ck1

Excellent news: the firing pin retaining pin in the K100 is virtually the same as in a CZ. The K100's pin is 3x24mm, a CZ's is slightly shorter at about 3x20ish (by just eyeballing it). I found a stock CZ firing pin retaining pin that I had pulled and swapped out for a Cajun Gun Works' improved/bombproof type in one of my CZ-75B's I no longer have, and since it looked like it was in better shape than the beat-up one I had just rotated in the K100, I installed it in the K100 without a hitch. The CZ pin is a bit shorter, but it's still as long as it needs to be, plenty long enough to retain the firing pin within the K100 without being sketchy at all. All checks show the K100 is happy again, and since now I know it'll fit/work, I've already ordered an improved retaining pin from CGW to install, so I can dry-fire to my heart's content (even without a snap-cap) and forget about all this drama.

You are correct sir, never drove the pin out all the way and missed it. I should've looked at it with it all the way out (I'm a dumb-ass ).

Behold the cause of my frustration: Seems the K100 beats the crap out of the firing pin's roll-pin during dry-fire just like some CZ guns... eventually to the point where the firing pin can get caught or stuck in the forward position, causing some individuals to get totally pissed. I'm not sure yet, but if the roll pin is the same specs as the ones used in CZ's, I'll be replacing it with an improved (and bombproof) version from Cajun Gun Works or CZ-Custom ASAP. For now, I simply rotated the roll-pin so the dented area is not interacting with the firing pin and it seems to be good as new. (FYI, in case anyone is worried about light-strikes from a K100, the hammer strike in SA mode sent a plastic Bic pen about 15 feet across a room where it stuck into a wall, so hard primers shouldn't be an issue.) Martin Chreno from Grand Power pointed me in the direction of looking for, and then finding the problem, so he deserves some credit and thanks. Mr. Chreno has emailed me back without delay for the past few days while I was trying to track this down, and it's safe to say that Grand Power's customer service is as good or better than anyone else out there. It was quite clear that he was concerned I was having a problem, and wanted to help me fix the issue, also, he addressed me in a straight-up way which I feel is getting forgotten these days; in other words, he didn't approach me like some moron who would be lucky to put the bullets in the right end and blow me off like so many other gun companies do. We talked about technical specifics, and we worked through the problem, if he hadn't picked up on the fact that I was capable of taking down the firing pin internals my self (or didn't care), it would have meant weeks waiting while I sent the pistol off only to have a bench tech maybe have just missed it anyway as they'd just assume I couldn't be trusted to change a spring (I'm looking at you Glock Inc). I was told they would be happy to get replacement parts to me and I have no doubt that they will honer that. Wusaw.

The same thought had occurred to me, but the firing pin channel looks great. I found a post from a guy selling an STI GP6 from a few years back with a "new updated firing pin and spring that fixes the problem of the firing pin getting stuck forward after dry-fireing it", we'll see if he gets back to me and has some/any info to share..? Also, spoke with STI technical support, as I own a couple STI guns and figured they'd be of some help, they were cool and very nice, especially considering I was calling with questions about a pistol that didn't come to me through them and that they don't even import anymore: the tech I spoke with hadn't heard of any issue like I am having. Here's the thing though that's really worrisome, it seems the firing pin is getting stuck in the forward position with it's tip protruding through the breech-face, while in front of the firing pin block, so once it's there, it's really stuck there. Good news (if you want to call it "good news") is that I tried to function test if it was truly on the verge of slam-firing by using a snap cap, trying to feed the snap-cap from a mag by either dropping the slide with the slide release or just racking it: both were pretty much a no go, instant feed jam with the back of the "cartridge" getting caught under the protruding firing pin tip while trying to slide up the breech-face... (can't be 100% sure it would jam the same way every single time though and would hate to find out the hard way that it won't) So hooray! My pistol is most likely going to just jam and fail to feed a fresh round when I try to load it, instead of dangerously slam-firing! Lucky me! ;(

Pics of the firing pin protruding through the front of the breech-face and of the rear of the firing pin from the back of the gun showing it stuck in the forward position have been sent to Grand Power, waiting to hear back. I removed the firing pin (super easy process as it's exactly the same as the dozens of CZ's I've worked on over the years), there was almost zero lube or debris present in the firing pin channel, but I still put a few q-tips through it to make sure there was absolutely none whatsoever. The firing pin appeared perfect, almost brand new condition, showing virtually no signs of wear at all, firing pin return spring looked perfect and was also given a clean up though it didn't need it, firing pin block and it's spring looked perfect and were also treated to a cleaning they did not need. I then reassembled the pistol, function checked the firing pin and firing pin block, and after 3-4 dry-fires; stuck firing pin. I then repeated the firing pin breakdown/reassembly process a second time to ensure I hadn't missed anything out of the ordinary... same result: stuck f'ing firing pin. A pistol that cannot be dry-fired (like at the end of a stage at "unload and show clear") is worthless. I'm pretty pissed.

