Kilibreaux

The GSG-522 is essentially the GSG-5 with cosmetic changes, however they are not merely benign and do require "correction". First, the rear sight has open top slots rather than round apertures...makes establishing vertical alignment impossible and eliminates the benefits of an aperture sight. Since both the -5 and -522 have non-adjustable rear drums replacement with an original like the one from rrages ($29) is mandated. Second, the -522 front sight has twin vertical wings which reside close to the center and make it more than easy to pick up one the wings when looking through the rear sight--under less than ideal lighting conditions. Again this is where and why the original front ring enclosure is superior because it spans a diameter larger than the width of the -522 wings making it highly unlikely to be picked up as the center post, but of course is also round which would instantly alert the user....however, with the front ring and rear aperture one simply cannot catch a misaligned sight picture. The top rail on the -522 is plastic and held on by two tiny screws driven into a plastic top insert. On the -5 this top insert is metal and intended to use the much stronger and reliable clamp mount systems. The -522 rail seems nifty until one mounts a sight or optic of any weight at which point the security of said sight/optic is at the mercy of two TINY screws...did I say tiny? I meant TINY! The selector lever on the -522 seems adequate at first...though not well situated for easy reach. The -5 selector is twice as wide and provides and easy purchase for the thumb or index finger depending on preference. Again, it may not seem to matter if one has never handled the original, but once one has, the preference will be self-evident. The cocking handle is actually cosmetic, however the shorter crescent shape of the -5 is authentic. www.hotgunparts.com carries the -522 to -5 conversion kit which includes everything but the rear sight drum. www. rrages.com carries the rear sight drum - original HK units, one $29, one $69 - your choice, but both are all-steel units with vertical adjustment as per the original design. One thing I discovered with the conversion is the replacement -5 cocking handle shroud is the finish is black paint whereas the one on the -522 appears grey parkerized and matches the rest of the receiver. However, the front ring is simply too much worth having to discard it for mismatched finish.

The GSG-5 has two quite strong recoil springs and requires a powerful opening thrust to fully cycle the bolt. Depending on the load you're using, lubrication, "newness" of springs, and how dirty the action is, it is possible to have such partial recoil issues you describe. I would venture the least powerful loading I would use would be the high-velocity loads--including bulk packaged, pushing 36-40 grain bullets around 1250 fps, and I have found these to be reliable in my GSG.

Since that post I decided to make my barrel adapter from 4130 steel rather than aluminum at 15.87mm end to end. My attachments have a matching thread to screw right on. The internal diameter is what I call "zero tolerance" in that it is a very snug fit around the barrel and thus holds it perfectly centered in the adapter.

If you know someone who knows how to really use a sewing machine you can get them to craft up some mag covers that velcro on and keep dirt from entering through the slot down the sides. The main reason externally lubricated bullets are not favored for combat/tactical use is because they require special handling versus the average centerfire, inside the case, jacketed bullet. A snug fitting fabric sleeve that covers the magazine slot when the mag is inserted is ideal for the .22LR.

I would start with an aluminum 1911 frame and build it out, then mount a .22LR conversion unit as this is the lightest configuration, yet still plenty "heavy" to handle a lifetime of shooting.

I have a Ciener Platinum Cup unit I purchased new about a decade ago. The unit has worked flawlessly from day one and really puts many "purpose built" .22LR pistols to shame.

Yes you can fit a stock--ANY stock to the pistol version. The legal issues surrounding doing so have nothing to do with whether the stock will physically fit...it will.

I thought it might be interesting to find out what users think are major weaknesses of the GSG-5. For my part, the only serious weakness is the barrel thickness at the chamber. For a mere plinker this is a non-issue, but for any weapon that might--could end up being used in a survival situation the tiny thickness of steel surrounding the chamber screams for modification. After examining how the barrel fits into the barrel trunion I plan to make a few custom barrels keeping the chamber area extra thick, fitted into suitably altered aluminum trunions. I've seen the $250 aftermarket barrels made to factory spec to fit in a factory trunion using $15 worth of material and for me that solves no problem because I think any replacement barrel should come fitted to its own trunion which would make it a simple drop-in part, AND address the issue of what I think is too little "meat" around the chamber...something that is NOT a weakness in a 10/22.

