Grand Power T12 is a traumatic pistol classified as a civilian weapon (CWW), as it uses ammunition with a rubber bullet. Rubber bullets cause pain and cause injuries of varying severity, in which death is possible, but less likely than with a firearm. Until 2011, pistols were manufactured in Slovakia, and then sanctions and a ban on imported weapons intervened. After this, production was moved to Russia to the AKBS plant.
What kind of trauma equipment can be bought legally without a license, read the link.
Design development
Grand Power T10 (ancestor of Grand Power T12) appeared on the market in 2008. Then the Slovak company Grand Power converted its GP K100 combat pistol to fire the 9×22 traumatic cartridge. However, the weapon had a number of disadvantages, in particular, problems with cartridge feeding. Later, the designer and head of the company, Yaroslav Kuratsin, finalized the design of the weapon for 10x28 ammunition. The model received the index T12.
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Stepanov Maxim Sergeevich
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The ISSF discipline is rifle shooting at a moving target. 25-time world champion (5 in individual competition, 20 in team competition). Mechanic of the 4th category for the repair of civilian and service weapons (School of Gunsmithing named after Leonard Vasev).
Manufacturers
Initially, the manufacturer was Slovakia, but the cartridges for them were manufactured in Russia, at the AKBS plant. However, after the ban on imported firearms was introduced, production was also transferred to Russia to the AKBS plant (a subsidiary of Fortuna).
Production in Russia
The history of pistol manufacturing in Russia begins in 2011, after the introduction of a ban on the import of foreign firearms. Then production was moved to Nizhny Novgorod, to the AKBS plant. The versions of those years had good build quality, and there were no pins in the bore. Firing a weapon with a solid bullet was eliminated due to a slight narrowing in the barrel, which made it possible to fire extremely accurately from the pistol for a traumatic weapon.
However, in 2014, the production of pistols was moved to Kovrov to the Degtyarev Plant. The ZiD assembly pistols had a high percentage of defects, and the barrel had weakened walls, which often led to rupture.
In 2015, production was again launched in Nizhny Novgorod at the Fortuna plant (a subsidiary of the no longer existing AKBS). Grand Power T12 and other models are manufactured in Nizhny Novgorod to this day and have quality comparable to pistols from 2011-2014.
Foreign manufacturers
Until 2011, the Grand Power company manufactured a conversion of the combat Grand Power K100 by order of AKBS LLC. The company's plant produced all the main combat parts of weapons and spare parts, but cartridges, due to legislation, were manufactured only in the Russian Federation.
At the time of its appearance, the product had no equal in quality and was in great demand. One of the main reasons is the absence of any pins in the barrel bore, which not a single (at that time) Russian LLC could boast of.
Do I need permission?
To own a traumatic weapon, you must undergo a medical examination and the procedure for obtaining a license. Possession of a traumatic weapon is permissible only if it is available. As a result of the medical examination, a certificate will be issued with the results of a drug test and a conclusion on the right to own weapons.
A prerequisite is passing an examination - you will need to prove your ability to handle weapons according to safety rules. Upon presentation of the required documentation, six photographs and a passport with a photocopy, a 6-month license will be issued.
The following categories will not be able to obtain a license:
- those under 21 years of age, except for those who have served in the army and those who want to carry weapons with their national costume;
- persons with visual impairments;
- seriously ill;
- persons with mental disorders;
- persons without a place of residence;
- citizens who have a repeated administrative violation within a year or a criminal record.
Grand Power T12 equipment
The weapon comes with a lot of useful items.
- Plastic case
- Spare magazine
- Spare return spring with increased stiffness
- Weapon cleaning kit
Accessories
The pistol is standardly equipped with a picatinny rail under the barrel for installing attachments, such as a flashlight or a light block. In addition, the shooter can choose a holster for himself for safe and comfortable carrying of the weapon. There are also special weighted heels for magazines, which allow you to increase the magazine capacity by 2 rounds.
Getting permission
After presenting the required documentation, permission for a traumatic weapon is given by the authorized body assigned to the district police department. To obtain permission you need:
- Take training courses on the rules of handling weapons, their storage and use.
- Successfully pass the test on the acquired knowledge.
- Pass a medical examination and receive the appropriate certificate.
