GSG-5

GSG-5s are considered a MP5 variant in Canada. As a result they are prohibited. I have been reluctant to do reviews of some of the other “Tactical 22s” that are available in Canada because I don’t want to be accused of bias. Well the GSG-5 can not be obtained in Canada and it will never compete with the S2 (as I do not export) so I have taken the time to research this rifle and once again it seems that the hype over a under-priced, airsoft grade 22 was just that… hype.
This is not truly my evaluation; I have only handled the GSG-5 once and only for a few minutes. I created this paper using several online reviews of the GSG-5 done by our American cousins and by evaluating technical data.

The GSG-5 is a dedicated rimfire .22LR rifle. The rifle is built to reflect nearly every detail of the MP5 Navy model. After a Trade Dress Infringement lawsuit against GSG, all new production GSG-5s have AR style “rabbit ear” sights which detracts from one of the major selling features of this gun.
The Commifornia legal version has a long barrel covered by a fake suppressor. The fake suppressor is removable and reveals a long slender barrel.
To save on design time and money, the rifle was engineered to use airsoft accessories; accessories that are much cheaper then their real counterparts. A user in the US reports getting a new GSG-5 and upon opening the box and attempting to place the stock on the rifle, the stock sheared in half immediately. Perhaps GSG felt rimfire ammo is cheap so the rifle should be too? The same user reports that the stock issue can easily be remedied by using an epoxy meant for plastics. In my opinion, having to repair a brand new gun before it is ever used is a disgusting show of poor quality and disdain for the end user and his hard earned money.

Multiple GSG-5 users report that the gun is accurate. One user reports that he was able to get 1.5 inch groups at 25 yards using optics. The same user assesses that the rifle is a 4.3 MOA rifle at 25-50 yards with any brand of ammo. The user is unclear as to what shooting position he used but I am assuming it was from the standing position. The users that wrote reviews were also not clear on how large their accuracy test fire samples were. I am curious what prolonged firing and heat does to the accuracy as the barrel is reported to be light and “slender”.

The "HK" slap can be used to operate the gun but it will leave a slight dent in the slot where the cocking handle hooks into. The rifle has a magazine disconnect meaning you have to place an empty magazine in the gun just to decock it. As a side note, owners of the GSG-5 should take care not to loose the red chamber tab the rifle ships with. Dry fring the weapon may harm the firing pin. The 10/22 bolt is superior as it can be dry fired.

Multiple users had issues with durability. Factory screws were reported as terrible; it used screws that can only be adjusted with the provided tool and made out of a soft aluminum that strips easily. One user corrected this problem by purchasing an after-market screw set with Allen bolts and also put in some HK pushpins for easier field stripping. Other users report that after 700 rounds many of the screws would start to work their way lose. The solution was to apply Loctite.

The last round fired will activate a bolt catch device. These don't have a bolt catch button like ARs or MP5/.40s do. You have to manually re-cock to close the bolt. I don’t consider this to be a big issue but some GSG-5 users complained bitterly about it.

Another issue with the GSGs and their reliability, seems to be the ejector. The ejector is housed in the big breech block assembly, it's a piece of stamped steel that was originally peened poorly to the wall of the bolt carrier. On older GSGs, these would loosen and quickly make the gun incapable of ejecting spent shells.
Fortunately, the newest GSGs are coming with the ejector riveted straight from the factory in Germany.

After viewing multiple videos of the GSG-5 firing, I can only conclude that during firing the bolt moves backwards a fair distance before engaging the extra spring tension of the hammer. What that means is the chamber opens prematurely and a lot of gas is lost diminishing the potential velocity and performance of the round. In the 10/22, the action needs to overcome the inertia of the bolt return spring and the hammer spring right away, slowing the opening time and trapping more gas in the barrel to push the round faster. Both methods work but one is better then the other.

I also managed to get a hold of the GSG catalog from the 2011 Shot Show in Las Vegas. I looked at the components and options that they sell. In my time doing foreign sourcing I have learned what factories in China build what items. What upsets me is they tout this as a German made gun. Perhaps it is assembled in Germany but the components are from China. I can prove this.
Why not buy American or Canadian? Keep gun manufacturing and jobs here? Why export your money to China?

Luckily this rifle will never appear in Canada. I read the laments of those who hate the RCMP for the prohibited classification (on CGN) but they have done us all a favor. If you want a toy, go buy an airsoft gun. If you want a real gun for real practice that will not break the bank, look elsewhere; the GSG-5 is not for you.