Well...here's the answer everyone has been waiting for: The "sear housing" spring tends to be relatively weak. This is the small spring located in the front portion of the trigger housing. At the same time the sear to hammer engagement is not optimized...by this I mean the hammer notch is bisected by a slot that leaves relatively small engagement surfaces on either side. To add to the potential problem, the hammer notch is not precision cut and angled, and thus has rounded edges rather than sharp which simply add more to the potential for partial sear engagement. The sear is also installed "as cast" without benefit of any truing of engagement surface, or honing to produce an engagement angle that cause the hammer notch and sear to pull into engagement with applied spring pressure. During the firing cycle the trigger is pulled and this retracts a safety arm from beneath the sear housing, thus allowing the housing to rotate downward. The hammer comes back and smacks the disconnector and this releases the sear housing to snap upward under sear housing spring force thus engaging the hammer notch. Due to the additive impact of all mentioned variables, some GSG's may work fine, others will exhibit multiple firing every so often due to partial sear engagement that is easily dislodged during the bolt's cycle. For me the cure was to add a second spring outside (around) the factory spring...basically I shortened a click pen spring to slightly longer than the space between sear housing and trigger housing opening and slide the two springs together, then inserted. I reshaped and honed the hammer notch and the sear for a more "positive", higher surface area engagement with an angle that causes the two surfaces to slide "into" engagement with even modest spring pressure. Took the modified GSG out and over 200 shots had zero multiple fires. Before the mod I would usually get a multiple every 20 shots on average with the frequency increasing as the GSG warmed up.

Finally, the GSG-522 to GSG-5 "conversion kit" can be purchased here: http://www.hotgunparts.com/servlet/the-76/GSG-dsh-5--fdsh--GSG-dsh-522-Conversion/Detail The kit replaces the cocking tube and even comes with the polymer PK cocking tube. Also replaces plastic top of receiver insert with one made of metal, metal front sight post, selection of cocking handles, original Navy style trigger housing with safety, and slimmer, original style mag release lever.

The GSG-5 mags will actually hold 24 rounds and feed just fine. However, adding another 6 rounds would indeed extend the mag body to a length that some might find less aesthetically pleasing. As for curvature, many .22 mags have little or no curvature as they are designed to "single-stack" but allow the rims to splay alternately thus reducing or when needed or desired, eliminating curve in the mag. For example, the stock mag in most .22 rimfire conversion units for 1911 style pistols hold 15 rounds yet are perfectly straight with the cartridges lined up along a straight line inside...the result of single-stacking the noses while letting the rims splay...and as for reliability my Ciener billet .22 mag has never once mis-fed a round. The GSG-5 mag uses the same principle in order to mirror the same curvature as it's MP-5 inspiration.

Before anyone thinks I'm putting down bulk pack....I'm not it's just my opinion that if one is laying in a supply of "serious" .22LR ammo it should be PLATED if at all possible. I also prefer round nose profile ammo over truncated cone. Plated ammo tends to feed more reliably...same reason we use jacket and/or plated bullets in autoloading centerfires. With that said if and when I find a great deal on bulk pack ammo I buy it because when the chips are down having a near endless supply of .22 ammo beats being picky. My 10/22 shoots ANYTHING My GSG so far has shot EVERYTHING My Ciener Platinum Cup has shot EVERYTHING ever fed to it. I have a LOT of bulk pack ammo and I have no hesitation in loading it up. For those with GSG's a point worth noting is the one major weakness of the design is in the magazine having that open slot down both sides. For survival/field use loaded mags should be kept in a pouch or container that prevents entry of dirt and grit. If you keep your .22 ammo clean it WILL feed and it WILL fire.

