So, I walk into my local gun dealership with the innocent intention of picking up a brick of primers, and out he comes from the back room, holding a black plastic case, and a smile on his face. I knew I was in trouble. "Got one left", he said, "saving it for one of my special customers". Turned out it was one of those new GSG (German Sport Guns) 1911 style pistol in .22 LR. Always a sucker for a 1911, I said "let me see". A quick look, while another guy in store looked over my shoulder, and I liked it. The guy behind me said he wanted it if I didn't, so that sealed it. SOLD - $339.00.
Since this gun is pretty new on the market, and hard to find, I figured I would do a short, informal review for anyone who might be interested in one. This is being typed at my cabin, after just returning from my back yard range. The attached photos were taken with a cheap pocket camera, so are not that great, but will suffice.
The gun is a well done and even matte blued finish, with the exception of the hammer, which is in the white. It appears to be made of solid metal (aluminum I believe), with no pot metal or plastic that I could find. (I have not completely torn it down yet and checked every part inside). The grips are well finished walnut with about 18 line per inch double diamond checkering, which is very well done.
The sights are fixed, high profile with lime green dot inserts. At first glance I thought they were nite sights, but no. The nice thing is both front and rear sights are dove tailed in place, allowing easy adjustment for windage. A second, lower front sight is included with the gun for elevation changes that may be needed depending on the ammo you are using, and how you hold your sight picture. It has ambi safety's that click on and off with a positive "snick". The trigger is impressive for a gun in this price range. No creep, about a 5lbs pull, with just a hair of overtravel. Very smooth, and conductive to accurate shooting.
Slide release is on the left, just like any 1911. The grip safety is a beavertail in design. It, however, has a strong spring, and requires about two to three times the force of a typical Colt or Kimber 1911 to fully depress. Not a problem shooting two handed, but was an issue when I was shooting one handed with a high thumb hold. Lowering my thumb allowed enough pressure to engage it. A spring change may be in order here, at least for my shooting grip / hand size. The arched back strap and trigger are grooved, the front strap smooth. The magazine is easy to load, with thumb tabs on each side, and seems well made of solid steel.
There are a few differences in operation compared to a normal 1911. There is a magazine safety that does not allow the grip safety to depress or the hammer to drop when the magazine is removed from the gun. Disassembly is a little different as well, requiring a small hex screw to be removed from the frame first (tool provided). The muzzle is threaded for silencer use, and is covered with a screw on metal protective cap.
My range time was limited as I was about an hour from darkness. I fired 10 rounds of Remington "Golden" 22 H/V ammo, as fast as I could pull the trigger. No jams. Hmmm, I was starting to have a good feeling about this. I then sat down and fired another 60 or so rounds of the same ammo, for accuracy. I am a pretty decent handgun shot, but my 51 year old eyes are not as good as they were in the day, but I managed groups running about 2 to 2 1/2 at 25 yards from a sandbag bench rest. Good, respectable service grad accuracy, but nothing to write home about compared to other full size .22 pistols I own, such as My High Standard Victor, or my Smith #41. But then again, it isn't touted as target gun.
I had a box of Ely target 22's in my kit, and gave them a try. In two magazine fulls, I had 3 rounds fail to fully extract. In all fairness, the gun is marked "22LR H/V) right on the slide, and I could feel the Ely target stuff was loaded milder then the Remington. Even with the jamming interruptions, imagine my surprise when I walked down range, and found several 5 shot groups that where right at 1 inch. Man, I just cant shoot that well with open sights anymore. To say I was impressed would be an under statement. The setting sun precluded any further testing.
To sum it up, this pistol feels and weighs like a centerfire 1911 in the hand. From my limited shooting so far, it seems like it will be reliable, and accurate. (Now I have to find an inexpensive brand of 22 ammo that will shoot as well as the pricey Ely stuff). I am not prepared to say this gun is going to be competitive with the more expensive target 22 autos out there, but I believe these guns will provide much more then just plinking accuracy with ammo they like. Shooters will compare this gun with the 22 conversion kits available from Kimber and Ceiner, to name a few I have the Kimber kit with the adjustable sights. It is nice, and shoots very accurately with ammo it likes, though reliability has always been an issue. I have yet to find a brand of ammo that will feed near 100% when it is installed on any of my 1911 frames. Here for about the price of a conversion kit, you have a complete gun, ready to go. For those who carry a 1911 for self defence, or target shooting, this gun would make an excellent under study.
Larry
