GSG 1911 22 A Good Practice Gun

A

AzShooter

New member
Walking around my local LGS I came across a nice little gun that would be compatible to my 1911 but would let me shoot inexpensive .22 ammo.

The GSG 1911 22 looks and feels like a standard 1911. The slide is a lot lighter but the frame adds the heft to balance it out. Magazines are also the same weight as stock ones.

It holds 10 rounds but Tandemkross make a plus 4 follower. The are also some followers and base pads that increase the capacity to 15 rounds. Nice in a .22 that mimics it's big brother.

Has anyone tried one and what are your opinions?
 
Not positive but I believe the GSG also make a .22 for Colt and SIG. A friend has a SIG and it had some feeding problems which were cured under warranty. I've shot the gun and it is just as accuate as the 1911 .22s I have...Kimber, Colt ACE and Conversion Units, Marvel and Ciener....

Bob
 
Ive had one for a few years.

Mine is a full time range toy, so i did away with the grip safety. That always gave me problems on this gun, despite carrying a 1911 for almost 20 years (on and off duty).

Mine makes a pretty cool suppressor host for new shooters. Nice trigger, low recoil, no muzzle blast. Just a joy to shoot.

Is it 100% reliable... no. But, it works well enough for play time on the range
 
GSG is also the maker of the Sig 1911-22. It is NOT the same as the Umarex/Colt/Walther 1911-22. The GSG is a pretty decent .22 caliber, plinker-grade 1911. The early ones had some issues, I think in regard to the recoil spring guide. There's an aftermarket replacement for that -- I haven't followed it, so I'm not sure if the OEM part now has been upgraded.

It's a good gun. Go for it.
 
I bought one last year and have a couple of thousand rounds through it. I spent about 2 minutes and removed the magazine safety to make it like my "real" 1911. It looks, aims and shoots exactly like my 9MM RIA Rock 1911 except for the recoil. It has performed great and I shoot it a lot.
 
Check out Browning 1911-22. It's a precisely scaled version of the 1911. They're made in America. My kid's copy has been flawless.
 
SATRP said:
Check out Browning 1911-22. It's a precisely scaled version of the 1911. They're made in America. My kid's copy has been flawless.
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The problem is that the Browning is scaled-down. It's not like shooting a real 1911, or even a full-size rimfire clone of a 1911.

Plus: Browning charges roughly twice what the scaled-down 1911-22 is worth. Let's face it -- it's a rimfire pistol, and most of the ones they're pushing today have a polymer frame (the original was alloy -- I don't even know if they still offer that model). The Browning would be an okay pistol for kids and people with small hands at around $300 to $350. For over $600? I'll take a GSG for half the price any day of the week.
 
interesting to see the positive comments. There was some negative chatter about them a while back, IIRC. Either they improved or the bad reviews got the usual internet amplification. Good to know some knowledgeable people are happy with them.
 
I look at mine as a “ budget “ pistol. If i get a cpl failures to feed during a range session, that just improves the training experience IMHO
 
My bother has one of the GSG .22LR 1911 slide kits. It's been pretty reliable and accurate.

The biggest complaint would be how very soft the potmetal slide is. It's not designed to last forever.
 
Well, I got to shoot my new toy today and I'm a happy camper. I fired 300 rounds of CCI Patriots, the Red, White and Blue box and had 100 % reliability. It brought back memories of my old Colts but without the recoil.

I'm thinking of using it for Steel Challenge matches now and shooting iron sights. I shot very well and could pay attention to the front sight better than I'm doing with my dots. Who knows, maybe I'll sell one of my Rugers. (probably not, lol).
 
AzShooter said:
Well, I got to shoot my new toy today and I'm a happy camper. I fired 300 rounds of CCI Patriots, the Red, White and Blue box and had 100 % reliability. It brought back memories of my old Colts but without the recoil.

I'm thinking of using it for Steel Challenge matches now and shooting iron sights. I shot very well and could pay attention to the front sight better than I'm doing with my dots. Who knows, maybe I'll sell one of my Rugers. (probably not, lol).
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I kept my Rugers but they get shot a lot less since I got my GSG.
 
