I am looking to do a lot of practicing in the near future, therefore I decided to get a new .22 handgun. My primary carry guns are 1911s. What would be the best choice for a reliable and reasonably accurate training tool that is close in feel and function to a 1911? The choices listed seem to all run around the $200-$250 range.

Our club has both Buckmarks and Ruger Mk II's.  The Buckmarks are a bit "nicer" but tend to need more parts.  But we run out guns harder than most people.  Figure out which one fits your hand the best and go with it.  Both are very good pistols.

The 22/45 has a similar grip, but until you figure out the disassembly...it is a pain in the ass........best advice-----wrap your hand around a couple of different ones and see...

The 22/45 is super reliable and has the same grip style of the 1911 guns. The grip is one piece but can be modified (not easy) to fit the regular 1911 grips. Don't fall for the "its a pain" to reassemble crowd. Its a piece of cake. See this link www.1bad69.com/ruger/field_strip_quick.htm
I have one and shoot everything from SK subsonic, Colibris, to HV ammo. It has a Solow mount and a Simmons red dot. Its always best to handle different pistols and find the one that fits.

I've shot all three and own the 22/45.  The Buckmark didn't impress me all that much.  The .22 conversion kits can vary widely from fairly reliable to a continuous tap/rack/bang drill.

I went with the 22/45 and never looked back.  As others have said the grip and angle and controls mimic a 1911.  It's not the nightmare to disassemble/reassemble as my Mk I was.  Once you learn the hammer strut the world is your oyster.

The Ruger 22/45 is also the most accurate handgun I own.  The only quirk it has is it hates exposed lead bullets.  After about 100-150 rounds it begins to have feeding problems.  With jacketed bullets it goes bang all day.

Variety is the spice of life I chose a Buckmark it feel like griping a browing Hi Power.

Another vote for the Buckmark. They balance better than any other .22 except for possibly a S&W 41.

The conversion kits are more trouble than they're worth, I've been told.

My .o2

I always wanted a .22 1911. I thought about a Colt Ace, and I didn't want to put a conversion on my Wilson......so I ended up getting a Kimber Rimfire. It's a little pricey compared to a Buckmark, or a 22/45, but it's everything you could want in .22 1911. It's very accurate, field strips exactly like a 1911 etc. If you get one, shoot CCI minimags. The Walmart type bulk ammo does not cycle the slide reliably.
Good luck.

Thanks for all your replies. I went to my local shop to hold some different .22 pistols. The conversion kits were pretty awful. They had the Kimber  .22 which was quite nice but over $600!  They had both a used 22/45 4” bull barrel and Buckmark standard. So I did the obvious, got both. At some point I will probably sell the one I like the least, but for now it’s time to have some fun testing them both.

If you want an accurate and reliable 22 conversion try the Marvel. This is an outstanding conversion.

www.marvelprod.com/

My preference is for the buckmark though ruger makes a fine gun also.  I prefer the grip and trigger of the buckmark.  I know it is less durable, but it's also relatively inexpensive.  If I have to replace it after 15 or 20 years, I don't care because it's a 200 dollar gun.  I've had mine for 5 years and no problems yet.  

Buy whatever 22 you like best.  I wouldn't hesitate to spend 600 bucks on a 22 if it was the one I really wanted.  It comes down to it, that 22 will probably be the gun you will shoot most.  It will be the gun you use to introduce friends to shooting who have never been before.  It will be one of the last guns you well if you go broke.

An option which hasn't been mentioned here is a 22 revolver.  Not the best for training for you 45, but great fun to shoot with or without scopes.  Smith makes a very fine but pricey 22 revolver.  Ruger makes some inexpensive quality single action revolvers.  The neat part about the rugers is that many of them come with both 22LR and 22WM cylinders.

So anyway, buy whatever 22 you like best, experiment until you find it's favorite ammunition, and then enjoy it...

Ive owned Rugers and the Buckmark.

I still have the Buckmark.