Category: Grand Power

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decocker EDC Grand Power Mk12 P11 wear

Grand Power P11 – One Thousand Rounds Shot Through The Barrel

I’ve now shot over one thousand rounds through the Grand Power P11.  It’s about time, too, as I’ve had the gun right at two years now.

How’s the wear/tear?  Here’s a video showing the internals.

Some other things relating to this firearm:

Someone thought that because my P11 didn’t have a decocker, it was a Mk7.  Mk12s were first produced without decockers.  They are now sold with decockers but a Mk12 can either have a decocker or not.

Secondly, I’ve asked Grand Power and Eagle Imports if decockers can be retrofitted to those Mk12s that were sold without decockers.  I didn’t get an answer but found it on their forums here.  Apparently, GP/EI doesn’t want to deal with possible legal issues if someone buys the parts from the manufacturer, doesn’t install them correctly, and later experiences an unintentional discharge.  If that’s the case, they shouldn’t want ANYONE messing with the internals…no one at all, yet they encourage people to do complete tear-downs of the firearm in every other case.  If they’re that afraid of legal trouble, make the process stupid-simple for some parts.  Beretta sells decockers on the side for their PX4 Storms knowing that everyday people will install them at home.  Beretta is a far bigger business than Grand Power and have much more to lose when it comes to lawsuits, yet Beretta empowers people to customize their handguns.  Glock does this as well, as does Ruger and Sig Sauer and Walther…and I can go on and on.

I do not believe in the black box mentality when it comes to such things.  That means you’ll always be totally dependent upon the maker when it comes to asking a bit more of your firearm.

This pains me greatly because I’ve trained myself around the GP P11.  That training was HARD work.  As well, I’d grown fond of Grand Power and had planned on getting a P1.  I still could (and a new P1 would have the decocker I’m asking for), but this is more about principles.  Not offering parts for fear of lawsuits…that’s a cop out if I’ve ever heard one.  I’ve heard such crap before in non-free states.

Because of this, I think I’m going to look at options to replace my P11.  Some of you may think that this is a trivial thing and that it’s being blown out of proportion.  IMO, there’s a bit of a Liberal scent to what GP stated (the “protect them from themselves and us” mentality).

So, I’m either going to start the process of making my P11 a safe queen and switching to a different EDC.  I could even get a PX4 Storm Compact like I initially planned (and even sell the P11 to finance the Beretta).

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Canik TP9SA Gen 3 Glock 22 Grand Power grip tape P11 recoil Talon

Glock 22 Gen 3 – Range Visit

This range visit consisted of shooting three handguns – the Grand Power P11, the Glock 22 Gen 3, and the Canik TP9SA.

Why this combination?

The Glock 22 is a full sized service pistol that is striker-fired and is polymer.  The only other handgun that I have that is similar (in size, in MoA, and in material make-up) is the Canik TP9SA.  The only other guns that I have that are of similar size are fully metal (the Sig Sauer P220 Equinox and the Metro Arms American Classic Commander, both shooting .45 ACP).  I felt that it was unfair to compare those two handguns to the Glock 22 since their mass would negate some recoil.

The Glock 22 is snappy in Gen 3 configuration.  In fact, I had a difficult time with it, which is odd, because I’ve fired .40 in the past without issue, but those guns were all-metal too, so there is that.

The recoil was bad for me.  I didn’t have any malfunctions (no limp-wristing here) but my aim was wayyyy off (probably has nothing to do with recoil and everything to do with not being used to the trigger on this particular gun.   I fired 50 rounds of Federal 165-grain FMJ, so the ammo wasn’t even hot.  I need to work on my aim because I don’t think the recoil was messing with it.  If I squeeze properly, the round will be out of the gun before recoil can affect the bullet’s path, so again, I need to focus on trigger pull with this gun.  The trigger is not stock.  It has a 5.5-lb trigger, from Glock, I believe, that was put in as part of a police package (it is a LEO trade-in).  I think that’s what has me confused.  My other Glock’s trigger is nothing like the one on this gun.

Also, the recoil is making the trigger rub harshly against my trigger finger as it pushes the gun up, so I have a sore spot on the underside of my trigger finger that might blister.  I tried altering the way I shoot so that it would quit rubbing and I could not.

I grabbed some Talon grips for the Glock 22 on the way out of the range facility.  They are now installed.  I’m not sure if I like the grips, as they are extremely aggressive in texture and my hands are a bit raw just from installing them.  I’ve no doubt they’ll help me in dealing with the recoil, but I may have to see if I can make them a bit less abrasive.  I’m glad I’ve no plans to carry this gun…these grips will rub holes in my clothing.