- Contact the OLRR with an application, which is filled out according to the form.
- The application is reviewed for 30 days, then a positive or negative decision on extradition is made. During the entire period, a person who has expressed a desire to buy a traumatic weapon is checked.
The district police officer checks whether the place for storing the pistol is equipped and whether the installed safe complies with all legal standards. After the inspection, a report is drawn up and sent to the OLRR.
If a permit is refused, a person can challenge this decision in court.
To obtain permission, the applicant must collect and present the following package of documentation during a visit to the OLRR:
- fill out an application where you need to indicate your passport information;
- attach a medical certificate in form No. 046-1;
- two 3x4 photos;
- original and photocopy of civil passport;
- receipt for payment of the state fee for the permit;
- certificate of completion of a weapons training course, as well as passing an exam.
After receiving the documents, permission is given for a period of five years. After this period, the owner of the pistol must renew it. To renew your permit, you must follow these steps:
- 3 months before the expiration of the permit, submit an application to the OLRR for an extension.
- Submit originals and photocopies of a medical certificate and passport.
- Two 3x4 photos.
- Pass recertification of knowledge on the rules of handling weapons.
- A check is carried out at the place of residence of the owner of the weapon: the district police officer must be shown the place where the pistol is stored.
After all the activities and payment of the state fee, a decision on issuing a permit will be made within 2 weeks. Its validity period will also be five years. After this time, the owner of the pistol must again renew the permit according to the scheme described above.
Ammunition
The GP T12 uses the fairly common 10x28 traumatic cartridge. The main advantage of this ammunition is its similarity in size to the 9x19 caliber. Thanks to this, the 10x28 fits standard 9x19 magazines, eliminating the need to develop new magazines for traumatic versions of pistols.
Another serious advantage is the uninterrupted supply of ammunition (for example, in older versions of Grand Power the 9x22 cartridge was used, which had certain problems and was not always fed and ejected correctly).
Modern versions of Grand Power traumatic pistols use a 10x28 cartridge. This cartridge has several practical advantages:
- The 10x28 cartridge is close in size to the 9mm Parabellum caliber. Due to this, an uninterrupted supply of ammunition from the magazine to the chamber is achieved.
- 10x28 has high muzzle energy, so the bullet has good stopping power
- The cartridge has good penetrating ability compared to other traumatic ammunition (a chipboard sheet 18 mm thick confidently penetrates at a distance of 10 meters)
Repair
There have been cases of rupture of the barrel of this traumatic weapon. This happens due to underfilling or jamming of cartridges. If the bullet gets stuck, the barrel may rupture upon contact with the next ball.
Traumatic pistols of the “T” series have a warranty period. If a malfunction occurs and passport cartridges are used, the pistol must be repaired at the expense of the manufacturer.
If a defect is discovered in a traumatic pistol, the buyer has the right to choose who to contact - the seller or the manufacturer. He may demand that the product be repaired, get a new gun instead, or demand a refund for it.
Zip kit
There are a large number of spare parts on the market that can improve the ergonomics of the weapon. Among them:
- Reinforced trigger guard
- Reinforced frame
- Pistol grip pad
- Light guide front and rear sight kit
- Metal trigger
- Trigger
- Shutter lag
- Safety bracket
The abundance of spare parts allows you to maximally customize the weapon to the individual characteristics of the shooter. However, it is worth noting that such spare parts are quite expensive, and the price of some parts, such as a reinforced pistol frame, can be comparable to the price of a new pistol.
Description of design and principle of operation
The pistol is structurally similar to its combat prototype - Grand Power K100. All main components and warheads of the GP K100 and GP T12 are identical. In this weapon, almost all components are identical; there is also a similarity in the locking principle with the GSh-18 pistol.
The barrel has a slight narrowing, which eliminates the possibility of being shot with a hard object. Another advantage is that due to the absence of pins and other serious obstacles in the barrel, the impact on the rubber bullet is minimal. This allows you to significantly improve shooting accuracy.
