The German Geiger GRP - One of the world's finest pistols.....ever

"GRP" stands for Geiger Roller Pistol in loose translation. I first heard of this gem a couple of years ago and I knew I had to track one down at some point. When I realized MMB Imports was bringing them in one at a time, I got my name on the list back in the fall of last year. I had no idea how long it would take, but it was the sort of thing to basically forget about until the time came. As it turns out the time came quicker than I thought. MMB contacted me in May that a few were completed and ready to be imported into the States. Two were already spoken for, including mine. The other went on Gunbroker last month. The set price for the pre-ordered models was a bit over $9000 shipped to my FFL. While I know that's not a cheap handgun by any means, the last model that went on Gunbroker brought nearly double that in a penny auction. Now the retail price from the importer has nearly doubled to match.

The Geiger GRP is a bespoke, hand built, roller delayed blowback pistol. Each one is meticulously made and assembled in Germany. To date, only about 30 have been produced and I wonder how long they will be in "production". Mine is serial number 27 and chambered in 9mm. They are also available in 45ACP and I'm so impressed with this pistol that I wouldn't mind having one in each caliber. However, I should have gotten it ordered before the huge price hike.

I am a huge fan of delayed blowback handguns and roller delayed is my favorite of them all. Its not a cheap or simple way to design a pistol and generally requires some intricate manufacturing. I'm honestly only aware of four handguns that use this method and three of the four are outrageously expensive to buy if you can even find one. I'm talking about the HK P9S, Korth PRS, Korriphila HSP, and this Geiger. The design is definitely very German and all four of the pistols are as well. The good news is that I own the others so I can directly compare them to this one as time goes on.

As for my thoughts on the Geiger GRP 9mm, the gun is impeccable. Build quality, parts quality, attention to detail, refinement, and fit and finish are on an otherworldly level and take me back to the finest pistols built in Germany over the past few decades. From a quality standpoint, the Geiger matches the very best pistols I own and since its built with today's steel, certainly benefits from any metallurgy advancement during that stretch of time. Like it's brethren, all the Geiger's parts are machined in house from solid carbon steel billets and none are outsourced other than the grips. The beautiful blued finish, the perfect checkering on the front strap, back strap and trigger guard, and the classy Nill grips give the GRP a level of elegance only found in the world's finest handguns. Even the roll markings are meticulously done, as shown. The case it comes in is simple, but also very classy and high quality. The owner's manual is small, but informative (if you can read German). The Geiger is certainly old school and I love it for that characteristic.

I just received the pistol and haven't even field stripped it as of this writing, but this 3 minute video recorded by Geiger himself shows you how its done. However, I will use the provided non-marring tool instead of a metal punch.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGZLGWozSBI[/ame]

The GRP is only available so far with a blued finish and 6” barrel. Whether that changes or not over time is anyone's guess. If any options are offered in the future, I'd like to see one with a 5" barrel. However, I'm not holding my breath. While its uncertain how many of these masterpieces will be made, my guess is very few, which would be inline with other pistols in the Geiger's class.

As far as some measurable stats are concerned, the SAO trigger is surprisingly light for a gun like this. It tested consistently under 4lbs and is very crisp with no creep at all. The thumbs safety is very positive and perfectly positioned and weighted. The mag release is easy to reach and activate. The sights are extremely old school, but work well and are befitting a handgun of this amazing stature. The weight is heavy, as in 46oz unloaded.

So there you have it. Needless to say, I'm thrilled to add this beauty to my German pistol collection. Its my finest purchase in the past five years. It ranks with my Korth Autopistols and Korriphila HSP’s among of the finest pistols I own and also one of the finest in the world past or present. While I plan to put a few rounds downrange, I really didn't buy it as a shooter. I'm fortunate enough to have plenty of high end pistols for that. This one is more of a rare museum piece that I only see gaining value as the years go by.

Please enjoy the pics and share your thoughts.

Thanks!












































As far as German roller delayed blowbacks are concerned, the Korth PRS uses a very similar system. I must say that its not nearly as pleasing to the eye as is the Geiger.






