TO .45 ACP shooters, the Sig-SauerP220 pistol has become a modernicon epitomizing many of the latest

features in a large-bore pistol. Accuracy ofmost P220 pistols is exceptionally good asis handling and balance. The P220 is well-known also for its durability and qualityworkmanship. It is no surprise, then, that theP220 has become a favorite duty gun for lawenforcement officers who carry .45 ACPpistols. But, for all these good things, theP220 remains a large, service pistol ill-suit-ed, due to its size, for discreet carry. Therewas a real need for a compact pistol in .45ACP with all the modern features and dura-bility of the P220. SIG Arms now offers sucha model—the P245 Compact.

The new P245 Compact is approximate-ly 1/2" shorter in length, more than 1/2"shorter in height and 2 ozs. lighter than thefull-size P220. Although substantiallysmaller, the P245’s single-column maga-zine still holds six rounds (the P220’s holdsseven). The P245’s magazine has a polymerbase with a recurved finger rest on the frontlip and a polished steel body with five 1/4"holes on each side showing the number ofcartridges remaining. Another plus is a well-designed, polymer follower that assistssmooth feeding. Pressing the magazinerelease button allows the magazine toinstantly fall free.

Operation of the P245 mirrors theP220. The pistol is recoil-operated with

a linkless, cam surface on the barrel lug thatmoves the barrel upward to lock and down-ward to unlock. There is no barrel bushing.Fire control is double-action/single-actionwith a decocking lever on the left side of theframe. Pressing the decocking lever downdrops the hammer into a notch in the searthat holds the hammer away from the backof the slide for safety. This is backed up byan automatic firing pin safety that locks thefiring pin in place until the trigger has beenpulled. There is also a disconnector.Location and function of all levers on theP245 are identical to those of the P220.

Disassembly and assembly of the P245follow the same procedures as for the

®

The American Rifleman has used the phrase “DopeBag” at least since 1921, when Col.Townsend Whelenfirst titled his column with it. Even then, it had been inuse for years, referring to a sack used by target shoot-ers to hold ammunition and accessories on the firingline.“Sight dope”also was a traditional marksman’s termfor sight adjustment information, while judging windspeed and direction was called “doping the wind.”

CAUTION: Technical data and information con-tained herein are intended to provide information basedon the limited experience of individuals under specificconditions and circumstances. They do not detail thecomprehensive training procedures, techniques andsafety precautions absolutely necessary to properlycarry on similar activity. Read the notice and disclaimeron the contents page. Always consult comprehensivereference manuals and bulletins for details of propertraining requirements, procedures, techniques andsafety precautions before attempting any similar activity.

.45 ACP Vel.@ 15' Energy Recoil Smallest Largest AverageCartridge (f.p.s.) (ft.-lbs.) (ft.-lbs.) (ins.) (ins.) (ins.)

Winchester 230-gr. FMJ 772 Avg. 304 7.2 2.61 3.70 3.39No. Q4170 7 Sd

Remington 185-gr. JHP +P 1051 Avg. 454 9.6 2.16 4.21 2.96No. GS45APC 14 Sd

Speer 230-gr. JHP 767 Avg. 300 7.2 1.54 3.14 2.24No. 23966 12 Sd

Average Extreme Spread: 2.86

Measured average velocity for 10 rounds from a 3.9" barrel. Range temperature: 59° F.Humidity: 70% Accuracy for five consecutive, five-shot groups at 25 yds. fired from sandbag rest.Abbreviations: Sd (standard deviation), FMJ (full metal jacket), JHP (jacketed hollow point).

SHOOTING RESULTS

50 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • May 1999

SIG Arms’ new P245 Compact pistol in .45 ACP is approx-imately 1/2" shorter in both length and height than its par-ent gun, the P220.The P245 pistol displays accuracy and qual-ity workmanship fully in keeping with the company’s tradi-

The P245 pistol mirrors the basic designof the proven P220. The frame is alu-minum alloy and the slide is carbon steel.

Like the P220, alloperating leverson the new P245Compact in .45ACP are locatedon the left side ofthe frame. Sightsare a notch rearadjustable forwindage with avertical whiteindicator l ineand a front postwith a white dot.

SIG ARMS P245 COMPACT PISTOL

P220, and is easily accomplished for rou-tine maintenance and cleaning withoutspecial tools .