Guys, I have not messed with the firing pin at all, and, most of the dry-fire I've done has been with a snap cap. I have lubed the pistol, but I'm very careful about trying to keep lube away from, and out of, the firing pin channel. This isn't my first rodeo as they say, I'd consider myself more advanced than most having built/modded more than a few 1911's, and a bunch of CZ's and Glocks... Honestly, I've probably touched the K100 less than any other pistol I've owned in the last few years; I installed some sights, added the extended mag release, and have put less than 1000rds through it, that's it. I've never even taken it down beyond a basic field strip. In fact, even if I had gotten crud or lube in there, or if it turns out the firing pin is somehow damaged from relatively little dry-fire, if that can cause a problem that can make the pistol unsafe, I don't think I'm willing to tolerate that kind of risk. I called CAI and got no answers and the obligatory "you'll probably have to send it in"... I emailed Grand Power, so hopefully they are more help... What concerns me is that the firing pin seems to get itself stuck pretty solidly, solid enough where i think it'll set off a primer before it gets pushed back in behind the breech-face, and there's no real way to test if it's truly unsafe without going to the range and seeing if it slam-fires... major bummer dude. I love the gun, but safety is more important than all else, so hopefully I can find out what is up. If there is a real issue that I've discovered I'm seriously going to be annoyed as even at the bargain cost of the pistol, with sights, mags, holsters, etc. I'm into the rig for near $1000, and the idea of sending it off for a matter of weeks is going to be a huge disappointment. Guess I'll have to wait and see...

Bad news: My K100 has developed a very dangerous issue: seems the firing pin is getting stuck in the forward position (yes, protruding through the front of the breech-face). I have no doubt that it would have slam-fired had I not noticed it just before I was about to charge it with a mag and chamber a round. The firing-pin doesn't seem to be broken, just getting stuck in the firing-pin channel and not returning via the firing-pin-spring (and we're talking stuck in a rigid manner, like plenty rigid enough to set off a primer). I took the pistol down and got the firing-pin unstuck by pressing in the firing-pin block and tapping on the firing pin's nose with another punch... once back together, the firing-pin became stuck once again after a couple dry-fire pulls. Frankly, I'm kind of pissed, as I wasn't at the range, but at my home, having just attached a TLR-1, preparing to load it and place it my bedroom safe to be ready as a home defense weapon. I don't wan't to cause any hysteria, but a firing-pin that protrudes through the breech-face (when the pistol appears to be operating 100% correctly in all other respects) could have life and death consequences and is something I have never encountered with any other pistol of just about every brand out there. I intend to contact Century Arms ASAP and if they don't have me hanging up the phone with a new sense of 100% confidence the K100 is going to have to go away...

Figured out that the 10rd mag had been "bulged" a bit due to the dimples being added to neuter them from full capacity... After inserting it and dropping it about 1000 times, the mag now drops free about 80+% of the time, though, seems to not drop as often from slide-lock, I gave it some extra squeeze love to get it back in-shape but decided to be conservative before I f'ed it up worse. Seems to be wearing-in though, so it can just ride in my last mag pouch until it sorts itself out so I don't have to sweat it not dropping when I need it to. Put another 300rds through the K100 though (which seems like a lot considering how scarce 9mm is these days), runs like a watch, and I'm digging it more and more. My trigger has now worn in a little after lots of dry-fire and sadly not a lot of live fire, SA is sitting at about 3.5lbs and crispy, DA feels like 7-8lbs and is smooth. The trigger freaks everyone out that I let try it, no one expects some >$500 poly gun that they've never heard of to have a better trigger than their fancy $$$ 1911 . Edited to add: I had read that some had experienced wobble or play in the mags of their Mk6/GP6 guns with them inserted; I can feel that there are raised "ridges"inside the mag funnel of my Mk7 frame and my mags are slop-free when inserted... I'm wondering if Grand Power had changed/added the "ridges" to kill the mag wobble and it would explain why the 10rd mag being slightly out-of-shape might cause it to stick, IDK?

