Heckler & Koch VP9 Review

[Mrgunsngear]

Got to spend some trigger time with the new VP9 and here's what I've found:

Pros:
-100% reliable with anything from Russian stuff to quality JHPs
-Excellent trigger. Broke right at 5 but the crispness made it feel like less. Very smooth pull all the way through
-"Hostile Environment" nitrided finish is very durable and looks great
-Ergonomics are excellent. The replaceable backstraps and grip panels make the gun great for almost all hand sizes out there
-Quality luminescent 3 dot steel sights. N/S will be available from the factory at a later date
-Price. The MSRP on the gun is $719 so after the initial rush it'll likely be available in the mid $600s some places. For an H&K, can't complain about that.
-Full length, 1913 rail for mounting accessories
-Ambi mag release and slide release levers
-Uses 15 or 10 round P30 mags
-I like the "charging supports" but I know some out there will take them off

Cons:
-The bore axis is high, no getting around it
-15 round capacity factory mags. Many of my viewers expressed that they'd like to see a higher capacity factory offering
-This particular gun seems to shoot high (3 experienced shooters all had the same result)

All in all, I think this will be an extremely popular gun for H&K. Great build quality, reliability, ergos, and finish combined with H&K's reputation will be hard to resist for a lot of prospective gun buyers out there.

Here's my full review video that covers a lot of the issues above as well as some more details about the pistol:


Full HD Video Review Link

 

[PP99]

Thanks for your review. VP40 and Sphinx SDP my next pistols.

 

[magnut]

oh look....another striker fired polymer framed pistol!

incredible!!!

 

[Theohazard]

-Excellent trigger. Broke right at 5 but the crispness made it feel like less. Very smooth pull all the way through

How was the reset length and feel? How does it compare to, say, a standard Glock trigger? The Glock trigger has a fairly short reset, and also has a very distinct and tactile reset, something a few other pistols don't have. It sounds like the HK has a smoother and lighter trigger than a stock Glock; if the reset is at least as good as a Glock, then it sounds like an awesome trigger.

oh look....another striker fired polymer framed pistol!

incredible!!!

I know there're a lot of them out there, but this one is unique because it's an HK. This is the company that came out with the first striker-fired polymer-frame pistol in the early 70s, but it was severely flawed and wasn't ever really successful. After that, Glock re-defined the category of striker-fired polymer-framed pistols in the 80s and the category really took off, with more and more companies making similar designs. But until now, HK is one of the few companies that didn't make a modern polymer-framed striker-fired pistol.

A lot of people who like HK products but prefer a striker-fired action are excited about this pistol. So if it lives up to the HK name, it will hardly be yet "another striker-fired polymer-framed pistol".

 

[Kevin_d77]

Great review. Answered my main question about what the advantage over a PPQ is and it appears there aren't any.


Maybe P30's will go on sale now!

 

[TunnelRat]

Answered my main question about what the advantage over a PPQ is and it appears there aren't any.

Idk if I would say that. From what I've seen the trigger break is different in a way that is preferable to me. Also looks like a bit less muzzle flip, but can't tell until I actually try one. YMMV.

 

[Wreck-n-Crew]

oh look....another striker fired polymer framed pistol!

incredible!!!

On the up tick a much more affordable HK! One of my biggest complaints about HK. Seems the VP9 just may be the answer?

Thanks again for another decent review!

 

[Kevin_d77]

I just don't see any major advantages that would compel me to buy a VP9 in addition to the PPQ I already have. Let's put it that way.

 

[TunnelRat]

I just don't see any major advantages that would compel me to buy a VP9 in addition to the PPQ I already have. Let's put it that way.

Fair enough. I'll get one eventually, but I've got other items higher on the list.

 

[Kevin_d77]

I agree. I would place a HK45 higher than most things on my list currently. If I caught a good deal on a P30 I would probably grab it even though I need zero more 9mm's.

 

[sigarms228]

I just don't see any major advantages that would compel me to buy a VP9 in addition to the PPQ I already have. Let's put it that way

.

Same here and I also already have a P30LS. But the VP9 certainly looks sweet and is nice to see another quality striker fired market pistol in the market. Competition and choices are a good thing.

I look forward to trying out one myself.

 

[barnbwt]

On the up tick a much more affordable HK!

I guess the board of directors is finally making them get serious about raising the bones for investors... I had been worried for H&K's future if they didn't broaden their appeal/market beyond 6000$ pdw's --this striker poly is a more sensible place for them to start than 1911's, at least

But barf on them for the forward slide serrations and hooked trigger-guard (I know, I know, the operators luvs 'em...)

TCB

 

[Water-Man]

How would you compare it against the Sig 320? That is if you have shot the new Sig.

 

[magnut]

I dont see what the hype is about. its just another striker fired pistol with no second strike capability. But.....oh look its got the HK logo on it!

At least the kimber solo and remington r51 had some new design features in them.

I would say the walther p99as is a better gun if you want a german pistol. I would probably opt for a beretta storm over this if i wanted a full size polymer gun.

this pistol doesnt really bring anything new to the table other than HK cheaping out. No way i see paying $600 for one when the entire market is flooded with high quality striker fired polymer guns well under the $600 mark.

Dont get me wrong i like HK very much but they used to be real innovators in the firearms market. Now they are just doing what everyone else does. kind of sucks to be honest. H&ks selling point used to be the actual designs where as now it seems to be their Logo.

