Why is the HK P7 such a sought after gun? Hype?

P

Pilot

New member
I've seen the HK P7 for around $950 - $1,200 and wonder why a short barrelled, squeeze cocking pistol is so sought after. Its an interesting design being gas operated and the unusual cocking device is well, unusual. Please eduacte me on this. I like strange guns and I may have to start wanting one. In fact, for some reason (I don't know what) I already want one.

Pilot
 
O

oktagon

Moderator
Arguably the best combat 9mm pistol made. (as I said, arguably). Short barreled? Why? It has a full 4" barrel.
Match accuracy out of concealment pistol-that will make a gun popular.
And, of cource, it has thr "P7 mistique" :)
 
M

Mike Irwin

Staff
Here's why I like mine, a P7M13...

It has a full-length barrel, but the gun really just isn't that big.

Because of the type of action (gas retarded blowback) the bore axis is very close to the top of the hand. This makes for more natural pointing ability, less felt/apparent recoil, and faster follow-up shots.

EXTREMELY accurate. Off of a bench at 15 yards I have little trouble cutting 2" groups.

Excellent trigger.

Extremely safe. If the squeeze cocker isn't held back, it's not going to fire. More than one police officer (New Jersey State Police and US Park Police) have had their guns taken from them and the bad guy couldn't figure out how to operate it.

Excellent combat-style sights.

Drawbacks?

The manual of arms takes some getting used to.

I find the grip on my P7M13 to be a lot blockier than the grips on other high-capacity semi-autos.

The firing pin retaining collar is a known weakness. If you get one, inspect this part regularly for cracks.

Magazines are very tough to come by for the M13, and are very expensive. I had a guy try to sell me one for nearly $200 at a show. On the plus side, though, the mags are built like TANKS.

Leather can be kind of tough to come by, and there aren't a lot of styles that can be had at your local gun shop. You normally have to order.

Finally. The BIG drawback?

HYPER expensive. I'm glad my P7M13 was a gift. :)
 
B

branrot

New member
I tried to figure out why the barrel on my new (new for me, anyway) P7M13 looks so short. I placed it next to some of my other guns, and I think it is a combination of 2 things:
1. the triggerguard of the P7 is larger than most.
2. the ejection port (and thus the end of the barrel) seems a little further back than most.

This was from the results of my very unscientific study.

Anyway, it shoots real nice and has a beautiful trigger. It may also take someone else a few extra seconds (or more) to figure out how to fire it. Is it worth the grand (985 out the door slightly used with one mag) that I paid for it? Maybe not, but I wanted it. Would it be my first choice on a budget? No way. But it's real nice.
 
I

IanS

New member
No Hype: The P7 is THE HK Pistol

It is truly an amazing pistol and well worth the price of admission. IMHO the P7 along with the P9S, the MP-5, and the G3 are the reasons why HK is so revered in the firearms community.

The squeeze cocking mechanism just wasn't my thing but for those who do they have the best 9mm defense pistol period. And this is coming from a Sig guy.
 
J

jdthaddeus

New member
The "Nazi Staple Gun"...

Pretty cool gun, but a bit of hype comes with it simply because it is hard to find and expensive. It is kindof like the holy grail. Anything that is hard to find and expensive is going to come with some mystique. Not many people own them and fewer have shot them, that makes room for a lot of myth.

People that do own them and have spent so much time looking for them and so much money on them want to believe that they are worth it. I was one of them, for years convinced that it was the best thing on the planet.

I owned a few of them and just was not that impressed. It is a good gun but not THAT good. After the "new gun syndrome" wore off and I looked at it objectively I realized that it did not shoot any better or do anything really better than any other gun. Low recoil? Not really, actually worse than others. Accurate? I suppose, but my Glock prints the same and my Sig prints better. Reliable? Yep, just like the rest of my very reliable 9mm's (Like all guns, it can fail, and at least one cop has been killed when their P7 failed to fire due to a broken striker mechanism.). Rust? Yep, like crazy. Heavy? Balanced like a brick. Do a search and read my past post on it and there are many more details. There is a very strong following for this pistol and I am sure I will get much disagreement (aka flaming?), but I spent my money, lots of it (many thousand of dollars on numerous specimen), and I just wasn't that impressed. Not saying it is a bad gun, just not up to the hype.
 
