Grand Power K22 X-Trim LBP

I got the call as we were picking up after a successful drive. It was Antony Bill, and he wanted to know if I could stop by at his shop (Shooting Supplies in Bromsgrove) as he had ‘something new’ for me to review. Usually, the journey home from a shoot day is a time for reflecting on shots made and missed, but now it was full of anticipation at what lay ahead. Antony already distributes AR15-style .22 rifles by Tippmann Arms, as well as rifle upgrades and accessories by Fab Defense. As the adjectives applicable to these brands include accurate, authentic, affordable, practical, reliable and rugged, I was sure that, whatever that ‘something new’ was, it was not going to disappoint.

Nor did it. Freshly displayed on the wall of the gun room was the full range of carbines and long-barrelled pistols (LBPs) from Grand Power, the Slovak gunmaker whose wares were formerly distributed by Caledonian Classic Arms. Grand Power’s ‘long guns’ include semi-automatic .22LR versions of the classic VZ61 Skorpion machine pistol and the modern Stribog carbine, the latter presented in both 12” and 16” barrelled variants. I’m looking forward to reviewing either in due course, but it was the LBPs that really had my attention.

As every LBP shooter will know, Grand Power’s LBP, the K22, is by no means a new product, whether in its standard form, the enhanced ‘X-Trim Plus’ variant on test here, or the long-barrelled/long-sight-base TS version. What was new, though was seeing everything in one place and available for immediate sale. And, because Shooting Supplies is a distributor as well as a retailer, you can easily obtain one via your favourite local gun shop.

So, let’s look at the K22 itself. If you already know about LBPs, skip ahead. If not, here are the basics.

What are they?

At the end of the 1990s, a handgun ban moved all modern cartridge-firing pistols from Section 1 (which permitted any person with good reason to possess them on a firearms certificate), to Section 5 (which almost no one qualifies for) or sections 7:1/3 (which impose significant restrictions on type, storage and use). At the same time, it imposed minimum dimensions for all Section 1 firearms of 12” (30cm) for the barrel and 24” (60cm) overall.

Naturally, the industry adhered to the new law by creating ‘12/24’ firearms based on standard pistols factory-fitted with 12” barrels and a solid bar that projected rearwards to reach the 24” threshold. Due to earlier legislation that banned semi-auto rifles in every calibre except .22 rimfire, all these guns were in .22 LR.

Taking umbrage at this letter-of-the-law response, the Home Office showed its disdain for Britain’s legislators by unilaterally re-designating these guns ‘Long-barrelled pistols’ and restricting their use. Thus, while both club shooters and clubs themselves can still own them, they cannot now allow others, or non-members, to shoot them, even under supervision. Here endeth the history lesson.

Let’s take a look

Now we know what an LBP is, it’s time to consider whether the K22 is a good one. Starting with the build quality, I can’t fault it. All the metal parts are perfectly profiled, fitted and finished, while the frame and magazine are crisply moulded in a rugged, rigid, high-quality polymer. Everything moves as it should, too. No grittiness or sloppiness, just smooth, positive movement, with just the right amount of resistance to let you feel, control and confirm every input.

The enhancements of the X-Trim Plus model help with this. Most obviously, the steel slide is cut and slashed to a degree that would make a Tudor tailor swoon. As well as providing a distinctive look, the cuts keep the pistol light and ensure that however you grip the slide, you get all the tactile traction you could wish for. Also distinctive is a pair of oversized, arched and ribbed safety levers, conveniently positioned either to be readily flicked off with the knuckle of your thumb, or repurposed as ledges onto which to lock the pad, giving a master-hand grip that’s super-secure and tight under the beavertail. Ahead of the safeties are a pair of long, flat slide catches whose ribbed near ends provide additional lock-in and instant, instinctive operation. Below these is a left-to-right push-button magazine release with a good-sized button that can be reversed if desired.