Talon Grips for the Glock 22 Gen 3

Also, when I take apart or put together the gun, I’ve noticed the recoil spring seems a bit weak…I can install it or remove it with very little effort…it almost falls out and is very easy to get into place.  I’m not sure it’s supposed to be this loose.  I’m probably going to order a new one.

I’ve read that the Gen 4 Glock 22’s double-springed recoil spring guide works great in lessening recoil for that generation of G22.  It’s a pity that they can’t be used with Gen 3s.

I’ve also found that .40 isn’t all that much more expensive than .45ACP or 9mm.  I bought 100 rounds of .40 S&W for $18 a box (two boxes).

The sights are difficult to see at the range.  They don’t show as dots.  I’m wondering if that was my issue, but I don’t think it was, since I was trying to use the front sight’s shadow to align it properly between the rear sight’s “forks”.  I should’ve been hitting closer to the red.  I did catch myself not using both eyes a few times, too…that may have been the issue.

I know I bought this gun so that I can use it with the 22TCM 9R conversion kit, but even with the recoil issues, it is fun to try something different.  It’s OK to mix things up, even if I couldn’t hit the damned bulls-eye at 7 yards with 50 rounds.  ðŸ™‚  :/

A picture of the first few rounds out of the gun (well, MY first few rounds):

7 yards, Glock 22 Gen 3 – 15 rounds of Federal 165-grain FMJ.  Big bang with big recoil
7 yards, Canik TP9SA – 17 rounds of  Remington 115-grain FMJ. Yes, I’m having trigger issues.  I haven’t fired this gun in over a year.  Still, I nailed the red several times — couldn’t do that with the G22.

I had no issues with the Canik TP9SA.  I fired 50 rounds of Remington 115-grain FMJ without issue, other than I was shooting left of the target even though most of those would probably be considered kill shots (see above).

How does it shoot compared to the G22?  There’s almost no recoil, for one, but I knew that before I compared them.  As exceptional as the G22’s 5.5lb trigger is, the Canik’s is still better, by a large margin.  It’s that good.

I also fired 50 rounds of Remington 115-grain FMJ from the Grand Power P11 too.  These were hang-up free rounds…no FTF or FTEs.  No fails to return to battery.  Here’s the target:

7 yards, Grand Power P11 – some rapid fire, Remington 115-grain, 35 rounds…LOTS of shots in the red.

I continue to get better with this handgun (see above picture).  I even tried 5 shots strong hand only (one-handed, right-handed).  This is the first time I’ve done this.  The first shot was WAY left.  The other 4 shots hit the head.  It was easy to do with this gun.  There was next to no recoil.  The last 15 shots went all over the place…I might have been fatigued by then.

That makes 866 rounds out of the Grand Power.  We’re getting closer and closer to the 1000 mark.

The next range visit will include the Glock 22.  We’ll see if we can tame the recoil.

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380 Bersa decocker disconnect Grand Power magazine Mk12 P1 P11 Plus Thunder

Another Range Visit – 12/18/2016

I went to the range after work on 12/12.  I decided to bring my Metro Arm 1911 and the Bersa Thunder 380 Plus.  I only ended up firing the Bersa and my carry gun, the Grand Power P11.  I thought that 3 guns in a one-hour visit was too much, and I felt the need to be shooting more ammo out of the Grand Power since I’ve neglected to frequent the range.

I shot a total of 100 rounds out of the P11 (for a total of 816 rounds out of the gun).  There were no feed issues.

I shot 125 rounds out of the Bersa (for a total of 159).  There were no feed issues.

As with all my range sessions, I shoot at 7 yards.

First 15 rounds of the session, using the P11 (using GP P1 mags…bought 3 of them), 7 yards.
50 rounds, same target as above, same range, same gun.  Ammo is American Eagle ball FMJ, 115-grain.
Here’s the 2nd box of American Eagle, same gun, same distance.
Here’s the Bersa Thunder 380 Plus.  I’m not used to shooting this gun.  It feels too small for my hands (having issues with finger placement on the trigger since my hands are so big).  Taking my time, I can be accurate with it, though.  This is 15 rounds at 7 yards.
Here’s the whole 125 (100 rounds of  WWB flat-nosed FMJ and 25 rounds of Federal ball FMJ).  I couldn’t tear a ragged hole in the red like I can with the P11.  The P11 is built a lot better, though (better trigger and sights, less recoil reaching my hands).

