Grandpower K100
Encyclopedia
The K100 is a 9 mm semi-automatic pistol
Pistol
When distinguished as a subset of handguns, a pistol is a handgun with a chamber that is integral with the barrel, as opposed to a revolver, wherein the chamber is separate from the barrel as a revolving cylinder. Typically, pistols have an effective range of about 100 feet.-History:The pistol...

 designed and built by Grand Power s.r.o. in Banská Bystrica
Banská Bystrica
Banská Bystrica is a key city in central Slovakia located on the Hron River in a long and wide valley encircled by the mountain chains of the Low Tatras, the Veľká Fatra, and the Kremnica Mountains. With 81,281 inhabitants, Banská Bystrica is the sixth most populous municipality in Slovakia...

, Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...

.

Development

The K100 was developed by Jaroslav Kuracina, a former weapons officer in the Slovak Army
Military of Slovakia
The Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic number 14,000 uniformed personnel. Slovakia joined NATO in March 2004. From 2006 the army transformed into a fully professional organization and compulsory military service was abolished.-Structure of the Armed Forces:...

. Kuracina sketched drawings of the K100 as early as 1992, but manufacturing activities were highly restricted during the early post-Communist era. Kuracina would be forced to wait until 1996 to continue development of his design. In September 2006 Grand Power announced a deal to produce 100,000 units for the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 market in partnership with Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

-based handgun manufacturer STI International Inc
STI International Inc
STI International, Inc. is a Texas-based company that manufactures complete M1911 pistols and parts for competition, duty and self-defense...

. The pistol is sold as the GP6.

Design details

The K100 uses a rare locking system, similar in some ways to the Beretta Cougar, Px4 Storm
Beretta Px4 Storm
The Beretta Px4 Storm is a semi-automatic pistol manufactured by Beretta of Italy and intended for personal defense and law enforcement use. The Px4 uses the same short-recoil, rotating barrel lock as the Beretta 8000 Models and uses the same operating system as the M9/92/96 series, while being...

, and Brügger & Thomet
Brügger & Thomet
Brügger & Thomet AG is a licensed Swiss defense supplier specializing in the design and manufacturing of firearms and tactical components such as sound suppressors and rail systems. The company is located in Thun, Switzerland. B&T consists of a trading and manufacturing division...

 MP9
Steyr TMP
The Steyr TMP is a select-fire 9x19mm Parabellum caliber machine pistol manufactured by Steyr Mannlicher of Austria. The Magazines come in 15, 20, or 30 round detachable box types. A suppressor can also be fitted...

 which employs a rotating barrel lock, which in the K100's case is cammed by a cross pin. When the pistol is fired the barrel and slide move backward together for about 3/8 of an inch while the barrel is cammed counterclockwise by a flat, twisting, helical "cut" in the barrel extension. Once the barrel and slide have moved back to the point where the barrel has twisted about 45° to the left, the slide is free to continue traveling back while the barrel's travel is arrested by its interface to the frame via the barrel extension's square shoulders. On the K100, the Beretta's barrel extension cam cut, and transfer block's cam tooth, are replaced by a curled, twisting cut in the barrel extension, and a round, frame-embedded cross-pin respectively. As such, there is no transfer block per sec, and the barrel extension directly interfaces with the frame via the replaceable cross-pin.

Both of the Berettas, and the K100, have the archetypal square shouldered lock protruding from the otherwise round barrel, easily visible at the ejection port with the slide fully forward. This square shoulder is rotated in behind a solid column of steel running the length of the slide forward of the ejection port, and on the left side out of view, when the slide and barrel are fully forward in battery. This locks the slide forward in battery. Given that the MP9 uses the same basic locking mechanism, and has a cyclical rate of fire of 900 rounds/min, the rotating barrel lock has shown itself to be capable of very fast lock times.

The thick walled barrel and other metal parts are treated by Tenifer QPQ
Quench Polish Quench
Quench polish quench is a specialized type of nitrocarburizing case hardening that increases corrosion resistance, originally developed by the Kolene Company...

 technology. This hardens the metal components and increases resistance to corrosion.

The standard K100 has a barrel length of 108 mm (4.3 in) and operates in both single and double action mode.

The ergonomically shaped polymer frame is fitted with steel inserts the slide travels on, and where hardpoints are required for the trigger mechanism. The slide spring guide, safety, trigger, and trigger guard are polymer.

The pistol's toothy surface, and grooved grips, provide good grip even with wet hands. The K100 also features ambidextrous controls, supporting both left and right-handed users. When field stripping, the slide moves to the rear, up and off the frame.

External links

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