Grand Power P40 10mm -- meh.

[Big10]

Okay, first things first... First post and first 10mm.   Grand Power P40 10mm.

After watching a whole day of youtube videos and a couple of beers, I realized that I wanted a 10mm... no, check that.... I _NEEDED_ a 10mm!  With the help of some enablers on this and other sites, I settled on a Grand Power P40D (decocker model) from Centerfireguns for $642 + $7 for insured shipping.  Service from Centerfireguns was excellent and the gun was shipped promptly to my FFL.   The FFL I picked it up from wasn't too impressed and made some remarks about those he handled in the past as being prone to breaking;  I dismissed his comments as questionable since I could tell by his gaged out ear lobes he had made a few bad decisions in the past.

P40D ergonomics:
I have to say this gun does not fit my hand very well.  I can't operate the safety/decocker without adjusting my grip.  I don't think I could carry it because of this.   And it's weird too.  Up is safe for cocked and locked; middle position is fire; and down is decocked.  Once in the decock position it stays there unless you push it back up, but in this position the gun always runs DA, which brings me to the next point...

Trigger pull in DA is atrocious; it's heavy and long.  This may be further compounded by my trigger finger not fully on the pad due to the grip size and trigger position in DA.  I tried DA at the range and almost immediately switched back to cocked-and-locked.

Trigger pull in SA is quite good; it's light (~4 lbs) and the reset is short.  It's not as good as a decent 1911 trigger, but it's pretty good and far better than any striker fired trigger I've shot (disclaimer: I've not fired a PPQ but I hear those are great).

The safety/decocker lever needs a thumb self.  It's flat on the decocker model which makes it harder to operate -- at least for me.   I wonder if I can swap out the safety with the non-decocker model?  Anyone know?

Disassembly/Reassembly:  God awful.  Seriously bad.  The designer should be found and punished -- I'm guessing he's in hiding after inflicting the world with this system, I would be.  I can only imagine that the designer was a mutant with 3 hands because that's what needed to do the reassembly.  If you watch videos they seem to gloss over this aspect, cutting the video just after fumbling while trying to do the reassembly.  I noticed that all those models have shorter and, presumably, lighter recoil spring than the 10mm version.  The 10mm spring is much longer, like twice as long as the one in the review videos for even the 45, which makes it very hard to get the slide back on.   I was expecting something like the 45 reassembly experience, but got the reassembly from hell.

Shooting Experience:
First range visit with this gun and only had Armscor 180gn, 100 rounds.   Function was fine and brass landed over my right shoulder about 3 to 4 feet back.  One anomaly, however, was that somehow the magazine dropped free while shooting on 3 occasions.  Not sure what's up with that; I really don't know if I hit the magazine release or not.

The gun was a soft shooter.  Much less impressive than my 1911s shooting heavy loads (230gn @ 1000fps).  Truthfully, however, I don't know if that was the result of the Armscor ammo being underpowered (180gn @ ~1125fps) or the rotating barrel.

Accuracy was good.  I was able to keep them in a 2" circle at 15 yards.

Brass and case support:  Inserting a round in the chamber shows what appears to be good case support.  Unfired brass measured 0.4213" just above the case head.  After firing, 5 cases were measured, giving 0.4312" expanded (min=0.4310", max=0.4314").  Not sure if that is good or bad for 10mm. I  can say the bulging was visible to the naked eye, being roughly 0.010" expansion.   Primers on the Armscor were slightly flattened, but the firing pin mark was clear and deep, no cratering.

Final thoughts:
Buying a gun, sight unseen, is not advisable no matter how many youtube videos you watch.  Oh, and beer should never be involved in the purchasing decision.

I'm ambivalent about this gun.  It's a soft shooter, seems accurate, has a nice SA trigger.  But then it doesn't fit my hand well, probably will never be able to carry this gun because of the safety/decocker unless replaced somehow, and is a real PITA to field strip and reassemble.

Would I have bought this gun if I had handled and shot it first?  No.   But then you pays your money and takes your chances.

[DenStinett]

Welcome to the Forum B10
Nice Pistol you've acquired

[The_Shadow]

Hello Big10 and thanks for your detailed report on this firearm...be interesting to hear about its performance as you get more time and rounds through it...

[PCFlorida]

I had the magazine drop free a few times when I first started shooting my P40. I have since readjusted my grip slightly and that doesn't happen any more. There are a few tricks to take down and reassembly that I will note the next time I shoot it and clean it which won't be long. I was where you were and then someone on this board gave me a few tips and now it is much easier. It is a softer shooting gun, no doubt due to the action. I don't find it uncomfortable to shoot. I may have big hands, I have never really thought about it. I will have to see where my finger is on the trigger when it is setup for DA. Great observations!

[Big10]

Thanks for the welcome!   

Does anyone know if I can replace the safety decocker lever with one having a thumb shelf?  Like on the safety only version.

ETA: I may have found my own answer.  Eagleimports has a parts page with a generic safety lever (left) that has a thumb shelf and says works for multiple grand powers.  I ordered 2 to play with for $4/each.

[PCFlorida]

Let me know if / how it fits. Eagle typically ships very fast.

[Intercooler]

Take yours off and post a picture of the pocket. I posted some of my K100 when I swapped it a while back. We can probably tell by comparing them at that point.

[SavageOne]

The mag drop issue seems to have been a part of the break in for those of us who have one. I had it on one of my early range trips, but haven't had an issue with it since. I think a good strong and forceful seating of the mag will help. Did you have any problem loading the mags to capacity? Both I and PCFlorida noted a bit of an issue until the springs got a little worn. It may help the mag drop issue if you take the slide off, stick you finger down the magwell(from the top), depress the mag release catch, and let the mag release button fall out. You can then give it a good cleaning and also lube the catch and spring.