The P220’s checkered, composite grippanels are comfortable and attractive, andare considered by many to be one the pis-tol’s best features. On the P245, these havebeen exchanged for a pair of compositepanels with a pebbled surface texture onboth the sides and the backstrap. Manyshooters who fired the P245 opined that thenew grip panels felt too thick and the pulltoo long, resulting in grips that were not ascomfortable as the oldmodel. Suggested im-provements includedthinner side panels, ashorter pull length andold-style checkering.

Workmanship, fitand finish of the P245are consistent with thehigh standards shootershave come to expect

from SIG Arms. This is immediately appar-ent when one picks up the pistol. It also feelssolid and hefts well. Operation was smooth,but could be smoother with a small amountof detail hand work. Unlike the P220, how-ever, the unloaded P245 is slightly muzzleheavy. Some shooters found this annoyingwhile others did not. With the magazinefully loaded with six rounds, this conditionall but disappears.

The slide is finished with a matte-blackpolymer coating that substantially reducesglare on the sighting plan. This eliminatesthe need for serrating the top of the slide.The aluminum frame has a matte-black,anodized finish that closely matches thaton the slide and should prove quitedurable. On the P245, the 3.9" barrel alsosports a blued finish except for the flat topsurface of the chamber, which has beenpolished with a natural finish. The P245barrel is stamped “.45 Auto” on the rightside of the chamber.

Fine horizontal grooves have been cutinto the front strap, and the rear of the grippanels have a pebbled surface—both of

which help grip purchase, which becomesimportant on large bore, compact pistols.In keeping with its intended purpose, theP245 has been dehorned on the front edgesof the slide and frame, but several sharpedges remain. Some testers also thoughtSIG Arms should eliminate the pointedlower edge on the recurved trigger bow.

At 26 ozs. empty, the P245 is no light-weight. There are compact, large-bore pis-tols on the market today that weigh con-siderably less (approximately 22 ozs. forexample). While the lighter weight of suchpistols may aggravate perceived recoil,pistols in this class are generally not firedmuch, so recoil will be preferable to addedweight for some owners.

Controllability and perceived recoilbecome significant factors in compact,large-bore pistols. In this regard, the P245is no exception—recoil with service and+P loads is heavy. A buffer in the recoilspring guide rod would help controllabil-ity when firing +P ammunition. Grip pan-els made of Santoprene or similar recoilattenuating material would help tamerecoil as well, though such material tendsto “grab” on fabric when carried underclothing.

P220 pistols are famous for their out-of-the-box accuracy, and the P245 upholdsthat tradition. We found accuracy excep-tional—see the accompanying table for asummary of the results. Our test P245 pis-tol was fired with no problems whatsoev-er through several hundred rounds of .45ACP having both FMJ and JHP bullets inweights from 165- to 230-grs. The pistolalso handled +P ammunition without com-plaint, although recoil was increased aswould be expected. We must commentfavorably on SIG’s design of the feedramp, polymer magazine follower andminimal cartridge lift, which all contributeto jam-free, reliable feeding. Nonetheless,we found the magazines difficult to loadwith five rounds and a real thumb busterto load with six. A magazine loading toolwould make for a welcome accessory.

We also particularly liked the P245’ssights. These low-profile, high-visibilityunits consist of a wide, front blade with alarge white dot and a drift-adjustable rearwith a suitably large notch highlighted bya white indicator line on the bottom. Theyproved simple, robust and effective, Thefront post is available in different heightsto match ammunition selection. A SIG rearsight pusher tool (available at extra cost)will ease drifting the rear sight if required.

The P245 is an excellent combinationof advanced safety features, reliability,accuracy and high-quality workmanshipthat are easily worth the price. We couldnot find a brand or load of ammunition itdid not accept. Furthermore, SIG Armsbacks each P245 with a one-year warran-ty on parts and labor against defects inmaterials or workmanship.

AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • May 1999 51

MANUFACTURER: SIG-Sauer GmbH,Sauerstrasse 2-6, D-24340Eckernforde, Germany

IMPORTER: SIG Arms, Inc. (Dept. AR),Corporate Park, Exeter, NH 03833;(603) 772-2302

CALIBER: .45 ACPACTION TYPE: Recoil-operated, semi-

automatic pistolCONSTRUCTION: aluminum alloy frame,

carbon steel slideFINISH: blue standard; two-tone or

K-Kote optionalMAGAZINE CAPACITY: six, single-columnOVERALL LENGTH: 71⁄8"WIDTH: 13⁄8"HEIGHT: 5"BARREL: 3.9" length, hammer forged,

carbon steelRIFLING: six-grooves, 1:16" RH twistSIGHTS: white dot front, white indicator

notch rear, drift adjustable for windage;Siglite tritium night sights optional

TRIGGER: double-action: single action,5-lb. pull; double-action, 101⁄2-lb. pull

STOCKS: two-piece, pebbled, blackcomposite

WEIGHT EMPTY: 26 ozs.ACCESSORIES: extra magazine, lockable

plastic carry case, trigger lockSUGGESTED RETAIL PRICE: $750

SIGARMS P245

A passive firing pin safety locks the firingpin in place until moved out of engagementwhen the trigger is pulled, allowing firing.

The P245 employs a hookextractor on the right rearof the ejection port(arrow). The ejectoris mounted on theframe’s right side.

The frame of the new SIG Arms P245 com-pact pistol is made of aluminum alloy witha black anodized finish. Magazine capacitywith the shortened frame is six cartridges.

We particularly liked thefeed ramp (arrow), thepolymer magazine followerand the low cartridge lift,all of which contribute tothe reliability of SIG Arms’new P245 Compact pistol.

SEMI-AUTOMATIC shotguns have beenoffered in the past by Weatherby, Inc.The first reviewed in these pages was

the Centurion (Nov. 1972, p. 66), which wasdesigned by Fred Jennie and produced inJapan. At that time, this shotgun wasremarkable for its ability to fire either stan-dard or magnum 2 3⁄4" 12-ga. shells without

adjustment. As times change, so do shooterexpectations and gun design. These changesmanifested themselves as the WeatherbyCenturion II with a 3" chamber, then theModel 82 semi-automatic (July 1982, p. 54).New to this model were Weatherby’s Multi-Choke changeable choke tubes. This short-lived gun was cataloged until 1989.

After a decade-long sabbatical from thesemi-automatic shotgun market, Weatherbygave in to customer demands this year withthe introduction of the new Model SAS. TheWeatherby SAS is a version of the SKB XLsemi-auto (April 1979, p. 66), which had aseparate barrel for 23⁄4" shells and one for 3"shells. We were first introduced to the newshotgun at a writer’s seminar in November1998. There we had the opportunity to firepre-production, advanced prototypes onskeet and five-stand clays. An earlyWeatherby Model SAS was recentlyreceived by the NRA Technical Staff to betested and evaluated.

The stock is satin oil-finished, grade III,American claro walnut with black, plasticpistol grip and rear fore-end caps. Cutcheckering of 18 lines per inch wrapsaround the fore-end and is found on bothpistol grip panels. A 1/2"-thick, solid, brownrubber recoil pad with black, plastic spacercompletes the stock.

An aluminum alloy receiver finished insatin black has a somewhat shadbelly pro-file and is tastefully adorned with theWeatherby name on each side. A magazinecut-off is on the left of the receiver, whilethe bolt release is on the right. The cut-offis used to prevent shells from feeding fromthe tubular magazine. This feature makes it

easy for a different shell or shot size to besingle-loaded as needed—a situation oftenencountered when waterfowling. The boltrelease, aside from serving its obvious func-tion, must be depressed to release the carri-er so shells can be loaded into the four-round-capacity magazine tube. If need be,magazine capacity can be limited to tworounds by inserting the supplied plastic pluginto the front of the magazine tube. The plugis simply inserted and retained by the mag-azine cap and does not have to be under themagazine spring retaining ring like on mostother shotguns.

Production Weatherby SAS shotgunshave a self-compensating gas system thathandles all 23⁄4" and 3" shells withoutadjustment. Like on the production SKBXL, early Weatherby SAS prototype gunshad a manual adjustment valve. Productionguns do not have this valve and rely insteadon one size gas ports to admit the correctamount of gas needed to work the action.

