Sti gp6

[SIG_Fiend]

Woah! I just handled the production GP6 Alan will be reviewing. It seems quite a bit more refined than the test version I handled at Shiloh a couple months back. I'll say this much, this thing is growing on me quite a bit. I am really liking these guns a heck of a lot more. Before, handling the test version, it seemed nice but nothing really jumped out and made me really want it that bad. After handling this production version, I actually really, REALLY want one now! The beveled slide profile is very nice and relatively slim. The grip seems more refined somehow. The safeties seem to be much lower profile than the test version was. The SA trigger pull is pretty darn good. DA is a tad gritty but still as good or better than most DA pulls. I'm sure Alan will be posting a detailed review relatively soon.

 

[htxred]

one thing i've noticed is that it gets extremely hot really fast. if we get our holsters in, im going to shoot it tonight in tac workout and see if its holsterable.

 

[htxred]

i just dropped my sti 1911 off to a gunsmith in stafford to get it converted to a 2011. now all i has is the GP6......

 

[Gmofftarki]

one thing i've noticed is that it gets extremely hot really fast. if we get our holsters in, im going to shoot it tonight in tac workout and see if its holsterable.

Hrm... good to know. I was hoping to use it to "get started" in IPSC, and getting hot/becoming unreliable might be a bad thing.

Still, it's the most ergonomic pistol I've ever held, with the best DA/SA trigger I've ever pulled, so...

 

[htxred]

didnt say anything about it becoming unreliable, it just got noticably hot faster then my glock.

 

[daddySEAL]

Htxred,
I didn't notice mine heating up after pumping mag after mag thru it at the range, any more than my other semi-autos (except "maybe" my Glocks,..."maybe")

Gmofftarki,
The K100 is "built to last", and Grand Power has tested it to Way over 100,000 rounds without losing any accuracy or smoothness in functioning.

dS

 

[Texas1911]

Shot mine today, and gave it to 10 other gun nuts to try out as well. I didn't notice it getting hot at all really. Even after putting 50 rounds through it in a short timeframe I didn't notice significant heating over a Glock or XD.

I'm building a good sized review of the pistol that I will post later. I've been taking notes, but I need to run some more ammo through it and talk to more people.

I'd say for the price point the pistol is in, it certainly offers a different feel.

 

[daddySEAL]

Isn't It Incredably accurate, friend?
Isn't it's unique mechanism ans easy breatdown (once you get used to ti) great?

I Love the fact that the barrel is totally free operating, independent of any contact with the guide rod or spring, huh?
And the short, VERL light trigger is a Dream!!

I can totally blow out the whole bullseye circle with mine. I've Never been that accurate with any othe semi-auto I own.

dS

 

[Coogan]

Well, the GP6 rocks...unless you use Blazer aluminum cased ammo.

I took my GP6 out yesterday for some informal shooting. 100 rounds of Blazer and 4 failures to fire.

It seems that something is scoring the casings during chambering which in turn does not allow the slide to properly lock up. What this resulted in was light primer strikes and very rough manual extraction. All rounds discharged after a second (positive) chambering.

I checked the chamber and no burs. I checked the feedramp of the frame insert and no burrs.

I would have paid more attention to what was happening, but we had a sudden drop in temperature earlier in the morning and I did not feel like freezing my unprepared butt off to work on the issue.

I am going to try brass cased ammo next time and perhaps another box of the CCI stuff.

Anyway, for informal shooting (and a new pistol to boot) the accuracy is very promising. I noticed no heat issues while firing the 100 rounds and I did check specifically for it.

FWIW, the Comp-Tac CTAC for the G20/21 works with the GP6. Not a perfect fit, obviously, but it holds the pistol very well.

Here is my breakdown:

Accuracy - N/A (but nice for what I was doing) My first few round were VERY high - close to a foot @ 20 yards. This seemed to go away or I had unconsciously adjusted myself to it.

Extraction - 100%, but every now and then a casing would drop between my arms as opposed to ejecting to the right. All casings (save the between the arms) were about 6" to 1' to the right.

Feeding - 4 failures to fully feed. No "empty chamber" issues though. I believe ammo is the culprit here.

