The GSG-5 is a semi-automatic rimfire rifle chambered for the

.22 Long Rifle The .22 Long Rifle or simply .22 LR or 22 (metric designation: 5.6×15mmR) is a long-established variety of .22 caliber rimfire ammunition originating from the United States. It is used in a wide range of rifles, pistols, revolvers, smo ...

cartridge. It is built by German Sport Guns GmbH, an

airsoft Airsoft is a team game in which participants eliminate opposing players by tagging them out of play with spherical plastic projectiles shot with mock air weapons(usually powered by an electronic motor) called airsoft guns. Although similar ...

wholesaler located in Ense-Höingen,

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

. It was unveiled at the IWA & Outdoor Classics trade show in March 2007 following the legalization of previously forbidden military-style weapons in Germany. This rifle externally resembles the

Heckler & Koch MP5 The Heckler & Koch MP5 (german: Maschinenpistole 5) is a 9x19mm Parabellum submachine gun, developed in the 1960s by a team of engineers from the German small arms manufacturer Heckler & Koch. There are over 100 variants and clones of the MP ...

style submachine gun. German Sport Guns produces its own line of accessories, including retractable stocks and railed handguards. Many airsoft MP5 style accessories may also be used on the GSG-5. Magazines for the GSG-5 are available in 2-round, 10-round, 15-round, 22-round and 110-round drum configurations. The GSG-5 utilizes the H&K style drum sight that is adjustable for windage. German Sport Guns provides a weaver rail attachment that slides onto the top of the frame, allowing other sighting systems to be added. Lawsuit In 2009,

Heckler & Koch Heckler & Koch GmbH (HK; ) is a German defense manufacturing company that manufactures handguns, rifles, submachine guns, and grenade launchers. The company is located in Oberndorf am Neckar in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, and als ...

instituted a lawsuit against German Sport Guns and American Tactical Imports, Inc. over "

trade dress Trade dress is the characteristics of the visual appearance of a product or its packaging (or even the design of a building) that signify the source of the product to consumers. Trade dress is an aspect of trademark law, which is a form of intell ...

infringements." The suit was settled on October 16, 2009, the outcome being that GSG will stop manufacturing the guns and ATI, Inc., will stop importing them. Support will continue for all previously sold rifles. (Heckler and Koch has instituted a spate of lawsuits lately against anyone copying any of the weapons they developed from the

CETME CETME () is a Spanish government design and development establishment. While being involved in many projects CETME was mostly known for its small arms research and development Research and development (R&D or R+D), known in Europe as rese ...

, which is itself an outgrowth of the StG 45 assault rifle developed by the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previou ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

.) Fake Suppressor Reclassified In January 2010, in the United States; the

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE), commonly referred to as the ATF, is a domestic law enforcement agency within the United States Department of Justice. Its responsibilities include the investigation and preven ...

ruled that the previously approved

barrel shroud A barrel shroud is an external covering that envelops (either partially or full-length) the barrel of a firearm, to prevent unwanted direct contact with the barrel (e.g. accidental collision with surrounding objects, or the user accidentally to ...

included with the GSG 5 SD to give the cosmetic appearance of a real

suppressor A silencer, also known as a sound suppressor, suppressor, or sound moderator, is a muzzle device that reduces the acoustic intensity of the muzzle report (sound of a gunshot) and muzzle rise when a gun (firearm or air gun) is discharged, by ...

(or "silencer") is a true suppressor, despite it being incapable of functioning as a suppressor, and therefore is regulated under the

National Firearms Act The National Firearms Act (NFA), 73rd Congress, Sess. 2, ch. 757, was enacted on June 26, 1934, and currently codified and amended as . The law is an Act of Congress in the United States that, in general, imposes an excise tax on the manufact ...

. ATI, Inc. instituted a recall of the item. Owners can check to see if their firearm is affected by the recall vi
this web site

Variants

The GSG-5 is produced in several different versions: *GSG-5 A: With a barrel. *GSG-5 L: Equipped with a barrel, designed to meet the legal requirements for minimum barrel length and overall length in several countries (including the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

). The longer barrel is covered with a barrel shroud (mock

) for aesthetic purposes. *GSG-5 SD:Similar to GSG-5 L but with both a larger fore grip and mock suppressor, similar in look to a MP5-SD. the GSG-5 SD is the subject of the above-mentioned ATF ruling, and owners can check to see if their GSG-5 is affected vi
this web site
*GSG-5 P:

Pistol A pistol is a handgun, more specifically one with the chamber integral to its gun barrel, though in common usage the two terms are often used interchangeably. The English word was introduced in , when early handguns were produced in Europe, ...

variant with an endcap instead of a

buttstock A gunstock or often simply stock, the back portion of which is also known as a shoulder stock, a buttstock or simply a butt, is a part of a long gun that provides structural support, to which the barrel, action, and firing mechanism are attach ...

. Barrel length is identical to the "A" version. *GSG-5 PK: Similar to the GSG-5 P, but with a barrel and shorter handguard.

References

External links

German Sports Guns GMBH GSG-5 (Owners Manual)The GSG fun gun: a rimfire clone of the HK MP-5
- Guns Magazine
Photos of German Sport Guns GSG-5PK
{{DEFAULTSORT:German Sport Guns Gsg-5 .22 LR semi-automatic rifles