When the gun is fired, powder gas enter-

52 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • May 1999

MANUFACTURER: New SKB Arms Co.,C.P.O. Box 141 Tokyo, Japan

IMPORTER: Weatherby, Inc. (Dept. AR),3100 El Camino Real, Atascadero, CA93422; (805) 466-1767

GAUGE: 12, 3"ACTION TYPE: gas-operated, semi-

automatic shotgunRECEIVER: aluminum alloyFINISH: satin black receiver, blued barrelOVERALL LENGTH: 483⁄8"BARREL: 28" (tested), 30"WEIGHT: 7 lbs., 6 ozs.MAGAZINE: four-round-capacity tubularTRIGGER: single-stage, 41⁄2"-lb. pullSTOCK: oil-finished, grade III, American

claro walnut: length of pull, 141⁄8"; dropat heel, 25⁄8"; drop at comb, 13⁄4"

CHOKE SYSTEM: screw-in Multi-ChokeSystem by Briley, compatible with steelshot through modified

ACCESSORIES: skeet, improved cylin-der, modified, improved modified andfull Briley choke tubes; choke tube key,magazine plug

SUGGESTED RETAIL PRICE: $749

WEATHERBY SAS

WEATHERBY SAS SHOTGUN

After a 10-year sabbatical from the semi-auto shotgun market,Weatherby is back with the Model SAS.The new shotgun has a self-com-pensating gas system that shoots 23⁄4" or 3"shells without adjustment.

Five stainless steel Integral Multi-Choke(IMC) tubes come standard with theWeatherby SAS shotgun. The tubes aremade by Briley and are certified for steelshot through modified choke constriction.

The bolt release must be depressed to loadshells into the tubular magazine.This provedto be something of a nuisance when wetook the Weatherby SAS goose hunting.

Gas enters the SAS’s gas system through two ports in the underside of the barrel.When the shotgun is fired, this gas thrusts the piston and slide assembly rearward.The excess gas is exhausted out the top of the fore-end on either side of the barrel.

ing the gas cylinder through two barrel portsthrusts the piston and slide assembly rear-ward. After approximately 5/16" travel, acarrier on the slide assembly pivots the lock-ing block in the breechbolt downward outof engagement with the barrel extension.The piston and slide assembly continuerearward until the fired shell is extracted andejected. As the bolt moves rearward, anoperating rod at its rear compresses a butt-stock-housed coil spring that thrusts the boltforward again at the end of its rearward trav-el. Gas is exhausted out the top of the fore-end on either side of the barrel.

Extraction is by way of a convention-al, single hook on the right side of the bolt,and ejection occurs when the shell rim hitsa small semi-circular stud in the barrelextension. The reversible safety is a trig-

ger-blocking crossbolt inthe rear of the triggerguard behind the non-adjustable, gold-platedtrigger.

Our sample’s 28", ventrib barrel is equipped witha single gold bead and isheavily swamped toreduce weight and provideenough metal near themuzzle to accommodateWeatherby’s screw-inIntegral Multi-Choke(IMC) system. Five stain-less steel, interchangeablechoke tubes—skeet, improved cylinder,mod-ified, improved modified and full—made forWeatherby by Briley come with the gun.

Tubes are certified for steelshot through modifiedchoke constriction.

The Weatherby ModelSAS was patterned with theresults shown in the accom-panying table, and functionfired with a variety of leadand steel shotshell loads.There were no malfunctionsof any kind, and the gas sys-tem did a credible job ofreducing felt recoil. Patternsfrom the modified tubewere more like those from afull choke. Depressing thebolt release when loadingshells into the magazineproved to be something of anuisance, especially whenwe took the Weatherby SASgoose hunting. We recom-mend Weatherby considereliminating this feature. Thegun handles well though,and points naturally.

Weatherby’s ModelSAS is a good design and awell-made shotgun onwhich to base Weatherby’s

re-entry into the semi-automatic shotgunmarket. The gun functions well, is aestheti-cally appealing and competitively priced.

IN 1998, Remington introduced a newfamily of autoloading rimfire rifles des-ignated the 597 series. Four models are

offered in .22 Long Rifle: a black synthet-ic-stocked, blued, Model 597; a wooden-stocked, blued, Model 597 Sporter; a

brown-laminated-stocked, stainless .22Long Rifle Model 597 LSS and a black syn-thetic-stocked, stainless Model 597 SS. Inaddition to the .22 LR chambering,Remington now offers the 597 Magnumseries, which follows the general lines of the597 (April 1998, p. 54), but is chamberedfor the more powerful .22 WinchesterMagnum Rimfire (WMR). It is offered intwo versions: the blued, laminated-stockedModel 597 Magnum LS; and the black syn-thetic-stocked, blued Model 597 Magnum,

which we received for testing.The one-piece, black synthetic stock is

well thought out. Though mostly hollow, itfeels solid; having a modest beaver-tail fore-end, straight buttstock and generous pistolgrip. The upper contour of the stock’s wristmatches that of the top of the receiver, whichcreates a pleasing blending effect. A 1/4"-thick, black plastic buttplate is press-fit intothe stock, as is the black plastic grip cap.Both are embellished with Remingtonlogos—one of the old style on the butt andthe new script “R” on the grip cap.

