colt ace conversions
any one have any experience with one of these
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I have a Colt Ace 22 rf kit and I am missing the floaying chamber. Is the anny out there and I wold like a parts view
don baker0 -
Yes. What would you like to know????????? 0 -
Used to have one, now shoot an ACE so I don't get caught with the wrong caliber assembled. 0 -
I have shot the Colt Ace .22 conversion on my 1911 a few times, no problems. I have almost NIB Service Ace that has yet to fire a full mag without a hangup. Aces are great for collecting and maybe as an investment but for me, all other .22 autos I have had have been better as a shooter. 0 -
Hello There are a number of different units to fire a 22 long rifle cartridge installed on a 1911 type frame . THE first was a complete pistol This was installed on a 1911 frame but the frame did NOT have an ejector mounted on the frame and the serial number was all numbers this was a straight blowback design and had a very weak recoil spring that was adjustable with leather spacers.It also had it's own type of adjustable sights not used on any other COLT.The military wanted to have a cheap training unit so then came the SERVICE ACE with the serial number starting with the letters SM at the same time we had military conversion units . This was the first use of the floating chamber.This allowed for better function because it increased the recoil impulse and also was better training for later shooting the 45ACP these units were marked on top with a serial number in front of the rear sight starting with the letter U. Then after WW II they made a civilian conversion unit again with floating chamber but no serial number Then came the remake of the service model ace with SM as part of the serial number starting where the serial numbers stopped will original service ace;'s but with different sights either an accro sight or eliason sight. then came the 22 ACE II conversion units . There has also been a 1/2 dozen changes in the magazines. . If you want to see pictures of all the different types as well as other brands of conversion units go to my profile and send a request to me with your direct email address. The BIG thing with getting 100% function is to keep the floating chamber CLEAN if your ACE has floating chamber plated bullets work better and also get the magazine to set at the proper height in relationship to the bore center-line as well as not dragging on the slide."PRAISE THE HARD-BALL GUN" 0 -
While PS has given a nice summary of .22 caliber Colt O-frames, I would offer some expanded information to clarify. The first gun he describes is the Ace, introduced in 1930. It has a shortened slide that is machined inside so it is very thin to make it light enough to be cycled by the weak cartridge. The stack of leather washers on the recoil spring guide is used to cushion the slide as it is stopped at the rear of its travel, since it is so thin that the shock might crack the slide with continued use, were it not for the cushion effect of the leather washers. The rear sight is a special design. The Ace magazines are not the same as the Service Ace magazines.
The Service Model Ace, using the floating chamber designed by "Carbine" Williams, was introduced in 1937, as were the serial-numbered Conversion Units also using the floating chamber. These both use the Steven rear sight. A few serial-numbered Conversion Units were made Post-War. The Service Ace and Conversion Units were introduced first in the civilian market, but many were sold to the military as war clouds gathered.
Early Post-War non-serial numbered Conversion Units also use the Stevens rear sight. Early Post-War, the ejector style was changed from a machined part to a stamped part. Later Units use the Coltmaster rear sight. In about 1952, the rear sight was changed to the Accro rear sight, which continued through the end of production in the early 1980s. Elliason rear sights were installed on some Units.
When the Series 80 guns were introduced in 1983 with the firing pin safety, a new Series 80 Conversion Unit was introduced, also using the floating chamber, but very few were made, and are rare today.
All Service Ace magazines and Pre-Ace II Conversion Unit magazines will interchange for function, but there are several variations as to style. The last style used a removable floorplate. There are aftermarket replacement magazines that have the word "Colt" stamped on the floorplate that people believe are factory magazines, but they are not. While made by the same vendor and perfectly serviceable, the Colt-sold magazines have a Rampant Colt stamped on the floorplate. These "Non-Pony" magazines are often sold as Colt magazines, but they are actually magazines for a Colt, far different. Buyer beware.
The later Ace II Conversion Unit uses an aluminum slide and reduced power main spring housing, as well as a different magazine. Some claim these are Ciener-made, but that is incorrect. The Ciener units are different. While functional, the Ace II Units are not blue steel so do not match the usual steel frame on which they are used.0 -
Colt also made the Service Model & early Conversion Units with the milled style ejector that was pinned to the barrel & floating chamber.
