Well after wondering if one was better than the other I decided to buy both and though I would post a few thoughts for anybody else interested in one or the other.
GSG 1911 - General thoughts
I bought this one first (since been claimed by the wife and been pinked) First impressions were I was amazed how much fun the gun was. No recoil, cheap ammo, and ran and felt like a real handgun. Previous experience with .22 pistols has always been that they looked or felt like a toy, didn't run reliable, too expensive (kadet, ect)
Smith & Wesson M&P - general thoughts
I have wanted to buy this one since holding one at a gun show, Love the way that it fit my hand. I had a hard time finding one untill the last shipment that dealers just started getting. Magazines were non existent but then irunguns put them on sale for 436.00 and included a second mag free so I jumped on it. I was equally impressed with this one for the same reasons listed above and will get to the little things below. I am also slowly loosing this one to the wife but I slowed her down when she found out that her lime green grip wont fit but now shes asking if she could coat the slide
oh well what ever I have to do to keep her shooting.
Now my simple non scientific comparison
Trigger
I prefer the M&P the wife prefers the GSG neither are terrible and this will be all personal preference
Sights
We both prefer the three dot sights on the GSG but I didn't find the M&P that terrible to shoot good with and they are likely changeable if you wanted to
Feel
We both prefer the feel of the M&P but to be fair I have never felt a 1911 I liked and this will also be a very personal thing. Though most people pick up the M&P and the first things out of there mouth are oh man that feels good in the hand
Mags
Both hold 10 (obviously) both seem built well enough for what they are, you can get the GSG almost anywhere but Iam sure the M&P will show up shortly aswell. The M&P gets the nod because the button for loading is larger and it's easier on the fingers when loading hundreds of rounds in an afternoon. However I believe you can purchase a button that goes over the GSG nub.
Accuracy
For us the M&P is more accurate but I believe that has to do with the tight barrel to slide fit aswell as the fixed barrel. My hit percentage on metal silhouettes at 25 yards was alot better with the M&P. Now this doesn't mean the GSG is bad, I actually thought it was real good for a rimfire pistol untill I bought the M&P. As soon as Blueline gets the ZR tactical accessories in for the GSG I plan on getting the barrel bushing and tapered cone that screws onto the threaded barrel. That would bring the cost up close to the M&P and I predict will improve accuracy alot and may even be better than the M&P. End of the day both are more than accurate enough to go plinking at metal or paper.
Take down
GSG hands down, I can have the GSG apart and be cleaning before Iam done fighting with the takedown pin in the M&P. (it gets easier the more you do it) Both take down easy enough and it makes cleaning up after a long day of shooting quite easy. (not as bad as I made it out above Iam just sour after my first time was a fight that I lost a few rounds in )
Accessories
No comparison the GSG is a 1911 and most if not all 1911 parts fit. The possibility on upgrades are endless with there even being a few places that specialize in just the rimfire version. If you like to tinker and play this is the one for you. Other than the sites or maybe trigger part upgrades I cant think of anything you can or would want to change out on the M&P,
Failures
I have quite a few rounds through them using winchester 333's (have bajillions after Walmarts sale a few years ago) The GSG has had two stovepipe jams and maybe 20 or so rounds that didn't fire after being struck, But being fair to the gun those same rounds wouldn't have fired in a rifle and is part of dealing with rimfire ammo. The m&p has had only one round not fire but the GSG has probably three times the ammo through it. For the dozens and dozens of mags that have been emptied with zero malfunctions I can say that they are equally reliable and that was definitely the biggest surprise. Unless you have some real bad ammo I am sure you will experience the same.
9mm Versus .22
I bought my 9mm first because well I always wanted a 9mm and they are way better and cooler than a rimfire pistol. Well thats what I thought anyways. Now my 9mm sits in the safe and is lonely and may get put on the chopping block. Truth is I shoot for fun, Zombie targets, clay pigeons, cans, metal swingers, metal silhouettes, fruit, vegetables, water jugs, ect. Both .22 pistols shoot as accurately as the 9mm out to 25 yards, put the same hole in targets, clang the metal (without knocking them over to save me trips) and put the same smile on everybody's face that has fired them. My father has never owned a pistol in his life and after shooting the .22's he said that he would buy one in a heartbeat. After shooting the 9mm and .357 mag I have, he just went "yeah there nice" and I had to force him to keep shooting those. You can barely get the .22 out of his hand.
The Two biggest reasons I now prefer the .22 to the 9mm.
1- I bought both rimfire pistols for the price of my one 9mm
2- The cheapest factory 9mm I have ever bought was $250 for 1000 of American eagle. $250 Is a ton of Rimfire ammo and I like shooting...
The bottom line is I like guns and will always have a 9/40/45/357 just because I like them too, but if you are on a budget, have kids, a significant other that you want to introduce into shooting, or have been considering buying one but are on the fence. Go do it! and don't look back.
