Hello and welcome back to another edition of The Rimfire Report! This ongoing series is all about the rimfire firearm world and its many different types of guns, gear, and shooting sports! Last week we took a look at Springfield’s new 2020 Rimfire rifles which are not only compatible with 10/22 pattern magazines but also come in a wide variety of options running from the budget-friendly target models to the more refined AAA Grade Turkish Walnut Classic editions. More match ammunition is on the way so we can do some more serious testing with those rifles to see if they can be honed in a bit in the accuracy department (we’ll also be using more suitable optics for making tight groups). Speaking of match-grade ammunition, it seems that just about every firearm I’ve had the opportunity to review in recent memory has either needed or would have benefitted from match-grade rimfire ammo – and that rings true for our subject this week: the Vudoo Gun works Möbius 1911-22 Conversion. Vudoo’s own offering to the competition and target grade 22LR pistol is an amalgamation of Vudoo Gun Works’ Möbius 1911 pistol and their 22LR conversion assembly that claims to be capable of producing a sub 1″ group at 50 yards with match-grade ammunition. I don’t have match-grade pistol ammunition just yet, but today we’re going to test out the Möbius 22LR pistol with some other common ammo we do have to get some initial impressions on it.

More Rimfire Report @ TFB:

• The Rimfire Report: A First Look At Springfield’s New 2020 Rimfire Rifles
• The Rimfire Report: The PT22 – Taurus’ 22LR Pocket Rocket
• The Rimfire Report: Bergara’s Full-Size Rimfire Trainer – The B14R

The Rimfire Report: The Möbius 22LR 1911 Conversion from Vudoo Gun Works

Specifications and Features

The Möbius 1911-22 Target pistol is nothing like any other 1911-22 style pistol I’ve reviewed in the past. Other offerings in this specific category are often cheaply made, terribly put together, and have dubious performance at the range both in terms of reliability and accuracy. The Möbius 1911-22, like I said earlier, is actually a conversion that just also happens to be sold as a complete pistol – for a whopping $2,295. However, the 22LR Conversion (which is actually a collaboration project with Marvel Precision and their Unit 1 design) can be purchased separately and mated to either a 9mm or 45ACP frame. The conversion only will set you back around $650 just by itself.

Staying true to our rimfire roots, the target .22lr is of the highest standard. This pistol will shoot Sub 1 inch at 50 yards with match ammo, or it doesn’t ship. The target .22lr has BoMar style adjustable sights, slide mounted optic ready pic rail, and ships with two magazines. The .22lr slide assembly with mag will also be available as a conversion kit to the standard Mobius 1911

• BoMar style Adjustable Sights
• Vudoo G10 Dirty Olive Grips
• Stainless Frame, Anodized Aluminum Slide
• Two Glass Filled Nylon (GFN) Magazines
• Available in .22lr

Depending on if your frame is 9mm or 45 ACP, there is a minor installation difference for the conversion kit which comes with all of the extra springs and parts already needed for the conversion. However, I didn’t receive a conversion kit, I received a complete 1911-22 which comes with all the above-listed features and accessories and is configured to the specifications below:

SPECIFICATIONS

• Action: Semi Auto Classic 1911
• Caliber: .22lr
• Barrel: Stainless
• Trigger: Custom Stainless
• Sights BoMar style Adjustable
• Magazine: 2 Polymer 10 rnd Magazines
• Finish: Black, Two Tone
• Grips: VZ Rosewood, VZ Dirty Olive, VZ Black Slants, VZ Hyena

We intend to make your experience dealing with us here at Vudoo Gun Works as pleasant as possible. All you have to do is choose your grip and sight option and that’s it. Your new custom Vudoo Target .22lr 1911 comes with everything you need to be range ready including 2 magazines and a carrying case to get it shipped safely to you.

The Möbius 1911-22 comes in a nice padded case with pre-cut foam. If I were keeping this pistol for myself, I’d probably cut additional foam around the top to accommodate the SRO I’ve mounted to it for this review. Two magazines are more than is included with the same conversion kit when purchased from Marvel Precision, but spare magazines are fairly affordable at between $20 and $30 depending on if you want the lockback feature or not.

