Schmeisser .22LR Glock Conversion Kits from ATI
American Tactical Imports (ATI), a South Carolina-based manufacturer and importer of firearms, has partnered with German Schmeisser to import the latter .22LR conversion kits for Glock pistols. These kits will be available for the Glock 19 and Glock 17 pistols, Generation 1 through 5.
First shown at SHOT Show 2023, these Glock conversion kits include a drop-in barrel, feed ramps, and cartridge-shaped chambers which fit the .22LR ammunition inside a 9mm magazine. The cartridges are ejected out of the pistol when it is fired, with the .22LR casings inside them. Essentially, the .22LR ammunition slips into a carbon fiber-infused polymer over-molded metal that can be used multiple times.
To install the conversion kit, the barrel is swapped out for the kit barrel with no other modifications needed to the host weapon. A word of note about the conversion kit, the .22-caliber bore of the barrel is nonconcentric, rather it’s shifted towards the bottom edge of the barrel. The reasoning behind this is so the Glock centerfire striker can engage the rim of the .22LR rimfired ammunition.
In addition to the off-centered bore of the barrel, when the barrel is installed the host weapon becomes a direct blowback with the fixed barrel installed. The conversion kit is reported to come with 50 chamber adapters, with more adapters available for purchase later in 2023. It is also reported that the conversion kit allows for more cost-effective training and supposedly mimics real 9mm ammunition loading and ejection.
The Schmeisser .22LR conversion kit for Glock pistol is said to have an MSRP of $99.95 and should ship late summer 2023. Some see the conversion kit as a great training tool, but between the collecting of the cartridge-shaped chambers and the pistol feeling like a .22LR when shooting, the ultimate outcome is yet to be seen.