Comparing the two guns, both are roughly the same size.  Roughly.  The P11 has the shorter barrel (3.3″, compared to the Bersa’s 3.5″ barrel).  The P11 is heavier (22.6 oz vs the Bersa’s 20.5).  Both are DA/SA guns, but the P11 has a very precise trigger in either mode.  The P11 fills my strong hand in a way that lets me put my trigger finger pad on the trigger.  The Bersa’s grip fits oddly in my hand, which hinders my finger placement.  I’ve to fumble around with the gun to get my finger pad on the trigger.  After awhile, I quit fumbling and accepted my fate that my hands may be too damned big for this gun’s grip.

Both guns have manual safeties.  The P11 has a frame safety that flicks up and down, similar to a 1911.  The Bersa has a slide safety that is counter-intuitive.  It works the opposite as what would be on a 1911.  As well, it is oddly placed, so that even if you train, you’re going to have to move your hand to get to it (unless you’ve super-small hands).  As well, the safety is very stiff.  Both of these issues mean that you’re probably going to have to train to engage or disengage the safety with the off-hand.  Also, the Bersa’s safety is also functioning as a decocker.  You can’t carry cocked and locked with the Bersa, since the decocker is also a safety and when you actuate the safety, you’re also decocking the gun.  Well…let me rephrase.  You can carry cocked but you’ll be doing it without the safety engaged with this gun, and that is unsafe unless you’ve trained for that; plus, you’d better have a good holster that protects the trigger.  Better to get a different gun if you’re looking to carry in a cocked and locked fashion…it won’t work well with this gun.

The Bersa also has a magazine disconnect.  This makes it very difficult to practice dry-firing, unless you keep the mag in the gun.  I’m thinking on removing the mag disconnect.  IMO, there are no cons in doing this (closet lawyers, please go back to your closet), especially if you’re already using sound safety practices…I mean, what’s keeping me from blowing a hole in the drywall with my guns that don’t have mag disconnects?  Good safety practices…

I thought that the Bersa would choke on the flat-nosed Winchester ammo.  I bought that ammo by mistake.  I’d heard from other Thunder 380 owners that these guns do not like flat-nosed ammo.  I saw a box of 100 at Walmart and it was labeled (on the box) as FMJ.  When I got home and opened the box, it was flat-nosed.  IMO, it should’ve been labeled as such on the box, especially since most sellers don’t accept returns on ammo.  But it didn’t choke on that ammo at all.  It ate it all without complaint.

Overall, the Bersa is a good enough gun.  I won’t be carrying it, though.  Because of what I’ve stated above, I’m unwilling to carry it.  This gun is not something I want to adjust to.  I’d have to find a way to thicken the grips so that I’d have less of an issue with trigger finger placement.  I’d also have to get used to the odd decocker (it’s in an odd position and training will not help that…then again, I can always carry decocked but with the safety disengaged…DA/SA guns can get away with this).

I’m still in love with the P11, although I’m thinking I might need more grip area with this gun as well.  The option would be to move to the P1 (maybe the P1 Ultra).  Grand Power markets that as a compact-sized gun with a 3.5″ barrel.  It also has swappable back straps (the P11 doesn’t have this…it should).  The P11’s grips are a bit slick, too.  Grip tape may be in the future of mine’s.  Oh, and Grand Power has also upgraded the P11 to have a decocker.  It is not a dedicated decocker…it’s a decocker/safety, similar to how Bersa implements it.  A dedicated decocker would’ve been better, IMO.  For now, I’ll stick to manually decocking (training is key — closet lawyers, go home).

I’m close to 1000 rounds out of the P11.  One range visit should put me over the 1000 round mark.  I know I’ve reported that it was experiencing FTFs/FTEs and failures to return to battery, but I’ve not seen that occurring since I’ve stopped using Remington ammo.  The issues of the past year were exclusively due to Remington ammo (and another gun choked on the same ammo in the same fashion).  I’ve also learned how/where to lube the gun.  There’s no wear on the gun’s internals, either.

Until next time…

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22TCM Cheaper Than Dirt Elite Shooting Sports Grand Power Jagemann NEED TO FIX P11 Mk12 RIA Ruger SR9C

Latest Happenings – 12/6/2016

NOTE:  all targets were shot from 7 yards standing.

I was going to the range Sunday morning and the wife woke up and asked where I was going.  I said, “the range.”  She said, “I wanted to go too,” and I said, “well, get dressed and come with me!”

