MilitaryArms
Master
- Apr 19, 2008
- 2,751
- 48
HK isn't new to striker fired pistols, they produced the VP70 and P7 after all, but for a coupe of decades they've turned their back on strikers in favor of double action autos. What I found odd about their absence from the striker fired market is that clearly American consumers favor the striker ignition system as evidenced by the soaring popularity of Glocks, M&P's and XD's.
We may never know reason for HK's abstinence, but thankfully it's now over and a new era of HK striker fired pistols is emerging from the historic German manufacturer.
I picked up my VP9 last week thinking it would be rather ho-hum... nothing to write home about. It doesn't look particularly impressive, dare I say it's a bit of an ugly duckling? I know, the irony of such a statement from a guy who carries a Glock 19 is almost too much to bear. At first glance it looked like a converted P30, in essence a lazy copout like the one taken by FNH when they introduced the FNS, not that the FNS is a bad pistol.
Then I fired it.
The first magazine left me less than enthused given I had to clear (3) malfunctions. Undeterred, I loaded a second magazine and gave the German girl a second chance -- and she didn't let me down. Now, some 500+ rounds later I've not had to clear any more failures. Whew. That, and it easily digests my favorite defensive load, the 147gr Gold Dot.
Typically I have a couple hundred round learning curve before I get a pistol to shoot exactly to point of aim. My groups will typically be left or right of center by an inch or two as I learn how to hold a new pistol and get a feel for the trigger. Not the VP9, I immediately chewed the center out of the X ring at 7 and 15 yards. The ergonomics are spot on for me. The only other handgun that felt this good in my hands and shot this well right out of the box for me was the Walther PPQ.
The trigger is almost outstanding, with the bar being set by the PPQ. It's close, very close, and clearly far superior to a factory Glock trigger and infinitely superior to a factory M&P trigger (which is one of the worst factory triggers on a modern striker gun, IMHO).
But my affair with the VP9 isn't all roses. There are a few things I have to work around, which is true of most any firearm.
First, the gun isn't ideal for carry given its size. The grip, with the magazine inserted, is about 1" longer than my G19. This is one of the most critical dimensions when it comes to hiding a pistol. That, and despite the increased grip length the VP9 only holds 15 rounds -- something the G19 accomplishes with it's abbreviated grip.
HK doesn't currently offer the pistol with night sights. C'mon folks, it's 2014. Make night sights available on new models, it's not particularly difficult to do.
Ok, now that I have that off my chest, I'll get back to the positive attributes.
Despite the rather large size the gun carries extremely well in my Contact! Concealment IWB holster. As a matter of fact, I've been carrying it the last two days and it disappears under a t-shirt and doesn't feel any more cumbersome than the G19 it replaced (trial period).
While it's too early to say the VP9 will replace my tried and true G19 as my daily carry for good, there is a very real possibly it will. The one thing the VP9 has over my G19 is a larger trigger guard which is something I need after this past winter. I found myself wearing heavy winter gloves much of the time when I'm out and about. I've discovered getting my gloved finger in my G19 isn't as easy as I feel it should be. The VP9 remedies this issue.
The price is also highly attractive. I'm seeing them as low as $589 with an average around $649. That's absolutely unreal for HK which is notorious for its outrageous prices on most every other handgun it sells.
I think the VP9 has a very real chance of going toe-to-toe with the current big dogs and potentially snatching up a sizable market share over time if it continues to shine as brightly as it is currently. If you haven't checked it out, I suggest you do.
[video=youtube;CReqwUsjHLw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CReqwUsjHLw[/video]
We may never know reason for HK's abstinence, but thankfully it's now over and a new era of HK striker fired pistols is emerging from the historic German manufacturer.
I picked up my VP9 last week thinking it would be rather ho-hum... nothing to write home about. It doesn't look particularly impressive, dare I say it's a bit of an ugly duckling? I know, the irony of such a statement from a guy who carries a Glock 19 is almost too much to bear. At first glance it looked like a converted P30, in essence a lazy copout like the one taken by FNH when they introduced the FNS, not that the FNS is a bad pistol.
Then I fired it.
The first magazine left me less than enthused given I had to clear (3) malfunctions. Undeterred, I loaded a second magazine and gave the German girl a second chance -- and she didn't let me down. Now, some 500+ rounds later I've not had to clear any more failures. Whew. That, and it easily digests my favorite defensive load, the 147gr Gold Dot.
Typically I have a couple hundred round learning curve before I get a pistol to shoot exactly to point of aim. My groups will typically be left or right of center by an inch or two as I learn how to hold a new pistol and get a feel for the trigger. Not the VP9, I immediately chewed the center out of the X ring at 7 and 15 yards. The ergonomics are spot on for me. The only other handgun that felt this good in my hands and shot this well right out of the box for me was the Walther PPQ.
The trigger is almost outstanding, with the bar being set by the PPQ. It's close, very close, and clearly far superior to a factory Glock trigger and infinitely superior to a factory M&P trigger (which is one of the worst factory triggers on a modern striker gun, IMHO).
But my affair with the VP9 isn't all roses. There are a few things I have to work around, which is true of most any firearm.
First, the gun isn't ideal for carry given its size. The grip, with the magazine inserted, is about 1" longer than my G19. This is one of the most critical dimensions when it comes to hiding a pistol. That, and despite the increased grip length the VP9 only holds 15 rounds -- something the G19 accomplishes with it's abbreviated grip.
HK doesn't currently offer the pistol with night sights. C'mon folks, it's 2014. Make night sights available on new models, it's not particularly difficult to do.
Ok, now that I have that off my chest, I'll get back to the positive attributes.
Despite the rather large size the gun carries extremely well in my Contact! Concealment IWB holster. As a matter of fact, I've been carrying it the last two days and it disappears under a t-shirt and doesn't feel any more cumbersome than the G19 it replaced (trial period).
While it's too early to say the VP9 will replace my tried and true G19 as my daily carry for good, there is a very real possibly it will. The one thing the VP9 has over my G19 is a larger trigger guard which is something I need after this past winter. I found myself wearing heavy winter gloves much of the time when I'm out and about. I've discovered getting my gloved finger in my G19 isn't as easy as I feel it should be. The VP9 remedies this issue.
The price is also highly attractive. I'm seeing them as low as $589 with an average around $649. That's absolutely unreal for HK which is notorious for its outrageous prices on most every other handgun it sells.
I think the VP9 has a very real chance of going toe-to-toe with the current big dogs and potentially snatching up a sizable market share over time if it continues to shine as brightly as it is currently. If you haven't checked it out, I suggest you do.
[video=youtube;CReqwUsjHLw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CReqwUsjHLw[/video]
