Any HK P7 fans here?

[mnshooter]

Michael,
Was the blow-up hi-power one of the earlier forged frames, or one of the current cast frames that are supposed to be stronger?
The cast frames all have the fine grooves on the bottom of the mag well.  My first hi-power was one of the 60's T series; I shot many hundred of a published load using Herco powder.  Many years later, I found some of those loads and chronographed them: 125 gr. @1250! I'm happy to say the gun still looks like new, but after advice from both Wayne Novak and Bill Lauthridge, I'll never fire those loads again in any hi-power. Of course some militaries used hotter loads, but most of them weren't especially concerned with a long life span on any combat gear.

[staudacher]

I like my P7PSP ok, but I don't think it is all that great. If the trigger didn't have so much curve to it, I would like a it better. As far as a carry gun, I prefer my P225.

[mnshooter]

Sorry to have made a typo on Bill Laughridge.  He is way too nice a guy to not have his name spelled correctily.

[Scott Moore]

Having been a former HK dealer I think the squeeze-cocker is a fine pistol and won’t wade into any pros and cons.
My response is about the use of the term “Chrome”. Chrome is seldom used for a finish of a quality firearm (of course you unless you consider Ravens and other small inexpensive auto loaders) and of course the lining of rifle barrels. Most finishes are nickel plated . . . chrome is an extremely fragile finish as it does not flex well. Nickel is a multilayer applied finish that will expand (to a certain extent), so most high quality firearms are Nickel plated not Chrome plated. About the only time chrome is used is when you see a finish called “Cracked Chrome” which is an electroless nickel finish similar to the finish you see on Browning Hi-Power’s in the 80’s and Colt pistols of the same era (Colt Guard). But all these finishes have the same problem; they will not protect the metal from rust as well as you think. Sad thing about nickel is that the metal, if exposed to moisture and not treated, will rust from the inside out, thus by the time you see the rust on the finish the metal below may be pitted.

[Mojave Desert]

I've owned a German police surplus P7M8 a few years ago, and Trevor is right, the trigger and accuracy of the P7 is not as good as claimed, the bluing starts rusting in your hands quick(your hands smell like rust after shooting it), fire 3 mags rapid fire and the trigger guard will burn you and you will have to take a 10 minute break to wait for the gun to cool,  the recoil reduction of the messy gas system is overrated. 

In tactical use, are you supposed to squeezecock as soon as you unholster?  Like in a house clearing situation?  Then you are walking around unknown targets with a cocked and relatively light trigger(We don't recomend it wiith revolvers).  Or uncocked in your hand, then you will be walking around with a really light grip on the pistol, someone can just lightly tap the pistol out of your hand.  I could never figure that out.

All that said, it is the coolest looking pistol...still after all these years.  Great show-off gun at the range.  I like the squeezecocker doubling as a slide release, very easy to use, and no extra buttons to find or slide to reach.  As much as I had hopes for the P7 when buying it(it was still expensive, used and all), in almost every way the lowly Glock 26 did much better.  Oh, another good thing about the P7, you can sell it again at a good price!

[Sponsor]

[Michael Bane]

The HP I lit up was one of the old competition models with the longer barrel and barrel weight (the GS? Stephen Camp would know...). I made major with a "triplex" load — three different powders with different burn rates — compressed under a 125-gr JHP. I also made the slide crack right at the slide stop, the magazine emphatically and automatically eject and several other non-documented actions take place. I have no excuses, except that I was younger and stupider. Wasn't my gun, either...not exactly true...it was my gun AFTER the explosion!

Michael B

[Kettlebelly Slim]

I'm suffering from "Seller's Remorse" over the two (2) PSP's that I used to have.  Sold them when I got out of the military back in the late 1900's.  One had over 30K rounds through it - no hiccaughs.

I loved how thin they were for CCW!  Heavy for caliber, their recoil never bothered me.  Triggers were not like a tuned 1911, but pretty close.  I don't know how accurate they were because the harder I tried, the better they shot.  I don't believe I ever quite shot to their potential (reportedly, Fritz Huls shot a 5" group at 100 with one - from prone - back in Orange Gunsite).  Even with the butt-mounted mag-release, these were quick to reload (not as quick as a 1911 for a speed-load, but about the same with a tac-load). 

O.K. the stock-screws had sheet-metal lock-washers that would flatten out, and then the stock screws would come loose.  Lavender Loctite (#222) is the answer for THAT!  Hmm...  They'd get hot if you shot them a lot.  So does everything else!  Wear a glove, or take a break.  Not an issue with CCW.

I might just have to scout up some replacements.

-KBS

[hodman]

I had a M13 for a while. I never made the conversion from a normal hand gun to the HK. My first HK pistol was the MK 23 then every USP made. I gave up on HK due to poor service from HK. Now I only have one HK and it is class III

Jon

[Honcho]

For some reason I always wanted one but never could let go of the cash?  Silly me.