We brought four guns with us:  her Ruger SR-9C, my RIA 22TCM MS 1911, and my Bersa Thunder 380 Plus.  Of course, I was carrying my Grand Power P11 in a concealed fashion, too…that went with us.

We arrived and she had to take a gun safety orientation class.  It was also crowded but we didn’t have to wait long for an open lane.

We decided to shoot her Ruger first.  It had never been fired before and she’s owned it over a year.  It was cleaned and lubed (by me) and ready to fire.  We loaded the ammo (she’d never done that before…for a handgun, at least) into the two mag that the handgun came with (one 10-round and one 15-round mag).  I gave her a quick summary on how to hold her gun and to not put her finger on the trigger until she was ready to fire.  She knows proper sight alignment already (she’s retired US Army).  Then, to demonstrate the proper hold and trigger discipline, she stood beside me and I squeezed the first round out of her handgun.  The round went right into the red.  That is a testament to the gun’s trigger and sights because that normally doesn’t happen with me…it usually takes me a few mags to warm up.

I then gave her the handgun and she shot her first two handgun mags ever:

All but 5 of those are probably kill shots.  And one of those in the red is mine (the one that’s to the direct left of the X)!  We ended up firing 100 rounds out of the SR-9C.  The ammo was Remington UMC yellow box (mega) FMJ.  There were no failures whatsoever.

I ended up firing more ammo from her gun than she did.  Here’s my target:

If she doesn’t want her SR-9, I’ll take it…I’m happy with  the way it shoots and the trigger is exceptional!

Next, we fired my 1911.  I fired the first shots so she wouldn’t be surprised.  She was still surprised.  I told her it was loud and shot out fire.  I think she thought I was exaggerating.  After the first two shots, she said, “OK, this gun is loud!”  She later (after the range) said she was intimidated by it.  She shot it extremely well.  She loved the heft and the fact that the weight negated the recoil (never mind that it’s going to be a soft shooter anyways).  I took video of her shooting this gun and I was honestly flinching the whole time due to the muzzle flash.  The guy the next lane over kept looking over, probably mentally saying, “WTF is that?”

We fired 59 rounds of 22TCM with no failures whatsoever, although she kept unintentionally enabling the safety, which makes me wonder if it’s not positive enough in engagement…IMO, one should not be unintentionally enabling a safety.

I didn’t get a snapshot of the target but here’s some footage of her shooting the 22TCM:

Our time was running out so we had to decide on shooting only one of the two guns that still hadn’t been fired.  She decided to shoot my carry gun, the Grand Power P11, a sub-compact.  We only fired 36 rounds out of the P11, but I think she loved this gun just as much as the 1911.  She loved the lack of recoil.  I later showed her why it had no recoil…I showed her how the barrel rotated.  And she was very accurate with this gun too.  Here’s the target:

I shot a magazine and all my shots grouped under the red…very tight grouping and I wasn’t shooting slow.  She shot a mag and started up high (the grouping around the 7 & 8, above the red) then she took better aim and plugged the middle grouping.  She wasn’t messing around!

I shot the last mag of the day, from the P11:

I was going for head shots since we were out of targets.  I was trying to shoot once and rapidly follow up with another (not quite double-taps).  I had several flyers but still, that’s a pretty tight group of 12! 

She said she wants a sub-compact.  I have a few sub-compacts she’ll probably shoot:  a Sig Sauer P320C slide on an SC grip module; a Springfield XD9 Mod 2 9mm; a Bersa Thunder 380 Plus (not really a true sub-compact).  And she’ll probably end up renting some range guns to get a feel for what sub-compact she enjoys shooting.

We’re going to try an outdoor range this weekend if it isn’t too cold.

======

Other happenings:

I ordered 3 mags for my P11 from Cheaper Than Dirt.  I ordered 3 12-round mags.  They sent me 3 15-round mags.  I double-checked the receipt and sho-nuff it says that I ordered 3 12-round mags.  I was a bit pissed.  I do not want the hassle of having to ship these back while waiting for them to send me the correct mags.  I opened one mag’s packaging and inserted it into the P11.  It fits fine, although it’s long and hangs out of the gun by an inch or so.  It’s fine for the range but not fine for carrying.  I guess I can keep them for range duty and use the two that came with the gun as carry mags.  :/

I also ordered 4 Jagemann 15-round mags for my Glock 19.  My Glock came with 3 10-round mags.  They’re supposed to be good mags.  We’ll see.  They were cheap @ approx $11 apiece.

 

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380 Bersa Grand Power P11 Plus T-100 Thunder Tristar

Range Visit with Bersa and Tristar

Yesterday was my birthday and I decided that I would go to the range after work.

