By Dan Shea
While the Thompson kit is designed for the mass market, Jonathan has exhibited his playful side in another caliber conversion kit. The truth be told, there are very few of the Beretta 93R machine pistols in the United States. Estimates run in the 35-50 range. Not a very large market for a manufacturer to target. Yet, Jonathan could hardly contain his excitement when he showed me this first kit to convert the famous three shot burst machine pistol to 22 long rifle. After firing it, I could see why. If an agency has the Beretta 93R in use, they might want to consider the Ciener 93R 22LR subcaliber kit. For most of the rest of the U.S. owners, this is another nice way to enjoy shooting their Beretta. Potential buyers should be aware that this subcaliber kit is only guaranteed for use with factory original Beretta 93R machine pistols. There have been a lot of registered conversions done to Beretta 92 series pistols using the trip in the selector method, and this does not utilize the same activation system as the 93R, so these kits will not work in them. The Ciener kit replaces the entire slide/ barrel/ recoil system as a drop on unit.
Note that the barrel has two grooves at the muzzle end. These are for suppressor use, and specifically for the Knight designed "Hush-Puppy" suppressor with its drop lock two vertical bars. I have heard the Ciener kit in combination with the Knight's unit, and it is very, very quiet, and a lot of fun to shoot. The price on the small run of these that Ciener is making is $1500 per unit. For a custom piece as reliable and well made as Ciener's Beretta 93R 22LR subcaliber unit, this is very fair. If you have a gun, you need a 22 kit. The same caveat applies to this as to the Thompson kit- you have to use ammunition that is approved. In our tests, there were no failures. We fired over 200 rounds, and that is a pretty good indication of reliability. We used a PACT timer and the tested rate of fire with Remington High Velocity 40gr round nose ammunition. Rate of fire was XXX rpm. The kit we were supplied with was Jonathan's only finished kit, so it should be considered that we tested a proto-type and then returned it to the manufacturer. I ordered one, but Jonathan laughed and said I had ordered one 18 months ago when he first showed it at the Creek. Damnable old age setting in. For those interested, Jonathan is taking names for his list of buyers, but not processing orders at this time. I am certain the gentle readers of SAR will remember if they order one. Jonathan certainly will.
The host gun in this picture has been blanked in a previous life and was John Travolta's in "Broken Arrow", as well as appearing in "Face Off" and many other movies and TV shows. It was brought back to live 9mm for training and demonstration use, and now, with the Ciener 22 caliber subcaliber kit, it is an even more versatile shooter.
Johnathan Arthur Ciener
8700 Commerce St
Cape Canaveral, FL 32920
Tel:321-868-2200
Fax:321-868-2201
Website:www.22lrconversions.com
This article first appeared in Small Arms Review V8N11 (August 2005) |
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