P7 Owners: Too hot to handle?

[Greg Bell]

Yeow!!!

Branrot:

Even 40 very fast rounds through the gun should be more than OK. I have a feeling that the temp of the frame is going to be the least of your worries if you have to shoot 40 rounds as fast as you can in an LE situation. You will probably be more distracted by the odor coming from your drawers.


GHB

 

[Catbird]

Incursion commented:

I agree with Lunde. The heatshield is useless.

That's what I think, too.

I'm going to put a stash of Band-Aids in my range bag to wrap around the appropriate fingers before shooting. Maybe I can convince my fellow shooters that I have blisters from splitting wood or something.

 

[CZ_]

Thats strange. I don't know anything about that model (never having handled or shot one), but WHY does the WHOLE frame get hot? I can shoot my steel frame CZs or aluminum framed Sigs all day and the frame does not get "hot". What makes the HK's frame heat up?

 

[lunde]

The gas operating system diverts some of the gases from the cartridge into the lower portion of the frame. The pressure from these gases serve to keep the action closed for the first moment after firing. This is why P7s have no physical locking mechanism for the slide as you see on other pistols. Anyway, the diverted gases are somewhat on the hot side, and heat the surrounding metal. In self-defense situations, it's a non-issue, because you'd have to expend well over 50 rounds, all at once, before it becomes so hot that it's uncomfortable.

I like P7s because they're remarkably accurate (even on my bad days), reliable (of course, you need to keep them clean, but you should be keeping all your guns clean anyway), and have excellent balance.