Chuck R.
Member
Just took delivery of a new HK45Tactical (V1) in FDE Cerakcote on Monday evening, took it out back Wednesday and put a little over 200 rds of mixed loads; 200grn SWC, 230 HB, and some 230 REM Golden saber reloads. I bought the HK because I’ve always wanted one after trying friends HK USP in 45ACP, but never got around to getting one. Due to the $200 HK rebate and Buds lowering the price to $1118 (from $1220) for a couple days I decided to bite.
Impressions: The HK45T is a big pistol, larger than a 1911, but lighter. It balances well, the ergonomics are superb, it really fits my hand well and the controls are laid out “right”. Capacity is 10 + 1, so a couple more rounds than a 1911. Fit and finish aren’t something I get excited about on a Tupperware pistol, but the HK is put together well. My one gripe is the DA trigger pull; it flat out sucks. I’ll admit that I’m not a DA/SA fan having gone through 3 SIGs trying to like it. IMHO the DA/SA just isn’t worth the effort; I’d rather have a striker fired or a straight SA. With my HK45 though, the DA is a chore to shoot accurately at this point, heavy long and “spongy”. I did a bunch of DA-SA transitions and I can hit with it, but it slows me down while I focus on the initial DA shot (which is why I dislike DA/SA in the 1st place). The SA pull however is pretty good, almost 1911ish with some take-up. Probably the coolest part about HKs is the ability of the user to modify the trigger/safety simply by swapping out some parts. So I ordered a $12 plate and some match springs to convert my V1 (DA/SA with Safety/Decock lever) to a V9 (DA/SA Safety, no decock) which means I can ride the safety like a 1911 without risking decocking the pistol during recoil. Essentially it becomes a SA with a DA capability. The sights (NS) are perfectly adequate, plenty of daylight for speed while not too much to hurt accuracy.
40' "pig" target (10rds) pulled a couple and a high-left shot trying to compensate for the %^^$$# DA 1st shot:
The accuracy with this pistol is pretty good really almost on par with one of my Les Baer 1911’s, I was surprised how well it shot. Recoil was pretty light with all loads, comparable to my 1911’s which weigh about 9 ounces more. The manual says it has a 30% recoil reduction due to the setup, not sure if it’s true, but recoil isn’t an issue and my GS reloads are pretty stout. Reliability wasn’t an issue; it digested everything, including a couple mags of mixed SWC, BALL and GS. I even mounted a spare SureFire light to it while shooting the light 200 SWCs without an issue.
I had a group of folks from work come out this morning to shoot, with 3 new pistols (M&P, Walther PPS and an HK VP9) so I didn’t clean it from my WED sessions to see how it would do. Ran another couple hundred rounds through it between 6 different shooters without an issue. I’m getting used to the controls, but still not growing fond of the DA pull.
Overall I like it so far, due to the size it’s not something I’d consider carrying. The plan is to put a suppressor on it and use it for a range gun for which it should excel.
Chuck
Impressions: The HK45T is a big pistol, larger than a 1911, but lighter. It balances well, the ergonomics are superb, it really fits my hand well and the controls are laid out “right”. Capacity is 10 + 1, so a couple more rounds than a 1911. Fit and finish aren’t something I get excited about on a Tupperware pistol, but the HK is put together well. My one gripe is the DA trigger pull; it flat out sucks. I’ll admit that I’m not a DA/SA fan having gone through 3 SIGs trying to like it. IMHO the DA/SA just isn’t worth the effort; I’d rather have a striker fired or a straight SA. With my HK45 though, the DA is a chore to shoot accurately at this point, heavy long and “spongy”. I did a bunch of DA-SA transitions and I can hit with it, but it slows me down while I focus on the initial DA shot (which is why I dislike DA/SA in the 1st place). The SA pull however is pretty good, almost 1911ish with some take-up. Probably the coolest part about HKs is the ability of the user to modify the trigger/safety simply by swapping out some parts. So I ordered a $12 plate and some match springs to convert my V1 (DA/SA with Safety/Decock lever) to a V9 (DA/SA Safety, no decock) which means I can ride the safety like a 1911 without risking decocking the pistol during recoil. Essentially it becomes a SA with a DA capability. The sights (NS) are perfectly adequate, plenty of daylight for speed while not too much to hurt accuracy.
40' "pig" target (10rds) pulled a couple and a high-left shot trying to compensate for the %^^$$# DA 1st shot:
The accuracy with this pistol is pretty good really almost on par with one of my Les Baer 1911’s, I was surprised how well it shot. Recoil was pretty light with all loads, comparable to my 1911’s which weigh about 9 ounces more. The manual says it has a 30% recoil reduction due to the setup, not sure if it’s true, but recoil isn’t an issue and my GS reloads are pretty stout. Reliability wasn’t an issue; it digested everything, including a couple mags of mixed SWC, BALL and GS. I even mounted a spare SureFire light to it while shooting the light 200 SWCs without an issue.
I had a group of folks from work come out this morning to shoot, with 3 new pistols (M&P, Walther PPS and an HK VP9) so I didn’t clean it from my WED sessions to see how it would do. Ran another couple hundred rounds through it between 6 different shooters without an issue. I’m getting used to the controls, but still not growing fond of the DA pull.
Overall I like it so far, due to the size it’s not something I’d consider carrying. The plan is to put a suppressor on it and use it for a range gun for which it should excel.
Chuck
