The GSG 16 modification thread
- Thread starter Danfizz
- Start date
Has anyone figured out the proper height that the rear sight has to be to obtain a zero at 25 with the metal cocking tube installed? I’m trying to figure out how the receiver was modified to get the zero.
Any pics?
Any pics?
Cannot use a Red Dot with my GSG16!
Eyes are not what they used to be, so bought a 70.00 compact scope off Amazon, complete with battery, rings, allen key, lens covers! Just clears the rear site LOVE IT!!
Bought the last one for my Ruger 10/22, and the illuminated reticle is very cool as well and the adjustments don't need a screwdriver. Pretty clear for a cheap scope, not too big what do you think?
Eyes are not what they used to be, so bought a 70.00 compact scope off Amazon, complete with battery, rings, allen key, lens covers! Just clears the rear site LOVE IT!!
Bought the last one for my Ruger 10/22, and the illuminated reticle is very cool as well and the adjustments don't need a screwdriver. Pretty clear for a cheap scope, not too big what do you think?
- Location
- Nova Scotia
Using a DTB rail delete, tallest GSG front sight post, and a ICS Mp5 airsoft rear sight. I have been only able to get it within 3" of zero ( still shooting high ) I'm able to remove the drum separate from the base with the ICS rear sight. So I was able to file it down, making the drum sit lower, but then I had issues with the male threaded part, obstructing the peep. So I had to file that down. I also played with enlarging the peep. So I gotta get out again. But now I'm running into issues with the front of the drum, in the peep vision.
But I think short of adding to the front sight. All I can do with the rear sight.
Being a shiny new GSG-16 owner, as well as an inveterate tinkerer, I've made a few changes to mine since buying it slightly used from a fellow Vancouver forum member yesterday morning.
One of the last things I modified was the release paddle for the collapsing stock. Being up top didn't make sense. Dismantling it was simple enough, just two small T10 screws for the plastic plate which keeps it from pulling all the way out, then a large Phillips to release the mechanism. There's a tough spring with bent ends inside which catches on a little bump in the plastic on the outside of the back, but as it's on one side it made sense that a similar bump needed to be put on the opposite side to catch the spring with the same tension if the paddle were to move to the bottom. So as the plastic is fairly thick there I drilled and tapped for a 10-32 grub screw and installed one with a bit of crazy glue so it wouldn't come loose. Next up was modifying the paddle itself, as well as rounding the rather square-ish corners on the bottom side of the receiver. The upper edges were moulded rounded for this reason. I didn't go as far, but compromised by rounding slightly, then using a carbine burr and carving away a bit at a time from the inner curve of the paddle until it just scraped by without resistance. Assembly was straightforward; just the opposite spring contact point on the new grub screw, pre-tensioning it and holding it in place while assembling the large screw with thin washer and plastic plate on the inside, then adding in the retention plate and two little screws. Now the paddle operates with my index finger while holding on top of the stock, which feels more natural.
But the first thing I noticed which would drive me crazy if not changed was the slight wobble of the optic rail. How would one hold zero with a dot sight or scope? So after some fretting about it I decided the most sensible approach was fast and dirty. With the shell taken apart I heated the whole area to comfortably warm with a hot air gun, inside and out, rail included, then filled up the rail with hot glue. After letting it cool for a half minute or a bit longer but while still very squishy I pressed the second half into place and squeezed the upper shell together with a few clamps, then set it down upside-down to cool fully. With the pre-warming (not hot enough to damage the plastic, more like left on a window sill in the hot sun) the hot glue bonded well and had time to settle evenly before starting to cool. Prying it apart was a bit fussy but the slightly cooled hot glue at time of clamping didn't stick well to the second half (the side with the ejection port). An Xacto knife and a bit of rubbing with a rag got squeeze-out cleaned away until the two brass retention nuts for the rail bolts were clean and the halves joined neatly again. A bit more cleaning on the far side, as glue had formed a little bead on the outside of the rail. Now it feels rock solid, like part of the shell itself. No wobbling of optics. I'm using a Holosun gold dot 2MOA sight for now.
