Grand Power's 380 analysis

sikhed · Dec 1, 2023

Picked up a Grand Power "lp380" yesterday from my ffl. Reason being, I've never seen a full size 380 pistol except for ancient 1908 colt.
Every other 380 out there is subcompact or micro.
This one is full size, 4⅝" barrel, holds 15 rounds.
Comes with 3 magazines, 4 backstraps, and 3 different height front sights. Hammer fired, half cock notch, double/single trigger, and a safety without decocker. Internal extractor.
All controls are ambidextrous from the factory.
A few things set the Grand Power 380 from the rest.
It's a fixed barrel blowback, but the recoil spring is under the barrel, not around it. The barrel is dovetailed into the frame with 2 cross pins (or screws, can't really see) The barrels chamber is stepped. My Stribog 9mm has the same. No problems reloading the spent brass. I'm told this is done so the firearm will continue to chamber the round when the chamber is all coked up from carbon or debris. Much like how HK uses a fluted chamber. (but you can't reload the brass from a fluted chamber)
Magazines for the Grand Power's 380 use the same body as the 9mm, but have a steel spacer running along the length of the rear, and a different follower.
Just like the magazine on a 9mm 1911.
I'm sure this was done to save on manufacturing costs, as they can use the same pistol frame and magazine as their 9mm guns.
Another thing with the Grand Power 380: grip frame is plastic, but has a milled hardened steel chassis with the frame rails built in. So no steel slide riding on a aluminum frame as with many 380s. That should make for a long service life.
Would love to give a shooting review, but work schedule and poor weather prevents that at this time.

edzz · Dec 1, 2023

Nice write up, sounds like a good choice for some that have issues tolerating 9x19 recoil or the snappiness of 9x17 (.380) in a sub or micro pistol.

Just a FYI I put many thousands of rounds thru a HK P7 that was my daily carry for years and had no issues reloading the brass many times. The appearance of the brass from a fluted chamber while visually irritating never caused me any issues as reloads.

I'll also dispel the myth that you cant shoot lead bullets in a HK P7, while a soft lead swaged bullet or two will disable a P7 by having lead flow into the gas system hard cast and lubed bullets are tolerated quite well. My P7's commonly saw 500 plus rounds between cleanings with no issues.

sikhed · Dec 1, 2023

Did this write up because there was almost zero information on this pistol on the internet. With the exception of one video in America, and a very interesting torture test between the Grand Power lp380 and a glock 25. (South America I think, they spoke Spanish.)

spookshack · Dec 1, 2023

GBGuns on Youtube has probably done a video on every Grand Power pistol in existence……lol

sikhed · Dec 1, 2023

spookshack said:
GBGuns on Youtube has probably done a video on every Grand Power pistol in existence……lol

Yep. Even the 380. That's about the only English language review on the whole internet.

spookshack · Dec 1, 2023

sikhed said:
Yep. Even the 380. That's about the only English language review on the whole internet.

He and his wife have even been to the Grand Power mothership for a factory tour. Pretty cool!

sikhed · Dec 7, 2023

OP here.
Had the day off work, and weather be damned!
Drove the truck to the BLM and put 200 rounds through the LP-380 in the snow/rain/mud using all 5 magazines.
Factory rounds were Norma 95gr fmj 'range & training' 100 rounds.
And 100 rounds of my reloads, 50, 95gr. Sierra V-crown, and 50, X-treme 100gr fmj-fp. All loaded to (not measured) 1000 fps.

Pistol functioned 100% with the exception of one my reloads, where the empty stovepiped and there was a live cartridge in the chamber. (Don't know how that could have happened but it did) Single action and re-set is outstanding, double action feels like a cheap revolver, but is not too heavy.

Accuracy at 20 yards was very good, but 5" high. All 3 loads did this.
The front sight on the pistol was stamped "0". Must be for a 6 o'clock hold which I don't use. Rain wind and sleet really picked up, so I abandoned digging up the hollow points from the mud to see if expansion was better than from my short barreled LCP.

No surprises cleaning the pistol after getting home. No wear, no copper fouling, just the usual carbon and powder fouling you'd expect in the breech area from a blowback pistol. Installed the tall +1 marked front sight, and ordered a appropriate height front tritium for a CZ 75 (internet says it'll fit)

Kept most of the brass too, to load again. Nice strong, centered primer strikes. No blowby on the exterior of fired brass. You can see that the pistol's chamber is stepped, but my Stribog 9mm is the same way, and there's no issues reloading them.

Overall am very happy with this pistol. Price is on par with a new Bersa 380, but Grand Power's is very high quality, tight and solid.