Being semi-retired from TTAG means that I get to be a little more selective with the firearms and gear that I want to review. No longer do I have a list as long as the Mueller Report is filled with an endless stream of AR-15 variants that I need to test Now I actually get to pick and choose the things that I find interesting.

The second I saw this Grand Power Stribog SP9A1 in the gun deals section on Reddit I was hooked.

About four years ago I reviewed the B&T APC-9. B&T is the company that makes most of the cool accessories you see on H&K’s guns, and they were just starting their foray into producing their own firearms at the time.

The APC-9 was their sub-gun entry into the field and it was exactly like their accessories: visually stunning, technically perfect, and massively expensive.

I like the APC-9, and I still think it’s a fine piece of engineering, but there are some things that irked me about it. First and foremost was the price. B&T asks a princely sum of $2,250 for their little blaster.

For that, I’d expect perfection, and while the machined parts and operating bits were up to that level the fire controls (specifically the safety selector) weren’t as perfect as I’d like. Add the fact that the gun is only offered with a tri-lug mounting option and now I need additional adapters for my suppressors.

Since all of my other guns are threaded, that adds a step when I want to swap them from one firearm to another at the range. If you can afford that much for the gun and the related complications, the APC-9 is great. But lots of people can’t or just don’t want to.

Four years later we’re starting to see the next wave of pistol caliber carbines coming on the market. I feel like the 2014 era was all about new designs. Guns like the APC-9, SIG MPX, or CZ Scorpion kept getting announced and manufacturers seemed to be trying to reinvent the wheel.

This cycle seems to be all about adapting existing designs, whether that’s the plethora of 9mm AR-15 variants or this Stribog SP9A1 we’re looking at today.

I bring up the APC-9 because — let’s be honest here — that’s pretty much exactly what the Stribog SP9A1 looks like. It’s probably the most blatant copy-paste job since the Israeli Galil.

But that’s not necessarily a bad thing, as the APC-9 is a (pricey) work of mechanical art, and I think Grand Power (a firearms manufacturer based in Slovakia) actually improved the operating mechanism in their version.

Already things are different. Instead of a tri-lug adapter like the APC-9, the Stribog SP9A1 comes with a threaded barrel sporting the typical 1/2×28 thread pitch that you’ll find on 9mm caliber firearms. The barrel comes from the factory with a thread protector installed over those threads but be aware that it’s a royal pain in the ass to remove.

The friendly folks at the Silencer Shop gave me a hand removing it and it took nearly three of their largest, burliest gunslingers to get it to even budge. For others looking to do the same, I’d probably recommend hitting it with a torch for a bit to heat the thread protector up which should help it slide off.

The barrel is slotted into the receiver and held in place with a castle nut, just like with the buffer tube on an AR-15 rifle. This is a good thing in my book, allowing you to swap your barrel fairly easily without needing extensive time at the gunsmith. And for those who hate accumulating money, there are indeed aftermarket barrels available with the tri-lug adapter machined into the muzzle.

Moving back to the receiver you can definitely tell that this was at least highly inspired by the APC-9. The same extruded aluminum upper receiver design is used here, and just as with the B&T firearm, the finish on the Stribog SP9A1 is smooth as silk. It feels great and feels great in the hand as well.

Again, there are some differences here that I think are actually improvements. Just as with the APC-9 there is a full-length top rail and bottom rail. But instead of having permanently attached Picatinny rails on the sides, there are M-LOK compatible slots for you to attach whatever rails or accessories you need.

I generally appreciate the option for rails over actually having the rails, as it gives you the ability to make the firearm slicker or even directly attach things to the gun instead of needing the Picatinny rail intermediary which adds a little weight and bulk.

The top full-length rail over the receiver also includes flip-up plastic sights. I’ll point out that some other owners of this firearm have complained that these sights are easily broken, and on my firearm, they aren’t exactly aligned with the point of impact downrange, but it’s way better than nothing.

Moving back to the receiver you can definitely tell that this was at least highly inspired by the APC-9. The same extruded aluminum upper receiver design is used here, and just as with the B&T firearm, the finish on the Stribog SP9A1 is smooth as silk. It feels great and feels great in the hand as well.

Again, there are some differences here that I think are actually improvements. Just as with the APC-9 there is a full-length top rail and bottom rail. But instead of having permanently attached Picatinny rails on the sides, there are M-LOK compatible slots for you to attach whatever rails or accessories you need.

I generally appreciate the option for rails over actually having the rails, as it gives you the ability to make the firearm slicker or even directly attach things to the gun instead of needing the Picatinny rail intermediary which adds a little weight and bulk.

The top full-length rail over the receiver also includes flip-up plastic sights. I’ll point out that some other owners of this firearm have complained that these sights are easily broken, and on my firearm, they aren’t exactly aligned with the point of impact downrange, but it’s way better than nothing.

Things inside the upper receiver are very different from the APC-9. Both systems use a straight blowback action, relying on the rearward pressure from the barrel to pop out the spent brass and move the bolt backward.

B&T’s system uses a smaller, but chunky bolt that quickly accelerates rearwards and impacts a buffer in the rear of the receiver that eventually stops its movement before thrusting it forward again. The Stribog system uses a more traditional straight blowback design with a significantly heavier bolt and constant pressure from the return spring instead of a buffer mechanism.

Here’s my take. Having fired both, I actually prefer the Stribog. I think the APC-9 is a little hard to control with its buffer system, and while it’s a nifty design, I feel that the recoil forces are experienced over a shorter period of time than with the Stribog. For sub-guns, I generally prefer a smoother recoil impulse like the Beretta model 12S, and that’s something the Stribog provides.

Specifications: Grand Power Stribog SP9A1 9mm Carbine Pistol

Imported By: Global Ordnance
Action Type: Direct blowback semi-automatic
Caliber: 9mm Luger
Capacity: 30 rounds (10 and 20-round magazines available)
Overall Length: 14.74”
Barrel Length: 8”
Weight: 82 oz