 1911-22
MSRP: $599.99
Actual retail: $509–$549 (approx.)
Click here to visit this gun’s info page.

Chiappa Firearms

Model: 1911-22
MSRP: $299–$325
Actual retail: $258–$280 (approx.)

Chiappa Firearms

Model: 1911-22 Compact
MSRP: $309
Actual retail: $284 (approx.)

Colt

Model: Government 1911 .22 LR
MSRP: $399–$450
Actual retail: $353–$420 (approx.)
Click here to visit this gun’s info page.

German Sport Guns

Model: Government 1911 .22 LR
MSRP: $364.95–$399.95
Actual retail: $305–$342 (approx.)

Kimber

Model: Rimfire Super
MSRP: $1,172
Actual retail: $1,103–$1,150

Kimber

Model: Rimfire Target
MSRP: $834
Actual retail: $699–$735 (approx.)

Rock Island Armory

Model: XT22
MSRP: $585.94
Actual retail: $450–$466 (approx.)

SIG Sauer

Model: 1911-22
MSRP: $399–$420
Actual retail: $360–$399 (approx.)
Click here to visit this gun’s info page.

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Gun Ratings Table

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Jed Henson is an author, editor and publisher.