The sun was shining, it was a beautiful 74 degrees after work.. and what better way to enjoy it than under the soft glow of fluorescent shop lights, the soft whir of ventilation blowing semi cool air across your skin... the smell of burnt powder wafting through the air like grandmas pot roast... yep, I went to the range. I grabbed my new HK VP9, a case of ammo and some eyes and ears, a bottle of water and away I went. After I put 120 rnds or so downrange with nary a hiccup, I walked away pleased as could be... although somehow a little disappointed.
AFter reading all of these incredible reviews, I suppose I was expecting the second coming of {insert random gun god}...... but that was not to be. The gun performed admirably and is definitely a keeper, but I was somehow expecting more. This does not mean I am dissatisfied however. Nothing could be farther from the truth.
After I got the gun, I played with various grip panel and back strap configurations and settled on the small back strap, the large right panel and the small left panel ( I am right handed). Hand feel of the VP9 is incredible in every way. The grip is deeply cut, allowing for a high hold on the Vp9. This really minimizes felt recoil and allows for quick follow up shots. Add in the adjust-ability of interchangeable back straps and grip panels, and you have a gun that will fit almost any hand.
The controls of the Vp9 are well thought out. The slide release is of the ambidextrous variety. The release itself is small and unobtrusive, and from what I have read, this is to allow for a more aggressive thumbs forward grip. I found this to be not the case, but more on that later. With no safety or mag disconnect... it could be considered the glock of the HK line.
Sights were very good for factory sights, but may not be for everyone. They are quite blocky and large. The dots are made of a photo luminescent paint. The sights glow very brightly and charge quickly under a bright light. The sight picture was good but the blocky nature of the sights do occlude the target at longer ranges more than I would like.
The magazines are very sturdy, consisting of steel bodies with polymer followers and floor plates. With a 15 rnd capacity, they are capable of bringing the heat if needed. As with all mags, if you pklan on doing hard training, I would buy some extras and designate two as defensive magazines, or more if you need them. This brings me to one of my few complaints with the VP9.... mag prices are high. $52 seems to be an average price on the interweb. While it will use the same mags of the P30, they are not cheap either.... but anything HK runs pricey mags.... thats part of the cost to play I suppose.
Perhaps the most discussed aspect of the HK VP9 is the trigger. The VP9 trigger is pretty awesome, I must say. If I had to pick a perfect, out of the box trigger this would be it. All you walther guys can argue till your blue in the face, and you may be right. But in the end.... it is comparing a benjamin to a benjamin..... one may be crisp and the other a not quite perfect, but both are still a benjamin. The same is true here. The VP9 trigger has a smooth, easy takep with no stacking to speak of. There is a definite wall as you pull through the trigger stroke, but it is smooth and easy. The break is very crisp, not quite 1911 like, but much better than just about any other polymer gun I have fired. If you are a M&P guy, this trigger will make you cry. Glock guys will argue that their trigger is better but I dont know a glock guy who will admit defeat. !911 guys wont be impressed.... but everyone else will be. The trigger on the VP9 really is an excellent trigger. ZNot too heavy, not too light, smooth and crisp... not to bad.
A very different ferature for many shooters is the mag release. Instead of the standard grip mounted button release, the mags are released via an ambidextrous paddle that is part of the trigger guard. I was on the fence over this, but it ended up being neither a bad thing nor a good thing. I am honestly indifferent to it. It serves a purpose and does it well but either style works well for me.
Now that we have all of the technical stuff covered.... lets get to the shooting !!!
Shooting the VP9 is kind of like driving a corvette. It handles impeccably for the mundane daily tasks, but stomp on the go pedal and hold on tight, its going to be fun. The vp9 handled wonderfully in the mundane range shooting. Slow fire was fantastic. The recoil is very minimal, with little muzzle flip. The sights stay aligned easily, and realign quickly due to the bright dots and blocky nature. The ergonomics allow the recoil to flow through you, not requiring you to fight it. It feels natural and comfortasble, and not harsh in any way.
When you push the envelope, the VP9 comes alive in your hands. After a few slow fire mags, I ran a few drills for performance. When doing the presentation from low ready, firing a double tap and returning to low ready, it found it quite easy to keep both shots within a 5 inch circle out to ten yds. at seven yds rapid double taps were close enough that I was impressed. any closer and it becomes rather irrelevant. th Draw and fire from concealment was smooth, with the sights coming into quick alignment and shots landing with excellent accuracy. I found the VP9 to be a very easy shooting gun. I was able to fire several 10 shot strings of double taps as quick as i could as ws able to keep all hits lethal at 10 yds. That is 2 shots fired, then 2 more shots fired as soon as the sights are realigned, and repeated for ten shots total. after several runs of this it was apparent the gun was extremely accurate.
The only complaint I had was that my shooting grip appears to allow for my thumb to ride the slide release. i had several instances where the slide would not lock back on an empty mag. Not the end of the world for me.
All in all, I came away very impressed with the VP9. This is going to be my new cold weather carry gun and my HD gun. Coupled with my stream light TLR-3 it will be a formidable defensive weapon.
