Hello to all from a new guy- if a 60 year old can be called "new". I am just getting back into shooting after several years off. Funny how things work out sometimes. I was looking for a military style 22 rifle, and I did a bunch of research over the past three weeks. I looked into the main 4 models: S&W 15-22, Colt/Umarex, SIG522, and the Ruger SR44. Read a lot of posts on several different forums, and I became familiar with the good and bad of all of these. Each model has it's lovers and haters, which is pretty well normal for just about anything one can think of.
I quickly narrowed the field, for my tastes anyway, down to the S&W and the SIG522. However, while the S&W felt good and is probably the best seller, the problems keep being reported even on the current, latest serial number-blue spring- models. S&W takes care of them and pays for shipping both ways, however I am a bit leery of buying one at this time. My number one choice was to get a SIG522, so I went to one of the local gun stores, but the only one they had has the canted gas block issue, and I did not want to buy a gun that I knew was going to have to be sent back for repairs- and like S&W, SIG takes care of the problems although I am not sure about the shipping.
So, I was ready to leave when one of the guys mentioned the GSG AK47 22. I have to admit that I had never really looked at an AK47, much less held one. However, the GSG actually felt quite good to me. Long story short, I looked it over pretty well, they got me one still in the box, and I checked it out to be sure nothing was broken, etc. Every thing looked good, actually seems to be put together quite well, everything fits as good as anything else I looked at. It is heavy, possibly a bit heavier than the Ruger SR44, but heavy in a good way, if that makes sense. So I bought it-about $364 OTD- without reading any reviews or test reports. Once I got it home I put the butt stock on, wood model rifle, and gave it a good cleaning then stepped out to try it out. I was really only shooting to check feed and eject, and only shot two magazines worth, but everything worked 100% and while the trigger isn't super good, it is certainly acceptable. The gun comes with one magazine, but they are readily available, I just ordered one from Midway.
I did some checking afterwards to see what others had to say about this rifle. Just to see if I made a mistake in buying it. I found some pretty thorough test reports from about 7-8 months ago and forward. Most reviews were positive, although I did see some posts where some people think it's junk, garbage, etc.. All I can say is that the one I bought doesn't appear to be junk, but maybe others are more qualified than me to evaluate this product.
So, my first post here, a bit long and likely to get me laughed at for buying this particular rifle, but that's ok, I'm not sensitive. I still want a SIG, but I don't feel bad about the AK. In fact, I am beginning to get the feeling that I might need a real AK47.
Once again, hello to everyone and I am looking forward to participating in this forum. I especially would like feedback from those who have this rifle, to get some long term experiences.
has anyone got an more up to date on what makes and type of ammo works best 