The trigger is polymer, with a curved and lightly-ridged blade. In double action, it registered a mighty 9.8 lb pull weight. Single-action is what counts, of course, and here the K22 showed about a ¼” of light take-up, a clean 2.6 lb break and a fast reset. The external hammer has a tactile ribbed ring for positive de-cocking. Ahead of the trigger, the vertical front of the guard is ribbed, with a rounded ledge at the base to prevent slippage, but not quite enough room for two fingers.

As already noted, the frame design facilitates a high grip, while an ample beavertail eliminates any risk of slide or hammer-bite. In the palm, its girth was just right for my size-8 hands, but larger back straps are available for bigger paws. The texturing (lightly ribbed at the front, lightly stippled at the sides and back) could usefully have been more assertive, however. At the bottom, an external flare keeps your little finger clear of the magazine well, while discreet internal bevelling assists insertion.

So far so good

The magazines themselves have slotted sides and a pull-down follower to facilitate loading. Capacity is 10-rounds. Nine go in easily and the tenth takes a positive push, ensuring a fully-loaded magazine won’t shed rounds if jostled. MagLoad do a 7-round extender (£24.99). I had expected magazines to drop free, but even when full they just pop out about 3/8”, so it’s a case of pinch-to-remove. The K22’s hold-open device is triggered by the follower, but frame-mounted, so the slide stays back until you give it a rearward tug or activate the release lever.

Sights are a square post with a red fibre-optic element up front, with a matching rear notch in a face that is finely ribbed and raked to eliminate glare. The rear sight has slotted windage and elevation screws for precise adjustment. My eyes make open sights a literal blur, but I was still able to shoot passably with the K22’s. Fortunately, adding a red dot is easy, since both Andy Haines (Master Class Custom Guns) and Practical Shooting Supplies (FQ) offer drop-in adapters, or you can use FAB Defense’s Universal Scope Mount (£77.95) on the Picatinny rail moulded-into the K22’s frame.

Up front, what looks like a sound moderator is actually a barrel shroud. Underneath it, the barrel is slender and smoothly cut with six deep, weight-reducing flutes. You can shoot the K22 with or without the shroud, but it’s more than a question of aesthetics, or even ounces, as the shroud tensions the barrel, giving bull-barrel stiffness at a fraction of the weight. Get it properly tight before shooting, however, or it will loosen up as you go. Noteworthy is the fact that the thread used is a moderator-unfriendly 14x1.5, so suppression would require an adapter or PSS’s fully-suppressed ‘Whisperer’ modification.

In use

Together, the skeletonised slide, polymer frame, shrouded-and-fluted pencil barrel and alloy rear bar give the K22 X-Trim Plus a dainty all-up, fully loaded weight of 2.3 lb and a balance point right on the trigger pin. The result is a pistol that handles as though its legally-mandated extensions were a figment of your imagination, albeit with an added element of stability, especially if you shoot one-handed with the rear bar braced against the underside of your forearm.

I shot the K22 two-handed, resting on a bag, at 3” Shoot-N-C roundels at 25m. My sub-par vision meant ‘using the Force’ to find the target, but I was still able to put five shots into around 3”, and the grip and trigger feel were so good I have no doubt a red dot would cut that in half. Ammunition was standard-velocity fare from Eley (Force), CCI (Target), Geco (Semi-Auto) and SK (Standard Plus). I expected the box-fresh test gun to take a dozen or so magazines to run in, but it performed like a champ from the off, with only two stoppages in the first 200 rounds, both short strokes attributable to underpowered rounds.

Verdict

Testing the K22 was my first encounter with an LBP for many years and I was massively impressed by how far things have come and how well it turns the 12/24 restrictions into assets (even adding a couple of inches to achieve the perfect balance). A tried-and-tested but totally up-to-date design, it shoots impressively well, feels great, exudes build quality and attention to detail, plus is complemented by key aftermarket enhancements. I like the all-black look, but versions with gold Cerakoted slides are already available, and Antony tells me titanium, bronze and FDE may be next. My final verdict is that for the price, quality and features, nothing else in the LBP market comes close.