GSG FireFly 22 LR 4″ Purple — Superb Rimfire Range Pistol

Description

The GSG FireFly is a full-size rimfire pistol built on a service-pistol layout rather than a scaled-down plinker, and that is the whole point of it. At 24.6 ounces with a 7.2 inch overall length, it fills the hand the way a centerfire duty pistol does, which makes it a far better teaching tool than the small, light 22s that most new shooters get handed first. This one wears a purple anodized frame against a black slide.

Why Size and Weight Matter in a Rimfire

Most 22 LR pistols are built small because they can be, and that is precisely what makes them awkward for a new shooter. A light pistol moves more under a trigger press, a short grip leaves fingers hanging off, and a shooter who learns on one has to unlearn it all when they move to a full-size gun. The GSG FireFly does not have that problem: it is the size and roughly the weight of a compact centerfire service pistol, and it handles like one.

The DA/SA trigger reinforces the point. A long double-action first pull followed by a short single-action reset is the manual of arms on a large share of centerfire duty pistols, so a shooter who learns it here does not learn a habit they will later have to discard.

Specifications

• Model: GSG FireFly
• Caliber: 22 LR
• Barrel: 4 in, steel, not threaded
• Overall length: 7.2 in
• Height: 5.3 in
• Weight: 24.6 oz
• Capacity: 10 rounds
• Action: DA/SA semi-automatic
• Sights: adjustable rear
• Safety: ambidextrous thumb safety
• Frame: zinc alloy with polymer overmould, purple anodized
• Slide: zinc alloy, black
• Grips: black polymer

A note on ammunition in rimfire semi-automatic pistols: they are more particular than rifles about what will cycle them. High velocity 40-grain loads in the 1,200 fps range are the reliable starting point. Subsonic and match ammunition built for bolt-action accuracy will often lack the energy to work the slide. Keep the chamber and breech face clean, because rimfire ammunition is dirty and a neglected 22 pistol starts short-stroking long before a centerfire would.

Why it is worth considering

• Full-size service-pistol dimensions rather than a scaled-down plinker
• DA/SA trigger that matches the manual of arms on common duty pistols
• Adjustable rear sight, so the pistol can be zeroed for a preferred load
• Ambidextrous thumb safety
• 24.6 ounces, heavy enough to stay steady under a trigger press
• Purple anodized frame, which makes it easy to tell apart on a shared range bench

Who it suits

The GSG FireFly suits anyone teaching a new shooter, or anyone who wants a pistol that handles like their carry gun and costs a tenth as much to shoot. The size is the argument: skills learned on this one transfer, where skills learned on a pocket-size 22 largely do not. The purple frame is a matter of taste, and it is also the version that nobody else at the range will pick up by mistake.

Magazines, Ammunition and Transfer

The GSG FireFly feeds from a 10-round single-stack magazine and spares are inexpensive. As with any rimfire semi-automatic, the magazine is where most reliability problems begin: keep the follower clean, avoid storing them fully loaded for long periods, and retire one that starts causing failures rather than chasing the fault through the pistol.

For ammunition, high velocity 40-grain copper-plated round nose is the default and works in nearly every rimfire pistol made. Importer specifications are published by American Tactical, which brings German Sport Guns into the United States. Compare this pistol with the threaded-barrel GSG 1911 AD-OPS, browse our German Sport Guns range, the wider handgun catalog, or the full firearms selection.

All firearm orders ship to a licensed FFL dealer for transfer, and MAG5 Firearms will coordinate the paperwork with the dealer of your choice.