GSG-16 Carbine 22 LR 16.25″ Smoke Grey — Superb Rimfire Rifle

Description

The GSG-16 Carbine is the rimfire that most people who buy one end up shooting more than everything else in the safe combined. It weighs under five pounds, holds 22 rounds, costs almost nothing per round to feed, and carries enough rail to hang whatever you want on it. This is the smoke grey configuration with a 16.25 inch barrel and the removable faux suppressor shroud fitted.

What You Actually Get for the Money

Blowback 22 carbines are a crowded category, and the GSG-16 Carbine earns its place on hardware rather than novelty. The receiver carries roughly thirteen inches of continuous Picatinny rail, the handguard accepts accessories directly, and the stock is a four-position telescoping unit with a length of pull that runs from about 8.25 to 14.5 inches. That range matters: the same rifle fits a child learning to shoot and an adult in a winter coat.

The buttplate includes a magazine storage compartment, which is a small thing that turns out to be useful on a rifle you carry to the range with three magazines and no bag. Sights are a hooded polymer front and an adjustable peep rear, both removable if you would rather mount an optic.

Specifications

• Model: GSG-16 Carbine
• Caliber: 22 LR
• Barrel: 16.25 in, pencil profile
• Action: blowback semi-automatic
• Capacity: 22+1
• Weight: approximately 4 lbs 14 oz unloaded
• Overall length: 28.5 in collapsed, 34.25 in extended
• Length of pull: 8.25 to 14.5 in, four-position telescoping stock
• Sights: hooded front, adjustable peep rear, both removable
• Rails: approximately 13 in of integrated Picatinny, plus handguard rails
• Included: faux suppressor shroud, 22-round magazine
• Finish: smoke grey

Magazine options go beyond the supplied 22-rounder: 10-round magazines are available where capacity is restricted, and a 110-round drum exists for anyone who wants one. As with every rimfire semi-automatic, the GSG-16 prefers high velocity 40-grain ammunition and will be less reliable on subsonic or match loads built for bolt guns. Clean it more often than you would a centerfire, because rimfire ammunition is dirty.

Why it is worth considering

• 22+1 capacity with 10-round and 110-round magazines also available
• Under five pounds unloaded, so anyone can hold it steady
• Four-position stock spanning an 8.25 to 14.5 inch length of pull
• Roughly 13 inches of Picatinny rail plus handguard rail sections
• Removable faux suppressor shroud that is purely cosmetic and requires no paperwork
• Ammunition costs a small fraction of any centerfire carbine

Who it suits

The GSG-16 Carbine suits the household that wants one rifle everybody can shoot. The adjustable stock covers the whole family, the recoil is nil, the capacity means less time loading, and the running cost is low enough that nobody has to ration ammunition. Smoke grey is the quieter of the colour options, and the one that looks least like a toy when a neighbour glances over at the range.

Accuracy, Ammunition and Transfer

Independent testing of the GSG-16 Carbine has produced 50 yard groups in the 1.4 to 2.3 inch range across a spread of ammunition, which is entirely reasonable for a blowback rimfire with a pencil-profile barrel and iron sights. Put a small optic on the rail and feed it ammunition it likes and it will do better. High velocity 40 grain copper-plated round nose is the sensible default; subsonic and match loads intended for bolt-action rifles will often fail to cycle the action.

The same rifle is offered in flat dark earth, black and OD green if smoke grey is not your preference. Importer specifications are published by American Tactical, which brings German Sport Guns into the United States. Compare it against the flat dark earth version and the GSG FireFly pistol, browse our German Sport Guns range, or the wider 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.