Thinking about a Pardini GT45

Folks,

I am thinking about a Pardini GT45. I like two-stage triggers and this is the main attraction of the pistol to me. I have read on this forum that the grip is rather thick, and this is the main reason for some people not being happy with the pistol. I have a Taurus PT99, which has a rather thick grip at 1.36." My hand feels very comfortable holing this pistol and I have no problem with finger placement on the trigger in either double-action (further out) single-action mode. I have long thin fingers, so I don't think that I will have a problem with the grip.

I would love very much to try the pistol before I plunge into this purchase, but I don't know if there are any locally for me to try.

Those of you who own and shoot GT45s, can you tell me the grip thickness and how the pistol behaves with lead hollow-point ammo?

Thanks,
Oleg.

Very large double stack frame/grip. So more friendly with larger hand. My buddy John Zurek shot 2650 with Pardini 45. That should answer part of your question.
Jon

I don't have direct experience but know 3 people who own or have owned them. They all struggled a bit with them getting a load that the gun would cycle reliably. Ultimately 2 of the 3 were happy with them. One of the guys bought it for the trigger and finally sold it in frustration.

And to be more accurate, feeding was more the issue than the cycling.

That's a very impressive reference, thank, Jon!

Jon Eulette wrote:Very large double stack frame/grip. So more friendly with larger hand.

+1 big and square grip. Putting ortho's on it only makes it bigger.

Steve,

I realize that the grip is big and square.  
So is the grip of my PT99. Plus the trigger position on the Taurus is significantly forward in double-action mode. This is why I am looking for the thickness measurement to compare.

I have one, though admittedly I haven't played with it much yet. I will say I was very surprised by the grip when I got it. I have always heard how big the grip is. I have ergo grips on it and I must say it's actually small for me. I use a large in rink, pardini, and nil if that gives you an idea for comparison. I'm just as comfortable shooting it with the ergos or with just grip tape. I don't have plain stocks for it, but I plan on finding a set eventually. I will say the squareness of it is a little odd at first.

Again, I haven't shot it much. Maybe 100 rounds. But I shot zero 185 hplswc with 3.9. feeding was fine, though the slide was noticeably slow. I'll probably bump it up when primers are plentiful enough to play.


Hope that helps a little. If you find yourself in southeastern Pa shoot me a pm and you can try her out!

1.52" wide with grip panels, 1.1" without.

2.04" front-to-back measured perpendicular to the grip angle, 2.25" front-to-back measured parallel to the barrel bore (approximately).

SteveT wrote:1.52" wide with grip panels, 1.1" without.

2.04" front-to-back measured perpendicular to the grip angle, 2.25" front-to-back measured parallel to the barrel bore (approximately).

Oo... now I have to find out what a double-stack 1911 measures. I held a Springfield 2011 at a gun shop last year and had happy hand. Thanks for the dimensions for the GT45.

Thanks!!! This is what I was after. My hand will fit well around this.

I have and shoot a gt45. Mine eats everything i put in it. The person i bought it from said it would only shoot jacketed bullets? Im not sure of there relaoding specs. I dont have big ass hands, and the gun fits just fine. Finding a accurate load was as easy as trying what others recomend. Mine is a 6" and likes 160gn swc. Good luck, you will like the trigger.

Sa-tevp wrote:Oo... now I have to find out what a double-stack 1911 measures. I held a Springfield 2011 at a gun shop last year and had happy hand. Thanks for the dimensions for the GT45.

I find the GT grip a lot more square than a wide body 1911. The front and back straps are essentially flat.

Anybody have a reference comparison of the Pardini GT45 grip frame and the SIG Sauer 226?

Pardini arms of various types have been a good fit for me, but the GT45 has been elusive for first hand experience.

Thanks,
Jim

I do not like the grip, nice trigger. Defiantly a gun you need to try before you buy. I bet 200 gn Conical bullets would run fine.

I've handled them.  My biggest gripe was that it was very smooth...your hands wanted to slide around.

For me, it was love at first grip.  It just makes my hand happy.

You must handle one before purchase though, because it is not for everyone. 

 I owned a 2011 and Para 14, both double stack pistols as well.  The 2011 grip is more oval and the Para is a bit blockier, but not as much as the GT45.  I like the Pardini shape the best and 2011 the least.

Maybe you can find a double stack pistol to try to get some sample of the feel, but even then, the grip angle and overall feel of the GT45 is going to be different.

It is unique fit in the hand and folks tend to have a “love it or leave it” opinion.

Having bought a GT45, I have zero regrets. The grip fits my hand great! Even better that the pistol came with a Medium Rink grip, which feels like it was custom made for me. 
And the trigger - oh, the trigger! I am still experimenting and currently have it set up with a longer roll in the second stage. 
I am very happy with the pistol.

Congratulations Oleg! I love my GT45-II - welcome to the club. What bullets are you feeding yours? Mine likes 185gn JHP and I havent gotten around to trying much else. I had feed issues with the batch of SWCs I tried, showing damage to the shoulder, but I bought mine used and previous owner tweaked the magazine lips for JHP feeding.

Andrew,

I have tried mine with several different ammo and so far it likes the following the best (in no specific order):

1. ASYM 45 ACP 185 gr National Match JHP. Will Newton provided the load data to clone this ammo in this thread: 
https://www.bullseyeforum.net/t16171-zero-bullets-loads-for-pardini-gt45

2. Hand loads using Zero Lead SWC HP 185 Gr bullets. The bullet sits over 3.8 Gr. of Bullseye, seated at ~ .918" at the shoulder with .465 crimp. 

With both of these loads I was able to call my shots consistently at 50 yards. Any shots outside the 10 ring were the operator errors and were called where they landed. The pistol itself functions flawlessly with both of these loads.

No issue with function using other ammo I have, but the shots are not always on call at 50 yards. Thus, the other ammo is relegated to short line use. Therefore, I call the above two loads the best IN MY LIMITED EXPERIENCE.

I am not very good with shooting tiny groups from sandbags.  For me all that matters is that the shots land where they are called.

Best Regards,
Oleg.

Hi,

A bit late to comment....

I bought a Pardini GT45 for my “gift to me” for 2020. I have put numerous 200gr #68 and the same design but 185gr all cast 30WW/70pb lubed with 45/45/10 Lars lube. I only have a 20 yard indoor range but have had zero issues feeding or accuracy wise. I did take it outdoors for a bowling pin shoot. We hang bowling pins at 50M and see how much we can get them swinging....lots of fun! Had no problems hitting several shots in a row. 

All my BE pistols and AP have large rink grips so I ordered a large rink for this as well. It is a much bigger grip than my SIG 1911.