Tactical and technical characteristics (TTX) of the pistol
| Caliber | 10x28T |
| Trigger | Single/double action trigger |
| total length | 179 mm |
| Height without magazine | 118 mm |
| Width | 36 mm |
| Barrel length | 85 mm |
| Weight without magazine | 640 g |
| Weight with empty magazine | 737 g |
| Standard magazine capacity | 10 rounds |
Cartridges for Grand Power T12
There are several options for 10x28 ammunition, they differ in action and power:
- Standard ammunition ranges from 150 (service ammo only) to 79 Joules.
- There are also flash-bang cartridges that, when fired, create a blinding flash and a loud sound.
The average price per cartridge is 35 rubles.
Design development
In 1908, the legendary Parabellum pistol was adopted by the German army. After this, Austria-Hungary decided to create its own weapon, not inferior to the weapon of its ally, and in 1912, the Steyr Hahn M1912 M.12 pistol was created chambered for 9x23 mm.
Unusual solutions were used in its design. Locking and unlocking of the shutter mechanism was carried out by rotating the barrel around its axis.
The pistol turned out to be very successful and was quite able to compete with the Parabellum. All shooters noted its low recoil and high accuracy of combat. Many modifications of the weapon were developed, including a 16-round submachine gun.
In 1992, such a pistol fell into the hands of weapons designer Yaroslav Karatsin. He was amazed at how much this weapon surpassed the standard CZ 75 pistol in its characteristics. The designer was inspired by the idea of implementing all the advantages of the Steyr M1912 in a modern version of the pistol.
In 1994, the first drawings of the weapon were made. In 1997, a prototype was created under the designation Q 2000. A year later, a prototype was released, called K 1, and finally, in 2002, K 100 was developed. It is noteworthy that the very next year it was put into production.
The model turned out to be very successful. The pistol has fantastic survivability. During testing, one of the samples withstood 100 thousand shots. However, in the conditions of the European Community, Slovak arms manufacturers are discriminated against in favor of Belgian, Italian, and German companies. Grand Power was forced to look for new ways to market its products.
A traumatic version of the pistol was developed especially for the Russian market, designated T 10 and chambered for 10x22. The pistol was positioned as a gas pistol with the ability to fire traumatic ammunition.
The weapon had a birth defect in the form of a cartridge sticking during reloading. To cope with this, a new 10x28 mm cartridge was developed. In size it corresponded to the original ammunition. The T 11 and T 12 pistol versions were released for this cartridge.
Operation of Grand Power T12
Grand Power pistols have a very good reputation in the traumatic weapons market. The weapon is assembled with high quality and has a high level of detail processing. Thanks to the high barrel life, the pistol can be used not only as a self-defense weapon, but also in sports.
This is also accompanied by the high accuracy that the pistol has when shooting. It is also worth noting the ease of maintenance. The pistol is simple in design and easy to disassemble, which provides quick access to the main parts of the weapon for cleaning and maintenance.
Pistol shooting
Despite the fact that the accuracy of a traumatic weapon makes virtually no sense (OOOP should not be used at a distance of more than three meters, because, otherwise, it will be difficult to prove the legality of using a weapon in court), the Grand Power T12 has a hit accuracy of quite high level.
When shooting with high-quality cartridges at a distance of 10 meters, the product showed an accuracy of 5-10 centimeters, and when shooting at 20 meters, all bullets hit the size of the target.
Although shooting accuracy is a dubious advantage for self-defense, for practical shooting it is an important parameter. Coupled with the excellent modularity of the pistol (if the ergonomics of the weapon out of the box do not suit the shooter, this can be easily corrected thanks to a large amount of tuning), the Grand Power T12 is a good choice for practical shooting.
Assembling and disassembling Grand Power
As mentioned above, the pistol is simple in design and easy to disassemble. This makes the weapon easy to maintain and clean. Incomplete disassembly of a pistol is somewhat reminiscent of disassembling a PM. Here is the order of partial disassembly:
- Detach magazine
- Check the chamber for missing cartridges
- Perform a control descent
- Pull the trigger guard down (almost like on the PM)
- Pull the shutter back, remove it from the guides, move it forward and disconnect the shutter from the frame.
- Remove the return spring
Partial disassembly is completed, access to the chamber and bore for cleaning is gained. Assembly is carried out in reverse order.
