Displaced Texan 11,748 Posted January 30, 2017 Thinking about picking up a GSG 522 as a plinker/range toy. Are they reliable? What do I need to know about them. Educate me, please! Thanks in advance! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
checko 180 Posted January 30, 2017 I was thinking about getting one as well a while back. I hear they are a bitch to clean. I got a 10/22 for like $100 instead. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Screwball 483 Posted January 30, 2017 I have a GSG-5, which is a pre-H&K lawsuit gun. You can convert it to look MP5-ish, but if you want to do some good upgrades, look up RRages. http://rrages.com They are nice, but ATI stopped bringing them in. If it is an earlier gun (don't think it effects the 522), look into the chamber and make sure you see a rivet. If not, I believe ATI will still upgrade them. I never had issue with mine. You can do a lot to them, more so outside of NJ. Very good gun, especially if you want a MP5 clone. But if you just want a .22, aftermarket makes the 10/22 a better choice. I have both, as well as a Marlin 60 and dedicated.22 AR upper. Can't have too many .22s... they are similar to shotguns. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
O-gre 7 Posted January 30, 2017 Taught my son how to clear malfunctions with his former one! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Oakridgefirearms 224 Posted January 30, 2017 I have a factory new one in stock. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ogfarmer 138 Posted January 30, 2017 everyone i know sells them not long after buying them. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
capt14k 2,052 Posted January 30, 2017 I have their Stg-44 clone and I think it is great. Accurate and looks cool. Picked it up for $250 with the wooden box hardly used. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
remixer 1,645 Posted January 30, 2017 The GSG works just fine if used with the right ammo. ATI is no longer importing them... Not sure how this will affect parts etc in the future. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
remixer 1,645 Posted January 30, 2017 FYI the Walther (Hk Mp5-22 Clone is much better but more expensive and a PITA to make NJ legal since you cant just pin the muzzle device on with out making it impossible to clean. Takes some imagination to legalize it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DirtyDigz 1,812 Posted January 30, 2017 Have had a GSG-5 since they first came out. Absolute must - the fasteners that hold the bolt together and to its carrier have a tendency to loosen and walk out. At the very least you need to apply blue loc-tite to the factory fasteners. Strongly recommend getting the bolt upgrade kit from rrages: http://rrages.com/screws/net.htm The stock on mine was hollow and thin plastic. The weak construction of it plus the relatively loose mount of the stock to the receiver means that your stock WILL break/crack at some point down the road. I replaced the original stock with an actual MP5 stock (solid polymer) and it is very solid now. I wouldn't characterize mine as a "bitch" to clean, but it is more involved than many rifles. To get the bolt out requires removing the stock and then unscrewing an internal allen screw and removing a keeper lug. Once you do that the bolt will slide out the rear of the receiver and the the trigger group disconnects and drops off the bottom. That allows enough access to the interior of the receiver for regular cleaning. Cleaning the barrel is much easier using a bore snake as opposed to a cleaning rod. My GSG-5 does not like pure lead/soft, uncoated bullets - they have a tendency to hang up feeding into the breech (usually because the nose of the bullet gets deformed getting pushed into the breech). Copper plated bullets feed much better. Once I got the disassembly/assembly process down and stuck to plated bullets I've found mine really enjoyable - had it for over 5 years and intend to keep it much longer. It's a great and fun "intro" gun for people who are shooting for the first time. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AverageJoe 95 Posted January 30, 2017 I love my original GSG-5(pre-lawsuit)...bought it new haven't cleaned it yet still runs flawless...so much fun Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
T Bill 649 Posted January 30, 2017 EFGA - Did they ever allow steel back? Or is everybody still shooting those little pieces of angle iron lying around? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Displaced Texan 11,748 Posted January 30, 2017 I think I might have to get one of these. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ogfarmer 138 Posted January 30, 2017 EFGA - Did they ever allow steel back? Or is everybody still shooting those little pieces of angle iron lying around? not for anyone to bring their own, they had a few small pieces but i think they are gone again Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DeerSlayer 241 Posted January 31, 2017 I had the 522-SD. It was fun when it actually worked. I really recommend only using CCI mini mags. Any other HV bulk ammo was too dirty for me to get a full range session out of it, without major malfunctions. Then came the pain in the ass cleaning part to make it work again. I wound up selling it, and replaced mine with a 15/22, haven't looked back since. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
