Glock 22 LR pistol test

I decided to test my Glock 44 and Advantage Arms 22 LR Glock conversions today.  It is a nice day outside so I decided to load three mags for each pistol and use up the last of a 500 round box of Aguila 38 grain plated HP high velocity ammo.

Here is a quick pictures of the pistols shot today.



The first pistol shot was Advantage Arms 17/22 Target on a 17.3 frame AA kit manufactured 01-06.   I shot an early production ten round mag where the slide closed on an empty chamber, obviously a weak round which barely extracted.  I then fired a fifteen round AA mag and a new production ten round 17/22 mag without a malfunction.

The second pistol was Gen 1-3 19/23 LE kit on a Glock 23.3 frame the AA kit manufactured 03-09.  The pistol fired all three mags no malfunctions,

The third pistol shot was an AA 19/23 Gen 4 kit on a 23.4 frame AA kit manufactured 01-16.   The first round stove piped then fired remainder of the mag no malfunctions.  On the second mag round ten failed to fire, good strike on the rim.  I rotated the case and it fired locking the slide to the rear.   The third ten round mag had no malfunctions.

The fourth pistol was the Glock 44 purchased 06-20 which fired three factory ten round mags no malfunctions.

The fifth pistol was my AA 19/23 Gen 1-3 MOD kit with a Vortex Venom 3 MOA red dot on a Combat Armory frame I purchased 10-22 and I assembled .   I finished off a 500 box so I loaded four ten round AA mags.  First mag functioned 100%, the second mag the slide closed on an empty chamber caused by obvious weak round.  Mag three functioned but failed to lock open on the last round.  The fourth mag functioned 100%.

The sixth pistol was an AA 26/27 LE Gen 1-3 on a 26.3 frame.  The AA kit was manufactured 10-05.   I rapid fired the first mag and had a stove pipe on round seven where the case was barely caught by the closing slide.  The other two ten round mags with grip adapters functioned 100%.

All the pistols were taken out to shoot at my back yard range without special prep or cleaning.  The Glock 44 and AA 22 LR kits 26.3, 17.3 and 17.4 have metal Night Sights.  Any extra weight added to the 22 LR slide can contribute to malfunctions.   My AA 19/23 optics ready kit has the factory polymer sights and the 1.1 ounce Vortex Venom red dot sight.  This is typical performance for my Glock 22 LR pistols.   All my Glock rimfire pistols have factory fire control parts and 5.5 pound connectors.

I’m posting this small shooting session so forum members can get an idea of possible reliability.   With good ammo the AA kits function reliably.  The few malfunctions witnessed today were likely ammo related.   The Glock 44 functions reliably with a wider variety of ammo than the AA kits.   I can purchase Aguila Super Extra 38 and 40 grain plated high velocity ammo in my area and it performs almost as well as CCI Mini Mags but cheaper.   My Glock 44 is accurate with Aguila High Velocity ammo and as reliable as any 22 LR semi auto pistol I’ve used.

I wasn’t sure whether to post this in the rimfire section or here.  Mods feel free to move this post.

I have other 22 LR pistols and revolvers but tend to shoot Glock rimfire and centerfire pistols the most.   With there being limited options for Glock 44 with red dot site I thought this topic might be of use to the forum.

Thx for posting this. I am in the process of building a 17 pistol just for this reason. How reliable are the 15 rd mags? Are most of the problems that pop up ammo or mag related?

Solid post, thanks for the write up!

I get mostly ammo related malfunctions as rimfire lacks consistency.   My AA kits are less reliable when it is below 40 because ammunition looses pressure in colder weather.   I’ve been shooting AA kits since 2005 and I have not replaced any parts or magazine springs on my Glock kits.   My AA Gen 4 19/23 LE kit took several thousand rounds to wear in to where it would shoot any ammo other than High Velocity plated Aguila Super Extra, Mini Mags or Blazers.   My kits will function on Armscor high velocity but it is not readily available in my area.   The Aguila functions well in all my rimfire firearms and I pretty much quit buying other 22 ammo if I can get Aguila for a decent price.

Since the pandemic the quality of rimfire ammunition has slipped but the price is still high.  I pretty much only buy Aquila or CCI 22 LR ammo.   I used to shoot a lot of Federal Champion 36 grain HP 525 packs or 550 packs from Walmart.   The quality has been so poor that I quit buying Federal bulk ammo.   I got a couple of boxes of Auto Match 325 and 325 blue box Federal 36 grain HP sold at Walmart that were terrible in every 22 LR firearm I own.   I got numerous failure to fire and leaded barrels.