There was a 40-minute waiting list and I almost ended up leaving.  That’s the first time I’ve ever been to Elite Shooting Sports where there was a backlog during the week day.  What’s cool is that they had  tablet kiosks to allow you to add yourself to the wait list and you’d be texted (to your phone) when a slot was available.

The staff was cordial and I know they were really busy, but none of the register attendants acted like they wanted to be there.  When you’re buying merchandise, service, or just space/time, the worst thing is to interact with employees that act like they don’t like what they’re doing.  This is the second time I’ve noticed this…was hoping it wouldn’t turn into a trend.

Anyways…

I decided to shoot the Bersa Thunder 380 Plus first, since it was something different for me (blow-back design and .380 caliber).  Man, is that thing accurate!  Recoil is next to nothing, too.  I dumped 3 rounds into each target, 7 yards away, semi-rapid fire, from upper right to upper left, lower right to lower left, then center.  The first shot was dead on the red (as well as being a DA shot), but the following two flew a bit upward.  Then next target was a bit wide, but I still touched the red at least once.  The rest of the groups tightened up significantly as I navigated the targets.

I shot a total of thirty-four rounds before I put the Bersa away.  Since I only had one magazine, I stopped shooting it.  I’ve ordered 3 new OEM magazines from MidwayUSA.com (was marked down at $27 each but has since been up-priced at $49)

I then focused on the Tristar T-100 9mm for the rest of the range session.  One thing I neglected to do was manually decock the gun for a DA shot.  I’ve a feeling I wouldn’t have hit red in DA like I did with the Thunder, as the DA trigger is long and strong (much longer and stronger than what I’m used to).  But I did a mag dump in the center target as a first date:

I started off fine but as I sped up my follow-on shots, my group began to lose composure.  That’s not the gun’s fault…it’s mine.  I was treating it like the Bersa since the Bersa was the gun I was shooting prior to picking up the T-100.  Recoil was significantly more than the Bersa, but I was all over the target center before I upped the pace.  This gun is just as easy to shoot as the Bersa, because of it’s low bore axis and it’s non-traditional rail setup (it’s using the CZ design).

I then tried to focus on small groups (using the same target):

The groups are very tight, especially upper left.  The lower right had a flyer, but the two that landed were almost on top of each other and near center-mass.

For the T-100, I used the same Remington 147-grain flat-nosed FMJ that choked my Grand Power P11.  It ate 150 of that make/model without one failure.  One round had a slightly crinkled lip but I wanted to see if the round would still chamber and fire without issue…it did.  I expected nothing less, as I know that CZs aren’t designed to be as tight as GP’s products.  The gun frame was warm to the touch when I was done with it (it’s a metal-framed gun), but not uncomfortably so.  For the Bersa, I used Federal 95-grain FMJ, and there were no failures.

I also fired some spare ammo from my GP P11 (8 rounds of Winchester Personal Protection JHP that had been chambered several times…they needed to be used or disposed of, so I used them).  There were no issues whatsoever.  I neglected to bring non-Remington 9mm so I couldn’t fire the P11 any more than that.  Plus, I only had the lane for an hour and I was out of time after firing 8 rounds from the P11.  I need more range time with the P11 since it is my carry gun.  Of those 8 rounds, only half hit the target.  I found I was slapping the trigger, but as soon as I figured that out, the rest were all in the red.  The P11 doesn’t seem to be as forgiving with heavy-handedness, and it’s SA trigger is very light.  I’d have done better if I’d have had more time to adjust to the switch-up of handguns.

I had fun with the two new guns, especially the Tristar.  I’ll probably shoot it again the next range visit.

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124-grain 147-grain American Eagle Breakfree CLP DA/SA failure to return to battery flat-nosed FRTB Geco Grand Power grease Hogue oil P11 Mk12 P220 Remington Sig Sauer TW25B UMC

More Grand Power Testing

I’ve been getting an influx of comments on my last Grand Power YouTube video.

Many people think that I need to be using oil (one person stated to not use TW25B and another recommended to use oil and not grease).

I tested the theory that I was using the wrong lube.  I stripped off the TW25B from the helical cut and breech area of the barrel and used a light coat of Breakfree CLP instead…I kept grease on the rails, though.

Remember, on my last visit, I fired 263 rounds of various ammo (50 x Tula steel-cased, 200 x Remington UMC 147-grain flat-nosed FMJ, and approx 24 rounds of Winchester Personal Protection JHP).  Of that ammo, I had two failures to return to battery (down from “many” failures), both of them being with the Remington ammo.

