Nelson Custom Guns

I am relatively new to the forum.  I am considering a 22lr conversion for one of my 1911s.

What are the current reviews from you folks with way more experience that I on the kits done by Nelson Custom Guns?

Thanks!

In my opinion, which, admittedly, is worth what you paid for it, Nelson makes the best conversion out there. I have a couple of them, and would not hesitate to buy another............

Ric

I have a few Nelson conversions, I like them a lot. I also have a few Marvels, also a good choice. Nelson does have a a bit of a wait when buying so that could be a factor. The biggest difference between the two in my experience is firing pins, I have broken 3 firing pins on a Marvel and have never on a Nelson and I primarily shoot a Nelson.

I had two conversions and sold one when combo rails became available. I never had any problems on a dedicated Palmetto State Arms frame and found the company very supportive of their products.

My NCG gets dry fired a lot too. While I have other 22s I like better and shoot better, I call the NCG my Eat Your Vegetables pistol that will help me get better 45 scores in Centerfire and 45.

wbnash3.

There is one over-riding consideration in your case. You are in Tucson, AZ. Nelson are near Phoenix, AZ. Just a short drive away.  That is an important advantage given that conversions often need a little TLC.

are there any differences in the older made nelson conversions compared to the currently made ones?

ric1911a1 wrote:In my opinion, which, admittedly, is worth what you paid for it, Nelson makes the best conversion out there. I have a couple of them, and would not hesitate to buy another............

Ric

Amen to that!  I also have two of them on lowers I have built with Caspian/Foster frames. The support from the Nelson family is outstanding. I feel like a friend rather than a customer.

I have a Marvel I just  got. shoots like a dream, came with a 0.75in/50yd barrel.
The plastic mags can be a difficult fit, require some sanding to properly release,
depends on which frame-I have a Springfield that they don't like, and a Baer they do.

L. Boscoe wrote:I have a Marvel I just  got. shoots like a dream, came with a 0.75in/50yd barrel.  The plastic mags can be a difficult fit, require some sanding to properly release, depends on which frame-I have a Springfield that they don't like, and a Baer they do.

Ditto with the Nelson conversion.  Mine works beautifully on most of my 1911 pistols, and shoots very accurately.  I fired 120 rounds in my Les Baer P-II today without a hiccup.  The exception is my Springfield Armory 1911.  The Nelson conversions are not reliable on Springfield Amory frames.  The owners manual mentions this, and there is a fix.  But I just use a different gun, usually the LB.

I have a Nelson on my Springfield range officer Target an had no trouble with it, run just like a clock. It has my vote.

anyone know if a nelson will work on a sig scorpion frame?

Mr. Nelson is very good about communicating with people about his products.  Use the "Contact Us" button on his web page:  https://www.nelsoncustomguns.com/

I have a Nelson on a dedicated lower, with several barrels set up for irons and a red dot.  Like all Nelsons,it has an aluminum slide which is supposed to lock back when empty.

I have a Marvel.  It is the version that has a steel slide, and locks back, and I have barrels set up for irons and red dots.  I have it on the 1917 Colt frame my father carried during WWII.  

I have several thousand rounds through both of these pistols.  I believe that I shoot the Nelson a little better, but it has a lighter trigger pull.  I strongly prefer a steel slide in a pistol that I will shoot a lot, to reduce cracking, and it is only available for more money in the Marvel.  The Marvel has both metal and plastic magazines available, the Nelson only having plastic.  Marvel tests their barrels, and you can buy one that shot better for some more money.  With the Nelson, you can specify a match chamber, or one that will be more forgiving regarding ammo.  All the Nelson units lock back when empty, but you have to pay more for that with the Marvel.  The Nelson is safe to dry fire, but I don't trust that, and Marvel says it is only dry fire safe if you use a pad, and I don't trust that either.  

For awhile I was lubing them with grease.  I switched to oil and I believe they both work more smoothly with that, and less cycling problems, especially when I use a lot.  I use mostly CCI SV ammo.  Functioning with both is still not 100%, but it is close now.  With the Marvel I did experiment with a higher magazine release, but I am back with the stock magazine release.

ric1911a1 wrote:In my opinion, which, admittedly, is worth what you paid for it, Nelson makes the best conversion out there. I have a couple of them, and would not hesitate to buy another............

Ric

I have several thousand rounds through my nelson conversion , using cci standard and am very happy with the product and the customer service,
I have it on a dedicated lower with an ultradot . 
JM

Nelson here, received mine 15 weeks after ordering, worth the wait. Had a problem with the magazines, called customer support Bob Nelson answered the phone, walked me through the fix conversation runs great. Very accurate.

Either is good, had them all even ones made by Bob Marvel and Joe Chambers. IMHO Nelsons are the best and you can expect them to run at least 50,000 rounds.  Nelson stands behind their product and I am sure the New Marvel owners do too. 

If you are shooting irons I liked the Marvel a little better. 

I think the Nelson was a little more reliable than the one of the Marvels I had.