Is the GSG-5 a good first .22?

[Solidux]

Theres a post right now on the pistol forums about gsg 1911s made from pot metal with the slide breaking off consistently. Minor injuries + paperweight gun as the result.

[Hammertime]

^^ Oh shoot, I thought this thread was about the GSG-5....oopse.

[james758]

Those MP5 22 clones are such mall ninja guns.
If you want a "starter" 22, get a 10/22, but my experience has always been that you get a "starter" gun for $250-300 and later you will drop $450-500 on something like a Sig 522 so you should just go ahead and get the Sig 522 and save yourself the $250 that you would have spent on the 10/22 in the first place.
The Sig 522 is more accurate than the GSG/URamax, the mags are a lot cheaper and more plentiful for the Sig 522 and its lighter.
But if you want something that "looks" like an MP5, than knock yourself out and get one. I spent 6 years of my youth defending your right to buy whatever you want.

But to answer the question "would this be a good choice?" ..... Um, No.

[wellfedirishman]

The original GSGs (I have a Gen 2) are very reliable guns, in my experience. I know that other folks have had problems, but my Gen 2 has several thousand rounds through it and shoots great. It almost never jams or fails.

I have a GSG AK47 22LR also and it is another very reliable gun. 1000 rounds through it without a single failure that wasn't due to ammo (verified with a second strike).

The downside of the GSG 22s is that the barrel is somewhat thin so it can be less accurate as it heats up. It is not a target rifle, but it is still minute of soda can or spinner target at 50 yards (i.e., a fun plinker).

[busta00]

Fired my GSG on Friday for the first time. 200+ rounds through and and no problems. CCI blazer, federal bulk,winchester bulk CCi velocitor, remington golden boy and even a clip of subsonic. Is more plastic feeling than the HK.
Only issue i have is my grip has just a bit of slop to it. It slides about a 1/16 of an inch.

[MadMax]

Just get both your going to eventually anyway
If u can't I would get the 10-22 first then the gsg and when u do get a used first gen gsg.
I have both and have no problems with either and like them both. My 10-22 is fully accurised and the gsg has been upgraded a bit. My 10-22 is my favorite 22 rifle though I have to say.

[bonesurf]

Own both. Love both. Have the first gen gsg. But as a first....a 10/22 seems.....almost mandatory

[gunnlover]

Garbage. Get something that will last. MP15-22 FTW

[s2000ap2]

My first .22 is the 1st gen GSG-5,
CONS: broke the charging handle once, replace it for $4 + $10 shipping, some screw on the blot need to be change, add few nut to the screw then make the blot more solid , you can get in any hardware store for few $buck. one more bad thing is , I paid $600 without magazine when they first came out, now the price drop below $400. before I brought 1 magazine for $50, now only $20 ...T^T...

PROS: no problem with rapid fire dump 7 full hi-cap mag without a jam, great gun fun to shoot, I dont really clean this gun, most of the time I just lube it before going to shoot. smooth and light 4lbs factory trigger ( must better than H&K Umarex MP5), I feed bulk pack federal ammo without any problems, Magazine easy to load, parts is cheap to get from ATI or aftermarket, 522 conversion kit on ebay for $40 include all the things u need ( 3 charging handle include, I dont mind to break it again ) magazine are very cheap now, aftermarket ProMag make good mags for this gun. Tons of parts to make it looks very cool .

My 2nd .22 is the S&W M&P15-22
good gun overall, stock trigger not very good for me, 2lbs trigger job by replaced with RRA 2 stage trigger + JP trigger spring, fit most standard AR-15 parts, trigger/pins/grips/selector, better than Colt/HK Umarex that not interchangeable. Magazine are cheap, less than $20 each, easy to load mags
I used it to bump fire

3rd is the GSG-1911
one of the best .22 handgun I ever shoot, great weight and fit just like real 1911, not small like P22 or Sig Mosquito, 80% parts can be used from real 1911, nice creep free trigger, fire cheap federal bulk pack or no matter what it just works. magazine are little bit expensive, about $30~36 each, metal magazine body with easy to loose plastic floor plate, I wish they make some better floor plate.

I dont have any 10/22, I always think to get one but the parts that I will put on is more expensive than the gun itself...so just thinking & thinking, maybe later

[Steve G]

Quick update:

Tired of working on the GSG myself after EVERY range trip. If I didn't completely strip the gun and replace a few parts the gun would be a useless jam machine. I shouldn't have to change parts after every 4-500 rounds. This week I got sick of the BS and it got boxed up and shipped back to the factory. Hopefully they will be able to make it run reliably again. It was fun in the beginning but has become a big hassle, the only gun to consistently malfunction at the range IS the GSG. It went from being one of the most fun plinkers, to one of the biggest POS.

[Full Clip]

I just got an AR in Feb so I'd rather not buy another gun that looks the same so soon..Maybe in the future though. I really like the look of the MP5 and I'll never get the real one so...And the 10/22 is a classic so I want that too...Maybe I should just save longer and buy both

Why not just get a .22 dedicated upper for your AR lower...?
Other than that, I'd go for the 10/22. I'm looking to buy one myself...

[cfusionpm]

Mine jams a lot. I know no details about it other than I bought it from a fellow calgunner with 2 mags and a cheap red dot for about $400 about 8 or 9 months ago.

I mean, don't get me wrong, it's fun and I love shooting it, but if you don't deep clean it often, it jams.... a LOT. I just expect it to be unreliable and live with it, because stripping is a monumental pain in the butt (at least compared to everything else I've owned). I love the "MP5" enough to put up with that though.