Now I have to go order another GSG and M&P cause I can't get any range time only having two between the wife and both family's.
GSG 1911 - General thoughts
I bought this one first (since been claimed by the wife and been pinked) First impressions were I was amazed how much fun the gun was. No recoil, cheap ammo, and ran and felt like a real handgun. Previous experience with .22 pistols has always been that they looked or felt like a toy, didn't run reliable, too expensive (kadet, ect)
Smith & Wesson M&P - general thoughts
I have wanted to buy this one since holding one at a gun show, Love the way that it fit my hand. I had a hard time finding one untill the last shipment that dealers just started getting. Magazines were non existent but then irunguns put them on sale for 436.00 and included a second mag free so I jumped on it. I was equally impressed with this one for the same reasons listed above and will get to the little things below. I am also slowly loosing this one to the wife but I slowed her down when she found out that her lime green grip wont fit but now shes asking if she could coat the slide
oh well what ever I have to do to keep her shooting.Now my simple non scientific comparison
Trigger
I prefer the M&P the wife prefers the GSG neither are terrible and this will be all personal preference
Sights
We both prefer the three dot sights on the GSG but I didn't find the M&P that terrible to shoot good with and they are likely changeable if you wanted to
Feel
We both prefer the feel of the M&P but to be fair I have never felt a 1911 I liked and this will also be a very personal thing. Though most people pick up the M&P and the first things out of there mouth are oh man that feels good in the hand
Mags
Both hold 10 (obviously) both seem built well enough for what they are, you can get the GSG almost anywhere but Iam sure the M&P will show up shortly aswell. The M&P gets the nod because the button for loading is larger and it's easier on the fingers when loading hundreds of rounds in an afternoon. However I believe you can purchase a button that goes over the GSG nub.
Accuracy
For us the M&P is more accurate but I believe that has to do with the tight barrel to slide fit aswell as the fixed barrel. My hit percentage on metal silhouettes at 25 yards was alot better with the M&P. Now this doesn't mean the GSG is bad, I actually thought it was real good for a rimfire pistol untill I bought the M&P. As soon as Blueline gets the ZR tactical accessories in for the GSG I plan on getting the barrel bushing and tapered cone that screws onto the threaded barrel. That would bring the cost up close to the M&P and I predict will improve accuracy alot and may even be better than the M&P. End of the day both are more than accurate enough to go plinking at metal or paper.
Take down
GSG hands down, I can have the GSG apart and be cleaning before Iam done fighting with the takedown pin in the M&P. (it gets easier the more you do it) Both take down easy enough and it makes cleaning up after a long day of shooting quite easy. (not as bad as I made it out above Iam just sour after my first time was a fight that I lost a few rounds in
)Accessories
No comparison the GSG is a 1911 and most if not all 1911 parts fit. The possibility on upgrades are endless with there even being a few places that specialize in just the rimfire version. If you like to tinker and play this is the one for you. Other than the sites or maybe trigger part upgrades I cant think of anything you can or would want to change out on the M&P,
Failures
I have quite a few rounds through them using winchester 333's (have bajillions after Walmarts sale a few years ago) The GSG has had two stovepipe jams and maybe 20 or so rounds that didn't fire after being struck, But being fair to the gun those same rounds wouldn't have fired in a rifle and is part of dealing with rimfire ammo. The m&p has had only one round not fire but the GSG has probably three times the ammo through it. For the dozens and dozens of mags that have been emptied with zero malfunctions I can say that they are equally reliable and that was definitely the biggest surprise. Unless you have some real bad ammo I am sure you will experience the same.
9mm Versus .22
I bought my 9mm first because well I always wanted a 9mm and they are way better and cooler than a rimfire pistol. Well thats what I thought anyways. Now my 9mm sits in the safe and is lonely and may get put on the chopping block. Truth is I shoot for fun, Zombie targets, clay pigeons, cans, metal swingers, metal silhouettes, fruit, vegetables, water jugs, ect. Both .22 pistols shoot as accurately as the 9mm out to 25 yards, put the same hole in targets, clang the metal (without knocking them over to save me trips) and put the same smile on everybody's face that has fired them. My father has never owned a pistol in his life and after shooting the .22's he said that he would buy one in a heartbeat. After shooting the 9mm and .357 mag I have, he just went "yeah there nice" and I had to force him to keep shooting those. You can barely get the .22 out of his hand.
The Two biggest reasons I now prefer the .22 to the 9mm.
1- I bought both rimfire pistols for the price of my one 9mm
2- The cheapest factory 9mm I have ever bought was $250 for 1000 of American eagle. $250 Is a ton of Rimfire ammo and I like shooting...
The bottom line is I like guns and will always have a 9/40/45/357 just because I like them too, but if you are on a budget, have kids, a significant other that you want to introduce into shooting, or have been considering buying one but are on the fence. Go do it! and don't look back.
Now I have to go order another GSG and M&P cause I can't get any range time only having two between the wife and both family's.
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