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The Grand Power SP10A3 is a roller-delayed pistol-caliber carbine (PCC) chambered in the high-energy 10mm Auto cartridge. The Stribog 10mm in this particular review originally arrived as a large-format pistol with a stabilizing brace, but has since been modified into a Short Barrel Rifle (SBR) via an ATF Form 1 and subsequently equipped with a Forced Reset Trigger (FRT). This article will evaluate the platform’s reliability, recoil management, suppressability, overall ergonomics, and general appeal to someone who admittedly began the project with a bias against PCCs.
In addition to taking a critical look at several factors, the article will also include our traditional obligatory smartassery, a couple of unnecessarily long words, and at least one wiener joke. Mad Duo
I’m someone whose hobbies include collecting pet peeves, so take my rant here with a grain of salt. I never understood 9mm PCCs. You generally get something that is as big and heavy as a much more capable rifle-caliber gun, yet somehow has more recoil because of the typical simple blowback design. Add to that a terrible trigger that makes sense only because it was designed for a full-auto platform.
Admittedly, these guns have become much more interesting with the advent of Forced Reset Triggers, but the “spray and pray” method rarely works well for the untrained. So, when I received a message asking if I wanted to test and review a Stribog, my first question was…
“Can I get it in 10mm?”
Now, the 45 ACP model was tempting. That naturally subsonic round always suppresses well, but I wanted the maximum ability to get the job done in the smallest package possible (cue a reference to my marital relations).
Full disclosure: you need to know up front that this gun was generously provided to me free of charge by Global Ordnance. G.O. is the exclusive importer for the Slovakian manufacturer Grand Power. Run what I tell you through that filter (as you always should, in cases like this), but I assure you – none of what I say below should be taken as a shill piece or appreciative handy, and here’s why:
The results of this admittedly glowing review came as a surprise even to me.
I went into this not wanting to like the gun’s form factor, but I came out several thousand rounds later, realizing I yet again had an opinion about something I didn’t understand.
Once I locked in on 10mm, I knew I wanted to complete my first Form 1 SBR, not just for the weapon but for the experience of doing so. Becoming a “gun manufacturer” is both easier than I expected and at the same time both unclear and unintuitive your first time through.
Why an SBR? Because it is free right now (at least the stamp is), and I don’t believe the arm brace ruling will be left alone forever. At least not as it stands. Plus, trying to tiptoe around what is and isn’t allowed regarding which parts we can use is more frustrating than a game of “whose hand is that” on a crowded subway car.
I won’t get into the additional responsibility you take on with owning an NFA item, and an SBR specifically, but I will admit I let those criteria scare me out of taking the plunge for far too long…which I think is often the point of those rules. I’ll actually be writing an entirely separate article detailing my journey to my first form 1. It’ll be intended for those like me who have been hesitantly waiting in the wings.
As is usually the case when you pick up a new gun, I wanted to make some modifications. Sometimes you can tell right away what you want to change. Other modifications don’t reveal themselves until later, especially after use.
For me, with the Stribog, nothing was terrible, but it was clear right off the bat that the safety selector switch was suboptimal…for me. It wasn’t too bad, and in fact, it might be the best ambi-safety I have felt. However, I don’t like ambi-safeties.
What made it so good was how unobtrusive it was; it sits basically recessed beneath the upper receiver overhang. What made it so bad was how unobtrusive it was; it sits basically recessed beneath the upper receiver overhang. Thankfully, HB Industries has an outstanding fix for this with their modular safety selector kit. It is “modular” (~ish) in that it allows you to add a much more pronounced selector switch on both sides or on just one side, depending on whether you want left or right.
I opted for removing the right-hand side as I am right-handed, and when you SBR a gun, it is now very much your gun. Should I allow one of my wrong-handed children to shoot this with me (or if I myself feel a need to transition firing hands), then they can use the extremely effective sweep method I picked up for use with ARs.
Which is, incidentally, what originally precipitated my stance against the need for ambi-safeties. More on that later.
The HB piece is spot-on in its placement, allowing you to activate it quickly and also use it as a sort of ledge for your dominant-hand thumb. In fact, it’s the exact opposite of being in the way, and installation was really straightforward thanks to this instructional video I found.
Lastly, I’ll say the design is really innovative in that it allows you to swap the actual control levers by removing just two screws (think of how the KNS anti-walk hammer and trigger pin kit attaches). No more wrestling with the dual independent detent springs required to remove the factory unit.