Got a 10rd STI GP6 mag today, after checking it out, it doesn't drop free... Anyone experienced this? Will it wear-in and start to drop, of send it back? Given the scarceness of mags at the present I'd like to hold onto it if it'll work... TIA.

In case anyone is wondering, besides the different hammer shapes, the pics attached show the only external difference I have found between the STI GP6 and the GP K100 (and what NicVerAZ was referring to above when he said "beveled tip"). They're almost identical, but not exactly, the front of their slides are slightly different. Fear not, GP6 holsters work great for the K100's, you may just need to back out the retention screws a turn or two, or maybe hit the "nose" of the holster with a hairdryer/heat-gun for a minute if you're kind of OCD and want it closer to perfect...

Like pretty much every other gun these days, finding mags that are in-stock is tough. IMO, the whole question of parts/accessories availability when it comes to a particular gun is kind of out the window at this point in time with all the panic buying going on... I mean as it stands today, good luck even trying to find some Glock 17 or 19 mags that aren't an unbelievable rip-off, and G17/19's are about as ubiquitous as it gets. S**t, in some ways, at this point in time, the fact that the GP K100 is still so far under the radar may actually be a plus and make getting stuff for one easier... Dawson Precision and Shooters Connection, as well as Century, all have mags, they're just all on backorder (think Century had the best price). IIRC, think Dawson still had some 10rd mags in-stock, but for some reason they're more $$$ then the hi-cap mags (for IDPA and Production 10 will do so it's probably not a big deal to pay $10 more to get ones to use right now if you're as impatient as I am), IDK..? If all else fails you can modify CZ mags to work in the K100's (while still being GTG in the CZ's) pretty easily, you just need to put a notch/hole in the front of the mag body as the K100's mag release is ambi and grabs the mags in the middle instead of the side. The Mec-Gar CZ mags already have a hole in the right spot that just needs to be opened up a bit, using a small file I opened one up in like 5 mins that seems to work perfectly so far. Blade-Tech and Comp-Tac make kydex for the K100's (look under STI GP6) and they fit in holsters made for the Springfield XD's surprisingly well.

My only complaints so far have to do with finding freaking 9mm these days in order to shoot the sucker... the GP K100 is seriously as good or better than any other pistol I've owned/shot (a list which includes some of the best blasters available on the planet). Also, I really like the "big button " extended mad release, and would have to recommend that upgrade for competition. I also changed the sights right away for Dawson one's in order to more closely mimic the all-black Warren/Sevigny type sights/ratios I've run on my Glocks and CZ's for years. YMMV. The K100's have got to be the title holder of "most underrated (and unknown) pistol" award currently. In some ways it reminds me of how I felt when I first picked up a Tangfolio/EAA Witness Match before the word got out, and was like: "how could this thing be so good and still so cheap?". The K100 is, shockingly, better than that though...

J&G. Dawson has sights (along with Shooters Connection) and the extended mag release (look for STI GP6 parts). Blade-Tech and Comp-Tac make kydex for them (again, look under STI GP6). Mags are backordered like every freakin' other gun due to the doomsday panic...

J&G has them.

Up until not too long ago I'd be saying "Shadow" too... Nowadays though I say grab yourself a $430ish Grand Power K100 Mk7 (used to be STI GP6) plus sights, extended mag release, holster, pouches, extra mags and a case of ammo. Why? The K100's out-of-the-box trigger is f'ing bananas, that's why. Better than a Shadow's? if you're talking a standard one, then yes. Now, I won't get too carried away and say that it's trigger is better than a Shadow Custom's that's had "the works" (meaning 13lb or less hammer-spring, competition hammer, action job ala Stuart/Mink and SRT trigger-mod), but I have zero problem saying that it's really damn close, and better than any Shadow that hasn't had the kitchen sink thrown at it. In fact, unless you pony-up for the CZ-Customs SRT modification ($130-300), there's no other pistols on the planet that can do the same trick of where the trigger has no take-up after the first DA pull and basically turns itself into a 1911 in SA mode. Though, the K100 trigger-reset still might actually be shorter, it's shorter than a 1911's, and think the shortest of anything out there (if that matters). I first got one because I found it hard not to look at the K100 as a "Po' man's Shadow" and wanted to try one, but since, I've come to really appreciate it for more than that and dig it in it's own right as it really is an innovative piece with lots of it's other unique features. For me, I dig that it came out of the box more or less how I set up my Shadows: the safeties are already like the Shadow "Thin Safeties" (I positively hate the standard/stock Shadow safeties and swap them out as soon as I can, YMMV), the grip is close to the width of how a Shadow feels with VZ or AL grips slapped on it (except you can play with the different K100 backstraps to go from CZ-ish, to a 1911 straight/arched feel, to even a Glock 17/34ish feel which is cool), and it has a built-in trigger job with SRT-mod already GTG. Also, the GP is lighter than a Shadow, but heavier than a Glock or M&P, kind of an "in-between" that's not too heavy and not too light. Sorry to sound like such a salesman, I'm just really digging mine, and have owned and shot enough nice pistols with pretty much every one costing a lot more $$$ to get triggers even near the K100's. They're worth taking a hard look at, I think now that they're being offered at a better price-point than STI tried, and that it's one of the very few buys out there that is actually probably under-priced in these days of $800-Glock-madness they might catch on as guys check them out.