Speed - I did 2 mag dumps, no hiccups of any sort - trigger reset is SHORT!

More on the pistol later!

 

[htxred]

the GP6 in the rental ran into some lockup problems as well but it was due to the lack of cleaning lol, im going to guess that its already close to 2k rnds and i cleaned it for the first time on sunday. keep in mind that it IS a rotating bbl so you really have to keep it cleaned/lubed.


i havent had any problems with mine except for finding time to shoot it, my wife has been putting rnds through it.

 

[Texas1911]

The GP6 is STI's first entry into the polymer frame market, and it brings with it a unique design and solid performance. The GP6 is a 9mm DA / SA handgun with a rotating barrel design with a steel slide and a polymer lower frame. The frame itself is completely ambidextrous, as are all of the controls such as the external safety, slide release, and magazine drop button.

I really like the feel of the GP6. Unladen it feels considerably more balanced than an XD or Glock, albeit a heavier pistol all together. The grip angle is somewhat similar to a Glock in that you have a large palm swell, but unlike a Glock you have a nice beavertail which aids in making the grip more consistent. The grip is a tad slick, which is one thing I would like to see changed, but is easily remidied with some grip tape. On the same token, there are some tactically placed striations on the frame that allows my strong side fingers to dig into, which I liked.

I rarely use the actual slide release to chamber or remedy malfunctions so I was very pleased with the aggressive slide serrations. It makes operating the slide very easy, and very quick, as it should be.

Seen here is the unique cut out on the barrel that forces the rotation as it moves reward. The cutout interfaces with a lug on the frame to twist the barrel.

Of more importance is the massive locking lug that gives the barrel good lock-up. The tighter the lock-up, the tighter the groups due to the decreased deflection of the barrel during the firing event.

One thing that everyone that fired the GP6 commented on was the smooth trigger pull, and overall trigger feel. Seen here is the double action pull length. I found the pull to be very smooth, without significant hitch during the pull which is a problem that Glock, and other similar designs, have due to the disengagement of safeties in the middle of the pull. The pull weight is approximately 7 lbs. in DA (going off of feel).

The best thing about the GP6 is the single action pull. Every one of the 20 people that fired the GP6 loved the feel. The pull weight is approximately 4.5 - 5.0 lbs. with a clean break. There is very little creep in the trigger, and about a 5mm take up length. The reset is incredibly short, like 1911 short, and that makes for really fast follow-up shots. I could empty 5 rounds out of the GP6 faster than my 17L with the same degree of accuracy. For self-defense, that is where it counts.

The sight picture on the GP6 is decent. The rear sight is a bit busy for my taste, and the front sight itself is hard to find, but again... this is an aspect of the pistol that is easily fixed. It'd be awesome with a set of Dawson fiber-optic sights, or a more combat oriented XS big dot. I do like the fact that you have a typical three dot sight picture, and the sights offer alot of field of view since they are narrow.

So how's it shoot? Damn well.

That group is at 10 yards using Blaser Brass.

The recoil is soft, but there is a tad bit more muzzle climb compared to other 9mm pistols I've shot, but was certainly manageable.

In the last range visit I actually tried to make the gun malfunction. I held onto it loosely with one hand, double tapped it in the same manner, ran it over-oiled and dirty, softly inserted the magazine, shot it gangsta style, fast, slow, etc. etc. etc. and I could not get the gun to malfunction. In fact, even with 20 shooters, some of them new to pistols, the GP6 never malfunctioned once. Not a single stovepipe, not a single double feed, nothing. This thing is less tempermental than ANYTHING I've owned, and that includes my Glock and HKs.

Everyone commented positively on it's accuracy, and I would as well. It was on par with my 17L which is no slouch.

For it's pricing point the GP6 does bring a strong presence to the market. For those looking for a traditional SA carry gun, but don't want the shortcomings of a single stack 1911, or the cost of an HK, this is something definitely worth checking out.

If you are in the Houston area, Shiloh Shooting Range has a GP6 for trial, and both them and Talon Arms are STI dealers.

Thanks to Rabbit at STI for lending the GP6 for review. For more info on STI and the GP6 see their website, STI International, Inc.

