GSG...not sure I see what all the hype is about

IM_Lugger

IM_Lugger

CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Rating - 100%
216   0   0
Location
Hamilton
I got mine a couple of days ago and haven't shot it yet, but have to say I'm not sure I get why everyone is so hyped up over it. I sold my Norinco to get it which was a solid, reliable, accurate little gun, GSG is kinda cool, but has toy gun feel to it, in fact I'm having a hard time beliving its actually a firearm :eek:. Maybe for $425 I expected a little more... And whats the deal with the take down screw on the frame? is that really nessesary?

Hopefully shooting it will change my mind.

EDIT: on Page4
 
Last edited:
shot about 300rds out of mine and sold it because it felt like a BB gun...

IM_Lugger said:
I got mine a couple of days ago and haven't shot it yet, but have to say I'm not sure I get why everyone is so hyped up over it. I sold my Norinco to get it which was a solid, reliable, accurate little gun, GSG is kinda cool, but has toy gun feel to it, in fact I'm having a hard time beliving its actually a firearm :eek:. Maybe for $425 I expected a little more... And whats the deal with the take down screw on the frame? is that really nessesary?

Hopefully shooting it will change my mind.
Click to expand...
 
^^That's exactly what it reminds me of!

It's supposed to be a 1911 but there are enough differences to make a mere 1911 look alike.
 
I have a Browning Buckmark Camper .22LR and an old Colt 1911 .45 ACP and like shooting both of them. There is a huge difference in how I use them, I might shoot 10 - 20 rounds with the .45 and be lucky if I hit the target at 10 yards. With the .22 the round count goes up to 100 - 200 and I am getting groups at 25 yards.
I think any .22 handgun is going to seem a bit lame after shooting big center-fire guns but they don't cost much to run.
 
I was thinking about getting a center-fire handgun, but when I considered that I am only going to be shooting targets and maybe the occasional can, I couldn't justify the extra cost in ammo. I like to go out and go through 300 or 400 rounds and not even blink an eye about how much I just spent on ammo. Also, when I go to our indoor range, which is a lot more than I get out to the outdoor one, I can't fire any steel ammo, meaning that I would have to start reloading with lead just to be able to use the gun indoors. I would rather swing by Walmart, pick up a box of 500 rounds of 22 and head to the range. There is nothing wrong with a good solid .22 pistol. I have an older Arminius 8-shot revolver, and will be picking up a buckmark stainless camper at the end of the month. I can't wait!
 
I have never owned a .22 handgun so I just picked one up. It doesnt feel exactly like my Colt, thats for sure, but I do like the little gun. I like how it feels and shoots myself and would recommend one. As far as a dedicated .22 1911 I think its great, but there is no doubt there are better .22 handguns

Its like any thing else, try it and buy it (or not). Then you know what your getting
 
Skinny 1950 said:
I have a Browning Buckmark Camper .22LR and an old Colt 1911 .45 ACP and like shooting both of them. There is a huge difference in how I use them, I might shoot 10 - 20 rounds with the .45 and be lucky if I hit the target at 10 yards. With the .22 the round count goes up to 100 - 200 and I am getting groups at 25 yards.
I think any .22 handgun is going to seem a bit lame after shooting big center-fire guns but they don't cost much to run.
Click to expand...

I your having trouble hitting a target at 10yards with a colt 1911 I would have a gunsmith look at the sites or see an optometrist :p but seriously at that close range not hitting the target means there is something very wrong with either the gun or your shooting. I hope your not shooting indoors as not hitting the target from that range can damage roofs walls and floors by the time the bullet gets downrange at 50 yards or so.
 
There's a lot worse guns you can buy for a lot more money. For the price, you get a reliable, functional and might I say attractive 1911 style pistol. If you wanted to keep shooting 45acp, you shouldn't have bought a 22lr. No, it's not a full size 1911, it's slightly smaller, but not to the point I'd say it feels like a toy, to me anyways. I'll admit, I'd rather I didn't need tools to take it apart, but it's not that great of an impediment that I do. I'm unlikely to ever need to take it down now, to get it back in service to continue fighting off a horde of enemies. I love mine, if you don't love yours, shoot it for a bit, and if you still don't like it, then sell it, you'll likely recoup most of your money.

Don't expect an aluminum 22lr, to receate the feeling of a steel 45acp, that is an unrealistic expectation. If looked at as a little brother to the bigger gun, it more than holds it's own in the role.

I also don't believe it has been hyped beyond what it is, certainly most who buy them enjoy them, especially a lot of 1911 afficianado's. But most are fairly realistic, I do feel that the ruger MK series are likely better guns overall, but cost more, and don't look as stylish, even the 22/45 doesn't mimic 1911 function as well, IMHO. I own both, and love both equally.
 
I really like mine. It was cheaper than a conversion kit for a 1911. Granted the GSG 1911 feels 'toyish' but a conversion kit mounted on a full sized 1911 centrefire frame feels 'toyish' to me, too. Yes, there are other .22 pistols out there for around the same price or slightly more (Ruger 22/45, Beretta Neos, Browning Buckmark). The GSG compared to the other .22 pistols I own (Beretta 87T, Ruger MkII Government Competition and S&W 617): the GSG cost the least to own and is as reliable as any of them but I wouldn't go as far to say it is 'on par' with other three in terms of accuracy but this is not saying the GSG is a slouch in this department. It is accurate enough that the 'difference' wouldn't be noticed by the "average" shooter. Everyone is different but I think shooting it may change your mind about it...
 