Canuck/Nic, any ideas on how to get a hold of the X-Calibur hammer-group for my K100 mk7..? Tried CAI and emailed GP but they were dead ends... Honestly the trigger is pretty damn good as-is, but I'm greedy...

My apologies, haven't been in the gun boards much in a while as the unfortunate and sad Newtown incident triggered enough nonsense from all perspectives to where IMHO there was more to avoid than to take in... That said, after shooting the K100 for a while (modded from the jump with DP sights and "big" mag release), that GM (no matter how much more skilled than you or I) is talking some BS, period. The K100 is very much like a polymer Shadow Custom w/ the SRT trigger. I f'ing love me some CZ's, I think I've installed 10 comp hammers on different ones and done most everything that can be done to make them rock, I got lucky enough to score and live with a newer Shadow with the CZ-Custom SRT mod installed too, box-stock the K100 trigger is in the ballpark with 'em without a doubt. Since the only way to get about the same DA/SA trigger quality of a K100 is to spend an extra $300 for the CZC SRT option after buying a $900 Shadow, I'd say the "poor man's Shadow" comparison is very fair, the Shadows are heavier pieces so they aren't the same animal exactly, but to me the trigger is really their "magic". Atually, for many shooters coming from lighter, quicker transitioning guns (like Glocks or M&P's), the K100 due to it's polymer, and subsequent lighter weight, may feel more to their liking... The pistol's design is really head and shoulders above what most are used to (including me) out of a factory "stock" gun, they're an unknown quantity and are still the "oddball" so there are haters, IMO the piece is legit. I really hope they can somehow manage to put one of them in the hands of a Stoeger or another "name" in the games to get the word out... these guns are currently THE sleeper in "pistol awesomeness" IMHO. MY favorite pistols for a while now have been 1911's for the crisp SA, Glocks for the bombproof-ness, and CZ's for the "best of both worlds" vibe; to me the K100 is a working hybrid of those 3 designs.

Now that the prices have come down to where they're at, hopefully more guys will give the K100/GP6 a look. Like I said above, the trigger is really on the same plane as a $1300 Shadow variant, so at $400-500 a lot of guys are going to be like "wow". IMHO STI should've introduced these at the lower price-point from the start, $650-750 is too much for most guys to take a chance on an unknown quantity no matter how good the chatter is. Now CAI has just got to avoid some of the same mistakes if they want them to take off; support the pistols for real (that means no $60 mag nonsense and such that would scare buyers away).

Hey guys, I could no longer resist the temptation to buy one of these, as the prices have dropped to being about the same as a decent used Glock (mine was just over $425 from Bud's)... I've handled (but not yet shot) a few of the STi-branded GP6's, and every single time they've left me thinking "could this be the po' man's Shadow?" (interpit that either of two ways: as in a way cheaper gun that's comparable to a Shadow's awesomeness -or- as in a polymer man's Shadow, as a lighter-weight poly-framed-Shadow is something I'd hoped CZ would have put out by now). The only question I have is whether or not this Century Arms-imported K100 trigger is going to be up to the level of the STI-imported one's I've sampled? I had read somewhere on one of the forums that STI had requested that the ones they imported got a special trigger treatment (maybe something to do with their sears/hammers), but hoping that the changes weren't really much more than machining the GP6 hammers into looking more like STI's square hammers? From everything I've read out there, even if the trigger on the one I just ordered is a pound or so heavier, I think I'll still be happy, as the triggers on the GP6's I've played with kind of blew me way. I've tinkered with Glocks for years, and have gotten better than most at improving their triggers by leaps and bounds, and have shot several that were equipped with some pretty expensive Vanek kits, none were even close to being as good as the out-of-the-box GP6's I've felt. Really the only thing on par that I've tried with a trigger as nice has been a Shadow equipped with a CZC comp hammer and trigger-job (though, the GP6/K100 trigger-reset was way better, even better than any fully-worked-over 1911 I've had or played with actually). Anyone know if the slightly different X-Calibur sear/hammer set-up will retrofit into the K100? If so, any idea as to how I'd get a hold of that set-up? Suppose if the trigger isn't as good as I'm hoping for, from what I've read describing the X-Calibur's trigger (as being a lightened-pull K100 feel), seems like swapping to that would do the trick to get what I'm after. I'm pretty excited to put it through it's paces when it shows up, it is a really unique design as compared to what most of us are used to. I don't really have much apprehension to the rotating barrel set-up after playing with one and seeing how it works. The Grand Power design is freaking ingenious as far as the engineering is concerned, there's no locking-block to get the crap beat out of it, or shear itself or the barrel like in some other rotating-barrel designs I've seen. Instead of lots of right-angles and metal crashing into metal, the round shapes on the barrel roll over a big round cross-pin and functions more like a corkscrew that backs itself out, and then returns. If anything, when hand-cycling the gun, the rotating set-up seems fluid and "gentle", as their isn't really a "clunk-clunk" thing happening like when a barrel unlocks and then locks-up again in the Browning-based systems we're all used to. Like any other design, there is of course the point where the slide has finished it's travel rearward under recoil, and then has to return forward back into battery, but I bet with the right recoil spring one could dial even most of those vibes out. The biggest issue to wrestle with at this point in time is the lack of aftermarket. Dawson had all the kit I'll probably need to have it ready to go for IDPA , so it's on the way too: holster, extra mag, extended mag release, and front & rear sights (I'm picky when it comes to sights, the stock ones will most likely get swapped before I even put a single round through the gun). I really wish this situation was a bit better and hope this changes. Hopefully changing out the mag release will be self-explanitory (if I even really need to), but if anyone has any tips, please feel free to share... After the holidays I've been planning to pick up a new Shadow with CZC's SRTS trigger option added. As far as I know, before CZC came upon the SRTS, the K100'GP6's were the only DA/SA platform that did the neat trick of having it's trigger stay back in SA-mode (and free of all the usual take-up slack), CZCustom figuring out how to mimic that trick on a non-firing-pin-block CZ is huge, but the K100/GP6 still has it beat in the shortness of the trigger-reset. Here's the catch though: the CZC SRTS option adds $265 to the price of a $880 Shadow, and I just can't afford to do that right now with the holidays quickly approaching. My plan is that the the K100 will become a back-up once I get the new Shadow, as it's pretty much the only thing out there that operates similarly. The K100 actually might end up being my IDPA gun due to the stupid SSP weight rules, #2 behind the Shadow for USPSA (or #2 for both if the IDPA Tiger Teams come to their senses). That said, there is of course the chance that I may decide to stick with the Grand Power... leaving a lot of $$$ left for ammo

That's awesome, let us know if you notice a big difference.

You don't HAVE to do anything, depends on what YOU prefer... Personally, I like to swap out the Shadow safeties for the 75/85-style as i feel like the stockers park one's thumb too low, and the way the guns fit my hands/thumbs far better after the change, beyond that, IMHO the VZ Diamondback grips absolutely rule... do what you like... I'd say this though: if yours is SAO and you're not already running the CZC SA trigger that allows you to eliminate all the take-up slop, then hear me now believe me later, order one now

Gen3.

I went back to the Glock after deciding that I wanted to run the same as what I carry and use on the job. Really the biggest thing though was that one day I spent a bit of time looking up my past times/placings running a Glock vs. my tricked-out 1911's or Shadows; almost exactly the same, the only real variable was my performance. I'll say this though, due to their lightness and unique trigger, I do believe Glocks are a far less forgiving platform to shoot well than some others, but it's nothing dry-fire and maybe some grip-strength can't overcome. I don't buy Glocks being really any less accurate (mechanically speaking) than anything else, a crisp-SA trigger in a heavier gun will just let one get away with things that a Glock won't is all.

Yup, as said, the Gen4 ejector housing changes the connector angle: a "dot" connector in a Gen3 feels about a half-pound (or more) lighter than the stock 5.5lb connector. Glock currently does not offer a connector that will make a Gen4 trigger the same as a Gen3 gun with a 4.5 (used to be called 3.5) connector installed.

This. STI grip-safeties are downright painful for me, Ed Brown w/ memory bump is a must for my hands (they usually drop right in too, you only really need to fit where it engages/disengages the back of the trigger bow).