Added a soft buffer to the upper tube so the pot metal bolt release stem doesn't hit the front of the slot. A trimmed old vinyl tool coating provides a bit of cushion for a rubber plug I bonded inside the end of the steel tube. Not whacking hard now.
Got rid of the two side rails and carved down the bumps, sanding and polishing smooth. More comfy grip that way.
I had a problem with the bolt hold open not working. On initial dismantling I failed to note the tiny spring, and still don't know where it flew off to. So I put in a spring I had in my collection and it didn't work. Turned out a slightly weaker one allowed the feature to work well. So it's just a really weak little spring that fits the groove. A dab of grease can keep it in there during maintenance so it's not so easy to lose again.
Last edited:
Nathaniel.troy1
New member
- Location
- New Brunswick
Anybody know where I could find a conversion kit?
What have people been doing for a faux suppresor to make it look like an MP5SD?
Also, any updates on short barrels? Since I assume DLASK isnt doing another run of 9"
What have people been doing for a faux suppresor to make it look like an MP5SD?
Also, any updates on short barrels? Since I assume DLASK isnt doing another run of 9"
An update to my adventures with the GSG-16:
- Received a pair of HK pins from pcwgr1 yesterday, and they swapped in for the 'Chicago screw' type bolts easily, a perfect fit and solid retention of the lower. These together with an Allen key make for much speedier/simpler takedown for basic cleaning of the bolt carrier and interior. I'm storing the Allen key along with a laminated range card (calculated from Chairgun for CCI SV) and a cleaning cloth in a 50-blade black plastic box from Olfa blades - something I have a few of for various parts storage. This durable rectangular box fits snug into the mag storage well in the stock, handy for not losing track of these things.
- Also bought a 3-mag pouch from pcwgr1 and that's extremely well made... though I was puzzled by the velcro inside the pouches, which tends to lock them shut after removing a mag. So I blasted a bit inside each one with a micro torch to round over the hook side of the velcro, eliminating this 'feature.' Also ran the three retention straps through the sewing machine a few passes to keep them in place, as the velcro retention wasn't very solid and the straps tended to come off in my hand on opening and pulling them free from the face with enough force to separate the velcro under the buckle. Now they're integrated with the pouch backer and work fine while remaining adjustable for tension.
CCI SV are my .22lr round of choice for most shooting, but the GSG-16 wasn't able to reliably cycle these. It cleared the brass every time, but the bolt often failed to retract far enough to push in the next round. I could understand this with CCI Quiet, the old 710fps stuff, which worked exactly the same - brass kicked out but I had to manually cycle the action to feed the next round. Same again for the newer CCI Semi-Auto Quiet. I have no expectation of cycling the old Quiets, but wanted the Semi-Auto and SV to run smoothly, and I don't intend to shoot anything 'hotter' out of this gun so not too worried about lightening the springs.
So I took the bolt carrier apart and measured the springs - the original pair are 7mm outside coil diameter with a 3.5mm coil rate and 0.7mm wire diameter, overall about 90mm long. I happen to have a few similar springs from other projects, and so was able to grab a slightly lighter gauge stainless steel spring 0.6mm wire diameter and 7mm OD. I didn't want to risk bottoming out with SV, just after lightening the initial compression weight, so I cut a pair from this spring 25mm longer than the stock springs for a total relaxed length of 115mm. This was based on fully compressing the stock springs on the guide rods and measuring their collapsed length, then compressing the lighter replacement spring onto the guide rods and measuring the same fully compressed length and cutting there. So identical bolt travel maximum is preserved, with increasing resistance as it approaches coil bind.
The result was perfect. Cycles CCI Semi-Auto Quiet 835fps perfectly, same for CCI SV 1070fps cartridges. I'd not put anything like Stingers through this setup as that would seem too likely to damage the springs. I'm not after raw power with this gun, just a fun plinker, especially for my kid, and who knows, maybe since it's such a gentle little shooter my wife will want to give it a try... well, a guy can dream. She tolerates this hobby so far but that's about it, though I did manage to get her shooting a little Webley Junior air pistol a few times while camping several years back.
The mushy trigger remains a bit bothersome. But looking at tutorials and related material on Youtube it seems the trigger group is complicated and fussy enough that it's probably better to leave it alone, too much risk of messing up a safety feature or just making it too light for comfortable new shooter use. And a person can get used to a mushy trigger.