My only complaint is that it would be nice if people like me, who know they’re never going to use the second, larger lever, had the option to order without it. Maybe that would drop a few bucks off the $69 price tag, but I also imagine that would create more of a logistics headache for HB, so I understand why they do it.
Because everything on this gun comes pretty darn good, I debated for a while whether I wanted to swap out the charging handle. Lots of thought went into this. First of all, thank Odin, it is non-reciprocating, so it makes a really good hand stop. That’s something you appreciate with a handguard that goes almost right to the end of the part of the gun where the hurty-hurt stuff comes out.
Second, small is good sometimes (or that’s what she tells me). A huge lever tends to get caught on everything, and as 10 million AK users can tell you, you don’t need much to run a bolt. Also, with small guns, real estate is at a premium. If I can get back all of the real estate on one side without fighting a two-sided charging handle, then I’m all for it.
Notice I said “two-sided” and not “ambidextrous.” That’s because guns with a charging handle on just one side can still easily be run either-handed. Ultimately, after I put on my VFG and light switch, I decided a slightly more pronounced charging control would be nice because of its hand-stop function.
The Kinetic Development Group Enhanced Stribog Charging Handle fit the bill perfectly. One-sided, just slightly longer than stock, and with my favorite, knurling. At $35, it’s a steal and exactly what I was looking for. It also spins, so while it is easy to grip, it reduces gear snag as it rolls off obstructions.
When setting out to write, I try to do as much research as possible into what others are saying (see below for my gripe there) so I don’t just repeat what is already readily available. One thing I haven’t heard anyone mention is that the pistol grip is straight up slippery. Anyone following me knows the only gun legislation I would support would be a law that mandated all new rifles/PCCs must be able to accept AR-style or other common grips.
That said, the shape and angle of the Stribog grip are quite good. However, it’s perplexing to me that engineers who took the time to include two distinct types of texture on the front and back (which are very appropriate, by the way) sort of skimped on the surface area of said textures.
Don’t get me wrong, I love when certain things feel freshly waxed, but the primary surface I interface with on the firearm is not one of them.
Fortunately, one of the best stippling guys in the biz lives a 40-minute drive from me. While he is capable of pure artistry, I told him I just needed a straightforward bit of roughness added in three key places, and he delivered. I know this isn’t a handgun where I rely heavily on the pistol grip to control the gun, but during times of one-handed operation, like magazine changes, this thing got downright squirrely.
I can already hear the internet commandos tell me to work out if I can’t grip the gun, but they are the same people who don’t train in the rain or while sweating in extreme heat (or really ever) enough to know how much that impacts grip. It’s a small thing, but for less than $100, it made a huge difference. I guess you could throw on some goon tape, but I think we are nearing the end of that fad.
In fairness, according to the Reddits, the Stribog aftermarket has basically followed every other PCC ever created, like the MP5, Kuna, and Scorpion, to create a lower that accepts AR grips and trigger groups. I may have to dip my toe into Lingle Industries aftermarket Stribog lower receivers here in the future, because how cool would an FRT be in this?
While many people refer to the SBR Stribog as the “SCARbog” because of the stock’s similarities to the one FN made famous on the SCAR, there is another unfortunate similarity. A fixed Picatinny rail across the bottom of the handguard. Another odd choice when they knew not to attach any to the sides and leave the MLOK to breathe free. Not only does this create more girth than needed on an already thick monolithic upper but it stops short thanks to the barrel interface.
Because of this, I couldn’t get my VFG as far back as I would like. Again, this is a real nitpick because if it went back much further, it would be in the way of magazine reloads, but man, two more open slots would have been perfect! You’ll actually notice in some pictures that I’m only running one of the two screws on my VFG, so I can cheat it back one more slot.
The weight. Heavier guns shoot softer, which is a major plus, but one of my gripes about PCCs is that they are often the same form factor as a Bullpup or SBR in a rifle caliber. Fully loaded, this gun tips the scales at 8lbs and 6 ounces. Considering most of the weight is close to your center of gravity, it is far from unwieldy, but my 14.5″ AR, similarly equipped, is nearly the exact same.
Also, fun fact: If you buy a food scale from Amazon to track your macros (and weigh your guns), your algorithm will be convinced you are a drug addict and constantly recommend things like little Ziplock baggies. I guess the AI gods can add me to one more watch list.