I was shooting a little low and to the left so I adjusted my windage with the rear sight and wanted to put a new front sight on for elevation. The gun comes with four different sight sizes. Here's were I had my only problem, the Allen Wrench was so mall I didn't see it and tried the wrong one. I thought it was something wrong with the sight but after calling the importer, ATI, they helped me figure out my problem.

I now have the pistol shooting just a little low at 15 yards so that it will be right on for Steel Challenge shooting.

I ordered 5 new magazines and they showed up today along with a cheap magazine loader. It's not necessary for the 10 round magazines but I also order followers to make then +4 ( 14 rounds ). When you put the +4 followers in you lose the little pin on the original follower that helps in reloading.

My new +2 basepads are on the way. I'm addicted to this gun already. Who knows what I will do next, but I think I'm maxed out my current desires.
 
After a few upgrades I took the GSG 1911 22 back out Friday for more testing. I had added the Tandemkross accurizing kit which includes a Stainless Steel 1 Piece Guide Rod ,Guide Rod Plug, Guide Rod Spring, Tapered Alignment Cap, Polished Match-Grade Barrel Bushing and Shock Buffer. This really tightened things up and gave me better groups.

I used Blazers for this break in period because I had them and they have the same velocity as Mini Mags. They also shoot better in my guns than most .22 ammo. I guess thing became a little too tight because for the first 200 rounds I experienced a number of jams. Most were just that the hammer was not resetting, but it started working much better after those 200.

Groups were excellent but I was shooting very high. I'm not a fan of non adjustable sights. I ordered a new Bomar look- a- like front and rear sight that should be in soon. I also ordered 5 new magazines, some +4 followers and base pads. I like tricking out my guns.

When I tried to take it apart to clean it I had a devil of a time getting the slide to come off. After some mild coaxing with my plastic hammer it finally slid off to show a number of metal slivers on the rails. Glad I had lots of lubricants on the rails while shooting. I used a patch and got off more metal than I would have liked but I could see where it was binding and I think that after a few hundred more rounds it will be broken in.

This is going to be one of my favorite guns. I did so well with it that I'm not going to bother putting optics on it and I've been shooting optics for the last 30 years. It is so much fun to shoot with the irons and I really felt that my concentration was on the front sight better than it's ever been.

For under $ 300.00 it's a great alternative to the more expensive 1911 clones out there.

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I really like mine. Had it for a couple years now, no issues runs well on all the Mom I have tried. I took off the mag safety, and changed followers to increase the mag capacity. Had to monkey with the followers to get them to 100% engaging the slide lock. Might add some of the upgrade parts down the road, although it shoots decent out of the box.
 
The techniques used with a .22(breathing, sight picture and trigger control.) are exactly the same as those for a .45 or any other handgun. The only difference is the recoil, etc.
It's far more difficult to shoot a .22 well than it is a cf too. You do have to try a box of as many brands as you can to find the ammo your pistol shoots best.
 
Next upgrade, I found some + 4 followers and some + 2 base pads to increase my magazine capacity to 16 rounds. Who needs a 16 round mag for a .22? I sure hope I don't miss that much but it's great fun during practice.

I may need new springs for the magazines so I ordered an extra set of those as well.

I placed an order for a set of Bomar (copy) sights for the gun. I hate chasing the target with the plastic sights that come with it even though they gave me 4 extra front sights to adjust elevation. It's easier with adjustables and I didn't have confidence in the plastic sights.

Since the gun is pretty much Colt compliant I even found a mount for my Vortex Viper if I decide to go that route.

I'm having a lot of fun with this gun. If you want a cheap gun to practice with go for it, you won't be disappointed. I already have 3 Ruger Marks but this is quickly becoming my go-to for my shooting bag.
 
If you aren't married to the 1911 style, you might want to look at the new Taurus TX22. A stryker fired, 16+1 round 22 with a MSRP of $349. With some discounted pricing, or sales it's a lot of 22 for the buck. Plus, 50 bucks off what ever deal you find until the end of September with a mail in rebate offer.
It's been getting great reviews.
I just missed getting one a couple weeks ago when my pal saw it first in the case. Keeping my eye open for another one.

https://www.personaldefenseworld.com/2019/01/taurus-tx22-pistol-first-look/
https://hcguns.com/taurus-tx-22-w-mail-in-rebate/


OOPS, missed seeing that you already bought the GSG. Oh well, maybe the new Taurus will fin on your short list for future purchase.
 
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