The magazine housing and triggerguard is one piece of plastic connected bya solid web of plastic. The trigger assem-

AVERAGE OF 10 PATTERNS AT 40 YDS.

31 26

48 49

41 42

27 22

Modified Choke

= Point of HoldWinchester XX Magnum

Extra Long Range12-ga., 3"-17⁄8 oz.- No. 6 lead

Pellet count—395Measured vel. @ 3': 1124 f.p.s.Remaining Energy Per Pellet

@ 40 yds.: 2.82 ft.-lbs.

Total Hits 286 (72%)21.2" Inner Circle 180 (46%)30" Outer Ring 106 (27%)

WEATHERBYMODEL SAS

REMINGTON 597 MAGNUM

Remington has added the Model 597 Magnumchambered for the .22 WMR cartridge to its new rimfire autoloading rifleline.The added power of the .22 WMR makes the 597 Magnum versatile

Four shells fit in the tubular magazine. Where certain laws apply—especially when hunting waterfowl—capacity is limited by installingthe supplied, plastic magazine plug.The plug is secured by the fore-endcap, and need not be secured under the follower spring’s retaining ring.

The magazine release is at the front of thetrigger guard. Pulling the release to therear frees the eight-round box magazine.

AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • May 1999 53

bly is a simple arrangement consisting ofthe trigger itself, two-piece trigger bar,sear, skeletonized hammer and hammerspring. The rear piece of the trigger bar hasan upward extension that functions as a dis-connector when depressed by the bolt’smost rearward travel. The manual warnsagainst pulling the trigger while the gun isdisassembled. This action may upset thesear position and require the attention of agunsmith for correction.

The magazine release is in the front halfof the trigger assembly, and is pulled straightback to release the magazine by way of anextension of the release button in the rightof the stock. Though the release is posi-tioned with right-handed shooters in mind,left-handed staff members found it conve-nient to operate.

A small spring-loaded bar atop the mag-azine well acts as a bolt hold-open device.When an empty magazine is inserted or themagazine runs empty when firing, an exten-sion on the left of the red, plastic magazinefollower lifts the bolt hold open into the bolt’spath. Cartridges in the magazine position thefollower too low to engage the hold open. Themagazine itself is a detachable, black plasticbox with a capacity of eight rounds.

The barrel is attached to the receiver bymeans of a clamp. A block at the chamberend of the barrel slides into a cutout on thereceiver. The barrel clamp rests in a recessat the front of the rifle’s receiver and isconnected to the barrel block by an Allen-head screw. Tightening the screw drawsthe barrel forward to clamp it securelybetween the receiver front and the barrelclamp itself. This arrangement makes thebarrel easy to remove and hints at the pos-sible availability of heavier target barrelsin the near future.

The 597 Magnum is equipped with satin-blued, steel metallic sights consisting of afixed, ramped front blade with white beadand square notch rear, screw-adjustable forwindage and elevation. To accommodateoptical sights, the tubular receiver is pro-vided with a dovetail rail for tip off scopemounts. It is also drilled and tapped for aone-piece scope mount sold separately. Theone-piece mount takes full-size Weaver-type rings for use with 1" or 30 mm scopes.

All of these internal and external featuresare very similar to the standard 597. In orderto see what sets the 597 Magnum apart fromits .22 LR counterpart, you have to take alook inside the tubular alloy receiver. Like

the standard .22 LR 597, the Magnum’s boltrides on dual action rails, but where the .22LR model has only a single recoil spring oneach rail, the Magnum utilizes compoundrecoil springs to absorb the greater energy ofthe .22 WMR round. Though the 597Magnum’s bolt has a configuration similarto that of its .22 L.R. stablemate—with a sin-gle extractor claw on its right side and thefiring pin striking at the 12 o’clock position.To counter the .22 WMR’s stouter recoil,however, it is machined from a tungsten-based alloy, which weighs more than a com-parably sized steel bolt. In addition, the 597Magnum has a longer buffer to match thedifferent recoil stroke of the Magnum bolt.