Here the Geiger is on the right with one of my Korth Autopistols and Korriphilas HSP's along side it. While the Korth is a locked breech pistol, the Korriphila also uses a roller delay. Besides the Korth PRS, Korriphila, and this Geiger, the only other handgun I know that uses a roller delayed system is the old HK P9S.

These look gorgeous. Way out of my league so I don't feel comfortable saying much else other than I'd love to see a test target or range test to see what that level of purchase brings to the table. Very impressive. Thanks for sharing.

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Beautiful pistol! Absolute art! Thanks for sharing these pics as this is the closest I'll ever get to one of these. I could sell every handgun I own and would still be short. And I wouldn't have enough money to buy the gun, either.

Those straight lines are a little to Gothic even for my teutonic heart. It looks just like a well made crow bar but seems to lack ergonomical considerations.

dmthomp32 said:

These look gorgeous. Way out of my league so I don't feel comfortable saying much else other than I'd love to see a test target or range test to see what that level of purchase brings to the table. Very impressive. Thanks for sharing.

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Thanks

They don’t come with test targets, nor have I heard any accuracy claims. However, the awesome trigger and tight tolerances, not to mention it’s 6” fixed barrel should make it a great performer.

How many magazines come with the pistol ?

Andyd said:

Those straight lines are a little to Gothic even for my teutonic heart. It looks just like a well made crow bar but seems to lack ergonomical considerations.

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Aesthetics are a matter or taste, of course, but the pistol and it’s controls fit my hands well. Some pistols I find awkward, but this isn’t one of them.

Ausgezeichnet!

Ich wuensche dir viel Spass mit der neuen Pistole.

Excellent!

I hope that you have fun with your new pistol.

Excuse my German. It seemed apropos for your new investment. It makes my SIG 210 and Browning Hi-Power seem rather pedestrian.

Na dann...

I'd hate to say it, but... That gun looks surprisingly plain for a $9000 pistol. I was expecting more swooping lines, curves, contours, scallops, some fancy engraving with golden inlays, and a color-case hardening on the frame and slide.
Not to say that it's by an means an unattractive gun, as it most certainly looks handsome and well refined, merely that it looks less dazzling than I would imagine a $9000 pistol to be.

Granted that it would be challenging to make a pistol that looked like it was worth $9000 at a glance, regardless of how fancy they made it look on the outside, but I've seen guns that were substantially less expensive, yet looked much more spectacular on the outside. So I was basically thinking that if a $2000 Standard Manufacturing 1911 looks as good as it does, then a $9000 pistol should look at least as fancy if not ever more so.

That being said, I'm by no means a connoisseur of fine pistols or a machinist with an eye for high quality craftsmanship, but to my untrained eyes, it just looks surprisingly plain, and when I think of high-dollar pistols, I think of tricked out Race Guns or bejeweled BBQ Guns with a lot more going on visually/aesthetically.
But as they say; "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." So if you're pleased with it, then that's really all that matters. Congratulations on your new firearm.

Forte Smitten Wesson said:

I'd hate to say it, but... That gun looks surprisingly plain for a $9000 pistol. I was expecting more swooping lines, curves, contours, scallops, some fancy engraving with golden inlays, and a color-case hardening on the frame and slide.
Not to say that it's by an means an unattractive gun, as it most certainly looks handsome and well refined, merely that it looks less dazzling than I would imagine a $9000 pistol to be.

Granted that it would be challenging to make a pistol that looked like it was worth $9000 at a glance, regardless of how fancy they made it look on the outside, but I've seen guns that were substantially less expensive, yet looked much more spectacular on the outside. So I was basically thinking that if a $2000 Standard Manufacturing 1911 looks as good as it does, then a $9000 pistol should look at least as fancy if not ever more so.

That being said, I'm by no means a connoisseur of fine pistols or a machinist with an eye for high quality craftsmanship, but to my untrained eyes, it just looks surprisingly plain, and when I think of high-dollar pistols, I think of tricked out Race Guns or bejeweled BBQ Guns with a lot more going on visually/aesthetically.
But as they say; "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." So if you're pleased with it, then that's really all that matters. Congratulations on your new firearm.

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Well hate to say it, but the Korth and Korriphila are both worth a lot more than $9000. I don’t look at engraving or gold on firearms as a way to spend money on a handgun.

I do have many fancy and flashy competition pistols if that’s what you mean, but gold and engraving? No thanks. I don’t put value in that.

WOW........... coolest gun I've never heard of !!!!!!!!

Sig 210 isn't much to look at either...... but love to have one... yours are way out of my league

bc1023 said:

Well hate to say it, but the Korth and Korriphila are both worth a lot more than $9000. I don’t look at engraving or gold on firearms as a way to spend money on a handgun.

I do have many fancy and flashy competition pistols if that’s what you mean, but gold and engraving? No thanks. I don’t put value in that.

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Granted, but to be fair, both the Korth and the Korriphilia are nicer-looking guns too, especially the Korriphilia, now that's a gun that looks like it's worth thousands of dollars by the machining alone.
On second thought, it's completely unfair, because both the Korth and Korriphilia are absurdly tough acts to follow, especially for a pistol of modern manufacture priced according to currency which continues to decline thanks to years of economic degradation, exacerbated by a global pandemic and subsequent multi-million dollar stimulus programs printing money with absolutely nothing to back it.

You may not like gold, but my point was that gold is a precious metal with tangible monetary value, ergo the presence of gold on something expensive, even if it's just a bit of gold-plating on the controls/hammer/trigger, or inlays in engraved areas on the surface of the firearm, helps to convey value to the beholder, regardless of their social class, knowledge, or appreciate for craftsmanship. So I've come to expect the presense of gold on such high dollar firearms, even if its presence is superfluous and only exists for the sake of marketability and to convey a sense of value and sophistication towards the lay person.

Regardless, it's still a fine pistol, just not a particularly flashy one which actively seeks to flaunt itself as a sort of status symbol among other firearms, so kudos to Geiger for their subtlety and allowing the quality of their firearms to speak for itself among true artisans, I suppose. Alas, I am no such artisan, so I'm more easily captivated by things which are shiny and have a lot of practically superfluous visual noise including machining steps, leaving the appearance of their firearms underwhelming to my unsophisticated senses.

Unglaublich!!! Are these bespoke pistols made by a single talented craftsman or a small shop? How is the weight distributed? Is it primarily designed as a competition gun or self defense? I haven't heard of roller delayed blowback before. Does it mitigate recoil better than other designs?

I agree with your assessment OP, the fit and finish is extremely high end. Gold and engraving have their place, but not here. Thanks for the tutorial, and sorry for my uninformed questions.

Watching that video, I was reminded of the saying if the Germans had invented the paperclip, it would have 11 moving parts.

High end German guns (or cars) are not my cup of tea at all, but sincere congratulations on your purchase.

I think it looks pretty good, it doesn’t look “futuristic” or rakish like most of the high end stuff on the market.

I have a genuine question regarding the economics of purchase and ownership of this pistol:

So it costs $9,000 which obviously shocks most of us normal folks. However, everything is relative and while $9k is a huge pile of money for “just a handgun”, $9k isn’t life altering money. It’s a roof for an average house or new HVAC or a questionable used car.

I’m just saying that anyone motivated can come up with the funds to buy this. But you said the importer doubled the price -AND- the secondary market is already paying heart-attack money to get one.

So it begs the question! Do you even send one magazine through this pistol?

If no, due to the economics, I understand!

But when you drop this amount of money on a full bespoke gun, you obviously want to experience what you paid to get. It’s something absolutely different than basically everything else and you pay very significant money to get it, and there isn’t anything that truly compares.

A comparison: if you find a 100% Registered Magnum and buy it for alllll the money that it takes, you have plenty of options for similar or damn near same guns to shoot for the experience. But not with this gun.

As a close… I’ve always been seriously drawn to 6-inch and beyond semiautomatic pistols. I love that he chose to make these long.

That would look good in my cross draw holster while off roading in my beater 4x4 pikup!

