Here's a brief review of the GSG-5, after about a week hands-on with the rifle. In a few months when we've flogged it with tens of thousands of rounds, I'll write a follow-up to this article giving our long-term impressions and conclusions about the GSG-5, and a bunch more SBR/suppressor options. Enjoy!

The GSG-5 is essentially an MP5 implemented in .22LR.

I don't review a lot of.22LR guns. Ok, I'll be honest- I don't shoot .22 that much nowadays and this is the first .22 I've done a review for. There's nothing wrong with the .22, and I spent a lot of time growing up shooting soda cans, rocks, and old skateboard wheels with a 10/22. These days, I shoot a lot of "practical" matches and do some tactical training, so the .22's have been off my radar. However, in the last six months, as a result of the skyrocketing ammunition prices, I've been asked by a couple shooters if we had a .22 class in our local 3-Gun matches. Furthermore, for basic marksmanship and weapons-handling practice, a .22 can be a very affordable alternative to the centerfire weapons we would prefer to shoot.

I stepped into our local Cop Shop and Black Rifle Emporium, aka, Jensen Arms and its owner Bob Jensen handed me something that looked like an HK MP5, but had .22LR stamped on it. "The GSG-5," he said, "this is the only one not locked in the importer's office right now. You should review it." I know better than to refuse a chance to play with a new and neat-looking gun, so here we are.

Bob gave me the number for Amchar's President and CEO Tony DiChario, so I gave him a call. Amchar is one of the largest gun wholesalers in the country, and a primary (but not sole) distributor of the GSG-5 in the US. The GSG-5 is actually imported by American Tactical Imports, a related company, of which Tony is also the CEO.

The GSG-5 is manufactured by German Sport Guns. According to Tony, GSG employs a bunch of folks who used to work at HK, who have a passion for designing .22LR versions of the world's best weapons. Ever since the British SAS stormed the Iranian Embassy in 1980, the MP5 has been one of the most well-known tactical weapons. With very few "MP5-like" guns available in the U.S., it was a natural choice with a big latent demand. Tony also told me that GSG was responsible for the design of the SIG Moqsuito. Besides rimfire, GSG also builds airsoft versions of popular weapons.

The GSG-5 was designed from scratch to be a very close replica to the MP5. The controls are identical. The appearance is very close, and unless you have a real MP5 right there to compare against, you'd be hard pressed to find the differences.

The construction of the GSG-5 is not identical to the MP5. The GSG-5 comprises two aluminum upper receiver halves which are joined together with a series of screws. The bolt assembly is captured inside the upper. The lower receiver is molded plastic and contains the trigger group, which is not interchangeable with MP5 trigger groups. The stock, lower receiver, and fore-end are held on with three large pins which screw together much like the rotation joint on an FN-FAL. I tried to take the bolt out and remove the lower receiver to look at the trigger housing and bolt group, but I wasn't able to do so trying the obvious things. I didn't want to unscrew the upper receiver halves, nor end up with a pile of springs and parts I couldn't easily get back together without a manual.

To save on weight, the barrel diameter is pretty thin. It is not exactly free-floated, however, it only contacts the rest of the gun near what I'll call the trunion, where the forward extent of the aluminum upper receiver is joined by three screws, and just under the front sight base. Since the barrel length must be 16 inches to avoid being classified as a Short Barreled Rifle and require a $200 tax stamp, the GSG-5 is shipped in the U.S. with a "fake" or dummy suppressor, just for looks. Standard-capacity GSG-5 magazines hold 22 rounds of .22LR and the follower can be retracted to make loading easier. The GSG-5 operates by direct blowback; the bolt is not locked in battery. The bolt locks back on an empty magazine, and the GSG-5 has a magazine disconnect safety.

While it's not built as tough as a real MP5, the GSG-5 seems pretty solid in the hand. A .22LR rifle built for plinking and sport shooting doesn't need to be battle-tough, and I don't think that should be held against the GSG-5. While most MP5 parts will not interchange, some fore-ends may interchange. The HK MP5 claw mount will work on the GSG-5, and will be the preferred method for mounting optics, such as a 1x red dot or magnified scope, on the GSG-5.

The trigger on the GSG-5 is very similar to an MP5 trigger-- in other words, long and somewhat heavy. The rear sight is a rotating disk like on HK rifles. Along with the wide front post, this sight setup isn't great for precision.

How does it run? I took the GSG-5 out to a range day with some of my associates (aka competition shooting buddies); we all have some time on real MP5's. The conclusion was that it ran pretty much like the real deal, down to the "HK smack" to drop the bolt. In the first 150 rounds, we had several malfunctions. After adding some lube to the bolt group, the gun ran without problems. The fun factor is high, although the sights are pretty blocky for hitting small targets. This would be a fun rifle for rimfire speed games on steel, or even a ".22" 3-Gun division (which I don't think has been done yet, though I've gotten a few requests).