At last night’s range session, I used 100 x Remington UMC 147-grain flat-nosed FMJ, 50 x American Eagle 124-grain FMJ, and 28 rounds (of a box of 50) of Geco 124-grain FMJ, for a total of 177 rounds.  I had five failures to return to battery (FRTB).  The first happened on the 3rd magazine.  Then the 4th, 5th, and 6th magazines.  The gun wasn’t dirty, but remember, I was using a thin coat of oil vs a coat of gun grease.

Yeah, so much for that theory.  I had less failures during my previous range visit with the P11, and shot maybe 100 rounds more, too (with Tula being 100 of that, and both Remington UMC and Tula are very dirty).

But here’s a revelation…of the five failures to return to battery and of the 177 rounds, guess which brand failed the most in this gun?  Remington.  All five failures were with the Remington.  I made a point of paying attention to which brand I was shooting and keeping notes on each box’s tabs.  I also ejected each round that generated a FRTB.  In one case of FRTB, I found that the front lip of the case had bent when the gun tried to ram the round into the chamber.  I decided not to fire that round.

Here’s a picture:

If it’s difficult to see the damage, here’s a video.

So, maybe it’s a combination of the oil I used as lube and the ammo?  No, I think the ammo is the issue, as I shot 75 rounds of ammo AFTER the Remington that didn’t get hung up at all.

This gun does NOT like the Remington ammo I’m shooting.  I’ve other Remington ammo (non-flat-nosed and 115-grain FMJ) that I can test but I really don’t think I need to test any more.

I cleaned the gun and looked at it’s internals last night.  The claim that the oil is easier to clean after a range session is false.  The oil migrated to the slide and coated the whole underside of it.  In fact, it was everywhere and I didn’t use a lot…just a thin film.  It took quite awhile to clean.  The gun wasn’t quite that bad when I used grease as the primary lubricant.  The oil collected the carbon exactly as the grease did (it basically made mud), but I can’t contribute the failures to the oil.  All I know is that I had less failures with the grease but if the ammo is the problem then all perceived lube problems are exonerated.

I’ll post the video once I’ve edited it and posted it to YouTube.

UPDATE — here’s the video:

For now, I’ll continue to use the CLP as the primary lube.  I’ve even put it on the slide and frame rails.  I’ll watch for wear and/or trouble for awhile.

I also took my SIG Sauer P220 and gave it a quick run to test the new Hogue rubber grips.  Man, that gun is a beast.  Recoil is less of an issue with these grips.  I’m able to put ammo (half the mag, in this case) in the red, too.

All DA shots, first 8 rounds, at 7 yards

I fired a total of 44 rounds (I had five mags that have been loaded since Jan 2015 that I wanted to shoot…Perfecta hardball in 230-grain).  The gun ate it all up without issue.  My aiming did get progressively worse, though.  I might need to get glasses I can use at the range (or it might be time to have my eyes checked again), as I was having a difficult time seeing the front sight and my vision got worse as I shot.

I brought the Glock 19 and intended to shoot it, but got too engrossed with the P11 (let’s face it…as my EDC and with my recent issues, it needed the attention).

So, this range visit was very valuable for me, as I learned that not all ammo is created equal.  I still have a lot of Remington flat-nosed ammo left (I bought 500 rounds of it).  Some of my other guns will eat it without issue, so I’ll use it up, but I won’t be buying any more of it.

Grand Power P11 testing – accurate as hell!
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DA/SA decocker GP Grand Power kydex manual P1 P11 Red Hill Tactical safety

GP P11 – Ready To Conceal Carry!

I finally found an inside waistband holster for my P11.  I cheated.  How?  I couldn’t find any for the P11 anywhere and didn’t feel like begging for any holster makers to make one for me.  I didn’t feel like trying to make one myself, either.  I searched and found that many holsters for the P1 are available for sale.  The P1 is the next size up from the P11…it’s the compact version of the Grand Power K-100, which is a full-sized handgun.  The P11 is the sub-compact version of the K-100.  They are identical, feature-wise.  The only differences are the length of the grips and the length of the slides.  So, I bought a P1 holster thinking that the P11 would fit inside without issue.  The holster was kydex, so it was important that the slides and features be pretty much identical, placement-wise.  I wasn’t disappointed, as it was almost as if this holster was made for the P11.  The slide length of the P1 is 3.6″ while the P11’s slide is 3.3″, so I had .3″ extra between the tip of the handgun and the tip of the holster.