Sad as they were once one of the real elite gun manufacturers out there. Maybe they should hire the design team from keltec or even taurus. They are always coming out with unique and interesting designs.

 

[TunnelRat]

At least the kimber solo and remington r51 had some new design features in them.

The first had notable issues at launch and I've personally seen a half dozen or so people use them at my club with plenty of issues. The second had so many problems Remington is just taking them back and almost trying to pretend it didn't happen.

Dont get me wrong i like HK very much but they used to be real innovators in the firearms market. Now they are just doing what everyone else does. kind of sucks to be honest. H&ks selling point used to be the actual designs where as now it seems to be their Logo.

They need a piece of the pie to stay financially viable. It's that simple. R&D in the gun world isn't easy. Who is going to pay for it? How many people want to take a chance on a new design when there are so many proven ones already out there? The striker market is the biggest out there currently when it comes to pistols. To not have an option in that category is madness.

Sad as they were once one of the real elite gun manufacturers out there. Maybe they should hire the design team from keltec or even taurus. They are always coming out with unique and interesting designs.

Lol. I can't even respond to this.

 

[Theohazard]

I dont see what the hype is about. its just another striker fired pistol with no second strike capability.

I see that as a good thing. Second-strike capability has very limited usefulness, and it makes the trigger heavier and the reset longer.

At least the kimber solo and remington r51 had some new design features in them.

Two guns that have had issues and that I wouldn't want to trust my life to.

Dont get me wrong i like HK very much but they used to be real innovators in the firearms market. Now they are just doing what everyone else does. kind of sucks to be honest. H&ks selling point used to be the actual designs where as now it seems to be their Logo.

In my opinion, innovation isn't necessarily a good thing in a self-defense/LE/military pistol, and there's nothing wrong with using a design that's tried-and-true; I'd rather trust my life to a design that's been tested for decades.

But if innovation and uniqueness is what you're looking for, the VP9 probably isn't for you: I doubt it does anything much differently than a gun like the PPQ.

 

[Dirty_Harry]

I for one cannot wait. I have mine preordered. A striker fired P30, sound like one heck of a competition gun. My only grip is the low capacity. I know 2 rounds doesnt make any real world difference, but the most popular striker fired guns have at least a 17 round capacity. (of this size)

 

[LockedBreech]

With no offense at all to PPQ owners (I love the P99 and PPS) I do not enjoy the PPQ like so many seem to. I prefer HK to Walther and I much prefer the looks of the VP9 to the PPQ. If the HK has a trigger in the same class, for that low price (relative to other HKs) this pistol is a strong contender for my collection, especially if they put out a .40 S&W version.

 

[TunnelRat]

I for one cannot wait. I have mine preordered. A striker fired P30, sound like one heck of a competition gun. My only grip is the low capacity. I know 2 rounds doesnt make any real world difference, but the most popular striker fired guns have at least a 17 round capacity. (of this size)

Isn't capacity restricted in IDPA? Or are you talking a different competition?

 

[magnut]

i never said the kimber solo and remington p51 were great guns i just said that at least they had something new to offer in terms of design....they were not just like everything else. i would not trust my life to either of those guns either. The Kimber has been quirky and the remingtons execution of production design has been a nightmare.

as far as who pays for new designs well......they come up with the design and the customer pays for it in the long run. i find it hard to believe HK cant afford a good R&D team.

People can knock on keltec and taurus all they want but there are not many companies who come out with innovative products. keltec and taurus come up with some great ideas. keltec has 22 magnum hi capacity autoloaders, trendsetting compacts, unique carbines and bullpups etc. etc. Taurus always has somthing in the works...mini revolvers, shotgun revolvers, and multitudes of autoloaders. berettas last unique handgun was the storm, Rugers was the p series, and smith and wesson was the 3rd gen autoloaders. seems like all the big companies have copped out other than taurus and a bunch of smaller companies there is not much going on in the handgun market. its a copycat industry for the most part and everyone is copying glock strategy of market share through brand name with an overated and overpriced product.

HK used to be one of these innovativors.....this is the same company that brought about the vp70z, P9s, P7m series, and the USP. they were the elite in design and their products were endorsed by military special ops units as well as competition shooters. Even the less popular vp70 is an underrated gun. Its an impressive execution of simplicity, durability, and versatitity. I cant think of another pistol out there that compares with it in terms of attributes. its truely unique.

i agree that this pistol does nothing that a bunch of others dont already do. This is basicaly HKs version of the glock 17 for the fanboys or those that want to brag about having an HK.

maybe we should start a list of all the falling block striker fired polymer framed pistols on the market......its going to be a long list.

personally i think they should have revamped the p9 or p7 design as a full size hi capacity pistol. if you are not going to come up with new designs then celebrate your older ones that made you unique in the market. A hi capacity p9 p7 hybrid squeeze cocker with a polymer frame would turn the industry on its head.

If HK wants their share of the striker market they are doing it the wrong way. First .....it looks just like the p30 or walther. The gun needs to cosmetically stand out against both competitors products and even their own. 2nd its priced to high for what it is. smith and wesson was smart going after that market because they basically made an american glock and sold it for well under glocks inflated pricing. Taurus does a good job with this as well with a bunch of their offerings.