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The 10mm Auto cartridge has made a resurgence over the last decade and with good reason. The 10 gives you .357 Magnum-like power in a rimless .40 caliber cartridge intended for higher-capacity semi-auto handguns. The .357 in a lever action carbine configuration has long been espoused for medium game hunting and personal defense without the recoil of larger rifle cartridges. But what about a 10mm carbine? Enter the Grand Power Stribog SP10A3.
Table of contents
The 10mm as a Carbine Cartridge
The 10mm Auto is an excellent pistol cartridge, but it has been historically underutilized as a PCC round. 9mm Luger is, by far, the most popular, and second to it is .45 ACP. The 10 gives higher velocity and better penetration than either, which has given it some favor among handgun hunters. Setting it up in a carbine is the next logical step.
When the FBI first adopted the 10mm Auto in 1990 as their next handgun cartridge, a limited number of MP5 submachine guns were produced in that caliber instead of the standard 9mm. The quick decline in interest killed the 10mm carbine concept. The idea has seen a resurgence as the virtues of the 10 are rediscovered. Ruger recently released their LC Carbine in 10mm. Global Ordnance of Sarasota, Florida has recently begun importing the Grand Power Stribog SP10A3, a braceable pistol now up-gunned to 10mm Auto.
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The Grand Power Stribog 10mm: Quirks and Features
The Stribog is a unique Slovak-designed 9mm submachine gun. It has become popular in the States as a cost-effective semi-auto pistol. The SP10A3 is the same handgun but in 10mm Auto.
The Stribog is blowback operated and features a polymer lower receiver with an aluminum-backed trigger group, as well as an integral aluminum upper and M-Lok handguard. It comes with an 8-inch barrel with 1/2×28-inch threads. The barrel is fixed and sits low just above the lower receiver, while a nonreciprocating charging handle rides above it.
The back of the receiver is capped with a Picatinny railed polymer stock adapter that can be kept as is or removed for a stabilizing brace. Unlike the fair share of PCCs on the market, the Stribog SP10A3 is as fully ambidextrous as it could be. It features a double-sided safety selector north of the pistol grip inthe familiar AR-15 fashion. The charging handle is reversible so it can be manipulated from either side of the handguard.
Stribog SP10A3 Magazines
The magazine release splits the difference between an AR-style button and an AK latch release. It has a button on both sides and a latch. The sole lefty-unfriendly feature is that the bolt release is located on the left side only.
In addition to M-Lok slots on the left and right of the handguard, the Stribog has a section of continuous Picatinny rail along the sight plane for mounting backup iron sights and optics, while a shorter section hangs below for a weapon light or a QD sling attachment.
The Stribog ships in a hard case with three 20-round translucent magazines.
Disassembly of the Grand Power Stribog SP10A3 10mm
Field stripping the Grand Power Stribog is simple. The lower has two captive retaining pins, like an AR lower. Pushing them out to the right side frees the two halves to come apart. The bolt, recoil spring, and barrel can be accessed by briskly pulling down and out on the polymer stock adapter. The barrel is fixed in place and requires a torque wrench for removal, but with the bolt removed, there is plenty of access for cleaning.
On the Range with the Grand Power Stribog SP10A3
As it comes out of its hard case, the Stribog is a pistol-grip-only handgun and there is no sighting system. I added my Viridian RFX 15 3 MOA Green Dot, which continues to ride on the Stribog without issue. As I am new to braceable pistols, I was thrown for a loop with the stock adapter. It is railed and I figured I would have to seek out a brace that dovetails and screws in place.
As it turns out, that was not the case. There are a few brace options for the Stribog. SB Tactical and Strike Industries makes one. Rainier Arms has a minimalist brace with an integral sling point. I settled on a polymer folding brace from HB Industries. With the Stribog squared away, I headed to the range with 400 rounds of 10mm to see what I could learn.
Ergonomics
With a brace and this minimal optic, the Stribog SP10A3 weighs just 6.6 lbs. fully loaded. Although the brace made shouldering a bit crowded for my six-and-a-half-foot frame, I quickly learned my way around it and concluded that the braced Stribog would be a quick deploying option that doesn’t tire the arms and is set up just right for someone with an average to build.
As a southpaw, it was a treat that the Stribog 10 is mostly ambidextrous. The controls are easy to manipulate on both sides, even with my shorter thumbs. The magazine release drops empty magazines with authority, whether you choose to press the magazine button or flick the latch. The bolt release is best set up for the right-hander’s shooting thumb, but it is easy enough for a lefty who gives it a smack with the palm of the shooting hand. This worked out for me as I was reaching for the charging handle with the same hand when loading on a closed bolt.