Cleaning and care
Caring for the Grand Power T12 is no different from caring for any other weapon. After each shooting, the pistol must be cleaned and lubricated. Each weapon requires its own chemicals and cleaning kits, but the general process is as follows:
- The barrel and chamber are treated with a chemical compound to clean the surface of dirt and soot that arise from exposure to powder gases
- All moving parts and components of the weapon are lubricated to avoid excessive metal friction
- Don't forget that stores also require maintenance. They must be cleaned of accumulated dirt so that the supply of cartridges is uninterrupted.
Assembly/disassembly
The disassembly procedure is similar to the sequence of disassembling a Makarov combat pistol. It is necessary for cleaning the gun and tuning. First, the magazine is released using a latch. After this, the fuse is deactivated. Next, the presence of ammunition in the chamber is checked. Disassembly continues only with an empty chamber. Then the trigger rod is pulled back, and after that the casing-jam moves to the rear position. While in this position it must be removed; To do this, you need to pull on the back. Thus, the casing-jam is removed from the guides. Next, it is moved to the extreme forward position and removed from the barrel. After this, the return spring is removed. Incomplete disassembly ends here.
The assembly is carried out using the reverse algorithm.
Advantages and disadvantages of a traumatic pistol
pros
High stopping power of the bullet. If you hit the leg or body, there is a high probability of stopping the enemy with the first shot
High accuracy for OOOP. Although this is a dubious plus for self-defense weapons, it is a significant advantage for recreational or sport shooting
High quality processing of parts and overall reliability of the design make it possible to achieve an impressive service life of the weapon.
Minuses
High price of a pistol and spare parts. A pistol assembled for a shooter with a lot of tuning can cost well over 100 thousand rubles, and a Slovak-assembled Grand Power costs 150 thousand on its own, without body kit
Some parts made in Russia have poor reliability due to poor workmanship
Purchasing weapons
The price of the pistol is quite high. For new copies it ranges from 43 to 57 thousand rubles. When buying weapons secondhand, the price range is much higher. The most expensive pistols made in Slovakia before 2011 cost up to 150 thousand rubles, but their purchase is justified when it is possible to purchase a sufficient number of original cartridges. In this case, the muzzle energy of the shot can reach 250 J.
For comparison, the legendary revolver has a muzzle energy of the same order. Up to 100 thousand rubles are asked for AKBS products. Finally, the products from the Degtyarev plant are the cheapest; they can be bought for 30 thousand rubles.
Varieties of Grand Power T12
The Grand Power T12 Trauma has several pistols that are very similar in design, which can be called its “modifications”
- Grand Power T11. Produced since 2014 and is a compact version of the T12.
- Grand Power T11-F. It is also a compact version with reduced product weight.
- Grand Power T12 FM2. Model with smooth barrel and pins.
Grand Power T12 FM1
The main difference from the T12 is the “solid barrel” design. Unlike the GP T12, there are no narrowings in the barrel; it is smooth, both inside and out. Two pins are mounted into the barrel.
According to the manufacturer, this increased the reliability of the barrel. Due to a sufficiently long smooth barrel, the direction of movement of the ball is stabilized, which increases accuracy when shooting.
Reviews from Grand Power T12 owners
The bulk of reviews say that the GP T12 is an excellent self-defense weapon. The main advantages of the pistol are its impressive firing characteristics: accuracy, penetration and stopping power.
Among the disadvantages, users note: the price, the need to “hammer” the magazine into the handle for normal supply of cartridges, some jambs in the processing of some parts. In general, users respond warmly to the pistol.
Grand Power T12 (like the Thunderstorm pistol) is one of the best OOO guns available for purchase in Russia. The pistol is well assembled, has good firing characteristics and a large number of spare parts are available for it. The main disadvantage is the price.
Specifications
Before purchasing, you should study the technical specifications of the gun. The injury is large and is suitable mainly only for the male half of the population. Let's look at the technical parameters of the T10:
- stem length - 10.3 centimeters;
- weight - 770 grams;
- chamber capacity - 10 ammunition;
- the length of the entire pistol is 18.7 centimeters;
- description of the trigger mechanism - double or single action;
- cartridge caliber - 10x22T;
- trunk thickness - 3.6 centimeters;
- height - 13.3 centimeters;
- the force required on the trigger is 25-35 N.