We only found a few potential problems with the GSG-5. The first was that several screws came loose, specifically: (1) the screw that holds the magazine follower together (side to side); and (2) the rear sight screw. The former comprises a very small nut and bolt, and either would be extremely easy to lose. The one on the demo gun fell into the snow and I was very lucky to be able to find the approx 0.10"-wide nut. I would recommend going over the GSG-5, make sure everything is tight, and then use removable loctite to secure the fasteners. The other small issue was that the cocking tube was peening slightly on the outside surface of the notch which locks the bolt back.

We also noticed that if we placed our weak-hand on the magazine instead of the fore-end, it would induce malfunctions. Towards the end of our testing, with the rifle well lubed, the only malfunctions we had were directly attributable to touching or putting pressure on the magazine. While it's a natural thing for AR-15 and MP-5 shooters to do-- just don't!

I've been told by the importer that the problem with peening of the cocking tube notch and the magazine nut and bolt coming loose have been corrected by the factory for subsequent rifles. This kind of responsiveness and attention to feedback bodes well for the GSG-5 and future firearms produced by German Sport Guns.

Accuracy testing was done at 25 yards using the smallest rear aperture. My shooting partner Ray Sanchez shot a series ten-shot groups with different ammunition including Super-X, 32gr Stinger, Winchester Power-Point, American Eagle, solids, and CCI Stinger. The accuracy was pretty consistent, with most groups right around 1.10 inches, or 4.3 MOA at that distance. Based on these results, the CCI Stinger showed the best accuracy. We felt that the sights were the main impediment to improved accuracy.

The GSG-5 would be a lot more handy with 8-inch barrel, but we're stuck with a 16-inch limit due to the National Firearms Act. The GSG-5 is going to be a popular platform for running a suppressor and converting to an Short Barreled Rifle (SBR). With a $200 tax stamp and a Form 1, residents of most states can cut the GSG-5 barrel down to just past the front sight base and then screw on their real .22LR suppressor for a compact and proper suppressor setup. For those that don't want to SBR the rifle, a regular muzzle suppressor can be used.

Gemtech already has two silencer setups for the GSG-5. The first is an adapter for an SBR'd GSG-5, which allows any 1/2-28 threaded suppressor to fit on the rifle. When the SBR conversion is done, the barrel is not threaded; it is simply shortened and the adapter squares to the face of the barrel. In addition, a Gemtech 3-lug adapter will screw onto the 1/2-28 threads, which will give an appearance virtually identical to an MP5 with its 3-lug mount. A 3-lug suppressor such as the Raptor may be used, although its 9 mm silencer bore will be a little louder on the .22. These SBR plus silencer combinations will require two tax stamps ($400 total).

The second Gemtech offering is a suppressor permanently mounted to a shortened barrel, to keep the overall length at 16 inches. This combination will only require one tax stamp, but Gemtech will do the conversion. The baffle core is permanently attached to the shortened barrel. Externally, this will look very much like the classic Raptor 3-lug quick-disconnect suppressor, although it will not detach. Gemtech is also planning to sell GSG-5 rifles with the modification already done, for simplicity.

Is the GSG-5 anything other than a plinker? For shooters who need to use an MP5 "for work", the GSG-5 may be a viable training platform since the controls are identical. In addition, a suppressed GSG-5 may have some law-enforcement applications.

According to Tony at Amchar, the first shipment to the U.S. will contain 1320 rifles and should be heading out to dealers around the country and the end of February 2008. GSG's production plans for 2008 include 10,000 GSG-5s.

At a suggested retail price of $499, I think the GSG-5 is going to be a big success in the US. It looks cool and runs well. It's a fun little gun!

---

The fake suppressor fits over the 16-inch barrel and screws directly into the fore-end.

The plastic butt-stock slides off the receiver when the pin is removed.

While most MP5 parts are not interchangeable, most fore-ends should fit.

The HK-style sights aren't great for precise or target shooting; an HK claw-mount will be the way to go to mount optics on the GSG-5.

The GSG-5 has controls identical to the MP5, even the "HK smack" works, although is exacerbates cocking tube peening.

Gemtech's integral suppressor is permanently mounted to the GSG-5 and keeps the over-all barrel length at 16. Photo courtesy Gemtech.

Besides being lighter and having less recoil, the GSG-5 runs pretty much like an MP5.

 

 

 

 

© Copyright 2006-2008 demigod LLC, All Rights Reserved
DEMIGODLLC@gmail.com