GSG AK47 - range report

[Trekbike]

Okay, here is my report on the GSG AK47. Several asked for me to post my thoughts so here they are.

Info taken from GSG:

The GSG AK-47 in cal. .22lr is a product of German Sport Guns (GSG), with its location in Ense-Höingen / Germany. The GSG AK-47 was designed and constructed by a team which use 3D Cadcam Technology. The industrial production is located also in Ense-Höingen /Germany. We are proud to mark our product with "Made in Germany".

GSG is proud to be the only licensee worldwide of Mr. Kalashnikov for Real Firearms. During the Winter 2007 Michail Timofejewitsch Kalashnikov visited GSG in Germany in order to find out that his licensed product will be used only for civilian purpose. GSG developed the Kalashnikov in Caliber .22 for sporting purpose for civilian use only. Gun enthusiasts can shoot on targets, use just for fun for plinking, use for small game hunting or for practical shooting like IPSC-Shooting.

Rifle specs

Overall length 36.5â€

Overall height 8.14â€

Overall width 2.78â€

Barrel length 17.72â€

Rifling length 15.98â€

Number of grooves 6

Weight w/empty mag 7.36 lbs

Trigger pull 5.6 lbs

Overall impression: The model I bought was the wood stock version. Originally I planned to buy the GSG-5 but liked the feel and look of the AK much more. The fit and feel of the rifle is very nice. I read somewhere the stocks are made out of birch from Italy so it’s not the normal looking Romanian “2x4†wood. The rifle is made of a combination of metal, plastic, and wood. The attention to detail is true to the AR look. Although the GSG version is a .22 LR, the fit and finish is higher than you normally see in a centerfire AK. That is not to say that the reliability is on the same level as the legendary centerfire AK’s. The only things that clue people in that it is not a true AK, is the opening on the magazine and the lack of noise. The magazine is marked on the side to show the number of rounds in the magazine. Mine was the 24 round version.

At the range: The rifle is a blast to shoot. The best thing about the gun is knowing you can shoot a 500 bulk pack and be out less than $25. Note: You must shoot HV rounds for it to cycle properly according to the manual. It handles well and the iron sights are adequate out to about fifty yards but that’s about it if you want tight groups. You will need optics past that point unless the target area is large due to the sight size to target ratio. The rear sight can be adjusted for elevation as can the front. There is no adjustment for windage.

Range day #1

I ran 288 rounds of Winchester xPert HVand experienced about 7 rounds that failed to clear the bolt before it tried to close again. The bolt also failed to lock open on an empty mag 2 times. I also had about 3 failure to feeds. That was the only ammo I had with me that day.

Range day #2

I took several types of bulk packs this time around.

Remington Golden bullet – brass coated - shot 96 rounds – 2 failure to clear the bolt

Winchester Dynapoint Target – copper coated – shot 226 rounds – 2 failure to clear the bolt

Winchester Wildcat – uncoated lead – shot 48 rounds – 3 failure to clear the bolt

Winchester XPert – uncoated – same ammo as before to give it another chance. – shot 24 rounds – 2 failure to clear the bolt

The rifle likes the Winchester Dynapoint Target the best of what I have tried so far as reliability and accuracy. I got those at Dick’s for about $22/500. The Remington Golden bullet is not far behind. The rifle does NOT like the Wildcats and XPert. I’ll end up shooting those in my revolver just to use them up.

I think the rifle has the capability of being more accurate a shot than me. Regardless, I have attached a few target pictures for reference. I think it will take a few trips to get use to the gun and continue to work with different types of ammo. Optics would really help.

See the picture to explain my term “failure to clear the boltâ€

The trigger is not crisp like a hunting rifle by any means but it’s not terrible IMO.

Break down of the rifle is easy to accomplish with the supplied tool kit. The trigger group comes out as one assembly as does the action. See the pictures.

The rear wood stock does not have a sling mount. There is one sling mount in front of the fore grip but it doesn’t seem strong enough to hook a sling to even if the rear stock had a mount. The synthetic version does have both sling mounts.

Summary:

Overall I am happy with the rifle so far. Only time will tell about the reliability since this just came out. As time goes by I’m sure there will be some official reviews on the gun. So if you are looking for a tacticool .22 plinker, check this one out. If you happen to see me at Owl Hollow shooting the thing, be sure to say hey and run a few down the barrel.

[Motasyco]

Darn, just when I thought I had pretty much cleared my list you have to show me this. That S&W M&P15-.22 just moved down a notch on the list. Very cool.