Grand Power K100
| K100 | |
|---|---|
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| Grand Power K100 Mark 6 | |
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| Type | Semi-automatic pistol |
| Land of Origin | Slovakia |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 202.5 mm (8 in) |
| Barrel length | 108 mm (4.3 in) |
| Weight | 740 g (26.1 oz) |
| Width | 40 mm (1.6 in) |
| Height | 133.5 mm (5.3 in) |
| Cartridge | 9x19mm Parabellum |
| Action | Short recoil operated, rotating barrel |
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| Feed | 17-round detachable box magazine |
| Sights | Fixed, front blade and adjustable rear notch |
| Sight Radius | 160 mm (6.3 in) |
| Production History | |
| Designer | Jaroslav Kuracina |
| Design Date | 1994–1996 |
| Manufacturer | Grand Power SRO |
| Produced | 2002–present |
| Variants | K100 Tactical, K100 Mark 6, K100 DAO, K100 QA, K100 Target, GPC9, K100 Whisper, K102 R, K105 R, P1 |
Contents |
Development
The K100 was developed by Jaroslav Kuracina, a former weapons officer in the Slovak Army. Kuracina sketched drawings of the K100 as early as 1992, but manufacturing activities were highly restricted during the early post-Communist era. Kuracina would be forced to wait until 1996 to continue development of his design. The first prototype, designated K1, was built in 1998 and series production commenced in 2002, under the new designation of K100. The most recent versions of the K100 family are K100 Mk.6 (full-size pistol with Picatinny-type accessory rail on the frame below the barrel) and k100 P1 (a semi-compact "police" pistol with shortened barrel).
In September 2006 Grand Power announced a deal to produce 100,000 units for the U.S. market in partnership with Texas-based handgun manufacturer STI International Inc.[1] The pistol is sold as the GP6.[2]
Design details
The K100 uses a rare locking system, similar in some ways to the Beretta Cougar, Px4 Storm, and Brügger & Thomet MP9 which employs a rotating barrel lock, which in the K100's case is cammed by a cross pin. When the pistol is fired the barrel and slide move backward together for about 3/8ths of an inch while the barrel is cammed counterclockwise by a flat, twisting, helical "cut" in the barrel extension. Once the barrel and slide have moved back to the point where the barrel has twisted about 45° to the left, the slide is free to continue traveling back while the barrel's travel is arrested by its interface to the frame via the barrel extension's square shoulders. On the K100, the Beretta's barrel extension cam cut, and transfer block's cam tooth, are replaced by a curled, twisting cut in the barrel extension, and a round, frame-embedded cross-pin respectively. As such, there is no transfer block per sec, and the barrel extension directly interfaces with the frame via the replaceable cross-pin.
Another unusual feature (at least for a locked-breech pistol) is the method of disassembly, which includes a pivoting trigger-guard which acts as a disassembly release. The trigger is double-action, with an exposed hammer and an ambidextrous, frame mounted manual safety.
Both of the Berettas, and the K100, have the archetypal square shouldered lock protruding from the otherwise round barrel, easily visible at the ejection port with the slide fully forward. This square shoulder is rotated in behind a solid column of steel running the length of the slide forward of the ejection port, and on the left side out of view, when the slide and barrel are fully forward in battery. This locks the slide forward in battery. Given that the MP9 uses the same basic locking mechanism, and has a cyclical rate of fire of 900 rounds/min, the rotating barrel lock has shown itself to be capable of very fast lock times.
The thick walled barrel and other metal parts are treated by Tenifer QPQ technology. This hardens the metal components and increases resistance to corrosion.
The standard K100 has a barrel length of 108 mm (4.3 in) and operates in both single and double action mode.
The ergonomically shaped polymer frame is fitted with steel inserts the slide travels on, and where hardpoints are required for the trigger mechanism. The slide spring guide, safety, trigger, and trigger guard are polymer.
The pistol's toothy surface, and grooved grips, provide good grip even with wet hands. The K100 also features ambidextrous controls, supporting both left and right-handed users. When field stripping, the slide moves to the rear, up and off the frame.
Since 2005, new models have also been available with alternative triggers: DAO (no manual safety) and QA (Quick-action, with pre-cocked main spring). On standard pistols, both slide release and manual safety levers are duplicated at either side of the frame, providing completely ambidextrous operations. An automated firing pin safety block is also provided. Magazines are double-stack, with the magazine release button located at the base of the trigger-guard. Sights are either of fixed or adjustable type; the front sight is pinned to the slide, the rear sight is dovetailed.
For special purposes, the K100 can be fitted with an extended, threaded barrel and a proprietary suppressor. To ensure reliable functioning with a heavy "silencer" attached to the barrel, it has a built-in "recoil booster" module, which helps to cycle the heavier barrel/silencer unit. Other specialized versions are the K-102R and K-105R, which have fire mode selectors and can fire in single shots and in two-round (K-102) or variable length (K-105) bursts.
STI GP6
| STI GP6 | |
|---|---|
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| Type | Semi-automatic pistol |
| Land of Origin | Slovak Republic |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 8" |
| Barrel length | 4.25" |
| Weight | 26 oz |
| Width | 1.125" |
| Height | 5.5" |
| Cartridge | 9mm Parabellum |
| Action | rotary-locked |
| Rifling/Twist | 6 grooves, 1:10" right-hand twist |
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| Feed | 17-rd detatchable box mag |
| Sights | fixed 3-dot, adjustable rear |
| Production History | |
| Manufacturer | Grand Power SRO |
| Unit Cost | US$656 (MSRP) |
| Frame is GF 30 polymer. Trigger pull is 9.25 lbs for DA and 5.5 lbs for SA. | |
It is built on a light weight, highly durable polymer (Polyamide GF 30) frame, and incorporates integrated tactical rails and textured side panels, front and rear straps. The all-steel slide is tri-topped with front and rear cocking serrations and has a fixed 3 dot sight system.
The controls include ambi-thumb safeties, an ambi–slide release, firing pin safety, and a user configurable magazine release for equal ease of use in either right or left handed configuration. The barrel features a rotational lock up system.
Long term durability testing units have fired more than 110,000 shots with no change in internal geometry.
Resources
| STI GP6: Shooting Results (25 yards) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9mm Luger | Vel. @15' (Ft/sec) |
Energy (ft·lbf) |
Group Size in Inches | ||
| Smallest | Largest | Average | |||
| Black Hills 124gr JHP | 1133 fps | 356 ft·lbf | 1.83" | 2.97" | 2.41" |
| Remington 147gr JHP No. GS9mmC |
969 fps | 307 ft·lbf | 2.02" | 3.47" | 3.09" |
| Speer 124gr +P GDHP No. 23617 |
1198 fps | 395 ft·lbf | 2.16" | 3.01" | 2.79" |
| Average Extreme Spread | 2.76" | ||||
| Measured average velocity for 10from a 4.25"" barrel. Accuracy for five consecutive, 5-shot groups at 25 yards from a sandbag. Range temperature: 79° F°. Relative humidity: 16%.
Taken from the June 2009 issue of American Rifleman magazine. Reprinted with permission. | |||||
