Grand Power Q1 9mm Handgun: A Review

Have you seen the new Grand Power Q1 9mm handgun? If not, it’s worth a closer look because it has a lot of things going for it. Grand Power made a name for itself in the US when it released the Stribog, a 9mm sub-gun-sized weapon. It grew in popularity because of its reliability and affordability. More recently, Grand Power released the SP10A3 10mm sub-gun and it’s proving to continue that trend with some modern updates. But, if you didn’t know it, Grand Power also makes some awesome handguns that are just as reliable and affordable.

The Q 100 striker-fired series of handguns has been around for a while. They offer interchangeable grip modules, which were made popular in the US by Sig Sauer. But Grand Power was doing this long before Sig and they have a reputation for thinking outside the box. Grand Power weapons are made in Slovakia with most of their firearms being exported to other countries. Global Ordnance is the importer of Grand Power weapons, which is marked on all US-imported Grand Power guns.

One unique thing about the Q series of handguns is their rotating barrel, which helps reduce recoil. They are also fully ambidextrous, which is a must-have for left-handed shooters or those who practice shooting with both hands. There is a lot to cover with the Q1 9mm handgun, so let’s jump right into it.

Size and holster compatibility of the Grand Power Q1

Grand Power calls the Q1 a compact pistol. Determining the size of a gun depends on what you are comparing it to, I guess. While it’s smaller than some of their full-size pistols, it’s not what I would call a compact gun, but that’s just me. I also don’t consider the Glock 19 a compact pistol, even though it’s compared to the G17. In today’s world, we have so many small handguns for CCW that it has caused a wide range of what people call “compact.” Guns like the Glock 43, Sig P365, FN Reflex, and others are much smaller than a Glock 19-sized weapon.

The same goes for the Grand Power Q1, which is comparable to the Glock 19 in size. It’s so close that it fits in most of my G19 leather holsters. I was able to fit the Q1 in my Galco and Gould & Goodrich shoulder holster and my Falco leather belt holster. It didn’t fit in some of the G19 polymer holsters I tried because of some differences in the shape of the slide. My Galco VHS 4.0 vertical shoulder holster worked perfectly with the Q1 pistol with the Streamlight TLR-1 and Holosun P.ID lights attached to it.

What makes the Q1 so different?

Having a rotating barrel isn’t rare, but it’s not the popular design being used out there either. Beretta used a rotating design with their Storm, which never had much success. Grand Power uses this design but keeps the size of the slide and frame slim. The rotating barrel locks in place when fired and rotates to the rear of the gun as the shell is being ejected and a new one inserted. This is believed to help reduce recoil and accuracy compared to the tilting barrel design.

Another thing that is different with the Q1 than most traditional striker-fired handguns is how it’s disassembled. To fieldstrip the gun, you first pull down on the slide retention pins (like a Glock). But instead of the slide pushing off the end of the frame, the Q1 slide pulls off the back of the frame. The easiest way I found to do this is to grip the trigger guard and pull on the retention pins with the same hand (see photo below). While pulling down on the slide retention pins, pull the slide all the way back and lift.

Ergonomics, trigger, and other features

At first sight, the slide on the Q1 looks a little like the CZ 75 slide. It’s not a tall slide which keeps the weight down, helping with recoil. There are a few grooves on the front and back of the slide to help grip it when racking the first round. The block-style sights are removable, so they can be switched out with different sizes. A loaded chamber indicator on the back is easy to see, so you know there’s one in the tube. I’m not sure I’ve seen a chamber indicator stick out so far before. But it doesn’t get in the way, so I don’t really mind it. In fact, it’s starting to grow on me.

The frame of the gun kind of transforms into the grip, which is a little different. There’s not a lot of texturing around the grip area, making it feel smooth and somewhat slick. I would prefer this to grips that have too much texturing, but that part is a personal preference. Gripping the gun feels natural and almost makes me want to shoot it one-handed. People with smaller hands may prefer a more compact grip like the Q1S, but for medium to large hands, it’s pretty comfortable.

The Q1’s flat trigger is also a major upgrade. Some people like curved triggers better, but I’ve grown to appreciate the flat trigger and shoot better with one. On the Q1, my Wheeler trigger gauge showed an average of 4 lbs after 10 trigger pulls. This model doesn’t have a manual safety, but according to Grand Power, the trigger is equipped with a trigger safety mechanism that operates autonomously.

Grand Power Q1 specs:

• Caliber: 9mm Luger
• Trigger pull weight: 3.5 pounds
• Overall length: 7.3
• Height without magazine: 5.2 inches
• Width: 1.3 inches
• Barrel length: 3.7 inches
• Weight: 23.9 ounces
• Standard magazine capacity: 15

On the range with the Grand Power

You can tell a difference in shooting this gun compared to a lot of other striker-fired pistols. The recoil was light, and the gun was easy to keep on target while shooting. Like most medium-sized modern handguns, it holds 15 rounds in the mag. When you change mags, you want them to fall freely from the gun. This isn’t an issue with the Q1 as it has a strong spring that shoots the mags out of the gun. I fired more than 300 rounds of Igman 124-grain ammunition (supplied by Global Ordnance) without issue.

I also fired one magazine full of Hornady Critical Defense ammunition through it without any problems. The sights on the gun were surprisingly accurate without making any adjustments at all. At 15 yards, I was able to keep a small group in the head area of the target. And this was during a 1-second per shot drill which keeps you firing without time to focus on each trigger pull. Even though the trigger tested at a four-pound pull, it felt much lighter to me. The single action trigger was smooth, from the take-up to the break.

Worth checking out?

The Grand Power Q1 is definitely a gun to take notice of. Again, I wouldn’t call this a compact gun when compared to all the CCW compacts out there, but either way, it’s a great shooting gun. I like the feel of the grips and the rounded, low-profile slide. The handle is longer than a Glock 19, but it’s in that size category. There are not a lot of options for polymer holsters yet, but I think most leather Glock 19 holsters would work with it just fine.

Breaking it down to clean it takes some getting used to because of how the slide comes off. But after you have done it a few times, it’s not bad at all. I was impressed with the Q1 pistol, and I can’t wait to get it back out to the range. Soon, we will be doing some comparisons with other pistols to see how they compare to the newest striker-fired guns out there.