Colt M4 vs H&K GSG-5?

[freshdesigns@hotmail.com]

Thinking about getting one of these. How do these two compare in terms of fit, finish, reliability and accuracy (and subjective FUN factor)? Leaning toward the Colt so any pros and cons of each appreciated. Thanks!

[Mason McDuffie]

I can't tell you enough how much fun I have with my GSG-5. If I had the funds I would get another for sure.

[freshdesigns@hotmail.com]

Ever shoot a Colt M4 plinker?

[L4D]

I would get the GSG-5. If you had any thoughts about it you should, might not be available at a later time.

You could get the Colt later if the GSG-5 doesn't satisfy.

I love mine (Colt), its extremely fun and accurate has not hiccuped at all.

[pottymouth310]

I would wait for the Smith@Wesson M&P 15-22.
it's a better built gun. It's made by a "real" gun company. I believe on the Colt .22, the only thing that is "colt" is the name stamped on the side. They just licensed the name to Umarex which builds airsoft guns.

[Pryde]

Many people have had serious reliability problems with the Colt .22 rifle
Do a quick internet search and you will find what I am talking about.
Early model GSGs had problems too but the bugs have apparently been worked out in the 2nd gen models.

[Josh3239]

The Colt Umarex .22LR is junk. Tons of people have had issues with them. They aren't even made by Colt, for whatever reason Colt agreed to stamp their name on them. If your expecting Colt quality don't bother, hell either way don't bother. If you want an evil .22LR get either a dedicated .22LR AR, a .22LR bolt conversion or the GSG5.

[KushMaster]

I would wait for the Smith@Wesson M&P 15-22.
it's a better built gun. It's made by a "real" gun company. I believe on the Colt .22, the only thing that is "colt" is the name stamped on the side. They just licensed the name to Umarex which builds airsoft guns.

+1

I second that, I have a GSG-5 SD and I have to say I couldnt wait for the 15-22 thats why I have it and plan to keep it because of its MP5 looks. but its heavy, more expensive and less economical than the 15-22 because you have to get a new decent stock, rail system, the mags $40 but 15-22 mags are $17.

overall, I spend near a $1000 to get my GSG-SD looking and performing the way I wanned. but the 15-22 is good to go with a few accessories and the S&W is excellent from the experiences that I have heard of.

L4D commented well on the colt so second that too.

If you want an evil .22LR get either a dedicated .22LR AR, a .22LR bolt conversion or the GSG5.

I met Nate at the range and he has a spike tactical and couldnt get the thing to cycle. and he was in talks with spike's customer service and he had tired everything and still had issues, He was really frustrated and told me he wished he got a GSG-5 when he shot mine. just wanted to put it out there.

[SJOHN]

I thought the Colts were built by Walther Arms in Germany which is owned by Umarex? So, are you saying Umarex taught Walther Arms how to build firearm since 1886?
It couldnt be I just looked up their company bio and Umarex only been in business since 1950's. Which means Umarex acquire Walther Arms. The Colt license product is still being built by a Firearm company.

[SJOHN]

+1

I second that, I have a GSG-5 SD and I have to say I couldnt wait for the 15-22, thats why I have it and plan on keeping it because of its MP5 looks. but its heavy, more expensive and less economical than the 15-22 because you have to get a new decent stock, rail system, the GSG5 mags $40 when 15-22 mags are $17.

overall, I spend near a $1000 to get my GSG-SD looking and performing the way I wanned. but the 15-22 is good to go with a few accessories and the S&W customer service is excellent from the experiences that I have heard of.

L4D commented well on the colt so second that too.

Wow $1000 for a GSG-5 why not get a Tac-Sol upper which is much more accurate at the 100 yds range? Frankly, I read more bad things about Spike 22lr than the Colt. The lower and upper cost together is more than I want to spend, grand total is $1200. I rather wait and get a SIG522

[KushMaster]

Honestly, I didnt consider those options at that time. If I was to do it again and not wait for the 15-22 or the 522, I would get a upper and lower.

[SJOHN]

Im off to test fire the Colt and S&W tomorrow at an indoor range that rents both. If neither impresses me, I'll wait for the SIG522.