From a shooting perspective, the SP10 is a pleasant balancing act. The 10mm Auto is a powerful handgun cartridge and the lightweight and compact size of the SP10 lets you know that. But the barrel rides at the lowest point of the upper receiver and the added weight over it keeps the muzzle rise low enough that I could consistently keep it shouldered and see the green dot of my optic at all times. Recoil is a brisk push on the shoulder that you will feel, but it is not onerous with brief range sessions. I was, however, tempted to take a break after my first hundred rounds.
Shooting With the Stribog SP10A3
Braced pistols combine some of the positive features of dedicated handguns and rifles but never completely. The 10mm Auto isn’t a rifle round, but it is easy to expect better accuracy with a third point of contact with a brace and a longer 8-inch barrel compared to a handgun. I zeroed the rifle at 25 yards and the lion’s share of my shooting was at that distance. I did go for groups from the bench at 50 yards and tried my hand at steel out to 100 yards.
I did not test a wide variety of ammunition through the Stribog SP10A3. Most of the four hundred rounds I went through consisted of Sellier & Bellot 180-grain FMJ target ammunition. But I also had a box of Hornady Custom 155 grain XTPs and Buffalo Bore 220 grain hard cast flat point ammunition.
Accuracy
At fifty yards, I could reliably get five rounds into a 3-inch group using the S&B load. The XTPs performed similarly but printed an inch and a half higher. The Buffalo Bore Outdoorsman load’s group opened up to 3.5 inches but hit the same point of aim as the S&B load. The accuracy may have been better with a magnified optic, but the reflex sight fits well for what is expected out of a PCC and I found the accuracy to be more than adequate for personal defense and even hunting medium game like hog or deer.
Offhand, it was easy to knock my 8-inch steel plates at 50 yards and I could reliably hit a 1/2 size steel silhouette at 100 yards as long as I switched to decaf. Transitioning from target to target was a bit slower compared to a traditional 9mm PCC, as the SP10 wanted to move around more, even though I never lost sight of my optic window or my target. But the 10mm is hitting those plates with more authority and less drop. At 100 yards, my rounds struck just three inches below my aiming point. That is not much drop for a pistol round.
Power
Handgun hunters, including our own Kat Ainsworth, trust the 10mm Auto as a hunting cartridge–out of a handgun. It is a powerful flat shooting option that you can pack in a holster. Putting the 10mm in a carbine helps in the accuracy department beyond typical pistol distances, especially for average shooters like me. But does that longer barrel also help boost the 10 power-wise?
The answer is yes, marginally. I fired the SP10A3 for a few five-round strings across my Caldwell chronograph from a distance of ten feet to shed some light on how velocities might improve over a conventional handgun.
The Buffalo Bore load, marketed as dangerous game medicine, clocked in at an average velocity of 1,388 feet per second over an advertised velocity of 1,200 feet per second. The Hornady Custom load, with its light bullet, has an advertised velocity of 1,410 out of a 5-inch barreled handgun. It came in at 1,603 feet per second. The S&B load has an advertised velocity of 1,150 feet per second. Out of the eight-inch Stribog, this round came in a 1,244 feet per second.
A true 16-inch barreled carbine might yield the best results but at the cost of compactness. But even the most underloaded 10mm round is faring better out of the Stribog, which might make the difference depending on what you are looking to shoot at.
Reliability
The Stribog SP10 was an interesting shooting experience, but not due to a lack of reliability. It is boring in that aspect as I had no failures to feed, fire, or eject. I initially had doubts about how a blowback-operated action might be able to handle the 10mm round over conventional lower-powered rounds like 9mm or .45. Those doubts were unfounded.
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The Grand Power Stribog SP10A3 10mm: One of a Growing Niche
The 10mm Auto cartridge went to the proverbial dustbin of history in the early 1990s not for lack of performance but for institutional and political reasons. Although it is not a magnum revolver round, the 10mm has its virtues that simply didn’t go away because it lost popularity. The 10 deserves its resurgence and there are now more 10mm pistols on the market than there were during its brief heyday. With the 10 now in carbine form, the future is looking just a little brighter. In that growing niche, the Grand Power Stribog SP10A3 is worth a hard look.
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Can you address the 10mm magazine and “Rib” supported feed lips of the likes I have never seen before. Proprietary design I would surmise. Surprised Global Ordinance didn’t design it for glock style mags as they finally did with the SP9A3G to get 30+ round capacities. There are glock compatible 10mm mags that hold 30 rounds. If capacity is a priority then 9mm versions have 1/3 more to offer.