- Received a pair of HK pins from pcwgr1 yesterday, and they swapped in for the 'Chicago screw' type bolts easily, a perfect fit and solid retention of the lower. These together with an Allen key make for much speedier/simpler takedown for basic cleaning of the bolt carrier and interior. I'm storing the Allen key along with a laminated range card (calculated from Chairgun for CCI SV) and a cleaning cloth in a 50-blade black plastic box from Olfa blades - something I have a few of for various parts storage. This durable rectangular box fits snug into the mag storage well in the stock, handy for not losing track of these things.
- Also bought a 3-mag pouch from pcwgr1 and that's extremely well made... though I was puzzled by the velcro inside the pouches, which tends to lock them shut after removing a mag. So I blasted a bit inside each one with a micro torch to round over the hook side of the velcro, eliminating this 'feature.' Also ran the three retention straps through the sewing machine a few passes to keep them in place, as the velcro retention wasn't very solid and the straps tended to come off in my hand on opening and pulling them free from the face with enough force to separate the velcro under the buckle. Now they're integrated with the pouch backer and work fine while remaining adjustable for tension.
CCI SV are my .22lr round of choice for most shooting, but the GSG-16 wasn't able to reliably cycle these. It cleared the brass every time, but the bolt often failed to retract far enough to push in the next round. I could understand this with CCI Quiet, the old 710fps stuff, which worked exactly the same - brass kicked out but I had to manually cycle the action to feed the next round. Same again for the newer CCI Semi-Auto Quiet. I have no expectation of cycling the old Quiets, but wanted the Semi-Auto and SV to run smoothly, and I don't intend to shoot anything 'hotter' out of this gun so not too worried about lightening the springs.
So I took the bolt carrier apart and measured the springs - the original pair are 7mm outside coil diameter with a 3.5mm coil rate and 0.7mm wire diameter, overall about 90mm long. I happen to have a few similar springs from other projects, and so was able to grab a slightly lighter gauge stainless steel spring 0.6mm wire diameter and 7mm OD. I didn't want to risk bottoming out with SV, just after lightening the initial compression weight, so I cut a pair from this spring 25mm longer than the stock springs for a total relaxed length of 115mm. This was based on fully compressing the stock springs on the guide rods and measuring their collapsed length, then compressing the lighter replacement spring onto the guide rods and measuring the same fully compressed length and cutting there. So identical bolt travel maximum is preserved, with increasing resistance as it approaches coil bind.
The result was perfect. Cycles CCI Semi-Auto Quiet 835fps perfectly, same for CCI SV 1070fps cartridges. I'd not put anything like Stingers through this setup as that would seem too likely to damage the springs. I'm not after raw power with this gun, just a fun plinker, especially for my kid, and who knows, maybe since it's such a gentle little shooter my wife will want to give it a try... well, a guy can dream. She tolerates this hobby so far but that's about it, though I did manage to get her shooting a little Webley Junior air pistol a few times while camping several years back.
The mushy trigger remains a bit bothersome. But looking at tutorials and related material on Youtube it seems the trigger group is complicated and fussy enough that it's probably better to leave it alone, too much risk of messing up a safety feature or just making it too light for comfortable new shooter use. And a person can get used to a mushy trigger.
Sorry for the flood of posts on this, but hey, like I said, I'm a new GSG-16 owner. It'll settle down.
Today I made a sling loop for mine. Got a single point locking clip sling with bungie integrated coming from a nice guy in London Ontario thanks to that other site where one can buy gun stuff (which we're not allowed to name here for reasons I've never seen explained). I stared at the problem for a little while then decided the strongest way to attach was through the whole rear cap through which the sliding stock slides, just behind where the body of the gun ends. So I dug through scraps and found a piece of decent 5mm steel rod, measured out a section long enough to provide clearance swining around with a hook attached and chopped it, heated the ends and hammered them out. A bit of file and sandpaper work, some drilling and polishing, bit of Birchwood Casey Perma Blue then oil, and it was ready to install in a matching hole drilled straight through. I used a Chicago screw blued to match after trimming it for length a little and drilling/tapping the main body of it a bit deeper for the screw end. Drop of Loc-tite keeps the thread from coming loose. Should be plenty strong. The rifle will hang almost vertical under one arm with the sling across the opposite shoulder and neck.
