Striker-Fired H&K 9MM Redux: The VP9

Feedback From the Field

The gun-related Internet is alive with discussion of the VP9, not just by net ninjas and keyboard commandoes, but by some very heavy hitters in the shooting game. Some of these folks go through more ammo than a machine gun team in training, and they’re seeing the same high order of reliability with the VP9 with their thousands of rounds that I’m seeing with the hundreds I put through the test gun. And they’re seeing the same very promising accuracy, too.

Mas—as well as more petite femaLe testers— found the Vp9 very controllable in rapid fire. Excellent ergonomics most certainly play a part here.
Mas—as well as more petite femaLe testers— found the Vp9 very controllable in rapid fire. Excellent ergonomics most certainly play a part here.

Perks & Quirks

The VP9 has a little steel cocking tabs rear of the slide on both sides. They’re something that people who’ve tried them either love or hate. They do create a tiny bulge on either side, but in concealed carry I didn’t find that the body-side  tab dug into my side, or that the outside tab noticeably compromised concealability. Having had to work auto-pistol slides with wet, oily, gloved and/or cold-numbed hands under stress, I appreciate the distinctly improved control this feature gives to the slide-operating hand, so put me down on the “love” side of that love/hate poll on this particular feature.

The hammer-fired P30, which the VP9 so strongly resembles, is a deservedly popular pistol, but I never made it my own because the inside of the trigger guard often pinched my index finger when working the trigger. That becomes vexing in a long day of training. With the VP9, it doesn’t bother me so much. Maybe H&K listened to critics and changed the configuration subtly—or maybe I just hit the striker-fired H&K’s trigger differently than I do that of its hammer-fired sibling—but the VP9 was less of a problem in this regard, at least for me.

American shooters buy German guns for the same reason American drivers buy German cars: they want high quality and reliability, and they’re willing to pay extra for it. What is particularly pleasing about the VP9 is that with a $719 manufacturer’s suggested retail price, we’re talking about Mercedes quality and performance at Volkswagen prices. And that’s what earns Editors’ Choice Awards here at On Target.

47-grain Remington UMC full metal jacket proved the Most accurate at 25-yards. Check out the super-tight 3-shot cluster...a telling indication.
47-grain Remington UMC full metal jacket proved the Most accurate at 25-yards. Check out the super-tight 3-shot cluster…a telling indication.

See the VP9 at your guns shop, or for more information contact Heckler & Koch, Dept. OT; Tel.: (706) 568-1906; E-mail: [email protected]; Web: www.hk-usa.com