There’s also a new type of rudimentary factory “iron sights” with a cut in the rear of the top rail and small adjustable recessed front post.
The “delayed roller” blowback operation is what helps tame recoil and smooths the impluse which aids in keeping eyes on target throughout the string of fire.
I just wanted to say I’m a big fan of the 10 mm have been since the mid ’90s. I’m glad you finally see the potential of this round being utilized.
There are in fact rudimentary back up iron sights. Or at least my version has them.
WHAT IS THE MSRP FOR THE STRIBORG 10 MM?
I have a colt delta elite and got a hipster carbine. Carbine works and shoots good but the trigger sucks. 25 yards out of the box was dead on.
The 10 mm as a carbine and/or PCC, isn’t a new idea. CMMG has been doing an excellent job with not only the 10, but also the 9, .40 S&W, .45 ACP, and a few other chamberings, for well over a decade. Their AR offerings do an excellent job of providing the same operator controls as conventional ARs, and the radial delayed blowback system is smooth & reliable. Although not cheap, I finally ponied-up for the base model banshee in .40 for complete magazine/round compatibility with my G23. Equipped with a Holosun circle-dot, it’s effectively a 100 yard gun with decent ammo.
I’ve have one of these and a Grand Power P40 10mm pistol for quite awhile now and have shot them both extensively. The ak style mag release spring is too weak on mine. If I can’t find a better spring I’ll be cutting mine off and just using the ambi buttons. I bought every aftermarket do-dad there is. You definitely want the metal extended safety upgrade and a Hogue rubber slip on grip for the tiny hard plastic pistol grip. I will be buying the Lingle aluminum lower as soon as they are back in stock, then the grip will be even better. I replaced the plastic back end with an aluminum one and then got an adapter to put on a standard AR buffer tube which I used the latest SB brace on. It doesn’t fold and I don’t care about that. The plastic/rubber SB brace made specifically for this sucks and is very flimsy. The way I set it up my Trijicon RMR is sitting on the rail on the lowest Trijicon picatinny mount they make. You don’t want sight sitting at AR height anyway you set it up. Lower the better here for your cheek weld as well. The magazines seem cheap but work fine. I took one apart and took the dremel too it. Now the 20 rd mag easily holds 25 rds and has worked flawlessly. I bought 15 mags, so I’ll probably do a few more now I know it works just fine. I could go on and on about this weapon. All the stuff I’ve bought for or done with it. Suffice to say I LOVE the thing…I handload hotties and she handles them just fine. Great piece of firepower here!!
Ps. The ended ambi aftermarket charging handle upgrade is also very nice addition. Also while I started out shooting it with a Suppressor (GSL PYTHON) I decided I’d rather just keep it short as possible to keep in my tiny jeep wrangler so I ditched the Can and comped it. I’m already 70% deaf from Iraq so who cares at this point. You will not regret buying this. Just as usual be prepared to spend more on the aftermarket goodies. As far as the P40 rotating barrel pistol they also have, you need big hands, which i have but if you don’t have large hands the trigger is quite the stretch to reach on that handgun. Doesn’t apply to this gun though. This thing is awesome.
As an afterthought. Avoid Magtech 180 grain hollowpoints with this gun…I have 21 different 10mm guns..and that stuff (which I bought 4 cases of right off the bat) doesn’t like to work 100% in several of my 21 guns. But this Stribog hates it the most. 1 or 2 out of just about every magazine, the hole in the hollowpoint will catch on the very bottom tip of the feed ramp and stop the gun in her tracks. The hollowpoint on that particular bullet is just too big. I have several 10mm’s that feel the same way about that Magtech ammo. The hollowpoint is like an ashtray, not like an XTP, in any grain weight, that is more rounded and feeds just fine. So, the feedramp is very narrow on this Stribog and could probably benefit from being a little wider and a little longer (extending further “down” or lower in the gun but on the other hand, except for this particular bullet everything else, flat points and hollowpoints have run 100%. So just FYI on the magtech ammo, avoid the 180 hollowpoint and this particular gun. The rest of magtech, hornady and all my handloads run perfect. I’ll get my 4000 rds shot up no problem, just won’t be in this gun.
Can you list the aftermarket companies that make things for this Stribog?
I used mainly HB industries and Global Ordnance for the Stribog specific parts. But the buffer tube and SB brace on mine were just standard AR parts. When “Lingle” gets them back in stock I’ll be getting their aluminum lower receiver.
Nice. I have a Hi-Point Carbine in 10mm I need to get out of the safe one of these days! Yes, Hi-Point is not the highest quality, but last time I checked it shot quite well.