I just picked up 500 rounds of Winchester High Speed "RN" 40 grain/1300 fps copper plated for use in my GSG. It's what I'd call a mid-level load producing 150 lb-ft of kinetic energy which is about 30 lb-ft more than most bulk-pack ammo. For survival use I don't think there is a single ammo one can use. I have a supply of Aguila 60 grain subsonic which compensates for it's slower speed with greater mass thus resulting in a KE equal to "bulk pack" ammo. Aguila SS is of course intended to be used with a suppressor and ejection port enclosure. Next would be Aguila's extreme velocity ammo rated at 1750 fps with a 30 grain bullet. Speed is what gets the job done with .22LR and the Aguila has it. Stingers would be in the hunt--depends purely on what can be had at what price. Right now www.midwayusa.com has plenty of Aguila on hand.

Interesting. I had one that shot extremely well! I used to stand up on the river bank and shoot snapping turtles as they tried to float past in the current. With CCI Stingers at distances of 30 meters those turtle heads would literally evaporate...and that's plenty accurate as well! I actually chronographed Stingers from my 6" version at an average 1425 fps which ain't bad at all. I do agree they aren't the most attractive pistols but from a function standpoint I'd have to rate the one I had as "beautiful."

Yeah IF they ever get any in it might be nice to have one! I got an email notice from Davidson's Gallery of Guns but by the time I got online they were sold out! As for conversion to .45ACP or other calibers I don't know about that...dimensionally yes, but in my experience aluminum frame 1911's are made more for carry than shooting, but hey that's okay too! I've had an 80% aluminum frame on-hand for about five years always meaning to getting around to milling it to spec to mount my Ciener Platinum Cup slide unit to it which would be pretty much the same thing as the GSG-1911.

I've had the .22 mag version for about 20+ years now and it's probably the "ideal" carry gun! I say ideal because for the average person who isn't interesting in getting all strapped up with conceal carry "solutions" being able to drop this tiny magnum revolver in the front pocket and know I have 5 shots at close range has been my personal "go to solution" for many years. I have shot mine extensively and the best round for it...as with all .22's is "solids" for best penetration. The tiny .22 bullet really doesn't need to expand on human size targets because it will tumble considerably. Anyone who thinks these tiny guns are only expensive novelties should reconsider. In my line of work (trauma/GSW) I've seen a LOT of .22 victims...believe me I'd RATHER take a .45ACP or 9mm hit over the .22LR/Mag. All those who've never seen and been involved in trying to save people hit by .22 caliber rounds can believe as they wish but I would not want to be on the receiving end of the NAA .22Mag or any other .22.

If is is made by GSG so much the better...the GSG series is very well made and I've SEEN the Mosquito in person and it is also very well made...no complaints at all if GSG is on the job!

Okay after having the GSG-522 in my hands for some time I have had a chance to work on it a bit. First, the barrel is NOT 1/2" in diameter but is PRECISELY .471" where it passes through the front sight base (FSB). The threads on the faux suppressor are not a "proper" 16mm x 1mm but are actually spot on .625" (15.87mm) x 1mm. IF one wishes to use the GSG sans fake can the barrel is not supported by anything and with the original length 16.25" barrel this could result in poor accuracy. For those NOT interested in doing an "SBR" modification, the right answer is a zero-tolerance barrel adapter. So I made my own. I used a section of 6061 aluminum rod bored out to just a hair over barrel diameter, then threaded it to a rather unique 5/8" x 1mm for a perfect fit in the FSB threads. It slides down the barrel and locks in nice and tight and holds the barrel in perfect alignment. I'm in the process of making my own "faux" suppressor but my unit will use a .750" threaded barrel adapter to create a massively strong connection. Anyone interested in a barrel adapter that allows the barrel to pass through, threads properly to the FSB and can be threaded to pretty much ANY custom pattern on the suppressor side let me know and I might be persuaded to make extra. 1/2"x28 is NOT possible with the barrel left long becuase there is simply not enough material to make that work, which is WHY you don't see barrel adapters for anything other than the P and PK versions.

