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CWA conversion kit vs Nelson

4K views 14 replies 8 participants last post by  Don_P 
#1 ·
Does anyone have any experience or opinions about whether a CWA conversion kit or a Nelson would be better? Is the CWA reliable? Would anything else be a better conversion based on reliability first and accuracy second?
 
#2 ·
I have owned both the Nelson and the CWA.
The Nelson runs best with standard velocity ammo and can be very accurate. Once I figured out what ammo it ran best on it was very reliable. I used it for Bullseye competitions.
The CWA conversion runs best with high velocity rounds. I run Eley Force in mine and it's extremely reliable and very accurate. If I have an issue with one of mine (I have 2) it's because it needs to be cleaned.
For me the CWA is almost as accurate as the Nelson and a bit more reliable. It's also easier to install on my Colt 1911 but that has more to do with needing a tool to install the Nelson.
I don't own the Nelson anymore, for whatever thats worth.

Air gun Trigger Gun barrel Gun accessory Metal
 
#3 ·
I like the look of the CWA unit!
But I have no experience with one. I do have a Nelson conversion and it has been 100% for me. No problems at all. And until reading kidneyboy’s report above, I haven’t heard of any problems with the Nelson units. Well, I guess some have had problems selecting the correct speed ammo for a given recoil spring. But there are several springs available for the Nelson, depending on which ammo you want or need to use. Mine is three years old and I have used it to win several rimfire matches. No issues whatsoever.
 
#6 ·
The CWA unit is not cheap and in the same price range as the Marvel Unit#1 and the Nelson. I would be interested in seeing or hearing about how accurate the CWA unit is in comparison to the Marvel and Nelson. Also, how it attaches to the donor frame.
 
#8 ·
I just put together a CWA conversion on a STI 2011 frame using his single stack grip. It works very well. The CWA single stack grip just dropped onto the 2011 frame, no fitting required and fits perfectly. It uses 2011 triggers and sear springs so I was able to just swap the 2011 parts directly into the new grip. The conversion has run perfectly on high velocity ammo from day one.





It will be replacing my Marvel Unit 1 and it's $100 each magazines for Steel Challenge.



Nolan
 
#10 ·
CWA seems to be out of stock on most options. Nelson's page doesn't seem to be working. Could the gun buying craze be to blame for CWA lack of stock?

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I doubt it, most likely it is because Chet makes good stuff and is a small shop so stock comes and goes in small batches. If it's out of stock this week, it will probably be back in stock next week or so. Call or email and he may be able to build what you want ahead of his normal build schedule.

Nolan
 
#13 ·
The Marvel Unit 1 is very accurate, the problem with it has been reliability. Long story short, when I first got it, I mounted it to a 1911 and reliability was so bad, I gave the entire pistol to my brother because he wouldn't be shooting competition with it, just plinking. After about 3 months, he couldn't stand it anymore and gave it back to me. After many, many issues, much money and machining, it is still only about 98% reliable and only with the Tactical Solutions billet aluminum magazines which are right at $100 each.

The CWA conversion has been 100% reliable so far through about 1000 rounds. Plus the magazines are cheap, easy to get and are sometimes on sale for about $16 AND I can use the McFadden Lightin' loader to load them. I have only shot the CWA offhand for accuracy and it has been much better than is required for Steel Challenge. With an 8 MOA C-More RTS2 red dot sight, I'm getting 1.5"-2" at 25 yards.

Nolan
 
#14 ·
Sorry to hear about your Marvel. My experiance with Marvel products is the exact opposite but every manufacturer puts out lemons from time to time. The CWA Conversion Unit is interesting. I'd still be interested in hearing (or seeing) more about it's accuracy potential when compared to a Nelson or Marvel Unit#1 if anyone else has one.
 
#15 ·
I have many of Chets 1911 parts in my Sig 1911-22. All are quality parts and dramatically improved the performance and reliability of the pistol, no doubt his conversions would be well made and top notch also. That said, none of my rimfire pistols come close to my Nelson as far as accuracy, performance and reliability, not even my Marvel, which has proven to be near faultless.
 
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