Sevens said:

I think it looks pretty good, it doesn’t look “futuristic” or rakish like most of the high end stuff on the market.

I have a genuine question regarding the economics of purchase and ownership of this pistol:

So it costs $9,000 which obviously shocks most of us normal folks. However, everything is relative and while $9k is a huge pile of money for “just a handgun”, $9k isn’t life altering money. It’s a roof for an average house or new HVAC or a questionable used car.

I’m just saying that anyone motivated can come up with the funds to buy this. But you said the importer doubled the price -AND- the secondary market is already paying heart-attack money to get one.

So it begs the question! Do you even send one magazine through this pistol?

If no, due to the economics, I understand!

But when you drop this amount of money on a full bespoke gun, you obviously want to experience what you paid to get. It’s something absolutely different than basically everything else and you pay very significant money to get it, and there isn’t anything that truly compares.

A comparison: if you find a 100% Registered Magnum and buy it for alllll the money that it takes, you have plenty of options for similar or damn near same guns to shoot for the experience. But not with this gun.

As a close… I’ve always been seriously drawn to 6-inch and beyond semiautomatic pistols. I love that he chose to make these long.

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A great post. Well I shot both my Korriphila’s and both my Korth Autopistols. I have not shot the Korth PRS yet, but it’s more that I haven’t had a chance.

I do have a couple near mint all original Registered Magnums. I shot one of those also so far.

Forte Smitten Wesson said:

Granted, but to be fair, both the Korth and the Korriphilia are nicer-looking guns too, especially the Korriphilia, now that's a gun that looks like it's worth thousands of dollars by the machining alone.
On second thought, it's completely unfair, because both the Korth and Korriphilia are absurdly tough acts to follow, especially for a pistol of modern manufacture priced according to currency which continues to decline thanks to years of economic degradation, exacerbated by a global pandemic and subsequent multi-million dollar stimulus programs printing money with absolutely nothing to back it.

You may not like gold, but my point was that gold is a precious metal with tangible monetary value, ergo the presence of gold on something expensive, even if it's just a bit of gold-plating on the controls/hammer/trigger, or inlays in engraved areas on the surface of the firearm, helps to convey value to the beholder, regardless of their social class, knowledge, or appreciate for craftsmanship. So I've come to expect the presense of gold on such high dollar firearms, even if its presence is superfluous and only exists for the sake of marketability and to convey a sense of value and sophistication towards the lay person.

Regardless, it's still a fine pistol, just not a particularly flashy one which actively seeks to flaunt itself as a sort of status symbol among other firearms, so kudos to Geiger for their subtlety and allowing the quality of their firearms to speak for itself among true artisans, I suppose. Alas, I am no such artisan, so I'm more easily captivated by things which are shiny and have a lot of practically superfluous visual noise including machining steps, leaving the appearance of their firearms underwhelming to my unsophisticated senses.

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I agree the Korth Autopistol and Korriphila look nicer aesthetically. I don’t think the Korth PRS looks better.

I hear what you’re saying about gold, but in my opinion it doesn’t belong on firearms. To me the money is spent on R&D precise machining, hand fitting, parts materials, attention to detail, refinement, etc.

It's certainly a very impressive example of German engineering, and probably worth the tab as a collector's item.

However, it occurs that a 1911 pistol could do basically the same thing in either .45 ACP or 9mm, with a way simpler locking system, easily replaceable parts, and much easier maintenance. John Browning had a knack for making things simple and reliable.

This pistol reminds me of the Pedersen-designed Remington-UMC Model 51. John Pedersen had a reputation for making simple things complex. They worked, but had an excess of small parts that had to be very carefully fitted and were difficult to detail strip.

Browning's 1911 pistol could be taken completely apart with no tools other than the components of the pistol itself and a cartridge. This was invaluable for field maintenance. And it did (and does) the same thing - launching a bullet downrange.

It's also evident that this pistol mimics the ergonomics and placement of controls found the the 1911. It's a fine exercise in engineering, but I'm happy with the 1911, as are millions of other folks.

Just sayin'. At any rate, congrats on your obtaining a rare and interesting pistol.

John