I should address the giraffe in the room, here: the height of that optic mount.
I’m testing a rather high optic setup in the form of a Unity 2.26″ Aimpoint Micro mount. I think I like it for several reasons. The stock (and it is a stock because this is an SBR) allows for a high cheek rest. That allows me to get a stable interface on the gun when firing while having the stock low(er) on my torso and a very heads-up posture.
The downside of course is a heaping helping of holdover. However, the role of this gun for me is home defense, so despite the cartridge’s ability to perform at some very rifle-like distances, I can zero it for my most likely engagement length and know that give or take 5 yards isn’t going to reveal the full brutal 5″ deviations possible.
I’m young enough to know modern optics are so good you’ll almost definitely never need backup iron sights, but old enough to still feel a need to cling to that “belt and suspenders” approach. Here, the Unity mount has a neat party trick where they include a set of sights inside the mount. It consists of a rear peep sight and a front blade that screws in. I opted not to screw in the front blade because a 1-inch sight radius seemed absurd, and the rear peep is enough to provide a frame of reference for the distances I built this for.
To be clear, the window on the Aimpoint Micro could do the same, but if that glass was cracked, covered in mud, or otherwise obscured (and the dot was dead because we can all do occluded shooting now, right?) then this is Plan B. Super unlikely, yes, but now I don’t have to drink myself to sleep from worry over my red dot failing me at a critical moment (I can now drink myself to sleep for other reasons).
This is not “the UMP we have at home”. Virtually every review I watched while researching this gun felt compelled to make this pithy statement. However, they would then go on to enumerate all the ways it was better than the now-dated UMP. It seems they believe that because it costs less and is easier to obtain (and it’s not HK), it’s not allowed to be nicer.
Let me be clear, this gun Fucks!
I have run every type of ammo I could find through it, including stuff that definitely trips up other semi-autos I own. I ran low-power nearly .40 Short and Weak pressure 10mm rounds (suitable only for children and Europeans), full-power red-blooded American Underwood ammo, and all types of bullet shapes. I ran it suppressed and unsuppressed; nothing tripped this gun up. So, with all due respect to the UMP’s track record, at over 800 rounds through it to date, this Stribog is “trust my life with it” reliable in my book. Particularly when running quality self-defense ammo.
Speaking of ammo, I want to once again thank Ammunition To Go for helping me keep this thing fed for testing, especially those premium full-power rounds. Interestingly enough, 10mm costs less than running 5.56 on the range ammo side, and the self-defense rounds are actually almost identical in cost to their 9mm equivalent. This is not a niche, bougie round.
While I’m talking reliability, we all know good guns are built around a good magazine design. The Stribog 10mm has it. I heard rumors that the early “smoke” translucent magazines were prone to breakage; these seem to be an upgrade. Also, unlike the 9mm version (which has gone through several magazine geometry changes), this change had everything to do with the composition of the material and not the architecture. While we all wish every magazine held more, when you shoot bigger rounds, you have to give up some of that capacity or live with comically long magazines. I feel like Global Ordnance/Grand Power struck the right balance here.
I couldn’t find anyone who made a magazine coupler for the much thicker 10mm magazines, so I searched up a set of plans online and had a buddy 3D print some for me. They seem to work in initial testing…what a time we live in!
I’m sure if I asked the internet, they would tell me that 10mm doesn’t suppress well, and that goes double if you are re-using a can meant for 45 ACP. Well, call me a skeptic, but I like to test things for myself. Back in my Counter-Intel days, we’d say, “In God we trust, everyone else we investigate,” and there you have the genesis of my trust issues.
While I was curious how the setup would sound, I also wanted to see if the gun would run reliably. Since this article, like all my others, is a place to vent all my pet peeves, here’s another one: Companies that put threaded barrels on guns that can’t run with anything attached.
In a world of low back-pressure options, I guess adjustable gas systems are less necessary, but I’m a man on a budget. I use what I have. In this case, what I have is my well-worn 14-year-old Advanced Armament Company (AAC) Ti-Rant 45.
The result is “probably” hearing-safe shooting, I mean, you make that call, I’m not the boss of you. My ears weren’t ringing, so take that for what you will. More importantly, as mentioned above, I have had zero malfunctions suppressed and believe me, I tried.