carl_g 568 Posted January 31, 2017 I have an original pre-lawsuit model. Like someone above mine has a real mp5 stock and its solid. It was not working so great and and when cleaning it the extractor fell off the bolt. The old ones were press fit vs. the new one's which are rivited. I sent it back to ATI and the replaced all kinds of stuff. They even put in a new barrel, all for FREE! It runs like a top now. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Displaced Texan 11,748 Posted January 31, 2017 I have an original pre-lawsuit model. Like someone above mine has a real mp5 stock and its solid. It was not working so great and and when cleaning it the extractor fell off the bolt. The old ones were press fit vs. the new one's which are rivited. I sent it back to ATI and the replaced all kinds of stuff. They even put in a new barrel, all for FREE! It runs like a top now. Exactly what I am looking for... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Malice4you 627 Posted January 31, 2017 As has been said, most pain in the ass gun I own, but also one of the most fun when it works right. I suffered from light strikes after a few months of ownership. GSG sent me a new firing pin, which seems to have solved the issue, though i would like to see a deeper impression than I get. Gsg says you shouldnt have to take the bolt apart to clean the gun. I strongly disagree with that statement, every other cleaning (or 2, Im lazy) i have to go in there and clean it so the damn gun runs reliably. And locktite the screws, otherwise the shitty parts break (recently replaced the black metal shroud around the serial number on the bolt due to a crack i assume was caused by a loose screw). I had a post lawsuit gun but got the parts kit to make it mostly look like the real deal. Also have a upgraded stock, did hk pins, and a few other things im forgetting. Promag 10rd mags are easily modified to hold 14 rounds, functions great in my gun. Factory mags seem to cause more feed issues than my promag, but believe its either a specific mag or possibly just the lead rounds someone mentioned. You will get deformed rounds using this gun. Be wary of HK slapping the gun if you dont have a buffer installed. Heard of breakage due to over-enthusiasm... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CageFighter 236 Posted January 31, 2017 I have one, still stilling in the box. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Displaced Texan 11,748 Posted January 31, 2017 Full stock model? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SJG 253 Posted February 1, 2017 I have one that I upgraded to the SD look using the kit. Initially, I had FTF certain .22 rounds, but have not had that problem after the rifle was broken in and I switched to CCI mini mags or CCI AR-15 .22. Yeah, cleaning takes a bit of time. They do look cool and are fun to shoot and they are relatively inexpensive to purchase. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Oakridgefirearms 224 Posted February 4, 2017 http://www.njgunforums.com/forum/index.php/topic/85146-gsg-522-sd-like-hk-mp5-22lr-factory-new/ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Paltik 3 Posted February 7, 2017 I have one, the 1st anniversary edition. Its a pain in the butt cleaning it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WJFortier 10 Posted February 17, 2017 I keep seeing CDNN listing them for 249.99 which is hard to pass up even with a 20 buck shipping fee. I usually see them for 325-350. But what's with the conversion kit I keep seeing. What does it actually convert? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Malice4you 627 Posted February 17, 2017 (edited) I keep seeing CDNN listing them for 249.99 which is hard to pass up even with a 20 buck shipping fee. I usually see them for 325-350. But what's with the conversion kit I keep seeing. What does it actually convert? It makes the shitty-looking parts of the gun look more like that of an MP5. A lot fewer random lines and bumps all over the gun that had to be added after the lawsuit. I think the parts kit is from their pre-lawsuit run. Edit: From what I remember when I did my conversion...cosmetic changes are: Trigger group housing Cocking tube/front sight Cocking handle Fire selector switch I forget if the paddle mag release was already part of the original GSG Kit I got had parts for the MP5K variant too - obviously they won't fit this gun. It was a bit of work to get it all installed, but the looks are so much better than mine was from the factory. And if I didn't mention it before, get a buffer of some kind for the cocking tube - easy to do when you're already disassembling it anyway (though some may not even require disassembly to install). http://malice4you.com/images/realsteel/gsg522sd.jpg - full-res version http://media.server.theshootingwarehouse.com/hires/62306.png - quick image I found to compare. Edited February 17, 2017 by Malice4you 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AverageJoe 95 Posted February 22, 2017 I still have two unused oem 15 round mags in the box which can't be found anymore Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites