Pistola Pedro
New member
Hi all,
I haven't seen much posted about the Grand Power line so I wanted to contribute some food for thought. I am not employed by any company related with firearms and have owned nearly every brand of pistol ( HK, Sig, Walther, Beretta, Bersa, Ruger, FN, STI, S&W, CZ, Browning, etc. ) and have a decent bit of experience with pistols. I have owned the P1 for over a year now and have had time to get to know it. I want to give you the full scoop.
Okay, I'll start now.
Company:
The Grand Power line of pistols are doing pretty good over in Europe and were first imported to the US through STI, which got my attention because they are absolutely top notch. I get the feeling that STI stopped with it simply because the price point was too high for people to take a chance on them and they wanted to stick with what they do well. Currently Century Arms is importing them and I have it on good authority ( I emailed them directly and they replied within one day, despite the fact that I wrote in English and they were forced to try to communicate things as best they could ) that this will not be the case much longer. They have been looking for someone to link up with who can be a little more in line with their values, no offense to Century. Their quick and informative reply to some questions I've emailed them were impressive and I believe they value customer service highly.
Size & Weight:
The P1 is roughly equivalent to a Glock 19, although it is a little taller which is pretty much all in a little extra grip room for your fingers. It is definitely heavier than the Glock 19. This is mainly due to the fact that it is actually a steel framed gun. Yes, it is a polymer exterior, but it is a steel chassis. It is roughly the same width. Specs and pics can all be found elsewhere online if you need them. I find it very easy to carry all day long in my Comptac Minotaur.
Controls:
Everything is ambidextrous on this pistol. Please note that this doesn't mean that things can be switched to the other side. Everything is already on both sides. The mag release is in the right spot for me and the mags drop free. The slide catch works perfectly and is easy to release. One of my few complaints is that the slide catch would be better if it were rounded off a little. It scrapes my table a little and shaved a little off the holster as well at first. The safety is wonderful. It is very reminiscent of a CZ or 1911 placement and is not also a decocker like the HK or FNX. I like that, but some will complain about having a hard time decocking their pistol without a button to do it for them. The slide can be retracted while the pistol is cocked and locked. The other main negative about this pistol is that the indicator shows red when it is on safe. I don't get bothered by that at all, but some will. I hear they are changing them to blue for this reason. The takedown is simple, but different than most are used to. It is somewhat like a PPK. Once you get used to it you'll probably like it, but it seems that the newer models will have a more Glock-like takedown mechanism.
Sights:
The sights that come with the pistol are pretty nice. The front post is very squared, which make it a nice sharp sight picture. The rear sight isn't my favorite and I'm going to replace mine with a Dawson Precision rear. However, the rear sight is still pretty good and the rounded design is ideal for CCW.
Ergonomics:
The pistol just plain feels GREAT in the hand. It comes with 4 different grips. I heard someone complain that no grip removing tool is included. If you don't own a flathead screwdriver that you can pry the grip off with, please be advised that you should buy that tool first (do we still do blue for sarcasm?)! I have gone with the second smallest grip and it puts me perfectly on target the moment the pistol comes up and I can easily work all of the controls and my finger is right where I like it. I will repeat, this pistol feels incredible in the hand. There is no magwell, but it still reloads very fast. The FNP is the fastest reloading gun I've ever owned and this one doesn't match that, but it's every bit as fast as my Trojan.
Trigger:
I know that I'm going pretty far in depth with this review, but this paragraph everyone should STOP AND READ!! This is the best factory trigger I've ever felt on a DA/SA gun and is only second to the my STI Trojan by a very small margin. It resets quicker than a P99 and has less travel. It is as good as or better than a CZ Shadow in terms of travel. The double action is very good, but I don't use it. This is a cocked and locked gun for me every time I carry it. I can double tap this gun faster than any I have every owned except perhaps my Buckmark.
Recoil:
I will start with how I ended the last paragraph. I can double tap this gun faster than any I have ever owned except perhaps my Buckmark. The weight may help some of that, but I think the rotating barrel also helps. The bore axis is low and the grip is plenty large to soak up what is left of the recoil.
Magazines:
The magazines aren't exactly flooding the market currently in the US, but they are good mags with a bright red/orange follower. The good news is that they are based off of CZ 75 mags. The bad news is that the cut is proprietary. I've heard of some guys making their own, but I would suggest patience. More 15 and even 20 rounders should be hitting the market when a new importer is secured.
Problems:
There was a voluntary recall on a small batch of them after some goofball blew his up with reloads. He tried to blackmail the company for a bunch of ammo ( thousands of rounds) AND a new pistol. The barrels are pretty chunky and even though I went ahead and let mine get replaced, I doubt it would have had a problem under normal circumstances. The company has a "no questions asked" replacement policy. I don't know that this is really a problem, but thought I'd list it so you all knew about it.
Another "problem" is the slide auto forwarding on a fresh mag being sent home with force. There are some self defense loads that will jam if you do this. Simply using less force or using different rounds ( like Hornady TAP ) seem to cure that just fine. I actually love this feature, but again thought you should know about it.
Conclusion:
I highly recommend this pistol. I think it would have been a great buy at the previous prices under the STI banner ( $650 ). Right now, it is a ridiculous steal at around $450. I am keeping mine for the long haul and that takes some doing with me. I've zipped through a lot of pistols trying to find the right one to be my "all around" gun. This one is it. I will be buying the X-Calibur the very moment it becomes available in the states. If these guns get in the hands of a few more shooters, I expect them to become THE hammer fired pistol of choice to compete against Glock and M&P. Like those two brands ( and XDM I guess ), they are already set with calibers from .380 through .45 and have sizes from subcompact through longslide competition models ( X-Calibur). They are very corrosion resistant and are just a great value currently. If you were already thinking about one, do it.
Let me know if you have any questions,
Pete
I haven't seen much posted about the Grand Power line so I wanted to contribute some food for thought. I am not employed by any company related with firearms and have owned nearly every brand of pistol ( HK, Sig, Walther, Beretta, Bersa, Ruger, FN, STI, S&W, CZ, Browning, etc. ) and have a decent bit of experience with pistols. I have owned the P1 for over a year now and have had time to get to know it. I want to give you the full scoop.
Okay, I'll start now.
Company:
The Grand Power line of pistols are doing pretty good over in Europe and were first imported to the US through STI, which got my attention because they are absolutely top notch. I get the feeling that STI stopped with it simply because the price point was too high for people to take a chance on them and they wanted to stick with what they do well. Currently Century Arms is importing them and I have it on good authority ( I emailed them directly and they replied within one day, despite the fact that I wrote in English and they were forced to try to communicate things as best they could ) that this will not be the case much longer. They have been looking for someone to link up with who can be a little more in line with their values, no offense to Century. Their quick and informative reply to some questions I've emailed them were impressive and I believe they value customer service highly.
Size & Weight:
The P1 is roughly equivalent to a Glock 19, although it is a little taller which is pretty much all in a little extra grip room for your fingers. It is definitely heavier than the Glock 19. This is mainly due to the fact that it is actually a steel framed gun. Yes, it is a polymer exterior, but it is a steel chassis. It is roughly the same width. Specs and pics can all be found elsewhere online if you need them. I find it very easy to carry all day long in my Comptac Minotaur.
Controls:
Everything is ambidextrous on this pistol. Please note that this doesn't mean that things can be switched to the other side. Everything is already on both sides. The mag release is in the right spot for me and the mags drop free. The slide catch works perfectly and is easy to release. One of my few complaints is that the slide catch would be better if it were rounded off a little. It scrapes my table a little and shaved a little off the holster as well at first. The safety is wonderful. It is very reminiscent of a CZ or 1911 placement and is not also a decocker like the HK or FNX. I like that, but some will complain about having a hard time decocking their pistol without a button to do it for them. The slide can be retracted while the pistol is cocked and locked. The other main negative about this pistol is that the indicator shows red when it is on safe. I don't get bothered by that at all, but some will. I hear they are changing them to blue for this reason. The takedown is simple, but different than most are used to. It is somewhat like a PPK. Once you get used to it you'll probably like it, but it seems that the newer models will have a more Glock-like takedown mechanism.
Sights:
The sights that come with the pistol are pretty nice. The front post is very squared, which make it a nice sharp sight picture. The rear sight isn't my favorite and I'm going to replace mine with a Dawson Precision rear. However, the rear sight is still pretty good and the rounded design is ideal for CCW.
Ergonomics:
The pistol just plain feels GREAT in the hand. It comes with 4 different grips. I heard someone complain that no grip removing tool is included. If you don't own a flathead screwdriver that you can pry the grip off with, please be advised that you should buy that tool first (do we still do blue for sarcasm?)! I have gone with the second smallest grip and it puts me perfectly on target the moment the pistol comes up and I can easily work all of the controls and my finger is right where I like it. I will repeat, this pistol feels incredible in the hand. There is no magwell, but it still reloads very fast. The FNP is the fastest reloading gun I've ever owned and this one doesn't match that, but it's every bit as fast as my Trojan.
Trigger:
I know that I'm going pretty far in depth with this review, but this paragraph everyone should STOP AND READ!! This is the best factory trigger I've ever felt on a DA/SA gun and is only second to the my STI Trojan by a very small margin. It resets quicker than a P99 and has less travel. It is as good as or better than a CZ Shadow in terms of travel. The double action is very good, but I don't use it. This is a cocked and locked gun for me every time I carry it. I can double tap this gun faster than any I have every owned except perhaps my Buckmark.
Recoil:
I will start with how I ended the last paragraph. I can double tap this gun faster than any I have ever owned except perhaps my Buckmark. The weight may help some of that, but I think the rotating barrel also helps. The bore axis is low and the grip is plenty large to soak up what is left of the recoil.
Magazines:
The magazines aren't exactly flooding the market currently in the US, but they are good mags with a bright red/orange follower. The good news is that they are based off of CZ 75 mags. The bad news is that the cut is proprietary. I've heard of some guys making their own, but I would suggest patience. More 15 and even 20 rounders should be hitting the market when a new importer is secured.
Problems:
There was a voluntary recall on a small batch of them after some goofball blew his up with reloads. He tried to blackmail the company for a bunch of ammo ( thousands of rounds) AND a new pistol. The barrels are pretty chunky and even though I went ahead and let mine get replaced, I doubt it would have had a problem under normal circumstances. The company has a "no questions asked" replacement policy. I don't know that this is really a problem, but thought I'd list it so you all knew about it.
Another "problem" is the slide auto forwarding on a fresh mag being sent home with force. There are some self defense loads that will jam if you do this. Simply using less force or using different rounds ( like Hornady TAP ) seem to cure that just fine. I actually love this feature, but again thought you should know about it.
Conclusion:
I highly recommend this pistol. I think it would have been a great buy at the previous prices under the STI banner ( $650 ). Right now, it is a ridiculous steal at around $450. I am keeping mine for the long haul and that takes some doing with me. I've zipped through a lot of pistols trying to find the right one to be my "all around" gun. This one is it. I will be buying the X-Calibur the very moment it becomes available in the states. If these guns get in the hands of a few more shooters, I expect them to become THE hammer fired pistol of choice to compete against Glock and M&P. Like those two brands ( and XDM I guess ), they are already set with calibers from .380 through .45 and have sizes from subcompact through longslide competition models ( X-Calibur). They are very corrosion resistant and are just a great value currently. If you were already thinking about one, do it.
Let me know if you have any questions,
Pete
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