This is probably a good place to mention what a difference roller-delayed designs make. While this isn’t a 9mm MP5, it’s still noticeably softer-shooting in 10mm than many blowback-operated 9mm competitors, even when suppressed, with greater back pressure. That includes the original Stribog A1s, CZ Scorpions, Ruger PC Carbine, and worst of all, the KelTec SUB2000.
Seriously, that KelTec feels like it has a recoil “enhancer” if such a thing exists. The first time I shot one, I had to go home and lie down and evaluate what being a man who can get punished by a 9mm gun means for my future.
When a can isn’t on it, I replaced the factory-provided thread protector with the HB Industries “Micro Comp”. This was mostly for aesthetics, and I can’t understand how a device that ports 360 degrees in all directions will “reduce muzzle rise by 20-30%”. I didn’t feel any improvement, but it is inexpensive, looks great, and the O-ring creates a super-tight lockup you don’t have to babysit.
Let me say it one more time for the people in the back: It drives me nuts seeing a PCC that is as long and heavy as an AR pistol with none of the advantages. The one exception I hear is, “I can train for less ammo cost”.
That argument, however, is completely negated by the additional $2,300+ you put into the separate platform once you add optics, lights, etc. Do the math: An additional average cost of $0.20 a round between the average range-quality 9mm and 5.56 means you’d have to shoot 11,000+ rounds just to break even, and I know there’s maybe only 12 of you reading this who shoot a platform like this that much.
With this 8-inch barrel, my Overall Length with the stock deployed to a comfortable shooting length is still less than the required 26 inches my X95 (a bullpup, as you know) needs to be to avoid being an SBR. It is also much shorter than my 12.5-inch AR pistol. Even an Mk. 18 build doesn’t get there.
Overall, the Stribog is now less than 24 inches long, which is cool. Why? Well, for one thing, I can go through any door in my house sideways. In my vehicle, it’s narrower than the average space allotted for a passenger. While the weight is still up there, it feels much smaller than any of my rifle caliber alternatives.
PCC/SMG/Sub guns, especially in larger pistol calibers, need their own logistics support for soft gear. I’m a fan of the micro rigs made by Haley Strategic, and in this case, they offered the best SMG package I’ve seen. The main reason I say this is that they have spacing between the magazine pouches that came as one piece, with four held in a Velcro insert.
Unlike AR or AK magazines, these straight magazines don’t create any space, so getting a good purchase on them before attempting to draw them relies on pouch spacing. You might otherwise be able to squeeze in a 5th, but between these and what’s in the gun, 100 rounds of 10mm is a lot of hate.
Steal its look!
- Check for Price/Availabity of the Stribog 10mm on Gun.Deals
- HB Industries Modular Safety Selector online at G.O.
- HB Industries Micro-Comp directly from HBI
- Kinetic Development Group Enhanced Charging Handle
- Unity Tactical 2.26″ Mount at Primary Arms
- Aimpoint Micro at PSA
- Blue Force Gear Chocolate Chip Camo Sling
- Haley Strategic Micro Chest Rig at Primary Arms
- VenoTech Underbed Safe
The Stribog hadn’t been on my radar since shooting one of the old blowback 9mm versions, but now that I have been running it, I am a huge fan. The compact size, firepower, reliability, and ergonomics make this thing damn endearing. While there’s really nothing you have to change on this gun, I feel like everything I modified helped take it to the next level and fit my preferences.
Not all guns have the flexibility/modularity or aftermarket support to make it your gun, so I don’t take for granted how relatively easy and economical this build-out was. Literally the only other thing I could think to add to this gun is a 3-position forced reset trigger if a suitable offering presents itself, but until then, I’m going to love it just the same.
Perhaps the nicest thing I can say about it is that it has now become my go-to “bump in the night” gun. I even bought an underbed safe that fits its dimensions exactly. This gun has proven itself reliable, compact and maneuverable enough to use indoors, and full-power 10mm hollow points represent a nice happy medium between a much lower-powered 9mm and a much more likely to over-penetrate walls, 5.56 round.
I don’t want to get into a debate here about what you use, but suffice it to say this fits the bill for me.
PCCs are clearly having their moment, and I am finally starting to understand why. Now that my Form 1 has cleared, I just ran it in a 2-gun match, and it must be set up okay because I won the Advanced Division and had the top overall match score.
I’m excited to continue getting to know the strengths and weaknesses of a gun that has no real equivalent in my collection. If this gun wasn’t on your list to check out, add it!
GISD
Olivo – Stribog 10mm
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