H

Hobbes

New member
It has a single action trigger, is safe to carry, and concealable. If you want to carry 9mm, it is a good chioce. Take care.
 
G

George Helser

New member
Mike Irwin,

YOU LUCKY GUY! An M13 as a gift! How many mags?

The rest of us had to save up for years to buy a P7.

Regards,
George
In sunny Arizona
 
L

LawDog

Staff Emeritus
The "Nazi Staple Gun"...
Click to expand...

*blink, blink*

I'd love to hear the explanation for that moniker. Particularly how one hooks the nickname of a 1930's political/terrorist movement with a 1980's pistol.

As for why the P7 is so sought after: it does what it needs to do rather well.

Is it better than any other 9mm on the market? Well, that's kind of subjective. For me -- yes. For you -- who knows? Try a rental, or borrow a friends and see for yourself.

LawDog
 
B

BB

Moderator
They are excellent CCW pistols; great trigger; fixed, accurate barrel and easy to conceal. They are also fairly rare, which adds to their mystique and price tag. That said, personally I think they are overpriced. $650 used is too much, and $1000-1200 new is robbery. If I could find a new one for $800 I'd buy it in a heartbeat.
 
P

Pilot

New member
Thanks for the info guys. Very interesting discussion on a very interesting pistol. I may have to cruise around to see if I can get one for less than than the GDP of a small country.

Pilot
 
B

BigG

New member
I think that HK...

is all hype. There is not one thing that would cause me to add one to my cabinet. The G3 (HK91) is a much worse battle rifle than the M16, as much as people badmouth the '16. I fired the sniper version (forget the name but $10,000+) with the Hensoldt scope, not as good accuracy off the bench as my M1A.

The HK pistols are just over-priced clunky monstrosities. Try a Glock if you want engineering. Oh yeah, I forgot, they are available everywhere, so there goes the "mystique."
 
B

buzz_knox

New member
How about . . . they don't KB?

Sorry, but someone had to say it!

In all honesty, I like P7s because:

1. incredibly accurate for me. Far more so than any Glock I've tried. This is a weapon that makes me look good. :)

2. the mystique and pride of ownership.

3. incredibly safe and the manual of arms has given gun grabbers fits on occasion.

4. the gas system causes even hot loads to recoil like target loads.

5. it's very thin, which makes for nice CC. The single stack mags help in that. The weight issue can be resolved through proper holster selection.

6. it fits my hand very well (the PSP more so than the M8).
 
M

Mike Irwin

Staff
JD,

I'm surprised that you find the recoil to be worse with the HK.

Shooting +P+ out of my Kahr or my Beretta is an experience in wrist snapping. Shooting it out of my HK makes it VERY pleasant. Instead of torquing as much, the recoil comes back into the hand in a straighter line.

Big G, not certain why you're talking about the G3 rifle, it doesn't share a lot, other than the name, with the P7 series.

Also not certain what you find wrong with the engineering on the P7. Unique design that works extremely well. Quite frankly, I believe the Glock to be overhyped, ergonomically challenged, and ugly as a box of dog poo, but that's just me. At least it is cheaper, though, I will give it that.

George,

Yep, good friend of mine bought it new in 1993 or so (his police dept. offered private sales to the officers at SIGNIFICANTLY reduced prices when they transitioned). Prior to him giving it to me, it had never even been out of the box. It came with the factory standard 2 magazines. I wish he had gotten more....
 
I

Incursion

New member
I believe that the P7 is a higher quality pistol than a Glock. Admittedly, the P7 is probably not worth double the cost of a Glock, or 150% the cost of a SIG. Other things that I would like to add about the P7:

- If you get the M8, the extractor doubles as a loaded chamber indicator.

- The gun can fire without an extractor. Can a Glock or SIG do this?

- The magazines are probably the toughest I've seen.

- It's the thinnest compact 9mm. Glock 19 is slightly wider.

- The stock sights are extremely good.
 
B

buzz_knox

New member
Besides all of the above, the P7 is the ONLY weapon one should carry as one inquires if someone has any grey poupon. Also, caviar tastes SO much better with a P7 behind one's hip.
 
B

buzz_knox

New member
Mike,

But, of course!

I guess having a P& fetish also makes you psychic! Yet another advantage. My Glocks just make me psychotic. :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top