The AA MOD optics ready kit has a slightly different design with a lighter recoil spring.   My AA optics kit is just as reliable as my other AA kits when using Aguila Super Extra plated 38 grain HP or 40 grain round nose ammo.   If you decide to buy an AA optics ready kit try to use a light weight red dot sight which will help with reliability.

I only have the one fifteen round AA magazine and it is as reliable as the ten round mags with Aguila.   This magazine belonged to a Friend who passed and his wife gave me the fifteen round mag.   I figure my AA 17/22 Target kit has digested at least to 45000 of 22 LR.   I used to shoot it weekly and between my AR-15 dedicated to 22 LR I shot 1000-2000 rounds per month for close to ten years.   I bought my AA Gen 4 19/23 kit in 2016 and have shot it a lot and slowed down shooting my 17/22 Target and 26/27 LE kit.

I have been around numerous AA 22 LR Glock kits and they pretty much perform like mine if fed good ammo and are kept reasonably clean and lubed.  The only time I’ve seen malfunctions with my AA kits that was not ammo is with new shooters.   Sometimes they don’t hold the pistol where it has resistant so the weapon can cycle (limp wristing).    I could shoot the pistol and get 100% function but the new shooter would encounter stove pipe jams or failure to extract.  

If you plan on running the cheapest rimfire ammo you can find I would recommend a Glock 44.   The Glock 44 is a good pistol out of the box but isn’t really suited to a Red Dot Sight.   I have always gotten dedicated frames for my 22 conversions.   I have an Advantage Arms 1911 standard kit on a dedicated RIA frame I assembled.  I did get one 1911 AA mag that had a defective follower which I replaced.  That mag would not lock the slide to the rear on an empty mag until I changed the follower.   Other than the one faulty mag follower I haven’t replaced any parts.  

I have four mags for my 17/22 kit, three mags for my 26/27 kit, four mags I keep  with Gen 3 19/23 kit, five mags for my Gen 4 19/23 kit and six mags with my optics ready kit.   I number my mags and keep the mags with each pistol so I can detect if I have a mag issues.   I have five mags for my AA 1911 kit.   Having four Grandsons it helps to have enough firearms so everybody can shoot but we can sure go through the ammo.

I already have a 17 and 19 frame. I was thinking of getting a 17 kit but a 19 would be just as good for my practice. I have stayed away from the glock 44 due to the 10rd mags. I would like something that uses 15rd mags.

What would you recommend, the 17 or 19 kit? I was planning on using a lite weight red dot. I already have a full size M&P .22, it's been a great gun. Several thousands of rds down range over the years.

First let me say the Glock 44 is a great 22 LR pistol and is really reliable with the factory ten round mags.   I really haven’t seen a reliability problem on my Glock 44 by adding Factory Glock night sights.  I have two of the ProMag Glock 44 magazines and they have proven reliable in my Glock 44 if loaded properly.  The ProMag 18 round mag is more difficult to load but I’ve never attempted to use a loading tool or loading assist tool.  You have to really watch the cartridge stack on the ProMag during loading or you can get malfunctions.

The biggest disadvantage of the Glock 44 is there is no Glock produced red dot sight option.   Some people complain about the extra cost of buying a threaded barrel but with all the firearms restrictions threaded barrels are restricted under some jurisdictions.  

In regards to the Advantage Arms conversion kits I think the best kits are the optics ready kit AA MOD.  I have Gen 3,4 and 5 Glock 19’s and a Gen 5 Glock 17 and a Gen 3 Glock 22.   I personally like the Gen 5 pistols best but my second choice is the Gen 3.  I decided to buy the Gen 3 Glock 19/23 MOD kit because of the availability of after market Gen 3 frames and parts.   I knew I was going to add a dedicated frame to my red dot equipped AA 22 LR conversion kit.   There seem to be more after market frames for the 19 size than the 17 frame.   Since retiring I carry a Glock 48 or 43 the most and I have grown to like the 19/23 size.   I just shoot the 19 size pistols frequently even though I don’t conceal carry the 19 often.

