Grand Power Stribog SP10 and 9mm Q1: The Ultimate Power Combo?

The new 10mm Grand Power Stribog SP10A1 is a great shooting gun, and the Q1 pistol is right up there with it. Having the power of a 10mm in a compact, low recoil sub-gun is worth checking out. I’ve owned the 9mm Stribog for years and love it, but the SP10 A1 takes it to a new level. Their new roller-delayed blowback system keeps recoil down to a 9mm feel while blasting out 10mm rounds. While not as popular as the Stribog, their 9mm Q1 pistol is another gun worth checking out.

I’ve been shooting the Q1 for a while now and have more than 1,200 rounds through it without a single malfunction. For a $350 gun, it’s hard to ignore. Grand Power is a defense supplier in Slovakia and is based in Banska Bystrica. Global Ordnance is the official importer for the US, so both names appear on their firearms. They offer the perfect balance of quality firearms at an affordable price. Today, we are talking about the Stribog SP10A1 sub-gun and Q1 handgun.

Finding a good primary and secondary weapons system is ideal for multiple reasons, including self-defense. Some like to select one self-defense weapon and call it good. There’s nothing wrong with that strategy, but others like to be on the lookout for new guns, ideas, and training. Even for home/self-defense, having a primary and secondary weapon is a good idea.

Grand Power Stribog SP10 in 10mm

One of my favorite 10mm handguns is the Sig Sauer P320 XTEN. But even on that gun, the recoil makes it a little harder to fire quickly and stay on target. This has always been the issue with the 10mm round. But with a sub-gun size weapon and a good recoil system, that problem goes away. When using good hollow-point ammunition, you get great knock-down power for a handgun without the over-penetration of a rifle round. To me, this is the best of both worlds.

The only drawback is the magazine capacity. At 20 rounds, the magazines are about 10 rounds short of the average sub-gun and PCC weapon capacity. I’ve always believed that the more ammo available, the better. However, 20 rounds of 10mm ammo is still a decent capacity for such a large pistol caliber. I’ve cycled FMJ and HP ammunition (provided by Global Ordnance) through it and never had a problem.

Changing stocks on the Grand Power Stribog is easy because of its design. A rear AR-15-style take-down pin allows the gun to pivot open like a typical AR-15. After that, you just pull up on the butt plate, and it comes off. You can also pull the buffer spring, rod, and bolt carrier out from this point. It also has M-LOK slots on the handguard and a threaded barrel for attaching a suppressor.

Grand Power Q1 9mm handgun

I’ll admit, I didn’t expect this gun to become one of my favorites. My first impression was a little biased because of the price. But when I took it apart to check out the insides, I was impressed. A rotating bolt helps reduce felt recoil on the gun, and the quality is superb for such a cheap gun. At the range, I shot better with the Q1 than a lot of my other, more expensive handguns. After the first few training sessions, I wanted to put more ammo through the Q1 to see how it held up.

Global Ordnance provided a thousand rounds to demonstrate its reliability. I cover this project in a different article if you want to check it out. In the end, I had more than 1,200 rounds of ammo, including some hollow-point rounds, through the Q1 without a single issue. One of the biggest downsides to the Q1 is a lack of combat-style holsters. If you like leather, I found most Glock 19 holsters will fit the Q1. I carry mine in a Bianchi model 82 open-top holster with a self-locking system. It has a lever that releases the gun when pressed.

On the range with the Q1 and SP10A1

After using both guns on the range multiple times, I’ve decided I like the idea of a 10mm primary gun and a 9mm backup handgun. I typically prefer a two-point sling, even on sub-gun-sized weapons. But with this one, I have been using a Magpul single-point sling, so I can fold the arm brace over if needed. After trying several different optics with the Stribog, I decided the Sig Romeo 7s is a good fit. I’m not sure why I like this one on the Stribog more than some of the others, but I do.

The Sig Sauer Romeo 7s runs on one AAA battery that is easy to change, and a single on/off/brightness nob keeps it simple. If you forget to turn it off, it has an auto shut-off mode and shake-awake feature. There is a Picatinny rail on the bottom of the handguard, but I haven’t used that or the M-LOK slots for a light just yet. At some point, that will be another addition to this setup. I like drills that require transitioning from one firearm to another, and these guns were a blast on the range.

Besides all the other applications you could use these two firearms for, this set would make a great home-defense combo. They are reliable and affordable, which is not always an easy combination to find. The Q1 holds 17 rounds in the magazine, providing good ammo capacity, and the Stribog has the heavier knock-down power. On trips, I’ve carried the Q1 concealed and kept the Stribog in a backpack, which makes it easy to move to a vehicle when needed.

A good combo?

There are a ton of guns that would make good “combo” sets, and this is just one of them. But if you happen to like the Stribog style, it’s nice to have a set from the same company. The Grand Power Stribog SP10A1 came with three mags, and while extra mags are a little hard to find, they will change soon. When it comes to the Q1, Grand Power uses the same magazine as the K100, which means extra mags are easy to find. Check them out and see what you think, but this is a combo I will continue to enjoy on the range.