I have NO DOUBT many others have had that tiny bolt hold open spring going flying off into the ether after withdrawing the bolt carrier group from the receiver. Actually, the first spring I lost was the magazine disconnect but I could live without that one. So I found a place online www.smallparts.com that stocks a perfect replacement spring .12" OD x .012" wire diameter x .440" uncompressed length. Cost is .78 Cents for a pack of five music wire springs--I splurged and ordered two packs. I also ordered a pack of 10 stainless 302 springs .12" OD x .012" wire size x .563" uncompressed length...a bit more expensive at $7.33 for 10 springs but they might come in handy.

I picked a few items from rrages starting with a couple of magazines then I ordered the CA collapsible stock and the HK rear drum sight with correct aperture. Having owned both HK's and Ar-15's I prefer the front sight layout of the AR...center post with side wings. The HK ring always seemed a bit distracting, HOWEVER when I mounted the HK adjustable rear drum sight to the GSG the sight picture is perfect--even for aging eyes due to the way "peep" sights tend to increase depth of field. The HK sight is also heavy steel and sturdy. The mounting point needs a bit of modification, honing down the cross ledge a bit and trimming the right side of that ledge to gain left sight movement but it's well worth the effort to have the superior sight. The stock is really nice but of course the right arm extends into the ejection port area and must be trimmed back a bit but is also easily done with a dremel and files to clean it up. I like the sling hook that comes with the CA stock but it takes a few minutes to "see" how it's supposed to go. As for the stock top rail I agree it's not very sturdy with just two small screws but it does interlock on the underside. MY main issue with it is it does not lie flat but it works well enough for my relatively tiny Optima Red dot that only weighs like half and ounce.

Uh, that's a 50 round mag...no big stretch and not much added capacity for the added price. The GSG drum is 110 rounds...over twice as many shots.

Wasn't so many years ago one could not even buy a weapon with a threaded barrel let alone a "faux suppressor." While I am totally opposed to any form of gun control or legislation, I do understand the mind of the BATFE. IF the consumer is able to buy a gun with a suppressor that is totally open inside, then that person need to nothing more than drill a few holes to have a working suppressor. I am sure BATFE knows many people out here know how to build a suppressor, but that doesn't mean they want to make it an automatic, out-of-the-box option.

The GSG 110 round drum mag WILL end up being adapted to fit a variety of .22LR rifles. $31 per mag sounds reasonable, and $50 for two 22 round mags sounds like a really good deal. It is worth noting the GSG mags are very well made and sturdy; not at all like the type of plastic used in aftermarket 10/22 mags that cracks after a few years.

Anyone who has ever set up a jam-nut knows that when you add a nut outside a threaded hole the problem is that the screw will more often than not snug up in the threaded hole before it tightens into the nut. For this reason perhaps some will desire to swap the crosspoint style screw for hex drive, but unless the threads inisde the aluminum receiver are reamed out, adding a nut is of virtually no value. I would recommend blue locktite on the screws and get on shooting.

Okay I have some input on this topic. The factory supplied tool is too pointed and tends to not engage the cross-point type screws well. There is Phillips and then there is cross-point. Phillips has a shallow, blunt depth as does a Phillips screwdriver. A crosspoint screw driver is much more pointed, however the supplied tool seems too pointed. I grabbed a proper crosspoint screw driver and found the screws easy to engage without gouging the heads. I see the term "stripping" but that generally refers to damaged THREADS, not the head/tool interface. I have considered the replacement screws however a point of note is that as long as the receiver has threads, adding a nut on the other side doesn't really provide anything positive. The nut must be aligned so it engages the screw as the optimum point for best contact with the receiver but this is highly unlikely.