If you’re tired of another Glock clone or another 1911, then the Grand Power P1 Mk12 offers something different. Grand Power comes to us straight out of Slovenia, which isn’t a country we know for firearms, but they are making a name for themselves.
Slovenia might be the next small arms hotspot between the Arex series and the Grand Power designs.
The Grand Power P1 Mk12 hits many high spots out of the gate for meit’s a hammer-fired DA/SA pistol (a format I prefer), uses a rotary-barrel design that’s said to reduce recoil, and sits in the compact class, so think Glock 19-sized.
While hitting high spots is great, the real question is whether it lives up to the name Grand Power. Every time I think of the name, it seems to be an attempt to outdo the name Hi-Power, but what do I know? Let’s see how grand Grand Power can be.
Grand Ergonomics
One thing that impressed me was the ergonomics. Off the bat, the folks from Slovenia seemed to be fans of the CZ school of gun design. The grip feels very CZ-75-like, which is a compliment. The P1 feels excellent in the hand, giving a nice, high grip.
The P1’s rotating barrel system eliminates the need for a traditional locking block and instead uses a replaceable cross pin. That lets the bore sit a little lower, and a low bore combined with a high grip improves control.
Grand Power wisely made the controls fully ambidextrous: safety, magazine release, and slide release are all mirrored (not reversible, but truly ambidextrous). The controls are large and easy to find and operate — the safety and slide release work well, and the magazine release isn’t overly stiff. Ambidextrous magazine releases can be stiff, but that’s not the case here.
The P1 is a DA/SA gun, and the safety allows for cocked and locked carry. There is no decocker present. Decocking the weapon requires you to slowly lower the hammer like it’s 1975.
I legitimately enjoy handling the Grand Power P1. It feels great in the hand and the Slovenians are most certainly skilled at designing guns. It feels grand — now we’ll see if it performs as well as it feels.
Range Time With the Grand Power P1 Mk12
I started with accuracy testing. At 15 yards the gun printed tight groups inside the B8’s 9 ring; at 25 yards I kept rounds entirely within the B8.
Back out to 50 yards, I was capable of routinely and easily hitting an IPSC-sized target. That’s a big target, so it’s not that hard to hit, but it can be tough to hit quickly. I did a quick drill, starting in the ready position and firing five rounds.
I gave myself five seconds and got all five off in 3.89 seconds with all hits. If I took my time, I could also hit a 10-inch gong at 50 yards, including using the double-action trigger.
The double-action trigger is remarkably smooth, light, and surprisingly short. It’s a sweet double-action design followed by an outstanding single-action. In short, the Grand Power P1 has a grand trigger.
Does the Rotating Barrel Matter?
Rotating barrels promise reduced recoil compared to standard Browning short-recoil guns. Is this true? To find out, I shot the P1 side by side with a Glock 19 Gen 3. I shot Bill Drills, but from the ready position. The purpose wasn’t to see how fast I could draw but to test the gun’s control, so I eliminated the draw.
I didn’t see much of a time difference. It was fractional, but the Grand Power P1 produced the tighter groups. You can feel a slight difference— the pistol doesn’t rise as quickly as the Glock 19, which led to a tighter group for the same, or slightly faster time.
The recoil impulse feels smoother and the sights seem to return to the target faster. If I were a better shooter, this might make a bigger difference.
The gun is extremely comfortable to fire. The grip is not snappy or uncomfortable. The beavertail makes getting your hand high on the gun easy and encourages a good, aggressive grip. Across various drills and long strings of fire, the Grand Power P1 proved completely controllable and easy to handle.
Reliability
No gun is worth a squirt unless it runs. The Grand Power P1 has performed reliably through several hundred rounds.
The majority of the ammo was basic 115-grain brass-cased ammo. It’s also seen a handful of 9mm 124-grain JHPs and a good bit of steel-cased, zinc-coated Moanrch ammo from Academy. It’s been problem-free.
Holstering
The main issue with oddball guns like this is the challenge of finding accessories, especially holsters. That makes it challenging for the gun to be anything beyond a range toy.
Luckily, if you need a Grand Power P1 holster, the Safariland 578 works like a charm. The GLS engages easily and provides solid security. While AIWB and IWB options may be limited, we have a reliable OWB solution.
Final Thoughts
I like this gun a lot. I do wish it were optics-ready, but luckily, Grand Power does make an optics-ready series of handguns. That’s besides the point.
The Grand Power P1 is a fantastic, underrated handgun. I feel lucky to have stumbled onto one, and it’s become one of my favorite firearms. Now, I need to find the optics-ready variant and go to a match!