Personally, I have found these to be more reliable, less jamming, for long term use.
Also, the early Post- War, non-serial numbered Conversion Units were made in a fixed sight version. Their slide is lighter than the adjustable sight versions & function with more brands & types of ammunition.
The Ace II is a unit to own & collect, but not to shoot. The ones I own are finicky & the ejector is integral to the barrel. If it breaks, which they have been known to do, you are out of luck for a replacement to my information.0 -
tjh1948, tell me more about early Post-War fixed sight Conversion Units with light slides! I have been collecting Colts for over half a century and have never seen or heard of such a thing. There are none shown on Sam Lisker's Colt Autos site either, which I thought covered about every known variation. I am curious to learn about this previously unknown version. Do you have pictures?
Perhaps you are thinking of the limited run of Model O3151 round top, fixed sight Conversion Units made in the early 1980s, and not the early Post-War period. Could that be it?
In regard to the milled ejector, all Conversion Units and Service Model Ace pistols had milled ejectors until the stamped ejector was adopted in about 1948. In regard to the ejector being "pinned" to the barrel and floating chamber, it is not. There is a straight spring found staked on the barrels of later milled ejector guns and Conversion Units under which the milled ejector rests to hold the ejector in place when the gun or Unit is disassembled. The ejector is free and is not pinned, and can be easily removed. The ejector has no connection to the floating chamber, pinned or otherwise.
However, the earliest production pieces do not have that straight retaining spring, and the ejector just sits in its milled recess. When assembled, of course, the ejector is "trapped" in its recess when the barrel is in position. When disassembled, the ejector will fall out of its recess if oriented so that it can. There is no effect on function whether the ejector has the retaining straight spring or not. It is purely a convenience when the Unit is disassembled.
I await enlightenment on the fixed-sight early Post-War Conversion Units. Please give full particulars.0 -
I didn't know there were so many variants.
My 1970s SM ACE pistol is quite reliable, with only the occasional stovepipe to delay a session. I guess I ought to sandbag or Ransom it to test the accuracy, but my main use is to work on my draw and fire with less cost and recoil than a .45 Single Stack Divison gun.0 -
Sorry about that; I guess I mis-spoke twice.
I was referring to the 03150.
Also, the ejector is attached only to the barrel by wire, not a pin.0 -
tjh1948, what is a near 40-year miss on an "EXPERT" gun advice site? 1948, 1985, close enough. After all, both dates ARE Post-War! (Sorry - could not resist!)
Since this is an EXPERT site, and it is important that any information given be accurate, it should be made clear that the Model O3150 Conversion Units have ADJUSTABLE sights, not fixed sights. It is the Model O3151 Conversion Units that have fixed sights. The run was so limited that the box end label is hand-written.
I collect Conversion Units (they have no reference to "Ace" in their nomenclature) and think I have most of the variations, from Pre-War to Ace II. I bought my Model O3151 fixed sight Conversion Unit new, from a distributor on July 9, 1985. Colt had just made a limited run of them. (About the same time, the rare 9mm Conversion Unit was also offered. Remember, Colt had offered to refit all the existing military Model of 1911/1911A1 pistols to 9mm, rather than have a new service pistol adopted, so I suspect the 9mm Conversion Unit was developed for that purpose.) The fixed sight Units are so rare that I am surprised to hear of someone shooting one. I have been tempted to try mine, but it remains new in the box.
While the fixed sight Conversion Unit slide may be a touch lighter than the adjustable sight Conversion Unit slide because the adjustable sight Units have a solid rib and a sight assembly that the fixed sight Units do not have, I cannot tell it when handling the two. I will have to make it a point to weigh the two and compare. If it is more than an ounce or two, I would be surprised. I recognize that an ounce or two is significant when accelerating mass (the slide), so perhaps a fixed sight Conversion Unit would function slightly better with weaker ammunition. I think function is more affected by tolerance variations in the floating chamber than anything else, but I suppose a bit more slide weight could be a factor in marginal situations.0
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