Beretta 92FS 22LR Conversion kit vs. dedicated 22 Rimfire pistol

Lunker · September 12, 2007, 10:50 PM

I really like the Beretta 92FS. The aesthetics are great, it has some history, and I shoot it well. I already have two 9mm pistols though that I like to shoot. I have been considering buying one and one way I was going to justify it to myself was that I could buy the 22LR conversion kit and use the gun for plinking with super cheap .22 ammo. Does anyone have any experience with the kit? Is it decent?
My other option would be to buy a 22 rimfire pistol and pick up the Beretta some time in the future. For those who have experience with .22 pistols, do you have any different recommendations for me? Ruger Mark III, etc?
Thanks.

IM_Lugger · September 12, 2007, 11:38 PM

I have a 92FS Inox GREAT gun, you don't need to get a .22 kit to justify the purchase.

I don't have a kit (there are 2 one from beretta and one aftermarrket) Beretta kit is a little pricy for just a slide barrel and mag, so for a .22 I got Norinco Woodsman knockoff for less than 1/2 the price. But I would love to have a .22kit for my 92...

Hommbs · September 13, 2007, 03:11 AM

They work fine. I had one but sold it. I just felt that for the money I would rather have a complete Ruger MKII pistol. I got mine used and was able to sell it off for what I had in it. They are pretty spendy but I saw a thread off the BerettaForum.net that mentioned they were being blown out for around $225 off the Beretta online store. Don't know if they are still available for that price.

edited to add: Found it. It's priced at $249.
http://www.shopberetta.com/e2wItemMa...ntID=019000801

Don P · September 13, 2007, 08:35 AM

IMO I would jump at the conversion kit. Bought one for the wife a year ago and paid $323 with 1 extra mag. Just bought one for myself from the Beretta web site for $262 delivered to the house. Can't beat the price if they are still available. It will give you the oppertunity to get a good feel for the 92 for real short ammo prices.

Here is the link to the 22lr kit still advertised for $249+shipping
http://www.shopberetta.com/e2wItemMa...ntID=019000801

**JohnKSa** · September 13, 2007, 09:33 PM

I'll give you my opinion and the reasons for it.

A good conversion kit runs about what you'd spend for a decent quality used .22LR semi-auto pistol.

When you shoot the .22LR semi-auto you're not putting any wear on a much more expensive firearm.

A decent .22LR semi-auto will probably be more accurate and reliable and therefore fun to shoot than a conversion kit.

The only reasons I would buy a conversion kit:

Cool factor
If legalities limited the number of guns I could own.

Socrates · September 14, 2007, 05:33 PM

As usual, we have different views!

The big pluses for the conversions on 1911's, at least, are you
get to use a 1911 trigger. Don't know about the 92 trigger, but, it's excellent training.

Also, my luck finding accurate 22lrs under 400-500 dollars has not been good. A Marvel conversion on a 1911 runs 400 dollars, and, will be under 1" at 50 yards. Be very careful which conversion you get. The fun of 22lr, is with no recoil to speak of, it is easy to be tack driving accurate. It's also real easy to end up with a gun you can outshoot in these conversions. I would NOT be happy spending 300 bucks for a conversion that doesn't shoot as well as a Ruger Mark II, or Browning Buckmark.

One could argue the 9mm recoils like a 22lr already, so why not buy a CZ 75, and have a tack driver with cheap ammo for 400 dollars or less?

S

Black Adder LXX · September 14, 2007, 08:07 PM

I was looking into the Beretta kit as well. I went with the Browning Buckmark instead (although a nice MkIII would do, also) for three reasons:

1. It's another gun
2. More guns
3. It gives me a reason to get another gun

Average Joe · September 15, 2007, 09:14 PM

For the price of the conversion kit, you could get another whole pistol.

jdc1244 · September 15, 2007, 11:21 PM

Quote:

I was looking into the Beretta kit as well. I went with the Browning Buckmark instead (although a nice MkIII would do, also) for three reasons:

1. It's another gun
2. More guns
3. It gives me a reason to get another gun

Quote:

For the price of the conversion kit, you could get another whole pistol.