So, whats hot and whats not:
Hot:
Excellent ergonomics
customizability is unparallelled
superb accuracy
Photo-luminescent sights are incredibly bright
Excellent trigger
solid magazines
Not:
Sights may not be for everyone
View attachment 32045 View attachment 32046 View attachment 32044 View attachment 32043
AFter reading all of these incredible reviews, I suppose I was expecting the second coming of {insert random gun god}...... but that was not to be. The gun performed admirably and is definitely a keeper, but I was somehow expecting more. This does not mean I am dissatisfied however. Nothing could be farther from the truth.
After I got the gun, I played with various grip panel and back strap configurations and settled on the small back strap, the large right panel and the small left panel ( I am right handed). Hand feel of the VP9 is incredible in every way. The grip is deeply cut, allowing for a high hold on the Vp9. This really minimizes felt recoil and allows for quick follow up shots. Add in the adjust-ability of interchangeable back straps and grip panels, and you have a gun that will fit almost any hand.
The controls of the Vp9 are well thought out. The slide release is of the ambidextrous variety. The release itself is small and unobtrusive, and from what I have read, this is to allow for a more aggressive thumbs forward grip. I found this to be not the case, but more on that later. With no safety or mag disconnect... it could be considered the glock of the HK line.
Sights were very good for factory sights, but may not be for everyone. They are quite blocky and large. The dots are made of a photo luminescent paint. The sights glow very brightly and charge quickly under a bright light. The sight picture was good but the blocky nature of the sights do occlude the target at longer ranges more than I would like.
The magazines are very sturdy, consisting of steel bodies with polymer followers and floor plates. With a 15 rnd capacity, they are capable of bringing the heat if needed. As with all mags, if you pklan on doing hard training, I would buy some extras and designate two as defensive magazines, or more if you need them. This brings me to one of my few complaints with the VP9.... mag prices are high. $52 seems to be an average price on the interweb. While it will use the same mags of the P30, they are not cheap either.... but anything HK runs pricey mags.... thats part of the cost to play I suppose.
Perhaps the most discussed aspect of the HK VP9 is the trigger. The VP9 trigger is pretty awesome, I must say. If I had to pick a perfect, out of the box trigger this would be it. All you walther guys can argue till your blue in the face, and you may be right. But in the end.... it is comparing a benjamin to a benjamin..... one may be crisp and the other a not quite perfect, but both are still a benjamin. The same is true here. The VP9 trigger has a smooth, easy takep with no stacking to speak of. There is a definite wall as you pull through the trigger stroke, but it is smooth and easy. The break is very crisp, not quite 1911 like, but much better than just about any other polymer gun I have fired. If you are a M&P guy, this trigger will make you cry. Glock guys will argue that their trigger is better but I dont know a glock guy who will admit defeat. !911 guys wont be impressed.... but everyone else will be. The trigger on the VP9 really is an excellent trigger. ZNot too heavy, not too light, smooth and crisp... not to bad.
A very different ferature for many shooters is the mag release. Instead of the standard grip mounted button release, the mags are released via an ambidextrous paddle that is part of the trigger guard. I was on the fence over this, but it ended up being neither a bad thing nor a good thing. I am honestly indifferent to it. It serves a purpose and does it well but either style works well for me.
Now that we have all of the technical stuff covered.... lets get to the shooting !!!
Shooting the VP9 is kind of like driving a corvette. It handles impeccably for the mundane daily tasks, but stomp on the go pedal and hold on tight, its going to be fun. The vp9 handled wonderfully in the mundane range shooting. Slow fire was fantastic. The recoil is very minimal, with little muzzle flip. The sights stay aligned easily, and realign quickly due to the bright dots and blocky nature. The ergonomics allow the recoil to flow through you, not requiring you to fight it. It feels natural and comfortasble, and not harsh in any way.
When you push the envelope, the VP9 comes alive in your hands. After a few slow fire mags, I ran a few drills for performance. When doing the presentation from low ready, firing a double tap and returning to low ready, it found it quite easy to keep both shots within a 5 inch circle out to ten yds. at seven yds rapid double taps were close enough that I was impressed. any closer and it becomes rather irrelevant. th Draw and fire from concealment was smooth, with the sights coming into quick alignment and shots landing with excellent accuracy. I found the VP9 to be a very easy shooting gun. I was able to fire several 10 shot strings of double taps as quick as i could as ws able to keep all hits lethal at 10 yds. That is 2 shots fired, then 2 more shots fired as soon as the sights are realigned, and repeated for ten shots total. after several runs of this it was apparent the gun was extremely accurate.
The only complaint I had was that my shooting grip appears to allow for my thumb to ride the slide release. i had several instances where the slide would not lock back on an empty mag. Not the end of the world for me.
All in all, I came away very impressed with the VP9. This is going to be my new cold weather carry gun and my HD gun. Coupled with my stream light TLR-3 it will be a formidable defensive weapon.
So, whats hot and whats not:
Hot:
Excellent ergonomics
customizability is unparallelled
superb accuracy
Photo-luminescent sights are incredibly bright
Excellent trigger
solid magazines
Not:
Sights may not be for everyone
View attachment 32045 View attachment 32046 View attachment 32044 View attachment 32043
