H&k p7

[schutzen-jager]

fyi-
was standard issue for the New Jersy State Police very briefly - many accidental discharges when being holstered - i really liked them, compact, light recoil, + very accurate -

[Battis]

I had read that the NJ State Police carried them. Interesting. I handled the gun last night at the owner's house, trying to get the hang of that squeeze cocker - that is a strange action. But I like the feel of the gun, the angle it sits in my hand. Were they prone to mechanical problems? I hear that working on them can be tough. Did the SP get rid of them specifically because of the accidental discharges?

[schutzen-jager]

iirc correctly the careless holstering was the dominant reason - depressing grip cocker while holstering - no problems i,m aware of - easy maintenance -

[Battis]

Out of 100+ guns that the owner inherited, the P7 and a 1903 Springfield are the only ones left to sell. I'm helping him get a value on each. Narrowing down the history of that P7 helps, but prices are still all over the place. Three gun shops wouldn't take the gun because of the value and possible lack of interest by buyers.
And, of course, I'm scheming for ways to raise the moola to buy it, if he puts a reasonable price on it. Very interesting gun.

[Thin Man]

Many years ago our local police department would allow their officers to carry any handgun they could qualify with at the range. One of our guys came in with a P7PSP, several mags, and a "test this for me" request before he went to the range to fire a qualification course. The first thing we found was that the pistol gets very hot quickly and this gets worse as shooting continues. The real stopping point was the self-cocking front grip. To either engage or release the front grip the pistol makes a rather loud mechanical "clacking" sound. Imagine holding an uncooperative subject at gun point with the striker cocked. The springs that move that cocker are rather stiff and will tire one's hand quickly. So to relax his hands the officer releases the cocker, causing that "CLACK" sound. Odds are that bad boy Billy Bob thinks the officer is about to shoot him and dives at the officer. The rest of this story would end badly for somebody, could be prevented by not authorizing the pistol for service. That is how this application ended.