I've had my GSG-16 for just about a year now and I thought I'd do a quick update on how it's functioning and how to do cosmetic upgrades to make it more MP5 and less MP5ish.
Same shirt 1 yr later. That hilarious 👍 anyway i bought this gun online a couple nights ago as my first. It has to ship to my local shop and it’s eating me inside waiting! I came across your older videos looking to release my excitement and have done just that. I’m super happy to see you did an update video after all that time. Very entertaining stuff.
Some issues I had with my GSG 16 with the shorter barrel and the hardline tactical pieces. When trying to remove the top piece of Picatinny rail near the rear sight the screws just kept turning as the brass piece they were into underneath the rail kept turning. I managed to get one screw out, but the other one got stripped and I had to drill it out. So now I can’t even screw the top piece I got from hardline tactical because the screws just keep turning in the brass hole they’re supposed to screw into. I may have to glue it down. If you’re using the HK pushpins be very careful if you push one through the hardline tactical hand guard. It is plastic and a piece can break off when pushing the pin through. Mine did that but it still held in place. There is a very small screw underneath on the bottom as well. I may order another handguard and be careful next time. And with the charging tube from hardline tactical, you cannot screw the flash hider back on. It was basically screwed into the original charging tube, and there was enough threading to hold the flash hider. Not with the hard line tactical one. There’s a set screw underneath, but it’s not catching anything as there’s no threading to hold the barrel on. So you’ll have about 2 to 3 inches of the silver barrel sticking out the end. Not the end of the world, but would’ve been nice to screw the flash hider back onto the barrel.
I had an issue with the push pin through the handguard but my problem was that it was slightly too wide so the clip of pin doesn't quite engage. I ended up going back to the double-ended screw. I had no real issues with the tube, once I got one that didn't have the flaw in the print. The set screw hole for the faux suppressor was a bit messy but engaged with the screw well and it locked it in securely. I stayed away from replacing the rear section of pic-rail but I have 3D printed a small section to make up that small gap where the front section overlapped the new cocking tube.
Out of the box, you can use the standard "handguard" pin to replace all three screws. Unfortunately, if you change out the stock, you'll probably need the larger pin (which means you'll have to enlarge the hole in the receiver).
HK sued GSG over their original design for the GSG-5 which was a direct cosmetic clone of the MP5. GSG had to change the parts to make them different enough looking to satisfy HK (addition of the picatinny rail and the difference in the front sight, for example). The OG cocking tube works just great and I still have it but I switched it to the after market one to bring it back to looking more like an actual MP5.
Not everyone who watches this is a gun owner. Plus, I've seen enough idiots with guns on social media to know that every opportunity to promote safety should be taken. Consider it a teachable moment for them.
