Grand Power in the US: best time to purchase?

[phucheneh]

Thank you Canuck for following up with me on the rear sight issue- if he hadn't PM'd me, I would have kept putting off calling Eagle. I get SO anxious about 'customer service' calls because they tend to result in epic frustration.

This was a complete 180* from that. I did go ahead and register my gun through the link at the top of this page:

https://grandpower.eagleimportsinc.com/grandpower/warranty/

Which was very simple and shouldn't require anything other than your serial. Seems like a good idea, just in case anyone ever does need real warranty service (i.e. has to mail gun).

Then I called (the 731 number on the 'Contact' page) and told the lady who answered what my problem was. I specified that it was the X-Cal with the Elliason sight, she basically said 'yup, we've got those,' asked for my serial and my mailing address, and told me the new sight would be in the mail on Monday. Bing bang boom done. Took less than five minutes. There's no way I could ask for better customer service than that.

[phucheneh]

I'm figuring anyone who's curious about the X-Cal has already found videos of it in action...but just in case, here's a video I recorded yesterday:

I wasn't really trying to demonstrate the gun; it was more for my own purposes (i.e. to see if I could pick out any kind of flinching or other obvious mistakes). But it really illustrates how soft that thing shoots, especially for its light weight. I was gripping pretty lightly there, even...strong hand is fairly relaxed, and weak hand is really doing nothing but stabilizing my shakiness.

edit: Also, I got a GREAT reminder to be careful who you hand this gun to. A buddy of mine actually ND'd it. He has as much shooting experience as I do, and has quite a large collection of H&K .45's, including some with trigger work. Way, way different triggers on those guns (heavier, yes, but not 'bad,' just different). 'ND' might be a bit of a strong word; there was no danger, gun was at the ready and pointed downrange. It was just one of those moments where you go 'wait...you were NOT ready for that to go bang, were you?'

2lb pistol triggers are no joke.

Edited February 20, 2015 by phucheneh

[bulm540]

I'm figuring anyone who's curious about the X-Cal has already found videos of it in action...but just in case, here's a video I recorded yesterday:

I wasn't really trying to demonstrate the gun; it was more for my own purposes (i.e. to see if I could pick out any kind of flinching or other obvious mistakes). But it really illustrates how soft that thing shoots, especially for its light weight. I was gripping pretty lightly there, even...strong hand is fairly relaxed, and weak hand is really doing nothing but stabilizing my shakiness.

edit: Also, I got a GREAT reminder to be careful who you hand this gun to. A buddy of mine actually ND'd it. He has as much shooting experience as I do, and has quite a large collection of H&K .45's, including some with trigger work. Way, way different triggers on those guns (heavier, yes, but not 'bad,' just different). 'ND' might be a bit of a strong word; there was no danger, gun was at the ready and pointed downrange. It was just one of those moments where you go 'wait...you were NOT ready for that to go bang, were you?'

2lb pistol triggers are no joke.

NIce

[Magsz]

There was some mention of factory decocker models...

I dont see them listed on the US site. Are there plans to bring those over as well? Say, a factory decocker excal model?

[Canuck223]

The decockers won't be in the US until the spring or summer.

The decocker is not a listed option for the X-Calibur. However, the Canadian distributor did order a portion of the X-Cals for the last order with them to gauge the response. If there is a demand, I imagine they will be available.

[hal1955]

Does the decocker affect trigger pull ?

[Canuck223]

Does the decocker affect trigger pull ?

Yes, it's not bad, but folks will notice the heavier weight and longer reset than the regular versions.

If you need a decocker, ours is a very slick system. Still, I expect that most folks that are more into shooting than carrying will opt for the traditional system.

[Magsz]

From a training perspective, ive gotten incredibly lazy with the factory decocker on my P09. That is why i was curious as to whether or not grand power would be offering the xcal with a decocker. I would wait if there was such an option.

[NicVerAZ]

If it brings more technical issues, I'll keep decocking by hand.

[Steve Moneypenny]

... one more part to polish or go wrong, I can't see a good reason to add complexity. It's cool that they offer it, but why bother.

[popo22]

For carry and for Law Enforcement purposes ( at least in the U.S.) if the gun is a DA/SA system it will be "dead in the water" without a decocker. No U.S. department will be willing to allow their Officers to decock by hand, just too much liability.

