GSG5 vs HK SP89

by Jessie Indracusin

Background

Every so often I right an article out of complete frustration from reading forums of people talking about clone H&K firearms and using a “so called clone HK” as a benchmark to how HK guns really perform.  The best example of this is using a kit Ferrari with a Ford Engine in it comparing it to an actually real Ferrari and not understanding there is a difference.

HK SP89

The H&K SP89 is best know for being the “pistol” version of an MP5.  Nearly all parts are completely inter-changeable with other HK firearms of that era.  The quality and craftsmanship that goes into a real HK has never quiet been duplicated by others.  Another good comparison is an AK that comes from China versus one from the USSR.  Everyone knows the copy RARELY ever exceeds the original.  

The SP89 had roughly 15,000 units imported into the United States at the time.  They are no longer imported so they are VERY expensive and VERY hard to find.  They have been seen in many movies and are infamous in most video games along with the larger H&K MP5K and MP5-PDW.  Licensed as a pistol, this gun can actually be carried on someone’s person in most states that have a Concealed Handgun License (although not the most practical thing to carry around, but guaranteed to make a criminal both piss and shit at the same time if you pulled one on someone trying to mug you). 

The SP89 has a proven reliability record that makes it a solid piece of history.  They will continue to be an excellent collectible item and will continue to go up in price.

GSG5 Series

The GSG5 series is a gun that is also made in Germany.  A lot of people think that alone gives it enough weight as a similar gun.  Everything from the breakdown to the internal components reminds you this is a whole other gun in disguise.  At the end of the day, what makes an H&K an actual H&K is the guts.  There is pretty much zero interchangeability with a real H&K.  Although the gun has it’s merits for what it really is (a fun little plinking .22LR pistol) it is not by any means a comparison of an actual H&K firearm.

I own a GSG5, it is a fun gun to let people shoot and costs me next to nothing to let them do it (the beauty of the .22LR round), I rarely even refer to this as anything related to an H&K.  During the video I gut the two guns out and you can see there is nothing that makes the two look similar.  

Summary

I just wanted to make these comments since they seem to be a bit neglected and some people say things like “Well you are getting an HK MP5 when you get a GSG5, it’s just a copy and because of that they are not ripping you off on just an HK label”.  If I could reach out and smack the person along side their head every time I read some kid in a forum make that type of a comment, I would be happy.

 

 Although, yes, both guns come from Germany, it does not mean they are both quality guns of the same caliber. 

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