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Magazine release (top), slide lock (bottom).

Detachable Picatinny accessory rail.

Ambidextrous target-style oversized wood grips.

Ambidextrous safety levers.

Beavertail grip safety.

Excellent set of adjustable / interchangeable sights.

Threaded barrel.

American Tactical Imports has been importing and selling their dandy 1911-22 pistols for a while now, and in my experience, they function really well, and exhibit very good accuracy. The latest variation of their 1911-22 is shown here; the GSG Target 1911.  The GSG Target has a solid heft and feel to it, pretty much replicating the weight of a centerfire 1911. The GSG Target pistol wears a nominal five inch barrel, and has a removable barrel bushing. The barrel does not tilt during cycling as does a centerfire 1911, but it is contained by a slide stop and an additional cross-pin, to solidly hold it in place. The GSG Target pistol wears a removable Picatinny rail forward of the trigger guard, for the easy attachment of accessories. Thankfully, the pistol has ambidextrous safety levers, as well as a very comfortable beavertail grip safety. There is also a magazine disconnect safety, to prevent the weapon from firing with the magazine removed. The slide and frame are made of non-ferrous metal, finished in a matte black, with a satin-chrome hammer. The wood grips are of the oversized target type, well checkered, and feel really good in my hand. The grips are also ambidextrous.

The barrel is threaded to accommodate a sound suppressor, if desired. The slide lock functions as on a standard 1911, and locks the slide in the open position on an empty magazine.

The ten-round magazine furnished with the GSG is very heavy-duty, made of a non-ferrous metal, with an extended base plate. The trigger is skeletonized, and has an adjustable trigger stop screw.

Critical specifications for the GSG Target 1911 pistol are listed in the chart below. The weight is listed in ounces, and linear measurements in inches. Weight includes an empty magazine. The grip and frame widths were measured at their widest parts. The maximum width is measured across the grips, at the bottom. The height includes the sights and magazine base. The trigger pull on the 1911-22 is single action, with a crisp release. The trigger pull is listed as pounds of resistance, as measured on my Lyman digital trigger scale.

I tested the GSG Target 1911 pistol with several brands of 22 Long Rifle ammunition for velocity and function. The velocity results with each brand and type of ammunition are listed in the chart below. HP is a lead hollowpoint bullet. Solid is a lead roundnose bullet. Velocity readings were taken at an elevation of 541 feet above sea level, with an air temperature of 26 degrees Fahrenheit, with humidity in the seventy-three percent range. Velocities are listed in feet-per-second (FPS), and were recorded ten feet from the muzzle of the 1911-22 pistol. Bullet weights are listed in grains.

Accuracy was very good with every type of 22 Long Rifle ammunition tested. I fired for accuracy from a solid bench, with the pistol hand-held rested over a Target Shooting, Inc. Pistol Rest, with the target set at twenty-five yards. The first groups fired were a bit low and to the right, so I adjusted the rear sight slightly left, and installed a lower front sight. The GSG Target comes with five interchangeable front sights of varying heights, to adjust for elevation correction. The sights are of the white-dot pattern, and the front post presents a good sight picture for target work. The crisp trigger pull contributed to the pistol’s excellent practical accuracy, making it very easy for the shooter to place the shots on target.  Accuracy varied from superb to very good, with the accuracy in the pictures shown representative of the types of ammo noted in each picture.

Functioning was excellent with most every type of ammo tested. Some of the standard-velocity ammo would not fully cycle the slide one hundred percent of the time, but all of the high-velocity ammunition ran the pistol perfectly, after the first two magazines of ammo were expended. In those first two mags, three failures to fully cycle were noted. After that, the GSG 1911 ran flawlessly, even with the inexpensive bulk ammunition.

The GSG 1911 Target 22 pistol is an excellent handgun, offering a lot of accuracy, reliability, and quality at a very affordable price. 

Check out the GSG Target 1911 and other weapons from American Tactical Imports online at www.americantactical.us.

To order the GSG 1911 Target pistol online, go to www.galleryofguns.com.

For the location of an ATI dealer near you, click on the DEALER LOCATOR at www.lipseys.com.

Jeff Quinn

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