The price for the MOD kit really isn’t much different than the older original 17/22 LE or 19/23 LE kits.   I think Lanbo’s Armory has the best price for AA kits and they have most of the AA kits currently in stock.  The AA 17/22 Gen 5 MOD kit with threaded barrel and two fifteen round mags is $276.31 at Lanbo’s.  A Gen 5 AA 17/22 LE kit with one mag and no threaded barrel is $230.02.   One fifteen round AA mag is $22.08 at Lanbo’s.  Adding the cost of the extra mag the 17/22 LE kit shows the AA MOD kit is a good value and not much more expensive.  The AA 17/22 MOD Gen 5 California Compliant with no threaded barrel and two ten round mags is $251.05.   I bought the AA 19/23 MOD Cali Compliant with two ten round mags for $251.05.  I didn’t care about the ten round mags and Illinois doesn’t permit suppressors.   I spent $120 including FFL fee for my Combat Armory frame.  My AA MOD CA kit 19/23 Gen 3 kit and frame cost me about $375 or very close to the price of a Glock 44.

https://lanbosarmory.com/index.php?main_page=advanced_search_result&search_in_description=1&keyword=Advantage+Arms

When I first got the AA 19/23 Gen 1-3 MOD kit I ran the kit on my Glock 19.3 stock frame.   I was impressed with the reliability of the slide with no optic.  The MOD kit has an attached ejector to the barrel and a light recoil spring assembly.  Before adding a red dot sight my AA MOD kit was shooting the same lower powered ammo just as reliably as my Glock 44.   My AA MOD kit was functioning new out of the box on Auto Match and Federal 36 grain HP bulk and a few other types of ammo I tried.   Seeing this reliability I felt sure my AA MOD kit would function with a light weight red dot sight.


Even if I wasn’t sure I was going to use a red dot sight I would buy a Advantage Arms MOD kit regardless if it is a Gen 1-3, Gen 4 or Gen 5.   I think the AA MOD kit will function without an optic with a wider variety of ammo than the earlier designed AA kits.   Once the original designed AA kits have digested many thousands of rounds they tend to function with a wider variety of ammo.

I really like the Combat Armory frame which are in stock for $39.99 and Brownell’s have Glock compatible lower parts kits in stock for $39.  For basically $100 you can have a complete frame.  The Combat Armory frame feels very similar to my Gen 5 19 or Glock 44 with the medium back strap but with a different texture.  

https://www.combatarmory.com/combat-armory-stripped-pistol-lower-frame-for-gen-3-glock-19-23-32-parts-compatible-locking-block-included/


With the reliability Of the MOD kit I’d buy it even if I wasn’t going to add a red dot sight.  I think a MOD kit would have a higher resale value regardless of generation.   I knew I was going to shoot Aguila or CCI ammo so I bought a Red Dot Sight.  The reports I’ve seen on the AA Gen 5 MOD kits has been positive.   This is the experience of one person and the AA kits get a lot of negative feed back.   I was surprised my new AA MOD kit didn’t require the break in period of my last purchased Gen 4 19/23 LE kit.

I shoot my Combat Armory frame with AA MOD 19/23 kit frequently.  Shooting is my hobby.  I’m retired LE and can shoot in my back yard.  Depending on the weather I will step out my back door and shoot three to five mags through my pistol whenever I take a notion.   I mostly shoot Glock centerfire or my rimfire Glock pistols posted above.  I shoot way more rimfire than centerfire.   I commonly will load up 3-5 mags for my CA AA 19/23 MOD kit and 3-5 mags for one of my other AA Glock 22 pistols.  I like shooting iron sight pistols and my red dot sight pistols equally.  I just like to shoot whether pistol or rifle and being able to shoot at my house is a huge bonus.

Sorry for getting long winded.

Don't apologize. Thank you for taking the time for a detailed writeup. This is a lot to unpack. I need to read it a couple of times.

But what I take away from what you wrote. I should get the 19 AA MOD kit for the least amount of trouble or get a Glock 44 and promag mags.

That is correct.

Being old retired guy who likes to shoot I decided to shoot my Advantage Arms 19 Gen 4 pistol with supposedly the Gold standard of 22 LR CCI Mini Mags 40 grain plated round nose.  I loaded five ten round mags with mini mags and shot my steel plates.  First two mags functioned 100%.  The third mag fired the first round and went click.  I racked the slide and the chamber was empty.  I chambered the next round and fired the remaining nine rounds.  I fired the remaining two mags which function 100%.  So one malfunction out of five mags, fifty rounds.

I can’t leave a box of shells half empty so I loaded four ten rounds mags with Mini Mags in my 19.3 AA pistol.  I also loaded ten rounds of mini mags and five rounds of Aguila Super Extra 38 grain HP into my AA fifteen round mag.   I fired all five mags 55 rounds zero malfunctions.

Mini Mags are still cheaper than 9 mm and this old guy doesn’t have to bend over and pick up 9 mm brass, lol.

That's awesome. I hate picking up brass but I can't just leave it there either. I also have my own backyard range.

Time to order more mini mags. The prices are cheap. The summer is starting to look better already.  Thx for the help and guidance. I'll post some pics after I get it built.