Some issues that I describe in the video is that the holster was molded with a P1 with it’s slide safety disabled.  I’d thought the GP DA/SA handguns were designed to be carried cocked & locked (one in the chamber with the hammer cocked and safetied).  The guns are DA/SA without a decocker, so if an owner wants to carry his GP in DA mode, he/she will have to lower the hammer on a chambered round (ie, decocking manually).  This is not a trivial procedure and if done hastily or wrong, a round could be negligently discharged.  I’ve been practicing several different manual decocking techniques and will eventually be ready to carry with one in the chamber in DA mode, but for now, I’m enabling the safety and carrying cocked and locked.  While this causes a slight fitment issue with the kydex while the gun is holstered, it doesn’t cause any safety issues…it just looks a tad bit odd, is all.

I’ll eventually have to buy some extra 12-round magazines for the P11.  I’ve two right now, but I want several more so that I can practice at the range without having to stop and reload the two mags after they’re empty.  They are not cheap but I will not buy cheap CZ mags to alter…I’d rather do this right and just buy the expensive mags.

This gun carries good in the kydex holster.  It feels lighter than my other holsters (Alien Gear IWB Cloak Tuck 3.0s) and it is certainly less complicated/busy.  It is easy to clip to my belt.  I can quickly get dressed, grab my gun, and install it on my belt while walking around the house.  I can’t do that with my Alien Gear holsters.  The con is that I’ve to wear t-shirts under my shirts now, because the Kydex doesn’t shield my body from the gun’s rough edges (part of the slide, grip, and hammer sometimes dig into my side.  This might also be a good reason to start carrying in DA mode…the manual safety is protected, but that part of the gun is what is rubbing against my body, so I’m thinking that it would be safer to just have the gun in DA mode.

I bought the holster from Red Hill Tactical.  I’ve visited their site in the past but this is the first time I’ve actually bought something from them.  This holster vendor was recommended by the Grand Power forums.

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147-grain battery flat-nosed Grand Power lubrication P11 Mk12 Remington

Grand Power P11 – Battery Issues Possibly Resolved

I field-stripped the P11 immediately after a range visit.  If you remember, I described a problem with the gun awhile back.

I’ll take it to the range again with grease applied to areas that didn’t have it prior to my last visit.  To summarize the video, I fired a bit under 300 rounds of various 9mm ammo from it and only had two failures to return to battery.  Both failures were with Remington UMC 147-grain flat-nosed FMJ.  I had no failures with TulAmmo steel-cased or Winchester PP JHP.

And, as usual, the gun was certainly accurate (my trigger discipline aside):

GP P11 – 9 yards out (instead of my normal 7 yards), 24 rounds (2 mags) of Remington UMC flat-nosed 147-grain FMJ

I also spoke awhile back about the lack of a holster for this gun.  Someone who viewed one of my videos gave me a point of contact that could make one.  I was thinking on trying to make one myself.  Either route would be good, I think.  I just need it to be an in-waistband holster.  Once I have that and once I get the battery issues resolved, I may consider carrying this gun.

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ammo battery failure Grand Power P11 Remington sight radius Springfield XD

Range Visit – XD Mod 2 & Grand Power P11

I spent an hour at the range last night and shot 130 rounds out of my XD and 60 rounds out of the Grand Power.

It felt so good to not divide my attention between more than 2 guns, although I did want to shoot one of the 1911s.

I started with the XD first and immediately put 9 of 10 rounds in a close grouping.

7 yards out, using Remington UMC 115-grain JHP

The thing about the Mod 2 is that it shoots extremely well for a subcompact 9mm, as the sight radius of such guns is very small.  This gun still has a small sight radius, but the recoil and snappiness is somewhat negated by the Grip Zone texturing of the grips.  The front fiber optic helps, especially since I’ve problems focusing on the front sight (I wear corrective lenses).

As I shot five different targets, my groupings got progressively worse.  I’m pretty sure it was due to incorrect finger placement on the trigger and not being smooth on the trigger, as I began to impact left of aim.  Still, it was fun to challenge myself.

I also fired the XD better with the shorter magazine (vs. using the longer magazine that has the mag sleeve).  Don’t ask me why that was the case.

The Grand Power was acting wonky.  It didn’t jam or fail to extract, but it may’ve been failing to feed due to a dirty feed ram, as the gun was failing to fully go into battery after expending and ejecting a round.  It was an intermittent issue, though, because it didn’t happen every magazine bu when it did, it was almost back-to-back failures to return to battery.