That’s what I did. I got a Mk III for about $100 less then the 75B conversion kit. My 11 y/o loves shooting the Mk III.

More guns is always good.

Sigma 40 Blaster · September 16, 2007, 11:11 PM

My way of looking at it is that you are shooting your Beretta with lower priced ammo, that equals more practice time on trigger technique with this gun if you get a conversion kit. The downside to that is that when you take the conversion kit off your recoil is going to change. Technically you're not supposed to worry about recoil until you're getting back on target so I say get it and work on your trigger skills.

I have a Ruger Mark III, I love it, it helped me with aiming and trigger pull a lot. The Browning Buckmarks are nice too if you don't mind the extra expense. The Beretta Neos has been getting some good reviews and good feel but I've never shot one.

Either way you'll improve your shooting technique, one will help you be a better all around shooter and the the other will help you become more familiar with your gun...

chris in va · September 16, 2007, 11:19 PM

Sounds similar to my Kadet kit.

I pondered getting another 22 pistol (which I've actually had two Rugers), but frankly I like shooting my CZ so much I wanted to do it in a cheaper way. It fits my hand like a glove. No need to 're-learn' something else just for a 22.

I like just having a slide and magazine to deal with instead of a whole different pistol. 5 second and voila...cheap fun!

BTW it's far and away the clear favorite with my friends at the range. They all want to shoot it, especially with it's red dot. However my Saiga is crowding that status...

September 12, 2007, 10:50 PM	#1
Lunker Senior Member Join Date: April 30, 2007 Location: Jersey Shore Posts: 240	Beretta 92FS 22LR Conversion kit vs. dedicated 22 Rimfire pistol I really like the Beretta 92FS. The aesthetics are great, it has some history, and I shoot it well. I already have two 9mm pistols though that I like to shoot. I have been considering buying one and one way I was going to justify it to myself was that I could buy the 22LR conversion kit and use the gun for plinking with super cheap .22 ammo. Does anyone have any experience with the kit? Is it decent? My other option would be to buy a 22 rimfire pistol and pick up the Beretta some time in the future. For those who have experience with .22 pistols, do you have any different recommendations for me? Ruger Mark III, etc? Thanks.

September 12, 2007, 11:38 PM	#2
IM_Lugger Senior Member Join Date: June 27, 2004 Posts: 2,011	I have a 92FS Inox GREAT gun, you don't need to get a .22 kit to justify the purchase. I don't have a kit (there are 2 one from beretta and one aftermarrket) Beretta kit is a little pricy for just a slide barrel and mag, so for a .22 I got Norinco Woodsman knockoff for less than 1/2 the price. But I would love to have a .22kit for my 92... __________________ "I feel the Beretta is a great character, it's so strong and elegant. The other guns look dumb to me." - John Woo

September 13, 2007, 03:11 AM	#3
Hommbs Senior Member Join Date: June 1, 2005 Location: La Puente, California Posts: 102	They work fine. I had one but sold it. I just felt that for the money I would rather have a complete Ruger MKII pistol. I got mine used and was able to sell it off for what I had in it. They are pretty spendy but I saw a thread off the BerettaForum.net that mentioned they were being blown out for around $225 off the Beretta online store. Don't know if they are still available for that price. edited to add: Found it. It's priced at $249. http://www.shopberetta.com/e2wItemMa...ntID=019000801 Last edited by Hommbs; September 13, 2007 at 03:48 AM.

