At first glance the GSG-5 is a terrifying little number, it looks like a serious machine pistol. In fact, the design is a near perfect clone of the famous H&K MP-5 submachine gun, a favored choice of small arms for anti-terrorist and Special Forces units around the world. The H&K MP-5 is regularly seen in the hands of police department SWAT teams, so does this mean the gun is available to consumers complete with silencer?
Actually, no it isn’t. But the GSG-5 isn’t a submachine gun. It is actually just designed to look like the H&K MP-5, and instead of serious 9mm, this one is the target friendly .22 caliber. The gun of course doesn’t include a silencer either – the faux suppressor at the front is just a nifty extension of the barrel. Basically this .22 has the look of an assault weapon without the power of said firearm – sort of proving that looks and laws can be deceiving.
We were able to get our hands on the GSG-5, which we bought late last month. This reporter bought it because of its looks, but because a .22 is a good gun for a novice shooter. My wife had never had an interest in firearms, but after years video games, playing paintball and one too many action games she decided she’d give it a try. Thus this gun had the “fun” factor of a machine gun in a small caliber semi-automatic package. It is a lightweight gun, with as much plastic as there is metal.
Don’t get us wrong however. It isn’t a toy, and even a .22 can be deadly, so the same level of safety precautions are needed with this type of gun as any other. But the GSG-5 in looking serious is also a good alternative to the traditional introductory .22 rifles, which all too often look like big brothers to a pellet gun.
The gun comes with a 25 round magazine – although most ranges will tell you to keep it to 10 rounds or less – and it loads easily enough. It doesn’t offer much kick at all, isn’t too loud on the eardrums (but we still use hearing protection) and because it is a .22 can be used at many indoor ranges. All in all for the beginning shooter, or for someone who wants to warm up before moving to a bigger gun when at the range, the GSG-5 is a good choice.
The only downside is that we were able to get our hands on the original model of the firearm from German Sports Guns, which had to modify the design. There are enough of the GSG-5s out there that you can easily find one, but we wouldn’t suggest waiting. Alternatively, the company offers an AK-47 version as well, because you know what Samuel L. Jackson had to say about those?
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