GST-9: 250 round review
Posted May 19, 2020, 2:47 PM UTC
17380
Lmao I thought it was just a two word paper review that said “really shit”
24
Now that I’ve seen a completed build outside of flashy pics from the makers I’m torn on if I like it or not. Granted I can’t wait for mine to arrive as aesthetically I think p80 are nicer but honestly aesthetics don’t matter as much when you’re firing it, the real test is how it fits in my hands.
9
And how it works. This will probably be an unpopular opinion on a r/polymer80 forum, but I think it's pretty shitty of P80 to sell a product that has widely known issues that effect reliability, and never acknowledge or resolve it.
13
I think it's pretty shitty of P80 to sell a product that has widely known issues that effect reliability, and never acknowledge or resolve it.
And now we're witnessing capitalism at work. Someone has seemingly come out with a better product that addresses these issues. Maybe now P80 will up their game to keep competitive.
19
You also have to wonder how P80 can justify charging $150 a kit when Sig makes their polymer modules for $40.
2
AT least P80 includes a jig and the rails with their frames. On top of that i haven't had any issues at all with my PF940c and if at probably around 2000 rounds or so on it.
1
I don't think so it was called polymer 80 initially because well they were the only one at the time. I would consider this a polymer 80% lower maybe not polymer80 the company but it's polymer , it's 80% and if it is a good product IMHO it qualifies for this thread. I'm still waiting for my two I preordered so far I like what I'm hearing I'm all for diversity I' am a little disappointed as well regarding the double undercut ...... I too have a dremel. So far it looks like I am going to enjoy this one.
8
Agreed, it’s only as good as functionality. I’m one of the lucky ones, the only work that needed to be done to my tails were the rear pin holes which took all of 5 minutes. No issues with the FLB and racks smoothly. However seems like 90% of the issues with p80s are the rails which are supplied by the company. The other 10% is user related, honestly should be the other way around.
1
I'm curious if the QC issues have been due to the influx of people panic buying/demand and they ramped up production. I bought my first p80s a few years back and never had issues beyond normal break in. The last 4 I've bought the rails have all been bad. The last CL was arched so bad I had to lay it on my garage floor and beat it flat with a hammer, and then twist the portion that the rear locking block pin goes through straight on one side.
I agree they need to at least address the issue, and open up the sale of just the locking blocks.
1
They have had out of spec rail issues way before this panic buying started
3
I feel the same way. The pics from the website made it look really nice, but after seeing a couple of builds in the wild now, I’m not sure I like it. I’m sure I’ll end up getting one anyway, but I’m just less in a hurry now.
1
Good review, nice to hear the jig is solid and the rails are an improvement from P80. I cant wait to get mine.
6
Is there any play in the grip due to the modular grip length piece? I have concerns that it isn't going to mate perfectly and wiggle.
5
Oh good question. No, the grips are rock solid even without the pins in. It's a tight lockup, no play at all.
5
Thank you sir. Feeling good about the pre order now.
2
Is there a gap between the grip module and frame or is it pretty flush?
1
I thought the review was "Really Shit"
5
How easy are the grips to change?
Did you try it in any holsters?
3
They're easy, slide out and slide in. It's just two pins to punch out.
No, I don't own any Glock holsters, but I'll be ordering a TREX Sidecar, they said they used that one in one of the videos.
2
Thsnks, I'm waiting on mine
1
P80 g19 frame at $109 or gst 9 @ $130
3
I don't have hands-on with the GST-9 yet, so I won't make a difinitive recommendation, but it's worth noting that on top of the grip modules and all the other stuff, the GST-9 is claimed to be compatible with normal G19 holsters, which if you want to run something like a Safariland, is definitely worth $30 imo.
2
Thank you, thank you thank you! I really appreciate you taking the time to write this up. I was hoping it was better than the other guys, especially the rails. You deserve gold for this.
3
Ah shit dude thanks, I appreciate it.
3
i pre ordered back in early febuary... when do you think i should be getting my shipping info
3
I also ordered way early February and will be cancelling the order, so you'll likely move up 1 spot should they ever ship before the evil gun grabbers they keep emailing about get elected.
2
sorry im late. But I'm curious on why the ATF told them they cant ship the frame with the jig and rails when P80 can? I feel like thats some sort of marketing lie to make more money and doesn't sit well.
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[deleted]
2
Picture from another build on insta https://www.instagram.com/p/CAWw8nlpH37/
2
Oh I think that's the engineer that designed it look:
1
Ah you're right!
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[deleted]
2
Thanks for the review on this. It looks like I may choose the GST-9 when I do another build.
2
Thank you for the review, I hope the ergonomics are good enough for my little girly hands
2
So clean
2
How long did it take to ship?
2
I got me the fde, been waiting for a while now. Thanks for your review. I liked the look of the fde and black grip in the review on their site. Along with a beef jig.
Correct me of im wrong but i swear i read the grip angle was similar to 1911 or something of that sort. I was just happy i could make my own 19x!
Btw S&B ftw.
My question is can you reuse the jig for other p80s that have the scalloped trigger guard?
2
So is the slide just a g19 slide? I remember them saying you could switch to 17 slides and such but with the interchangeable grip, I'm not sure how they'd make that happen? I imagined from what they said that we'd be able to make another compact longslide frame.
1
From what I read from a few posts on there Instagram and emailing them the frame can not take a 17 slide but a 19L slide to be 17 length.
3
Ok that's what I was thinking would be the only way to make that happen.
1
From their website: Modular frame gives you a 19, 19X, 19L, & 17 size weapon system in a single 4-in-1 platform ..... The GST-9 does NOT accept Glock 17 slides. The GST-9 frame accepts Glock 19 & Glock 19L slides*
7
Click if you don't know what the GST-9 is.