[NicVerAZ]

For carry and for Law Enforcement purposes ( at least in the U.S.) if the gun is a DA/SA system it will be "dead in the water" without a decocker. No U.S. department will be willing to allow their Officers to decock by hand, just too much liability.

Grand Power pistols are already used by law enforcement in several police forces around the world.

It is true that a decocker would be a plus and could help obtain a contract, it is not a necessity considering the fact that many police forces allow their officers to carry a ... 1911 (in condition 1, of course).

We're also mostly talking about the X-Calibur on this forum, and for us a decocker is barely a necessity.

[Magsz]

For carry and for Law Enforcement purposes ( at least in the U.S.) if the gun is a DA/SA system it will be "dead in the water" without a decocker. No U.S. department will be willing to allow their Officers to decock by hand, just too much liability.

Grand Power pistols are already used by law enforcement in several police forces around the world.

It is true that a decocker would be a plus and could help obtain a contract, it is not a necessity considering the fact that many police forces allow their officers to carry a ... 1911 (in condition 1, of course).

We're also mostly talking about the X-Calibur on this forum, and for us a decocker is barely a necessity.

Speak for yourself.

Shooting sports arent really about needs, its more about wants.

[Garmil]

For carry and for Law Enforcement purposes ( at least in the U.S.) if the gun is a DA/SA system it will be "dead in the water" without a decocker. No U.S. department will be willing to allow their Officers to decock by hand, just too much liability.

I'm surprised uspsa and others allow it also.

[popo22]

"Grand Power pistols are already used by law enforcement in several police forces around the world."

I seriously doubt that ANY "U.S." police dept. is allowing their Officers to carry for "Duty Use" or "Off Duty Carry" anything other than a 1911 pistol (DA/SA or SA) without a decocker.

[NicVerAZ]

"Grand Power pistols are already used by law enforcement in several police forces around the world."

I seriously doubt that ANY "U.S." police dept. is allowing their Officers to carry for "Duty Use" or "Off Duty Carry" anything other than a 1911 pistol (DA/SA or SA) without a decocker.

I have seen several Maricopa County deputy sheriffs with a 1911. All in condition 1, meaning cocked safety on. Take my word for it, I have worked in the justice system for a while on several contracts.

From what I know some Slovakian (duh) and Czech police units carry GPs. I know that Jaro was successful with selling his pistols to some Brazilian LE.

This is obviously very off-topic, I am therefore dropping the subject.

[Garmil]

Do the people who have experience with both think that the x-caliber is worth triple the price of a k100 mk7?

[Canuck223]

Do the people who have experience with both think that the x-caliber is worth triple the price of a k100 mk7?

Mine is obviously s biased opinion.

However, you've raised two points.

1) Is the fire sale mk7 K100 a good bargain?

Hell yes it is. If you're more curious than anything, go for it.

2) Is the X-Cal worth 50% more than the new mk12 K100.

Plain and simple, yes. The Xcal is more accurate, gentler shooting, and just plain handles better. It's essentially a 1050 vs 650 thing.

[NicVerAZ]

Do the people who have experience with both think that the x-caliber is worth triple the price of a k100 mk7?

Yes, because the K100 is currently underpriced at $299.

Back then I paid $600 for my GP6 and I thought it was worth every penny.

The X-Calibur has greater sights, better recoil control, is a lot more accurate.

I have to admit I liked the magazine release mechanism on the K100 better and I am still not used to the trigger on the X-Cal. I need to shoot it a lot more, that's all.

[Garmil]

I just ordered a mk7 k100 couldn't turn it down for $299. I do like the x-caliber and may end up with one later if I like gun.

Thanks for the info.

[Kingman]

The Xcal is simply amazing. Never messed with a mk7.

[Stan-O]

Over the last 18 months or so, we tweaked the sears slightly.

And in my case it greatly improved the DA pull with the new sear. So if you have an older gun I'd highly recommend the upgrade.

Also, I got a GREAT reminder to be careful who you hand this gun to.

Uhm, took my friends and their daughter shooting for the first time and after being drilled on safety and practicing dry at home for about 45 minutes they haven't had issues:

Do the people who have experience with both think that the x-caliber is worth triple the price of a k100 mk7?

If you're going to use it in competitions, X-Calibur is absolutely worth its current price, no questions about it. I would have paid just for the longer sight radius, not to mention all the internal and external upgrades you get with the X-Cal vs k100 mk7.

[NicVerAZ]

I sighted my X-Cal yesterday at an indoor range and I have to say (with a bit of pride, God forgive me) that I was eventually able to hit a 6" Shoot-N-C at 75 ft, all of 10 shots made it.

There is absolutely no doubt about it: this is an exceptionally accurate production pistol. I am now convinced that my Trojan 5 is no more accurate.

I still lament the magazine release system, which is much, much harder than the ones on my K100 MK6 and MK7.

This is probably the one thing that I believe one could modify but, out of the box, it is a superb race-ready pistol.

I don't want to start a flame war but I don't understand why anyone would buy anything else and try to f#$k around with it to make it race ready. I know that there is a market for non-OEM springs, trigger assemblies, hammers, etc... but many will end up turning their firearms into jam-a-matic pieces of junk. Unless you have years of experience, or are a mechanically-inclined tinkerer or a gunsmith in your own right, you're just asking for trouble.

My advice to anyone looking for a good production gun with a budget of $1000 including magazines, holster and pouches is: buy an X-Calibur. Don't even look around. That's it: you've found what you're looking for. Open the box, grab the gun, put it in your holster: you're done.

Edited March 5, 2015 by NicVerAZ

[phucheneh]

Also, I got a GREAT reminder to be careful who you hand this gun to.

Uhm, took my friends and their daughter shooting for the first time and after being drilled on safety and practicing dry at home for about 45 minutes they haven't had issues:

I wasn't implying the gun was unsafe, or that there was ANY reason that anyone should be kept from shooting it. Far from it...if anything, a novice is probably safer and should do great with it, assuming proper teaching/supervision.

In my case, it was simply that someone was so used to guns with SA triggers in the 4-6lb range. Not to mention, triggers that stacked up a little before snapping hard.

The gentle roll of my ~2lb X-Cal simply caught them by surprise. That was my main point; some may not realize that even those with a lot of shooting experience should be reminded that this trigger is both light and has a different feel than most.

Anyway, on the topic of 'is the X-Cal worth three times the price of a K100'...I'm gonna be the dissenting opinion and say no, it is not. But that's NOT the X-Cal's fault...it's a wonderful gun, and worthy of the ~$900 street price.

The issue is that the K100 is easily worth 500-600. Lowest street price on the mk12's is about 500, I think, and that's still a great deal. What you get there, versus what you get in other common $500 pistols...e.g. the bottom rung of CZ-75's (not counting P07/P09, which are also relative bargains at $400 or less), Witness steels, Beretta 92 variants, ect...I think the GP is worth every bit of what anyone would pay for any of the other 'usual suspects' when it comes to entry-level hammer-fired production pistols. At that price, the X-Cal is 180% of the K100 price, rather than 300%...quite a difference, really.

So, like I said, my answer is 'no,' but it's ONLY because the mk7 is SO underpriced. I think it's a no-brainer to give the mk7 K100 a chance and decide if you like the platform enough to buy the X-Cal...and I think most people will, but personally I like to get my feet wet with a low-cost gun before dropping serious money on the high-end model, assuming such is possible. I just don't see how anyone with 300 bucks to spare could feel remorse at having the K100 around as either a backup IPSC/IPDA gun, or an HD gun, or 'truck gun,' or whatever.

[phucheneh]

Oh, and Nick- are you sure your mag catch is working right? Or that you're not having issues with specific mags? I'm not noticing any difference between the catch in mine and that of my mk7. If you mean the rotation of the button, it has always been there. It's just hard to notice with the stock mk7 button (but I did realize how it worked when I installed the extended button I got from Dawson).

The only difference for me is that, for reasons I have yet to identify, some of my mags will not drop free in the mk7...it's not a catch issue; some of the bodies just fit the magwell a little tighter, it seems. They're all OEM GP mags with the red follower, too.

As far as modding the gun, I'm not sure to whom you're referring- the only modifications that I've seen anyone make are the removal of the part beneath the hammer spring, and then there's me, who was AFAIK the only one wise and/or stupid enough to try cutting the spring instead. ;D

I would agree with the sentiment that nothing else in these guns should really be touched. I don't think there are any real gains to be made from polishing, and yes, the gun is great out of the box. Hammer springs are IMO just usually worth tuning in a hammer-fired gun, given the gains that can be made with relative ease and no real drawbacks, assuming you ensure that you still have plenty of hammer inertia to spare. Like I said, I clipped enough off mine to take a half pound of the SA and much more off the DA, and it still lights the hardest primers I can find reliably.

Edited March 6, 2015 by phucheneh