Hello,

For those who have used a .22lr conversion on their P226, what was the lightest hammer/main spring weight you found was reliable with .22lr ammo?

I went to 18lbs for my P226, but am having reliability issues with MiniMag ammo.

I want to lighten the pull from the stock spring for use with 9mm. Thus, 'go back to stock weight' may be the best advice for ultimate reliability, but I am hoping there is a median. Maybe 19 or 20lbs?

Does anyone have any experience with this?

thank you

I have a P226R DA/SA .40 with the Sig .22 conversion. Initially had reliability problems (function, not ignition) with factory mainspring. Solved them with polishing and slight reshaping of the extractor hook and barrel cut.

After that, I've shot several thousand rounds through it and played with the mainspring (hammer spring) weights. Each P226 and conversion combo is slightly different. Therefore, the results here apply strictly to mine. It may be useful as a guide for others though. I only use CCI Mini-Mags.

1) Currently run an 18# spring. Have occasional failures to ignite (conversion only). About 10-15%. Since I like the centerfire with this spring, I tolerate the misfires.

2) Tested 19# spring for a while. Very few ignition failures, but not 100% reliable.

3) Tested standard factory spring. No misfires.

COMMENTS:

1) Misfires are nearly always in DA first shot mode. Most of the time it will ignite with a second DA stroke. Or, cock the hammer and use SA mode.

2) Reason for Item 1 appears to be the power imparted to the hammer. SA has a longer hammer travel than DA. Consequently, more misfires with DA since the hammer strike likely imparts less force.

Only way for you to find out for sure is to try a factory and a 19# mainspring. You'll likely get fewer failures. However, you will also have a heavier DA and SA pull. Basic physics. You'll have to determine the trade offs yourself. Most .22 conversions for centerfire pistols are finicky No way around that other than testing.