What's the appeal of the HK P7?

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  • Bertfish

    Throw bread on me
    Mar 13, 2013
    17,606
    White Marsh, MD
    Simple question

    Yes they look cool but I've never understood the following. Is it that the squeeze cock feature was revolutionary?

    My old man has wanted one for years.
     

    davsco

    Ultimate Member
    Oct 21, 2010
    8,607
    Loudoun, VA
    for me, it's dislike vs appeal. that whole squeeze thing is weird to say the least. imo too much going on such that it might be a safety issue. i've shot two and just didn't care for them at all.
     

    Bob A

    όυ φροντισ
    MDS Supporter
    Patriot Picket
    Nov 11, 2009
    30,687
    Well, for openers there's the gas-retarded blowback design. Pretty clever; it makes for a more accurate pistol, as the barrel is fixed in position.

    Then there's the unusually long sight radius for a pistol with a shortish barrel. Low bore axis makes for natural pointability. Striker fired with being able to re-cock the pistol via the grip cocker is useful for a cartridge that fails to fire on the first strike.

    The manual of arms is odd enough that should you lose control of the pistol your attacker might not be able to figure out how to kill you. (This happened at least once, to a NJ LEO).

    It's an all-steel pistol; some people don't like plastic guns.

    And it's made by HK, because we suck, and they hate us. Oh, and brilliant German engineering.

    Not really a range toy; the gas system makes the thing pretty hot to hold after a couple thrree mag dumps. This was only partially remedied by the later P7/P13 heat shield. Heel mag release for the P7PSP; the newer models had a different system, that seemed to me to make releasing a magazine while firing a little too easy. Most folks don't seem to mind.

    I regret having gotten mine before the German police surplus dump; I should have snatched a half dozen when they were selling for $600, but I already had mine. Who knew?

    I thought they looked odd; then I got to handle one, and it seemed real interesting. Didn't have the money at the time, but eventually I was able to scratch that itch. You have to practice with it a lot to use it effectively. If you actually have to use it in a SD situation, you'll probably bever get it back, which makes it a poor yet expensive option for EDC.

    So it's a mixed bag. You can count on its never being made again; too expensive a process. But an interesting concept and a fascinating firearm, with its own cult following.
     

    Combloc

    Stop Negassing me!!!!!
    Nov 10, 2010
    7,212
    In a House
    If you have to ask, you've never gotten to know one. IMO, it's simply the best pistol ever designed.

    It's the Usonian house of pistols.

    It's the Tucker Torpedo of sidearms.

    It's what Jesus would carry.
     

    teratos

    My hair is amazing
    MDS Supporter
    Patriot Picket
    Jan 22, 2009
    59,775
    Bel Air
    If you have to ask, you've never gotten to know one. IMO, it's simply the best pistol ever designed. It's what Jesus would carry.

    I’m gonna have to bite the bullet and get one at some point. Dammit.
     

    Combloc

    Stop Negassing me!!!!!
    Nov 10, 2010
    7,212
    In a House
    If you're ever up Washington County way, look me up. You can try mine out to your heart's content. All you need supply is the ammo (non lead of course).
     

    Bertfish

    Throw bread on me
    Mar 13, 2013
    17,606
    White Marsh, MD
    If you have to ask, you've never gotten to know one. IMO, it's simply the best pistol ever designed.

    It's the Usonian house of pistols.

    It's the Tucker Torpedo of sidearms.

    It's what Jesus would carry.

    I've only handled one once which was NFS. Was a friend's father-in-laws pistol which he had been allowed to buy direct from HK in the 80s because he was in the secret service. Had a letter with it and everything. Super cool but out of reach. Lord knows my old man tried but in the end we understood, I'd never have let it go either.
     

    Combloc

    Stop Negassing me!!!!!
    Nov 10, 2010
    7,212
    In a House
    I've only handled one once which was NFS. Was a friend's father-in-laws pistol which he had been allowed to buy direct from HK in the 80s because he was in the secret service. Had a letter with it and everything. Super cool but out of reach. Lord knows my old man tried but in the end we understood, I'd never have let it go either.

