H&K VP9 9mm review

[Hounddog]

Picked up a new H&K VP9 to add to my stable. I've been wanting a 9mm range toy to take out when I go plinking and was looking at various pistols. Having owned Glocks in the past I enjoyed their durability and simplicity but could never warm up to the grip angle or the blocky-ness. I always sold them off and moved on to other platforms such as the M&P and CZ75. After looking at several different polymer framed guns I managed to get my paws on the VP9 by H&K. The ergos on this gun are excellent and it comes with 3 different interchangeable palm swells and 3 sets of side panels on the grip also, so you can really get it to fit your grip perfectly. The striker fired trigger is great from the factory. It has very little uptake and breaks cleanly. The reset is audible and short. Overall this gun points very easily and shoots well right out of the box. The sights are good solid metal and very visible. The grip texture is good and I didn't have any issues with slippage. I opted for the dark green frame but it can be bought with a gray, fde, or black frame. It came with 3 15 round mags and H&K is offering a promo for 4 extra mags through an online application.

I took the VP9 out to the range and ran some lead through it. The flavors of choice were lee 120 grn tc tumble lube bullets under 5.6 grains of longshot and some 120 grain Lee tc bullets that I powdercoated with harbor freight matte black under 4.7 grains of 800x. Both bullets shot great and grouped well at 25 feet. I had a few of the powder coated rounds fail to feed all the way into the chamber due to being loaded a hair longer than the tumble lube boolits. I was able to bump the slide with my hand and get them to chamber. The throat is very tight on these guns so you will need to load a little shorter to get them to run 100%. These bullets were sized at .357 and fit perfectly and only had a hint of lead with the tumble lube and just powder fowling with the powder coated variants. The barrel has polygonal rifling similar to a Glock so it cleaned up quickly with a bronze brush and a couple solvent patches.

This is an awesome firearm. I only had a few gripes. First the mags have some hard edges near the feed which got my fingers raw from loading by the end of the session. I'm sure some careful stoning of the edges or use of the provided loader would allieviate this. Second the slide only locked back after the last round maybe 20% of the time. Not sure this is normal or will cease after more break in, but not a huge issue.

Overall, I'm blown away with this gun. The gun runs great, feels great, and shoots great. One thing that impressed me the most was how consistent this thing ejects brass. All cases were dropped within a foot or two of where I was shooting in a neat little pile. This was the first gun that I didn't have to hunt for my brass. It was all there within a two foot radius. I was truly impressed. If you are looking for a polymer carry piece or just a range toy get your hands on one and take it for a spin. It's built every bit as good as a Glock but for me feels better. It will shoot lead so don't hesitate to feed it the good stuff.

Hounddog

[Rick R]

I've been shooting a VP9 for about a year and a half now. No cast yet but it's been 100% with jacketed and plated bullets. I motivated some students in a carbine class by knocking down Pepper Poppers with mine, at 100 yards.
Wonderful ergonomics, some people don't like the mag release but I've found it to be quick and positive using both thumb and trigger finger. I have the non LE version with luminous instead of tritium sights. The dots are really visible in daylight and glow quite well at night.
Really a neat little gun.

[35remington]

I would guess the review will better justify the glowing praise thrown at the gun when it locks back on the last round like it is supposed to be doing. Until it functions excactly like it is supposed to, the best grade I personally would be giving any autoloading pistol that is not fully functional is a "meh" or, in other words, a C.

Top marks go only to flawless guns. I would caution you ain't there yet. Repeated problems mean any enthusiasm should be tempered with acknowledgement that the all important functionality is less than par.

[Hounddog]

To be fair I use a thumbs foreword grip when I shoot so my thumb may be pressing on the slide lock while I was shooting. This was my first outing with this gun so I'll have to pay close attention my next time out and see if it's persistent.

Hounddog

[dubber123]

Less than standard power loads will often fail to reach slide lock in my experience. Have you tried it with any factory loads?

[35remington]

I would not expect 4.7 grains 700X to be light enough to cause the problem.

[Hounddog]

Just wanted to add an update to this thread. I ran 300 more rounds through the gun today and made a small adjustment to my grip and had zero issues. The gun locked back after the last round every time. This particular gun will not lock back on the last round if your fingers come in contact with the slide release. My right thumb was riding the slide on my last outing causing the malfunction. I also seated my boolits a smidge deeper this outing and they all fed and chambered flawlessly.

Hounddog

[Svt40]

Tryed the new CZ Shadow 2 it performed better than the Vp9.

[johniv]

I do not as yet own a VP9, but the three other old farts shoot with all have them and love them. One fella has over 10K rds thru his, and another likes his better than the G19 he has been using for years. FWIW

[gray wolf]

Just a pass-a-long.
I met a friend at the range today who owns a VP9, he informed me he had to send his back.
Seems it's about a factory Re-call-- thing about the drop safety.

What's even funnier is, I just got a recall for the Sig P320 for the same reason.
I was told that Sig was dealing with a law suite.