The weapon was clean when I brought it to the range.  The ammo I was shooting must’ve been extremely dirty to cause issues between 1 and 60 rounds…in fact, the gun was extremely dirty after that range visit…more than I expected for 60 rounds.  The gun was lubed, and I made sure the pivot point on the rotating barrel had lubrication.

I don’t think it was the mags that were the issue.  When I racked the gun slowly, I didn’t notice any binding.  The only thing I can think of is that the feed ramp got dirty quickly and was hampering the feeding of the next round, which would keep the slide from fully going forward.


Possible causes:

  • Ammo that doesn’t have enough powder.
  • Dirty ammo that gets the feed ramp really dirty.
  • Limp wristing (I highly doubt that’s what happened, but I list it anyways, just in case I AM limp wristing).
  • Feed ramp doesn’t like hollow point ammo.
  • Feed ramp needs to be broken in (I doubt this, but read that someone had an issue with a ramp being too polished).

UPDATE:  Well…look at this  –>  http://www.handgunforum.net/beretta/30881-failure-feed-px4-storm-compact-9mm.html.  This looks similar to my bullet list above…looks like I am on the right track.  How does this relate to my P11?  Well, the small Beretta PX4 Storms have rotating barrels as well.  It seems that these type guns might not like lighter ammo and might be prone to limp-wristing as well.

Of the two guns, I fired the XD better.  That wasn’t the case the last time I took the P11 to the range.  Blame the failures to go into battery.

I did not get any video footage, as my camera wasn’t charged before I left for the range.

I fired 100 rounds of Remington UMC 115-grain JHP, 20 rounds of Remington UMC 115-grain FMJ, and 10 rounds of Remington HTP 115-grain +P.

I’m looking forward to the next range visit so I can put more rounds through the XD and become more proficient with it.  I’m not quite looking forward to re-experiencing issues with the P11, though.

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Elite Shooting Sports Grand Power light strikes P11 Mk12 range report sub-compact

Grand Power P11 – Range Report

I’m totally awed by the way this gun shot today.  I’ve had it a while and was itching to see how it shot…alas, I’ve been busy and hadn’t had time to visit the range.  I made time today and went to Elite Shooting Sports (the best time to go is around 7PM…it was empty today!).  Anyways…

This gun manages recoil extremely well, especially for a sub-compact gun.  It’s accurate as all hell, too…I’m not kidding:

Grand Power P11 Mk12, shot at 6 yards out, Winchester White Box 115-grain FMJ, 12 rounds.

I shot this gun after shooting 50 rounds from my XD9SC-M2 and Glock 19.  Normally, it takes me a few mags to begin shooting well when going from gun to gun, but not in this case.  I was actually shocked at the tight group.  I only shot 24 rounds out of this gun, though…was pressed for time, once again, but I may make this one my carry gun, once I put some JHP through it and once I determine what’s up with what appears to be light strikes (see below comment).

I shot at 6 yards.  I shoot between 5-7 yards whenever I shoot, as that’s the range a typical shootout will more than likely occur.  I don’t attempt to shoot long distance with my handguns…that doesn’t really serve a purpose, IMO…if you shoot someone that’s 50 yards from you during an incident, you’re going to jail, so I don’t shoot at long distances.  My foyer in my home is maybe 3-4 yards long and the biggest area in my house might be 6-7 yards, so that’s sufficient for me (in case my home has a break-in…*knock on wood*).

This gun is easy to hold while shooting, even though the grip texture isn’t aggressive (it feels a bit slick, in fact).  There’s no muzzle lift at all.  In fact, follow-up shots are a breeze.  The sights made it really easy to aim, and it probably helped that I’ve been working on shooting with both eyes — previous to today, I’ve always shot with my left eye closed (I’m right-eye dominant).  I’ve also been working on my trigger pull.

The only problem I saw with the gun was some possibly some light strikes (gun would go “click” with no boom…I’d have to drop the mag and eject the bullet in the chamber…it would fire on the second attempt), but it could’ve been the ammo (although the other guns didn’t exhibit this issue…they were using the same ammo).  One thing I didn’t try — and should’ve — was to pull the trigger again without racking…I believe this gun offers double-strike capability, as it is DA/SA.  I’ll try it when I next shoot the gun if I have light strikes.

UPDATE — I’ve found that these weren’t light strikes, but were fails to return to battery.  The gun would be out of battery, I’d pull the trigger and the gun would then go into battery, but be in DA mode.

I did not try the double-action on this gun, as this gun doesn’t have a decocker and I wasn’t willing to ease the hammer down with a round in the chamber.