    Mine is a surplus police model made in 1982. When the Lower Saxony PD traded them in to HK for newer pistols (probably USP's), HK refurbished them to as new condition internally and then sold them off in the US complete with a lifetime warranty as if it were new. The M8 is a little more ergonomically friendly with the thumb magazine release and the heat shield but not so much more so that I ever felt I needed one. On a hot summer's day, it's not a range pistol as the frame above your trigger finger gets unbearably hot after just one box of ammo but it was never designed for plinking. You'll get more rounds through the M8 before it gets too hot to handle but not many more. The M13 is the most valuable of the lot but I never liked the fatter grip to accommodate the double stack magazine. For me, it's best as a single stack. It fits my hand so perfectly that I don't need to use the sights to hit a man sized target up to 25 yards and while you may not believe it if you have never spent time with one, it's man accurate at 100 yards.

    The following is an HK promotional video from the 1980's. It's been broken up into 3 parts for some reason but it's all there. I recommend watching it carefully....it's not hype. HK REALLY thought these things out back when the words "Heckler und Koch" REALLY meant something. They were CNC manufactured ....in the 1970's and some parts of the pistol are fitted to within 1/1000 of a millimeter. It's THAT well made.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIUfMsct_ao&list=PLoOuGOfn5aLs3AhwUp1hZ9LKBGJZ8sSBP&index=21

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tofqw_2TKyY&list=PLoOuGOfn5aLs3AhwUp1hZ9LKBGJZ8sSBP&index=20

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAXJVm0p44w&list=PLoOuGOfn5aLs3AhwUp1hZ9LKBGJZ8sSBP&index=19


    With the exception of very few things, everything I own is for sale. My P7 is one of those very few things I would never sell. I've put untold rounds through it and it's accompanied me camping and hiking in all kinds of weather. It used to have almost 100% finish but that was a long time ago! It's never fail me and I fully trust that it never will. For me, pure and simple, it's Perfection.

     

    traveller

    The one with two L
    Nov 26, 2010
    18,256
    variable
    I still kick myself for not buying one when I had a chance to buy it. I had some money and the options were a Walther P5 and a P7. The P7 had some wear, the P5 was from what I could tell unfired. Same price. Should have bought them both.
     

    Combloc

    Stop Negassing me!!!!!
    Nov 10, 2010
    7,212
    In a House
    I bought both the P5 and P7. I think I paid about 600 for the P5. It was a police trade in too but it must have never been issued because it was as new. I paid about 650 for the P7. The P5 is long gone and I don't miss it. Another German police trade in I'd never sell is my P9S. I paid 600 for that too. It's no P7 but it is one hell of an excellent pistol that has been rock solid reliable over the years. Legacy HK products are legendary for a reason.

     

    Pinecone

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Feb 4, 2013
    28,175
    Back in the 80s, we were coming back from some work in Northern NJ. We stopped at a rest stop for some food and coffee. Several NP State Police came in to eat, and wife noticed they were carrying P7s.

    So she asked me how the handled the conversion. My obvious answer was how the heck would I know, and if she wanted to know, she should ask them.

    So she did.

    She ended up having a nice long conversation about handguns with them.

    What they told her was, those carried P7 had ONLY training and fired the P7. They did not convert people from conventional handguns to the P7, at least at that time.
     

    TheOriginalMexicanBob

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 2, 2017
    32,151
    Sun City West, AZ
    I used to own a P7M8. It's a great piece of engineering and construction...and maybe the most accurate 9mm pistol I ever fired. It's also a solution to a non-existent problem. It's heavier than necessary as its all steel...an aluminum frame would have addressed that. It takes some getting used to how it works. For a novice who had never shot a gun before would probably have little trouble but there's much to unlearn if you're a seasoned shooter.

    A P7 also requires a proper holster...no sticking it your waistband which can depress the grip lever. Years ago I read about a couple of NJ State Troopers who shot themselves unintentionally doing just that.

    I ended up selling mine...not because I didn't like it but because I was offered stupid money for it...and I assume the guy who bought it is enjoying the heck out of it because he just had to have it.
     

    Mike OTDP

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 12, 2008
    3,318
    Simple question

    Yes they look cool but I've never understood the following. Is it that the squeeze cock feature was revolutionary?
    Yes, the squeeze cock was seen as a major jump. Draw the gun, and it was cocked in the process. No DA trigger pull. Bear in mind this was about three years before the Glock became available to the public, and that the Glock was the only striker-fired game in town for a decade.

    On top of this, the P7 was a flat, compact gun. Great for CCW.
     

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