Working a great rimfire 1911 clone.

by RK Campbell

The world of 1911 handguns has a branch that doesn’t command the respect it should: .22 rimfire clones. While there are a number of inexpensive .22 caliber handguns that are far from well made, the GSG 1911 .22 is of good material and quite popular. The pistol is manufactured primarily of non-ferrous metal but this works just fine with the low recoil and pressure from the .22 Long Rifle. The finish is painted, either black, coyote tan or olive drab.

Interestingly, many of the GSG’s internal parts interchange with standard 1911 parts. While fitting is often required of any 1911 part, the interchangeability is good and includes stocks, slide stop, slide lock safety, mainspring housing, grip safety, magazine catch, sear and sear spring, plunger tube assembly and the trigger. Theoretically, you could fit Wilson Combat parts if the owner wished a first class trigger job. When you calculate the need for hand fitting, the percentage of interchangeable parts may not be that high but the possibility of fit with Series 70 parts is interesting.

Read more in our May 2015 issue. Back issues are available.

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