Range Performance

While I waited on getting match-grade ammunition for the pistol (specifically the more affordable CCI Target Match Pistol), I wanted to first test out the Möbius with some garden variety Aguila 40-grain Super Extra as well as the much loved and venerated CCI 40-grain Mini-Mag, my absolute favorite for Rimfire Steel Challenge matches.

Reliability

A target competition pistol not only needs to be accurate but also reliable. Nothing is worse than a malfunctioning pistol at a match which could not only cost you precious seconds but also takes your attention off of shooting accurately and instead forces you to deal with a malfunction. Unfortunately, the Möbius 1911-22 doesn’t perform very well with cheaper ammunition – bulk ammo will basically not work in this gun except on very rare occasions where you can get a full magazine to run without a hiccup. Cheaper 22LR ammunition is not made to the same standards as higher quality ammo like Mini-Mags so this is to be expected with a pistol that seems to have much tighter tolerances than your average 22LR plinker.

CCI Mini-Mags fared the best out of the bunch and I don’t recall a single hiccup with that specific ammunition throughout the 3 or 4 sleeves of it I ran through the pistol alongside Standard Velocity, Federal Automatch, and Aguila Super Extra. When malfunctions did happen it was a bit of a pain in the ass to clear them because of the top-fixed Picatinny rail. There are forward slide serrations that you could also use to clear malfunctions but I found that this method was equally as awkward. In terms of competition, this would be a huge time killer as other target pistols like the Ruger MK series feature dedicated charging handles that make it quick and easy to cycle out a dud round.

So to wrap reliability up in a bow, the pistol is quite reliable – with the right ammunition. For speed target shooting this might be fine as you’re combining both the speed that this pistol offers you with the accuracy that the Möbius 1911-22 brings to the table with its stainless steel match barrel. For Steel Challenge you’re not really using match-grade pistol ammo and your accuracy is much less important in comparison. However, I think if you were using quality ammo, this still might be a good option due to its phenomenal trigger and fast cycling speed.

Accuracy

I haven’t been able to take the Möbius 1911-22 out to 50 yards with match-grade ammunition yet. I’m also not certain if I’m even capable of producing a 1″ group at 50 yards with laser beams if that’s what the Möbius shot. I did however manage to pull off some pretty small gropus at 10 yards using just an SRO while shooting from a standing position. The only way I think I’d be able to honestly test the “sub 1″ group @ 50 yards” claim is by using a Ransom Rest, which I do not have.

The best group was achieved using CCI 40-grain Mini Mags. After I saw just how small of a group I could produce, I had a grand old time setting up spent shotgun hulls at the range on various tree stumps and blasting them away with the Möbius. I also had a good time letting my range partner Katie run the pistol to get her warmed up since she’s not a range junkie like I am, it helps to have a lighter recoiling handgun around to shake off the rust before you dive straight into centerfire stuff.

The overall weight of the pistol sits at about 38 ounces with the optic attached. This makes for an incredibly heavy yet stable platform to shoot from and the weight of the pistol only serves to minimize any felt recoil and allows for much more accurate and faster follow-up shots. Once again these are features that would be great on a steel challenge gun just as well as a target pistol. Obviously, once we get the match ammo in, we’ll do some much more intensive accuracy testing using some proper examples of target competition standards including a proper Steel Challenge Match where I’ll put both pistols head to head.

Closing Thoughts

I’m going to spend a lot more time after I get back from Finnish Brutality with the Möbius 1911-22. I really want to do a head-to-head comparison with my current Steel Challenge favorite – the Kraken MK IV Lite. While I think the MK IV has an edge in dealing with malfunctions, the sheer weight, and quality of the trigger and action of the Möbius might make it a worthwhile contender for a choice as a competition pistol – that is if you can afford it.

If I had to make a value estimation based on what I’ve seen so far, I think the Möbius 1911-22 from Vudoo is probably going to be off the table for most people simply because $2300 is a lot of money to spend on a competition pistol unless you’re really into the sport or you just have an affinity for fancy 1911 pistols. The conversion kit option might be a great pick for those who already have a 9mm or 45 ACP 1911 and just want to have a nicer conversion kit that can serve as a highly accurate target pistol or a high-speed low-drag Steel Challenge pistol if used with very reliable ammo.

Of course, I’d always like to hear what you think. If you guys have any experience with the Möbius 1911-22 pistol or similar platforms, please let us know down in the comments. As always thank you for stopping by to read The Rimfire Report and we’ll see you all next week!