H&K VP9: OUTDONE BY IT’S SUCCESSORS?
If you want a pistol that was engineered and tested to perform at a high standard, H&K will have a gun for you. The H&K standards for developing longevity in their products are unmatched in the gun industry. The VP9 is arguably one of the most loved H&K pistols on the market, and will continue to enjoy success for years to come. VP9 stands for "Volkspistole", translated to peoples pistol. I believe the pistol lives up to the name with fidelity. However, the question is whether the original model, such as I have here, is still a competitive buy when compared against its successors.
A BRIEF HISTORY
Since the USP development, H&K pistols have enjoyed an unprecedented level of staying power in the LE, military, and civilian markets. In order to compete with other striker-fired pistols on the market, H&K developed the LEM trigger for their hammer-fired guns. H&K was able to satisfy customers with the LEM for a while until a specific pistol requirement forced the company to design their own striker-fired pistol. The pistol was released in 2014 under the name SFP9 in Europe, but was branded as the VP9 in the US, mostly to attract the civilian buyer. They also consciously lowered the price of the pistol to compete with other striker-fired manufacturers. Since 2014, the VP9 has continued to experience success in sales, further encouraging H&K to quickly offer other variants, to include the newest variation, the VP9A1 which is the same size and barrel length as the Glock 19. Unfortunately, I do not have one of those yet, but give it time.
ERGONOMIC GRIP
The first thing that grabs a lot of attention is the grip of the pistol. It features adjustable side panels and backstraps. The grip uses vertical and horizontal crescents/macaroni shapes. This leaves the texture to be smooth, but with just enough bite. This is a slight departure from the P30 which has a somewhat randomized chaotic texturing much like the sides of the USP grip. The finger grooves on the grip are subtle and they seem to work very well to retain the grip without needing to be harsh like the M&P 2.0.
CHARGE SUPPORTS
The slide serrations on HK pistols have never been something to write home about. They usually are set quite shallow and are barely sharp enough to allow a decent purchase with dry hands. The addition of the polymer charge supports, also referred to as "ears", has substantially increased the purchase on the slide. This makes it super easy to manipulate for nearly every prospective user.
SAFE TAKEDOWN
A common failure during takedown is ensuring that the chamber is empty and the source of ammunition is out of the gun. The VP9/40 prevents this being an issue de to it having a lockout feature connected to the takedown lever. If you have a magazine inserted in the magazine well, you will lock the takedown lever in place, preventing you from rotating it downward until you eject the magazine. This is a very simple and safe system that inherently requires you to clear the gun properly before fieldstripping it. In addition to this safety feature, the pistol does not require you to pull the trigger to disassemble it. This is a terrific and simple passive safety feature that is only a net gain for the user.
COLD HAMMER-FORGED BARREL
The barrel on the VP9 is cold hammer forged in the same fashion as all the other H&K barrels since the USP line. The barrel blank is stamped out and lengthened while a mandrel with the polygonal rifling pattern is held in the center of the barrel blank. This process allows the barrel to be extremely tough and have the ability to withstand a squib load being fired through the barrel without catastrophic failure of the barrel in the process. The chamber features what H&K calls a fouling ring, which is supposed to compensate for the slight taper of the 9mm and help seal the brass in the chamber for better pressure consistency. These little details help with giving the VP9 a consistent performance and long life whether you shoot a few rounds each month, or a few thousand.
FULLY PRE-LOADED SEAR
The trigger on the VP9 is the center of the design, to be honest. It is the first striker fired trigger system to be designed by the company in over 30 years. H&K was coming into the market where there were many good trigger options out of the box. H&K had to figure out how to present a good option for prospective buyers, and I think they decided on a good system. When you pull the trigger, the initial slack is relatively short and the wall is firm with a clean break. I additionally love the fact that the trigger does not come all the way back to the grip, making the trigger feel lighter than it really is. Add the fact that the trigger is relatively wide and you have a recipe for a terrific trigger for anyone from the beginner to the highly elite shooters.
STILL A GOOD OPTION?
Despite the fact that the VP9 will cost more than other pistols in it's size class, it is worth the investment, if you can spare the shekels. There are a ton of different styles of VP9 out there now, only giving the series more of an alluring appearance for those interested in H&K as a brand. If you are wondering how I see the original VP9 being used, it serves perfectly as a bedside gun, an open carry duty pistol, or even as a winter carry gun. It is relatively large but it still can fill any role the Glock 19X could fill.
However, if you are looking for the ideal carry gun for civilian application, I think their newer VP9A1 K would fit the bill quite nicely. They also have a newer version of the full size that takes the barrel length to 4.5” and retains the same height of the original, but with an optics cut on all models and a 20rd magazine as your spare. And last but not least, you have the CC9 that is basically their version of the Sig 365 or the M&P Shield Plus. It has gotten great reviews and I would love to get my hands on that pistol, but until that time, I will just have to fondle my VP9 and VP40.