GSG 1911-22 vs. Chiappa 1911-22

As one who primarily carries a 1911 pistol for my personal protection, and as a strong believer that an individual will only perform any important task to the level of their training and practice, I decided (as many have) that with the escalating cost of ammo in general (and .45acp in particular) that acquiring a less expensive to feed 1911 for self defense practice would be a good idea.

While there are several quality .22 conversion kits available for the 1911 on the market today,  my preference was to have a dedicated unit, and since there is a growing number of dedicated 1911-22 pistols that have been introduced during the past couple of years, I determined to go that route with the purchase of a Chiappa 1911-22 in early 2009 and subsequently a GSG 1911-22 in July of 2010. Having now had the opportunity to thoroughly test both during the past two years, I wanted to provide the readers a direct comparison between the two as well as provide some thoughts regarding what can be expected in terms of both short term and long term durability.

The following are my thoughts regarding how these two guns stack up against one another, including some pics and targets:

• Initial Cost - Advantage Chiappa - $275 vs $330 (what I paid + tax). 
  

• Design Considerations - Advantage GSG - Other than the barrel fixing pin & set screw that lock the barrel into position, the balance of the design and feel is very true to the current 1911 production guns including the beavertail, operational grip safety and a high percentage of  interchangeable 1911 parts, which is certainly not the case with the Chiappa as virtually every part was designed specifically for the pistol.

• Material, Fit & Finish - Advantage GSG - While both are alloy, it appears to me that the alloy used in the GSG is of a higher quality, and the machining appears to be far superior on the GSG. The GSG has a matte black finish while the Chiappa is more of a gloss (both finishes are a bit fragile IMHO).

• Sights - Big advantage GSG - Both have fixed sights.  With that said, the GSG includes 3 different height front sights which allows for an easy elevation adjustment, while the Chiappa front sight has to be filed for adjustment.  Additionally, the 3 dot design on the GSG is much easier to see and align. In all fairness, the Chiappa is now available in a target version with an adjustable rear sight (should be a significant improvement over their fixed sight model).  

• Trigger – Advantage GSG - My Chiappa trigger out of the box was very heavy. While it got better with the first few thousand rounds, has a clean break and was lightened to about 6 lbs by the Chiappa gunsmith during the initial repair at about 4,000 rounds, the GSG clocks in at about 4.5 lbs with a clean break (feels very similar to my loaded Springfield).

• Magazine - Advantage GSG - The GSG mag is steel (vs the Chiappa polymer) and seems very solidly built. It is designed so that it can be disassembled for cleaning vs the Chiappa which cannot be disassembled (compressed air cleaning is not my favorite method).

• Accuracy - After warming up with both guns (50 rounds each), I shot the following 5 shot comparison targets "off hand" at 30 feet with Federal bulk ammo.  As I anticipated, the GSG shot slightly tighter groups as seen in the adjacent picture.

• Ease of Maintenance - Equal IMHO. While the GSG has a more traditional 1911 disassembly procedure, the Chiappa is simple and easy to take down as well.

• Miscellaneous Factors - Advantage GSG - as it has a high percentage of interchangeable parts with standard 1911s and it also has a pre-threaded barrel to accept an adaptor and suppressor.

• Durability - Advantage GSG - The Chiappa, with a little over 8,500 rounds down the pipe, has already required the replacement of the alloy barrel bushing twice (at nearly 4,000 rounds and again at just short of 8,000 rounds), has had a couple of trips to the factory for slide lock issues and a third trip to the factory for the replacement of the hammer.  While I only live 15 minutes from the factory in Dayton Ohio, and while the Chiappa customer service people have been very pleasant, responsive and have repaired it each time while I waited, three trips to the factory in two years is a bit excessive in my opinion (especially for anyone not living in close proximity to the factory).  The GSG, with a little more than 20,000 rounds down the pipe has also had some issues along the way.  Initially it required factory updates including a steel barrel bushing, redesigned slide stop and magazine followers (sent to me from the distributor).  Additionally, when I sent it to ATI at 17,000 rounds to replace the broken firing pin assembly, they updated the guide rod assembly including a redesigned recoil spring, spring plug, spring buffer as well a redesigned safety.   All in all, the folks at ATI customer service have been very helpful as well, but with only a single trip to the factory and 2-1/2 times more rounds down the barrel, the GSG is clearly more durable and reliable in my opinion and experience (Chiappa still does not offer a steel barrel bushing to resolve the every 4,000 round bushing failure issue).  

Final Thought - While I have no intention of getting rid of my Chiappa, as my wife enjoys shooting it, the GSG was the clear winner for my 1911 training needs.  While the GSG certainly won't last as long or be as reliable as my Ruger MKIII (currently with over 60,000 rounds), it is definitely worth the money for 1911 practice.  If you consider the difference in ammo cost over 20,000 rounds ($600 for .22lr verses $5,400 for .45acp), the $330 price tag for the GSG 1911-22 is money well spent no matter how you look at it.  

Good Luck & Good Shooting ... Buck