GSG 1911 .22lr

I got mine last August. I admit at first I didn't immediately care for the "feel" as it is noticibly 'lighter' than a standard 1911A1 in .45ACP however that said I forged on and actually took it out & shot it.

Once I had the sights adjusted to the ammo I was using [mostly econo American Eagle 40 gr solid hi-vel] that is to say, with the highest front site that comes with it installed and the rear site adjusted for windage it shoots to the point of aim. Very accurate for what it is. I can chase golf balls around the back of the 25 yard range where I have shot it most. Inside 15 yards paper targets resemble ragged holes when the mags are empty.

I haven't "modified" mine beyond changing the too nicely checkered double diamond hardwood stocks for a set of soft Hogue grips panels and adjusting the sites to shoot to the point of aim. I have ~ 2K rounds thu mine without a hitch. Mostly, the econo American Eagle hi-vel but also Win Wildcat, Win Super X, Rem Thunderbolt, Federal Champion & some old Dominion hi-vel solids. It shoots like a champ. I have been very happy with mine.

And whats the deal with the take down screw on the frame? is that really nessesary?
Click to expand...

On the GSG barrel.... on the question posed as to why the extra screw holding the barrel.... On the GSG the barrel is fixed at the breech end, not like the swinging link set-up on a traditional 1911/1911A1 that is held to the frame with the slide stop, the GSG barrel is secured to the frame with the extra screw with the allen head in the area of the slide stop. You will notice the barrel bushing is not "fit" to the muzzle end of the barrel like a traditional 1911/1911A1 either. The barrel bushing on the GSG is more 'cosmetic' & serves more to hold the recoil spring plug and assembly into the slide, than contributing to it's accuracy, like a "fitted barrel & bushing" in a traditional 1911/1911A1.

In ~ 30 years of owing many, many different 1911's including a number of Colt .22 conversion units, of which I still own one, set up on a Springfield Armory GI 1911A1 frame, I will say I think the GSG 1911 .22lr is good value for the money. I also own the following other dedicated .22 lr pistols at this time:

Ruger MkII 5.5" bull barrel
Ruger 22/45 MkIII 4.5" slab side barrel
Beretta 71

At this point my GSG 1911 .22lr is my favourite.

DSCN0264.jpg


On a side note, I also discovered that the $30 GSG .22lr magazines work perfectly with my Colt .22 conversion unit.... :cool:

My .02

2007-10-27_091302_1aCoffee.gif

NAA.
 
I almost bought one a couple of months ago when I was in the market for a .22lr pistol that I could possible use for a .22lr Bullseye league, later down the road. I ended up getting a very nice used Ruger MK II Target model, and I am extrememly pleased that I did instead of the GSG because after hearing comments like, it feels like a BB gun or a Toy, which was my fear, and why I kept looking for a nice Ruger instead of a GSG. I am glad that I bought the Ruger because it has a excellent trigger, infact I have a feeling that the used one that I bought, had a trigger job because I have never felt a factory trigger this light, unless they used to come this way back in the day. Anyways, my ruger wieghs more than my CZ75, and it does'nt feel like a toy, and I would of been pissed if I spent $400 on a gun that felt like a toy.
 
blueflash said:
I almost bought one a couple of months ago when I was in the market for a .22lr pistol that I could possible use for a .22lr Bullseye league, later down the road. I ended up getting a very nice used Ruger MK II Target model, and I am extrememly pleased that I did instead of the GSG because after hearing comments like, it feels like a BB gun or a Toy, which was my fear, and why I kept looking for a nice Ruger instead of a GSG. I am glad that I bought the Ruger because it has a excellent trigger, infact I have a feeling that the used one that I bought, had a trigger job because I have never felt a factory trigger this light, unless they used to come this way back in the day. Anyways, my ruger wieghs more than my CZ75, and it does'nt feel like a toy, and I would of been pissed if I spent $400 on a gun that felt like a toy.
Click to expand...

I think that the "toy" feeling must be personal, because I don't think mine feels like that. Similar weight to my glock 21 I think; though I havent weighed them...
 
I use my GSG for warm-ups, before getting into 9mm, .40, and .45. 100 rounds or so. Comparable to a standard 1911 feel & trigger control, it lets me settle (front sight, no flinch, etc.) nicely into shooting guns that do have recoil to worry about. My kids whine about having to shoot the .22, but I force them to do it immediately if I see them flinching.

For me, the GSG serves its purpose perfectly.
 
So if a gun is light weight, it feels like a toy?

Maybe you should get the railed model, and then add something heavy to it.
 
redddogg69 said:
I your having trouble hitting a target at 10yards with a colt 1911 I would have a gunsmith look at the sites or see an optometrist :p but seriously at that close range not hitting the target means there is something very wrong with either the gun or your shooting. I hope your not shooting indoors as not hitting the target from that range can damage roofs walls and floors by the time the bullet gets downrange at 50 yards or so.
Click to expand...
Hitting walls or roof would be the lesser of two evils compared to shooting over or wide of the backstop on an outdoor range and hitting God
knows what (or who).

I sure hope that the guy was exaggerating because I can't even imagine how anyone could miss the target entirely at 10 yards.
 
I love mine - fun, cheap to shoot, looks good, and very reliable so far. Is it as exciting as shooting a 357 gas check with 2400 - no, but I certainly wouldn't expect that. Do I have just as much fun shooting it as I do the 357 - absolutely. Let's face it - these guns are for fun plinking - they are not the 45ACP or 357 monsters so don't expect it. I certainly would not compare it to a "toy".
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom