A couple weeks ago I saw the thread on the Grand Power X-Calibur, and it intrigued me. Neat looking gun. However I wasn't going to drop a grand to experiment. I got to looking at the line up and found a P1 Mk7 at Buds for $360. Seemed worth a shot. Since there wasn't a whole lot of non-press writer opinion on it I thought I'd share.
I have several ~4" hammer fired 9mm's, and I like that form factor, so this gun seemed like it's be right up my alley.
BLUF: Good gun, easily hit's above it's weight class. was a steal at $360.
Pros:
GREAT trigger out of the box.
Feels good in the hand/points very well
Combo of 1 and 2 make it easy to shoot fast and well.
Cons:
Front sight is sometimes hard to pick up quickly, and is proprietary
Slide release is kinda hard to reach
Century laser engraved their name and logo on my slide.
The more long winded version:
I shot it today side by side with my FNX-9 and my SP 2022. I put about 600rds down range total, 450 (or so) of them through the P1. so in no particular order, here are my thoughts on the gun.
Specs:
I got the basic, no frills P1. 3 dot sights, DA/SA, ambi safety (Ambi everything actually) 3.7" barrel, 15rd Mag. It comes with four backstraps and two mags.
Ergos:
It feels nice in the hand. Really nice. the four grips give you a wide rang of customization, but even with my bigger hands I stayed with one of the smaller backstraps. I could reach everything easily. Safety flips on and off distinctly, and in the correct direction. Mag release is not too stiff, and east ro operate from either side. I found the slide release to be a bit stiff and/or too far forward. I could hit it, but had to shift my grip a touch. no biggie to me as I slingshot the slide 90% of the time. It's nowhere near as aggressive in gripping the hand as my FNX. I didn't notice it sliding on me, but I could see it getting a little slick if you were coming out of the surf and shooting. The FNX almost requires gloves for more then 150 rds. Not an issue with the P1.
Trigger: Really nice. DA breaks at 8.25lbs, SA at 4 on the dot. Nice crisp break. The DA on my Sig is nicer, but that thing has like 6000 rounds through it. The SA is easily the best sub $1000 SA trigger I've shot. Which is good, as there's no decocker, so either you lower the hammer on a live round (That'll give some folks the vapors), or shoot SA. Reset is pretty quick, tactile and makes a click. It's pretty easy to ride the trigger and get fast, accurate controlled pairs. It also makes slower shooting for tight groups a breeze. I didn't take any pics at the range (I was shooting) but 4 mags into a 3-3.5" circle at 7yds, offhand was super easy.
Sights: 3-dot, nothing special. The front dot is both smaller, and a darker white then the rear two, which I found annoying in rapid acquisition. It worked, but I sometimes had to slow down and look for it. I'll probably swap it for a Fiber Optic front. The sight cuts in the slide appear to be proprietary, so there's not that many options, but there are a few. The rear sight is a half moon shape, which is a kind of neat take on no-snag. It doesn't snag.
Fit and Finish: On a par with the FN and Sig. Which is to say, nicely finished, and fit well. Not hand fit, and I can find some machine marks if I look, but the outside is smooth and even. Better than a RIA, worse than my Dan Wesson, right in there with a quality combat firearm. It doesn't rattle when shaken. The one departure from this is the parts of the barrel that ride in the slide and rotate. They are polished, and silky smooth. Sliding the barrel back and forth in the slide feels nice, smooth, and very precise.
Shooting: It shoots VERY well. Recoil and muzzle flip is noticeably less then the other two 9's I was shooting, which makes for faster follow ups. It seems like if I concentrated on it I could feel it torque just a little on unlocking, but you had to think about it. The pistol sits low in your hand, and points very naturally for me. It's a very easy gun to shoot. I shot it fast up close, slow at 25yds, and everything in between and it was easy to do everything with. It's not a bullseye pistol, but I didn't miss a pie plate at 25 yds. It point shoots well, and engages silhouettes at medium ranges (7-10yds) quickly and accurately. It did not malfunction once. Can't really ask for more out of a mid-sized combat pistol.
Overall:I really like it. It is fast accurate and (so far) reliable. It's easily as good as the "big name" duty pistols. I'll be shooting it some more after I make some more 9mm (due to a horrible logistics mistake, I'm out of 9mm right now) but so far I'd rank it as a very capable mid-size 9mm. For me, it's better then the FNX. It's not better then my SP-2022, but I think it will be after a similar amount of shooting. It's significantly better shooting then the striker fired guns (Glock, M&P, XD, and the like). That is because of the SA trigger, which comes with it's own set of trade-offs. I have a P228 inbound, so we'll see how it stacks up against that. But overall, I feel I flat stole this at $360, and the ~$530 a Mk12 goes for is still a fair price. It's a good shooting pistol.
I have several ~4" hammer fired 9mm's, and I like that form factor, so this gun seemed like it's be right up my alley.
BLUF: Good gun, easily hit's above it's weight class. was a steal at $360.
Pros:
GREAT trigger out of the box.
Feels good in the hand/points very well
Combo of 1 and 2 make it easy to shoot fast and well.
Cons:
Front sight is sometimes hard to pick up quickly, and is proprietary
Slide release is kinda hard to reach
Century laser engraved their name and logo on my slide.
The more long winded version:
I shot it today side by side with my FNX-9 and my SP 2022. I put about 600rds down range total, 450 (or so) of them through the P1. so in no particular order, here are my thoughts on the gun.
Specs:
I got the basic, no frills P1. 3 dot sights, DA/SA, ambi safety (Ambi everything actually) 3.7" barrel, 15rd Mag. It comes with four backstraps and two mags.
Ergos:
It feels nice in the hand. Really nice. the four grips give you a wide rang of customization, but even with my bigger hands I stayed with one of the smaller backstraps. I could reach everything easily. Safety flips on and off distinctly, and in the correct direction. Mag release is not too stiff, and east ro operate from either side. I found the slide release to be a bit stiff and/or too far forward. I could hit it, but had to shift my grip a touch. no biggie to me as I slingshot the slide 90% of the time. It's nowhere near as aggressive in gripping the hand as my FNX. I didn't notice it sliding on me, but I could see it getting a little slick if you were coming out of the surf and shooting. The FNX almost requires gloves for more then 150 rds. Not an issue with the P1.
Trigger: Really nice. DA breaks at 8.25lbs, SA at 4 on the dot. Nice crisp break. The DA on my Sig is nicer, but that thing has like 6000 rounds through it. The SA is easily the best sub $1000 SA trigger I've shot. Which is good, as there's no decocker, so either you lower the hammer on a live round (That'll give some folks the vapors), or shoot SA. Reset is pretty quick, tactile and makes a click. It's pretty easy to ride the trigger and get fast, accurate controlled pairs. It also makes slower shooting for tight groups a breeze. I didn't take any pics at the range (I was shooting) but 4 mags into a 3-3.5" circle at 7yds, offhand was super easy.
Sights: 3-dot, nothing special. The front dot is both smaller, and a darker white then the rear two, which I found annoying in rapid acquisition. It worked, but I sometimes had to slow down and look for it. I'll probably swap it for a Fiber Optic front. The sight cuts in the slide appear to be proprietary, so there's not that many options, but there are a few. The rear sight is a half moon shape, which is a kind of neat take on no-snag. It doesn't snag.
Fit and Finish: On a par with the FN and Sig. Which is to say, nicely finished, and fit well. Not hand fit, and I can find some machine marks if I look, but the outside is smooth and even. Better than a RIA, worse than my Dan Wesson, right in there with a quality combat firearm. It doesn't rattle when shaken. The one departure from this is the parts of the barrel that ride in the slide and rotate. They are polished, and silky smooth. Sliding the barrel back and forth in the slide feels nice, smooth, and very precise.
Shooting: It shoots VERY well. Recoil and muzzle flip is noticeably less then the other two 9's I was shooting, which makes for faster follow ups. It seems like if I concentrated on it I could feel it torque just a little on unlocking, but you had to think about it. The pistol sits low in your hand, and points very naturally for me. It's a very easy gun to shoot. I shot it fast up close, slow at 25yds, and everything in between and it was easy to do everything with. It's not a bullseye pistol, but I didn't miss a pie plate at 25 yds. It point shoots well, and engages silhouettes at medium ranges (7-10yds) quickly and accurately. It did not malfunction once. Can't really ask for more out of a mid-sized combat pistol.
Overall:I really like it. It is fast accurate and (so far) reliable. It's easily as good as the "big name" duty pistols. I'll be shooting it some more after I make some more 9mm (due to a horrible logistics mistake, I'm out of 9mm right now) but so far I'd rank it as a very capable mid-size 9mm. For me, it's better then the FNX. It's not better then my SP-2022, but I think it will be after a similar amount of shooting. It's significantly better shooting then the striker fired guns (Glock, M&P, XD, and the like). That is because of the SA trigger, which comes with it's own set of trade-offs. I have a P228 inbound, so we'll see how it stacks up against that. But overall, I feel I flat stole this at $360, and the ~$530 a Mk12 goes for is still a fair price. It's a good shooting pistol.