The 597 Magnum we tested was equippedwith a Bausch & Lomb Elite 4000 6-24Xscope and fired for accuracy with the resultsshown in the accompanying table. Although.22 WMR is not known as a tackdriver, the

597 Magnum proved surprisinglyaccurate. Function firing was withCCI, RWS, Remington, Winchesterand Federal ammunition. There wereno failures of any kind. As with mostrimfire semi-automatics, shootersmust pay attention while loadingmagazines to avoid rim-over-rimjams. At 61⁄2 lbs pull, the trigger wason the heavy side, but crisp.

Although perceived recoil is negligible,shooters found the 597 Magnum to have moremuzzle lift in comparison with the .22 LRmodel. Also .22 WMR is much nosier than.22 LR. Most would say that these quibblesare a small price to pay for the increased veloc-ity, range and energy provided by .22 WMR.

Chambered for the .22 WMR, the mostpotent smallbore rimfire cartridge current-ly available, the Remington 597 Magnumprovides more than enough range and ener-gy for small game as well as many preda-tors and varmints. As the 597 product linecontinues to expand, Remington standspoised to challenge other makers in the .22rimfire autoloading rifle marketplace.

MANUFACTURER: Remington Arms Co.(Dept AR), 870 Remington Drive,Madison, NC 27025; (800) 243-9700

CALIBER: .22 Winchester MagnumRimfire (WMR)

ACTION TYPE: blow-back operated,semi-automatic rifle

RECEIVER: Aluminum alloyOVERALL LENGTH: 40"BARREL LENGTH: 20"WEIGHT: 51⁄2 lbsRIFLING: six-groove, 1:16" RH twistMAGAZINE: eight round, staggered-

column detachable, blackplastic magazine

SIGHTS: Rear notch adjustable forwindage and elevation, fixed rampedpost front. Receiver grooved for tip-offmounts.Tapped for Weaver-style bases

TRIGGER: single-stage, 61⁄2 lb.-pullSTOCK: grey synthetic stock with fixed

sling swivel studs: length of pull, 14";drop at heel, 23⁄8"; drop at comb, 11⁄4"

ACCESSORIES: noneSUGGESTED RETAIL PRICE: $292

597 MAGNUM The Model 597 Magnum proved to be sur-prisingly accurate. Recoil was negligible,though some shooters reported moremuzzle lift than with the .22 LR Model 597.

The fire control arrangement is straight-forward and the rear of the trigger bar hasan extension that acts as a disconnector.

A block at the chamber end of the 597’s bar-rel slides into a cutout on the front of thereceiver, and is retained by a barrel clampconnected to the block by an allen screw.

54 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • May 1999

.22 WMR Vel. @ 15' Energy Recoil Smallest Largest AverageCartridge (f.p.s.) (ft.-lbs) (ft.-lbs) (ins.) (ins.) (ins.)

Federal No. P765 2153 Avg. 309 0.5 0.65 0.85 0.7430-gr. JHP 36 Sd

Remington No. R22M1 1717 Avg. 262 0.5 0.65 1.09 0.8740-gr. JHP 22 Sd

Winchester No. X22MH 1809 Avg. 291 0.5 0.63 1.02 0.8240-gr. JHP 33 Sd

Average Extreme Spread: 0.81

Measured average velocity for 10 rounds from a 16" barrel. Range temperature: 50° F.Humidity: 35%. Accuracy for five consecutive 10-shot groups at 50 yds. from a sandbag rest.Abbreviations: Sd (standard deviation), JHP (jacketed hollow-point)

SHOOTING RESULTS

CIENER units for converting M1911-type pistols to shoot .22 Long Rifleammunition should be familiar to

American Rifleman readers. Perhaps not aswell known are Ciener’s conversions forother semi-automatic firearms including theM16/AR-15 and Ruger Mini 14 rifles,Beretta 92/96 and Taurus PT92/96 pistols.