September 13, 2007, 08:35 AM	#4
Don P Senior Member Join Date: December 17, 2005 Location: Swamp dweller Posts: 6,187	IMO I would jump at the conversion kit. Bought one for the wife a year ago and paid $323 with 1 extra mag. Just bought one for myself from the Beretta web site for $262 delivered to the house. Can't beat the price if they are still available. It will give you the oppertunity to get a good feel for the 92 for real short ammo prices. Here is the link to the 22lr kit still advertised for $249+shipping http://www.shopberetta.com/e2wItemMa...ntID=019000801 __________________ *NRA Life Member, NRA Chief Range Safety Officer, NRA Certified Pistol Instructor,, USPSA & Steel Challange NROI Range Officer, ICORE Range Officer, ,MAG 40 Graduate* *As you are, I once was, As I am, You will be.*

September 13, 2007, 09:33 PM	#5
JohnKSa Staff Join Date: February 12, 2001 Location: DFW Area Posts: 24,992	I'll give you my opinion and the reasons for it. A good conversion kit runs about what you'd spend for a decent quality used .22LR semi-auto pistol. When you shoot the .22LR semi-auto you're not putting any wear on a much more expensive firearm. A decent .22LR semi-auto will probably be more accurate and reliable and therefore fun to shoot than a conversion kit. The only reasons I would buy a conversion kit: Cool factor If legalities limited the number of guns I could own. __________________ Do you know about the TEXAS State Rifle Association?

September 14, 2007, 05:33 PM	#6
Socrates Junior member Join Date: January 5, 2005 Location: East Bay NorCal, People's Republik of Kalifornia Posts: 5,866	As usual, we have different views! The big pluses for the conversions on 1911's, at least, are you get to use a 1911 trigger. Don't know about the 92 trigger, but, it's excellent training. Also, my luck finding accurate 22lrs under 400-500 dollars has not been good. A Marvel conversion on a 1911 runs 400 dollars, and, will be under 1" at 50 yards. Be very careful which conversion you get. The fun of 22lr, is with no recoil to speak of, it is easy to be tack driving accurate. It's also real easy to end up with a gun you can outshoot in these conversions. I would NOT be happy spending 300 bucks for a conversion that doesn't shoot as well as a Ruger Mark II, or Browning Buckmark. One could argue the 9mm recoils like a 22lr already, so why not buy a CZ 75, and have a tack driver with cheap ammo for 400 dollars or less? S

September 14, 2007, 08:07 PM	#7
Black Adder LXX Senior Member Join Date: April 25, 2007 Location: The DEEP South Posts: 293	I was looking into the Beretta kit as well. I went with the Browning Buckmark instead (although a nice MkIII would do, also) for three reasons: 1. It's another gun 2. More guns 3. It gives me a reason to get another gun __________________ "In my many years I have come to a conclusion that one useless man is a shame, two is a law firm, and three or more is a congress." - John Adams

September 15, 2007, 09:14 PM	#8
Average Joe Senior Member Join Date: August 29, 2005 Location: Central Florida Posts: 1,325	For the price of the conversion kit, you could get another whole pistol.

September 16, 2007, 11:11 PM	#10
Sigma 40 Blaster Senior Member Join Date: July 1, 2007 Location: East Texas Posts: 997	My way of looking at it is that you are shooting your Beretta with lower priced ammo, that equals more practice time on trigger technique with this gun if you get a conversion kit. The downside to that is that when you take the conversion kit off your recoil is going to change. Technically you're not supposed to worry about recoil until you're getting back on target so I say get it and work on your trigger skills. I have a Ruger Mark III, I love it, it helped me with aiming and trigger pull a lot. The Browning Buckmarks are nice too if you don't mind the extra expense. The Beretta Neos has been getting some good reviews and good feel but I've never shot one. Either way you'll improve your shooting technique, one will help you be a better all around shooter and the the other will help you become more familiar with your gun...

September 16, 2007, 11:19 PM	#11
chris in va Senior Member Join Date: December 26, 2004 Location: Louisville KY Posts: 13,806	Sounds similar to my Kadet kit. I pondered getting another 22 pistol (which I've actually had two Rugers), but frankly I like shooting my CZ so much I wanted to do it in a cheaper way. It fits my hand like a glove. No need to 're-learn' something else just for a 22. I like just having a slide and magazine to deal with instead of a whole different pistol. 5 second and voila...cheap fun! BTW it's far and away the clear favorite with my friends at the range. They all want to shoot it, especially with it's red dot. However my Saiga is crowding that status...