I am a bit surprised by you saying how it feels odd in your hand. I absolutely love how mine feels and so has everyone I have let fondle it.

As to the thumb safety, I understand your complaints. When I first got mine I was sure I would never be able to adjust to the tiny speed bump on the safety. I was sure I would want to order the extended safety that Eagle offers, then I got a look at one on the Excaliber. The thing is huge. It is primarily designed for competition shooters and would be very unrealistic on an ordinary pistol. The choices seemed to be between none and too much, but I took Intercooler's kind advice and tried it with the small bladed safety and now have no issue with it.

I probably have around a 1000 rds through mine and on the last range trip I started having some feed problems and it was hardly launching brass. I have replaced the recoil spring and it seems to have solved the problem.

I hope it starts to grow on you, and you reconsider it for EDC. I EDC mine every day and the only problem I have had is finding holster options for it. It will fit in holsters for EAA Polymer Carrys w/rail. I also ordered one from EagleImports and it's OK, but I prefer the one I got from the holsterstore.com for my EAA. I have also read that it will fit holsters for Sig 320s, but I don't have any first hand knowledge on that topic.

Best Wishes

[SavageOne]

Also, check out tractiongrips.com. They have a great set of wrap around rubberized grips that really improve the feel of the gun.

[Big10]

Take yours off and post a picture of the pocket. I posted some of my K100 when I swapped it a while back. We can probably tell by comparing them at that point.

Took me awhile of looking at the exploded parts diagram for the P40 before I felt comfortable prying it off.  Attaching pictures.

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[Big10]

The mag drop issue seems to have been a part of the break in for those of us who have one. I had it on one of my early range trips, but haven't had an issue with it since. I think a good strong and forceful seating of the mag will help. Did you have any problem loading the mags to capacity? Both I and PCFlorida noted a bit of an issue until the springs got a little worn. It may help the mag drop issue if you take the slide off, stick you finger down the magwell(from the top), depress the mag release catch, and let the mag release button fall out. You can then give it a good cleaning and also lube the catch and spring.

Yes, the mags were very hard to load.  In one mag I could only load 6 to 7 rounds with finger pressure.  The other I actually got to 8.  My fingers are still sore (I didn't have my maglula with me).

I am a bit surprised by you saying how it feels odd in your hand. I absolutely love how mine feels and so has everyone I have let fondle it. 

Not really what I said.  What I said was the gun doesn't fit my hand.  I'll show some pictures below trying to explain that better, but the gist is that I can't operate the safety/decocker lever without taking my finger off the trigger and adjusting my grip back and forth; I'm used to 1911 controls and this is out of ordinary for me -- more like having to adjust your grip to drop a mag in a 1911.

The "weird" part was not that the grip felt odd or weird, but that the modes of operation were literally "everything": DA only, DA/SA, or SA cocked and locked.  If I could manipulate the safety/decocker better, I'm sure it would grow on me.

As to the thumb safety, I understand your complaints. When I first got mine I was sure I would never be able to adjust to the tiny speed bump on the safety. I was sure I would want to order the extended safety that Eagle offers, then I got a look at one on the Excaliber. The thing is huge. It is primarily designed for competition shooters and would be very unrealistic on an ordinary pistol. The choices seemed to be between none and too much, but I took Intercooler's kind advice and tried it with the small bladed safety and now have no issue with it.

Mine is flat (no speed bump) with some texturing.  I'm sure they did it for the DA only mode.  But where the lever's axis of rotation is located is right where my thumb makes contact with the safety.   No matter the amount of pressure you apply at this point, the lever can't move because the force is shearing the Safety Pin (part #23 in the diagrams) as opposed to producing a torque if the thumb contacted out at the end of the safety.   Pictures to follow.

A thumb shelf would be a godsend for me.  Oh, and I'm going to take down the back edge of the lever which actually hurts to operate because it is proud of the backstrap.

I probably have around a 1000 rds through mine and on the last range trip I started having some feed problems and it was hardly launching brass. I have replaced the recoil spring and it seems to have solved the problem.

Is it like the spring I have?  I went to the parts page to look for replacement recoil springs, but saw a "P40 spring" that was way shorter than mine and red in color.  Mine has taken a set after the first 100 but is still noticeably longer and steel colored; I'm guessing that was done for 10mm and those springs are not up on the parts page.

I hope it starts to grow on you, and you reconsider it for EDC. I EDC mine every day and the only problem I have had is finding holster options for it. It will fit in holsters for EAA Polymer Carrys w/rail. I also ordered one from EagleImports and it's OK, but I prefer the one I got from the holsterstore.com for my EAA. I have also read that it will fit holsters for Sig 320s, but I don't have any first hand knowledge on that topic.

Best Wishes

Well, I can tell you that I was able to reattach the slide on my first attempt after the first 100, so some progress there.  If I can get the safety thing worked out, I'm sure the other qualities of the P40 will win out.



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[Big10]

Gratuitous spring pic.

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[Big10]

Where my thumb sits when I've got my finger pad on the trigger.

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[Big10]

Where my trigger finger reaches when I've got my thumb on the safety so that I can operate it properly.

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[Intercooler]

Take yours off and post a picture of the pocket. I posted some of my K100 when I swapped it a while back. We can probably tell by comparing them at that point.

Took me awhile of looking at the exploded parts diagram for the P40 before I felt comfortable prying it off.  Attaching pictures.