 

[daddySEAL]

I completely agree, Texas1911

But the GP6 has the same acuracy with Half the barrel length of the Glock 17L, AND with the sweetest short Very light trigger than Glocks especially and better all other pistols I've tried or own.

Yes, Rabbit at STI is a great guy....so is the whole staff, including one of their gunsmiths, David Cupp who refined my GP6 even further when I saw them both yesterday in Georgetown. STI has incredably great customer support as well as awesome quality precision competition handguns.

I Strongly recommend STI and the GP6 to Everyone out there!!!

dS

 

[Igoca]

Home page of GrandPower Slovakia

Hi fans of GrandPower guns,
be so kind and attached links to GP home page.
..:GrandPower s.r.o. :..

 

[Gmofftarki]

What are the sights set to for range?

What about sight picture alignment? 6 o'clock or sights on bullseye?

 

[Texas1911]

It's been sights on bullseye for me.

Range, probably about 25m.

 

[daddySEAL]

Igoca,
The Grand Power website that shows/tells the most about K100s...including videos, photos AND a Great manual to download (the pamphlet that comes with the pistol is Useless) is:

GrandPower.eu/

My Only wish with it would be that it had a rail for tactical lights.
But the GP6 is flat incredable!
I can't wait to get a .40 cal. when they have enough time for production. Now they are SO busy trying to make and ship the 9mm model coming from all over they worls, they don't have time to tool up for them.

dS

 

[brickboy240]

If it just was not so friggin UGLY....yech! It looks worse than the Beretta PX4 polymer pistol and I did not think that was possible.

Knowing STI...I bet its not cheap, either. Don't really need a 1" group shooter for a defensive pistol...sorry.

Meh....keeping my Glocks and XD...for now.

- brickboy240

 

[htxred]

Igoca,
The Grand Power website that shows/tells the most about K100s...including videos, photos AND a Great manual to download (the pamphlet that comes with the pistol is Useless) is:

GrandPower.eu/

My Only wish with it would be that it had a rail for tactical lights.
But the GP6 is flat incredable!
I can't wait to get a .40 cal. when they have enough time for production. Now they are SO busy trying to make and ship the 9mm model coming from all over they worls, they don't have time to tool up for them.

dS

hm.. it does have a rail.

If it just was not so friggin UGLY....yech! It looks worse than the Beretta PX4 polymer pistol and I did not think that was possible.

Knowing STI...I bet its not cheap, either. Don't really need a 1" group shooter for a defensive pistol...sorry.

Meh....keeping my Glocks and XD...for now.

- brickboy240

you should be able to shoot 1" groups with any pistol you carry.

 

[TAZ]

you should be able to shoot 1" groups with any pistol you carry.

I guess that depends on range, but even makers like Wilson, Nighthawk... only guarantee 1"/25yd accuracy out of their high end guns.. and only off of a rest.

 

[Gmofftarki]

I can't wait to get a .40 cal. when they have enough time for production. Now they are SO busy trying to make and ship the 9mm model coming from all over they worls, they don't have time to tool up for them.

dS

I was thinking the same thing re: 40.

Asked STI directly, and this is what they told me (also asked about holsters and a few other things):

Dear STI:

Do you have any suggestions regarding IWB holsters for the GP6? I very
much like its feel, but I can only afford one pistol for the foreseeable
future, and as such would need one that could be carried fairly easily?

What are the appropriate dimensions to have one fitted? What would I
need to tell a custom maker to have one built?

Hoffners Holster in Houston is a great custom holster maker I recommend

What kind of magazines would be used for the pistol above and beyond the

two that come with it? I could have sworn I heard something about FNP9
magazines being usable, but I can't recall exactly what I heard. Do you
sell extra magazines as well?

GP6 mags are available in 17 rounds. We are looking at 10 round mags. No generics availble

If so, what's the price of extra mags?

$42

Finally, given the current political atmosphere, will it be possible to
get "10 round maximum" magazines for the GP6?

See above

As a follow-up to that last question, should the AWB2.0 pass, have you
looked into making a conversion kit for the GP6 to be made .40S&W rather
than 9x19? Can it take the extra pressure?

Not available at this time