H&K VP9 vs Glock 17

[Phaedrus/69]

Not many accessories out there for the VP9 but that's not a big deal- it's about as close to perfect as I've seen right out of the box. The charging supports can be removed (there are steel inserts to fill the dovetails if you want) but I like them. My VP9 is an uncanny shooter! The trigger feels pretty good when dry firing it, nothing like a 1911 of course. But when shooting on the range it's fantastic. The rounds seem thought guided to the target.

I'm a big HK fan anyways, but the VP9 is among the best of their offerings IMO.

 

[DP03]

The other thing I like a lot with my VP9 is the ease of field stripping. One takedown lever and it's done. And a fully enclosed recoil spring to boot.

 

[snooperman]

I would much prefer the VP9 because it just feels better in my hand and the trigger is great. I have never really liked the Glock grip as it just feels odd. H&K has out-Glocked the Glock with their VP9.

 

[tarosean]

H&K has out-Glocked the Glock with their VP9.

Strange comment since HK did invent the whole genre over a decade before Gaston stopped making curtain rods.

 

[DFM914]

The VP9 is superior to a Glock!

 

[Zaydok Allen]

The VP9 is superior to a Glock!

I greatly prefer HK guns to Glocks, but what exactly are you basing that on.

Simply saying something like that doesn't make it true. Your evidence?

 

[Rinspeed]

Just my opinion but the trigger and ergonomics of the VP9 are so much better than the Glock it's not much of a comparison.

 

[HexHead]

Will the HK be as reliable as the Glock over 10s of thousands of shots? That's a question only a Gov't agency with a large budget for testing can answer.

Not a VP9, but a V1 P30....91,622 rounds.

http://hk-usa.com/wp-content/uploads/HK_News-Release_P30-Endurance-Test_JAN_2011.pdf

And the HK45 with 50,000 rounds....
http://pistol-training.com/archives/4027

 

[DP03]

Not sure there will be many real world examples of high round endurance yet, but here's from the HK site:

"HK’s famous cold hammer forged barrel — made from cannon grade steel — ensures long service life. Similar HK barrels on 9 mm P30 models have fired more than 90,000 rounds in endurance tests in 2010. The polygonal bore profile, with no traditional lands-and-grooves rifling, contributes to longer service life as well as a slight increase in muzzle velocity."

My guess is the barrels of many firearms will outlast the owners.

 

[Olympus]

I shot my VP9 tonight for the first time. I also shot my Glock 19 right after to get a good comparison. Like others have said, I like the ergos of the VP9, but I think that was the only thing I liked about it. The trigger was nice, but my mirror-polished 19 with Ghost connector was still pretty close. Not enough to say the HK has a huge leg up on the Glock. I hate the paddle style mag release. It feels good and is easy to use, but considering every single other gun I have and train with has a traditional style, my initially reaction is to look for the button. It's confusing for a split second. If all my other guns were paddle style, I'd say the paddle would be the way to go. But it's too confusing for me when doing quick mag changes. I also noticed my grip rests on the slide release naturally, so the slide failed to lock back on several mags. I had to pay special attention to my grip on this gun that I don't have to do with any of my other guns. I also noticed that recoil was softer with the Glock. The HK threw the brass about 4ft away while the Glock literally burped them out at my feet.

Bottom line for me, the VP9 is a nice gun but it's just not the gun for me. I have to pay more attention to what I'm doing and it's just not as intuitive for me as other guns. Looks like I'll be selling mine I think.