[Tunis]

i've got both and haven't had any problems other than bulk ammo FTF/FTE issues. i handled the Sig 522 and that may be my next .22lr purchase!

[KushMaster]

Im off to test fire the Colt and S&W tomorrow at an indoor range that rents both. If neither impresses me, I'll wait for the SIG522.

Which range is this?

i've got both and haven't had any problems other than bulk ammo FTF/FTE issues.

is that on both rifles?

[chucksolo69]

If you read other threads on the subject of the Colt/Walther M4 on these boards you will see that those same individuals that posted here ALWAYS jump in to trash the Colt......and they don't even own one. The statement that the Colt is being "made" by an airsoft company is an out an out load of crap. Since when is Carl Walther, Germany an "airsoft" company? These same 3 or 4 individuals don't know their butt from a hole in the ground. Don't listen to the doltish whines of those that know nothing about the Colt other than what they have "heard" or "read" on the Internet. The only way to truly know about a gun is to buy one or shoot someone else's extensively, otherwise, any opinions given are just a bunch of bulll**** coming from "know it all" people who really know nothing at all. I happen to own both the Colt and the GSG-5; even though I haven't shot the GSG-5 I will give you my impressions on the build quality of each.

Colt/Walther M4 .22

MY Colt is built solidly and took shooting about 500 rounds of CCI minimags to get it so it would cycle any brand of ammo, with the exception of Remington stuff. The stock has a small bit of wobble on the sliding part, but I have shot and held many true M4s that had this issue as well. Yes, there are non-functional parts, such as the bolt catch and the forward assist. The dust cover on my rifle works like a charm even though the manual says it isn't supposed to. The sights are great and accuracy is too. I get one hole accuracy at 25 to 50 yards from a sand bag rest. Cleaning the rifle is not as hard as some would have you believe; it takes me about 15 minutes to break down and thoroughly clean the gun. The receiver is made of aluminum and the magazine is held very solidly in place with absolutely no wiggle. The trigger pull takes a bit of getting used to as it is quite heavy. However, it hasn't hindered my ability to shoot the gun well. The safety rotates 180 degrees instead of 90 like a centerfire M4, but I haven't found this to be a detraction to the gun. The gun is fairly light and well balanced. I bought this rifle because of it's almost identical looks to the centerfire Colt M4, something which is lacking in almost all other AR styled .22 rifles; the S&W MP15-22 included. All in all, I would recommend this gun to anyone wanting a "fun" plinker or small game rifle. I plan to get the classic M16 model shortly after I buy the much anticipated SIG 522.

GSG-5

I have had this gun a week now and have examined it and broken it down thoroughly to clean it. My gun is built well and feels heavier than my Colt M4. The stock feels a bit thin and plasticky, but appears to be solidly built. The magazine has a bit of front to back wiggle but not side to side. The manual tells you NOT to hold the gun by the magazine when shooting it as it may cause malfunctions. I can see this to be true based on the back to front play of the magazine when it is installed on the gun. ATI says the gun's receiver is aluminum alloy, but "The American Rifleman" says the receiver is made of zinc alloy, e.g., pot metal. The receiver is relatively thick so I wouldn't worry about that as long as the bolt itself is steel, which it is. When I got the gun, all the screws were loose. Fortunately, GSG ships the gun with a multi bladed screw driver which I used to tighten the screws up. The fake suppressor on the gun was a bit loose when I received it as well, but hand tightening it worked well. The sights, especially the rear, seem a bit cheap, but I have never held or fired a true MP5 so I couldn't really say if they are comparable to the real thing or not. All in all, I am surprised at the build quality of the gun since I had read so many posts about them feeling like an "airsoft" gun. Well, I had a Tokyo Marui MP5 at one time and I can tell you the GSG-5 feels nothing like that. Now, the only thing that will disappoint me about this gun is if it is inaccurate, I will find that out today when I take it to the range. I expect to get the usual complement of FTF, FTFire, and FTEs in this gun as 40 years of shooting has taught me that .22 LR firearms are mostly all going to malfunction with certain types of ammo until well broken in. I can't really recommend the gun until I shoot it. Truthfully, I bought this gun because I knew it was going to be discontinued and I wanted to have one just in case. A range report will follow.