Click for another picture. Also sorry the grip is shiny, I got some oil on it, it doesn't look that way IRL.
When I mentioned I had gotten my shipping notification, someone asked me to post my thoughts once they get it. I also hate when I can't find reviews on a product I want. I actually got it on Saturday, cause I'm in the same county as 80% Arms, but I wasn't home, so I build it Sunday, and shot it yesterday.
FWIW, as far as experience level, I've made one 80% AR15, and one P80. Both came from 80% Arms. So most of y'all are much more experienced than I am more than likely. My AR15 build went great, and I love it. The P80 build went like shit. To be fair, I didn't know at the time that having to do hand-fitment of the rails was normal to get it to run. It took about 500 rounds to get it through a mag without jamming a few times. Eventually I got it to run well, but it would never lock back on an empty mag.
Ease of Building: Better than a P80 for sure. The jig is rock solid, and I used a cordless drill really easily and wasn't worried about screwing it up. They also moved the recoil spring channel blocker up to the front, which makes it much easier to get to, and less worry of screwing up. The jig is definitely over-engineered and solid. The rails dropped right in, and didn't need any fitment.
Grip: I saw a few people complain about the texture, but idk why. It's not covering 100% of the gun like P80 or a stipple job, but I think a lot of that is cosmetic. The texture is very noticeable in the hand and stays put, so unless someone is regularly punching guns out of your hands, I think you're fine.
Ergo: Pretty comfortable. Definitely more fit to the hand than the P80, which feels like a a 2x4. This is gunna be dependent on the person, so pretty subjective. I don't like that it doesn't have the double undercut like the P80 does, but I can fix that with a dremel tool. In general, I think the frame feels sturdier than a P80 frame as well.
Removable Grips: Personally, this wasn't a big selling point for me. I'll only ever use the G19 grip. That being said, I think if they make a lot of different profiles, or other companies start to make accessories, it could be very cool. I saw they have a brass competition grip they are releasing soon, which will be cool for some guys. I shoot USPSA with my carry gun, so I'll just stick with what it came with.
Rails/Reliability: Most the other stuff is pretty subjective to personal taste, but I think this is where the GST-9 objectively beats P80. The rails are NiB coated, so they're super slick and wipe clean. MORE importantly, they didn't require any filing (which would obviously kill any reason for coating them). This is what I appreciated most. That I just put the gun together, and it went through 200 rounds of S&B without a failure, and 50 rounds of WWB.
So because I almost expected this build to not work well since I had such a bad experience with P80, I didn't buy any Gucci parts for this. I just cannibalized everything that came in my P80 kit. Now that I know the gun runs and works, I'm going to build it out how I actually want it. Sorry for the shitty pics, I didn't feel like taking great ones for a gun I'm going to change all the parts on.
Feel free to ask me any questions about it, I tried to cover everything I could think of. FWIW, I have some time behind Glocks, but my EDC is a P-07, so I wouldn't say I'm an expert.
EDIT: I'll do a follow up review once I have it built out how I want it, put a few thousand rounds through, and get some good pics.
Excellent review!
Just curious...
What do you think about the "gas pedal" for the support hand thumb? Does it help? Get in the way? Did you even notice it?
I think it would have to be a lot bigger to be super effective, but that would make it not work with holsters probably. It felt pretty effective until I assembled it, and the the slide locking level takes up some of that space and prevents you from getting your thumb in as much as you would like to. I also have fat thumbs though, so YMMV
I have no experience in regards to the GST-9 (which is my next official project now lol), but based on the picture, the GST9 cut looks significantly more pronounced than the P80. This is my No. 1 complaint with P80, is that in order for me to actually use the cuts made, with support thumb in the accelerator cut, i find my left hand applying too much pressure. In an attempt to control muzzle flip, i actually squeeze to the point of lower accuracy @ 10 yds. If I use a more appropriate amount of pressure with maintenance of accuracy in mind, my thumb seems to slip off every time the gun fires and cycles, requiring me to readjust my grip. I too am extremely curious how this component of the frame compares.
Have you gotten some rounds through it now? Do your rails/finish show any signs of wear like PewTang or are they looking good still?
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Well that was quick. Thanks for the review. Prolly be a while before I finish mine.. I waited until the zero hour to order cause I couldn't decide on FDE or Black and ended up getting both lol
This is the way
How would you say the ergos compare to OEM glock, and/or does it resemble any other production pistol?
Definitely better than a factory Glock.
The grip texture is more grippy than my P07 or a factory Glock. It's kinda P320ish, but a little more than that.
I don't have significant trigger time behind a ton of pistols though. I'm more of a "One True Pistol" kinda guy, where I use my carry gun for everything, so I can really only best compare it to the P-07, and the P80 frame I have.
Please join us in r/gunnitrust if you haven't already.
Excellent 👍. Thank you for stepping up and helping the rest of us understand what we purchased or hope to purchase.
Thanks for doing this. Any photos of before?
Sorry, didn’t bother with before since it looked just like the recent photos on their social media.
Thank you for taking the time to post your review. I'm looking forward to getting mine eventually. Like most things, it'll probably sit in my gun closet for a while before I get to it.
I have two frames and the front rails for both angle up at the front. I'm trying to figure out if this is normal or not. Can you post a side profile pic of your frame with no slide on it?
The site advertises that this fits a g17, would you agree with that?
I have kind of a love-hate relationship with the fact that the block on the recoil spring channel is now at the front rather than the rear. Will definitely make building easier, but it does change the roughest part from being hidden to being on full display. Are potential mess-ups very noticeable, or am I over thinking it?
I know this is an old post, but a comp fixes that if that's what you're into :D
It’s very slightly recessed inside the channel. You’re over thinking it I think