Today I made a sling loop for mine. Got a single point locking clip sling with bungie integrated coming from a nice guy in London Ontario thanks to that other site where one can buy gun stuff (which we're not allowed to name here for reasons I've never seen explained). I stared at the problem for a little while then decided the strongest way to attach was through the whole rear cap through which the sliding stock slides, just behind where the body of the gun ends. So I dug through scraps and found a piece of decent 5mm steel rod, measured out a section long enough to provide clearance swining around with a hook attached and chopped it, heated the ends and hammered them out. A bit of file and sandpaper work, some drilling and polishing, bit of Birchwood Casey Perma Blue then oil, and it was ready to install in a matching hole drilled straight through. I used a Chicago screw blued to match after trimming it for length a little and drilling/tapping the main body of it a bit deeper for the screw end. Drop of Loc-tite keeps the thread from coming loose. Should be plenty strong. The rifle will hang almost vertical under one arm with the sling across the opposite shoulder and neck.
Does anyone have a spare charging handle? I broke mine today
Ah, so they do break. Thought so. Guess there's another hour or two I'll have to throw into this little gun, making a proper one with a steel rod core instead of whatever zinc/magnesium alloy the stock junk is cast from. Good luck finding a new one, but I'd recommend making one from scratch from better materials.
Messed about a bit and decided to just chop off a portion of the original paddle, finish the cut surface, drill it 1/4" x 11mm deep (I mix and match, you know, being of the generation who was in high school when metric came in), and fit a length of drill rod into it. Some steel filled JB Weld and pressure, bit of polishing down on the other end of the shaft to get it to fit the metric hole in the gun (6mm - so shaved from about 0.30mm tapering to 0.35mm at the tip for a snug fit). Cross-drilled and fitted a pop rivet aluminum shaft, trimmed and hammered flat into countersunk hole ends in the paddle. Then with the thing installed, struck a drill starting hole through the upper and bored that out to then tap for a M3 fine tap, matching the screw I'd previously installed in the original paddle shaft as the stock screw was a bit flimsy.
It's shorter than original which I like - it felt like the thing hung out too far on the side of the gun. Functions just the same, but now I won't have to worry about snapping it off in use. Looks a bit clunky, but so did the original, and doing it this way saves me having to carve something fancy out of steel and brazing it together... got a bit too many other little jobs needing attention for that.
Oh, and I swapped on a length of 1.375" aluminum tube in place of the hand guard. Since I'm hoping my son and wife might do some plinking with this, I was wondering how to make that forend smaller and a bit less hostile to the left hand. Ditching the bottom rail alone didn't seem quite enough. This tube wasn't too complicated. Slotted up top to slide over the plastic and with a bit of filing inside the gun to reduce the metal flange retaining the plastic to the barrel block and the plastic around it. Made a delrin spacer on my lathe to make a snug fit around the front elements of the gun's barrel retaining loop. Not exactly a classic MP5 look, but it feels more comfy on the hand and is very compact. Truck bed liner spray seemed the right sort of finish to put on it.
It's shorter than original which I like - it felt like the thing hung out too far on the side of the gun. Functions just the same, but now I won't have to worry about snapping it off in use. Looks a bit clunky, but so did the original, and doing it this way saves me having to carve something fancy out of steel and brazing it together... got a bit too many other little jobs needing attention for that.
Oh, and I swapped on a length of 1.375" aluminum tube in place of the hand guard. Since I'm hoping my son and wife might do some plinking with this, I was wondering how to make that forend smaller and a bit less hostile to the left hand. Ditching the bottom rail alone didn't seem quite enough. This tube wasn't too complicated. Slotted up top to slide over the plastic and with a bit of filing inside the gun to reduce the metal flange retaining the plastic to the barrel block and the plastic around it. Made a delrin spacer on my lathe to make a snug fit around the front elements of the gun's barrel retaining loop. Not exactly a classic MP5 look, but it feels more comfy on the hand and is very compact. Truck bed liner spray seemed the right sort of finish to put on it.