The conversion unit for the Beretta 92/96we recently received for testing consists ofa slide, barrel, recoil spring, guide rod withbuffer and a 10-round magazine in a hard,fitted, plastic case. It is designed to fit allcurrent production generation full sizeBeretta 92/96 pistols in either 9x19 mm or.40 S&W caliber.

Slide material is 7075 T6 aluminumalloy, available in gloss or matte blue or sil-ver finish and differs slightly in design fromthe Beretta Model 92FS slide. Comparingthe two, we find that the front sights are sim-ilar, though the white dot is omitted fromthe Ciener unit. Also omitted are the manu-al, slide-mounted safety levers, though apassive firing pin safety block is incorpo-rated into the conversion unit and does notprotrude through the top of the slide like that

of the Beretta. A single hook extractor ispinned in place, and the rear sight is drift-adjustable. The dovetail slot in the slide forthe rear sight is the same size as the stan-dard M1911A1 slot, so any adjustable rearsight for the M1911A1 will fit.

Lock up of the blow-back operatedCiener rimfire unit is very different from thatof the recoil-operated, center-fire Beretta.The tilting block of the center-fire pistol isentirely omitted. In its place is a large, sin-gle lug welded to the bot-tom of the barrel locked inplace by the take-downlatch. This, in effect, cre-ates a fixed barrel thatmany believe contributesto greater accuracy.

The 51⁄8" long barrel ismade by E.R. Shaw of4140 steel, and has a longhook ejector extendingback from the left side ofthe barrel. There is also a

small feed ramp integral with the barrel thatlines up with a ramp at the front of the mag-azine to facilitate reliable feeding.

Installation is simply a matter of fieldstripping the Beretta pistol as for cleaning by

removing the slide/barrel/recoil spring upper assembly.The Ciener conversion unitslides onto the frame andsecures in place with the take-down latch.

We fitted the Ciener con-version unit on a BerettaModel 92FS and test fired itwith several brands of target,high- and hyper-velocityammunition, both solid-pointand hollow-point. As Cienerguarantees, there were no fail-ures at all with high- or hyper-velocity ammunition. We alsoexperienced no malfunctionswith standard-velocity or tar-get ammunition.

We have always been impressed withthe accuracy of Ciener’s conversion unitsas they typically shoot better than the gundoes with its factory barrel and chamber-ing. This unit was no exception, as can beseen by the results shown in the accompa-nying table.

Workmanship is excellent, and the uniteasy to install. Tipping the scales at just lessthan one pound, the Ciener unit does not sig-nificantly change the balance or handling of

the Beretta Model 92. Accuracy of our sam-ple was exceptional, and the affordability of.22 rimfire ammunition is appealing.Owners of Beretta pistols who desire a com-panion gun would do well to take a hard lookat the Ciener conversion instead.

Available from: Jonathan Arthur Ciener,Inc. (Dept. AR), 8700 Commerce St., CapeCanaveral, FL 32920; (407) 868-2200.Suggested retail price: $219.

AMERICAN RIFLEMAN • May 1999 55

.22 Long Rifle Vel. @ 15' Energy Recoil Smallest Largest AverageCartridge (f.p.s.) (ft.-lbs) (ft.-lbs) (ins.) (ins.) (ins.)

CCI No. 0030 996 Avg. 88.0 0.3 0.63 1.39 1.0840 gr. SP 11 Sd

Federal No. UM1 968 Avg. 83.0 0.3 0.54 1.23 0.9240 gr. SP 15 Sd

Winchester No. X22LRPP 1023 Avg. 93.0 0.3 0.67 1.71 1.2840 gr. HP 33 Sd

Average Extreme Spread: 1.09

Measured average velocity for 10 rounds from a 51⁄8" barrel. Range temperature: 50° F. Humidity:35%. Accuracy for five consecutive five-shot groups at 25 yds. from a Ransom Rest.Abbreviations: HP (hollow-point), Sd (standard deviation), SP (solid-point)

SHOOTING RESULTS

CIENER BERETTA 92/96 .22 LR

The Ciener.22 Long Rifle conversion

for the Beretta Model92/96 consists of areplacement 7075 T6 alu-minum slide, 4140 steelbarrel, recoil spring withguide rod and buffer, and10-round-capacity maga-

Lock up of the Ciener unit is different fromthat of the Beretta barrel as the tiltingblock is omitted. In its place is a large, sin-gle lug welded to the bottom of the barrellocked in place by the take-down latch.