I picked up my HK CC9. I ran 113 rounds through it the other day (first day it was avail). I picked it up because it looked like an improved version of my favorite Micro-9, the SW Shield Plus. I like the Shield because it is the smallest gun I can still shoot without making compromises to my grip, technique, etc. My problem has always been that the Shield is…chintzy. Even my current one has a stupid walking trigger pin. There always seems to be some QC issue.
The grip has an improved feel vs the shield. It has some subtle sculpting to the grip that allows the grip to rest a little better on the frame.
The Trigger is very nice and light. Sort of like the VP9. You will like it unless you are just totally wedded to something else.
It has ambi mag and slide release. Both of them are very smartly done. Both are positioned to avoid accidental activation. On my Shield the gun actually lays on top of the mag release. Here they are tucked forward to avoid that. Further, they are smooth. Unlike nearly all other ambi mag realize, these do not suck. At first I was concerned about the location of the slide release but HK recessed them nicely in a raised area of the frame.
It has very front large tritium with day-glo ring. It is also cut for a red dot if you like cluttering up your concealment gun.
I is crazy easy to disassemble. Just pull the slide back , remove the mag and twist the lever down. Easy peasy.
The quality is easily top of the class. I think HK USA knew that dipshits would immediately claim this gun was somehow inferior to their European offerings. They seem to have been very careful to make sure these guns were cosmetically perfect. Here is a picture of my CC9 with some of my HK’s in my safe and I can tell you that the C on the CC9 is objectively better, especially when you get down to nit-pics about frame flashings, etc.
It has a removable chassis if you care about such things. I do not. However, I can report that this gun is extremely rigid.
I took it home and ran 113 rounds through it. 50 147 Lawman, 50 115 mag tech, and 13 147 HST. Everything ran perfectly and I will run 150 more this weekend.
So far so good. I have mainly been a J-frame guy due to my general distrust of most micro-9s. I am going to give this one a go.
Is it class-changing. Nope. It is exactly what HK has been offering since the 90s, well-thought out, bomb-proof, well-made and trustworthy right out of the box. The word is they expended about 750k testing the prototypes of this gun. Further it has been tested to death for over 6 years. It is nice to see a gun company take their time and make sure a product is ready rather than rushing it to market. Did they take too long? I don’t think so. If it took them that long get it perfect then that’s how long it takes. I will keep updating you and if the gun goes hawire I will let you know.
Nice concise review Thanks, I really didn’t think S&W Shield?, but it’s an excellent comparison. I was thinking maybe this was more aimed at the SIG P365? Cheers
I often carry the SW Shield Plus for the same reasons you mention. The HK CC9 looks like a Glock 26 had a love child with a High Point. It looks like they made the height over bore as tall as possible, while giving the slide a “special” look. However, its does look more functional and practical in your hands while firing for whatever thats worth. Looks are pretty far down the line in terms of importance, though looks do matter.
I think Glock could have owned the market if they had made the 26 just a tad more narrow and a fraction longer on both sides.
How is the felt recoil with the HK CC9 compared to the Shield Plus?
I wouldn’t mind owning this one but I cannot justify getting one when I already have an EDC and my former EDC is the backup should the main EDC go down for whatever reason.
At this point I am comfortable saying that it returns to zero faster than the shield and certainly faster than the 365 (I don’t have a Glock 43). It is very difficult to determine these things without a timer and without allowing yourself to get used to each gun. As an overall metric I like to compare my best 3 IDPA qualifier results with the guns (If I have them). For me it is a good measure of shoot ability of a gun. All my micro guns are iron sight only and my shield has HD sights. So unfortunately I can’t exclude the sights as a factor but all of these guns have very visible front sights.
The CC9 locks into my hand better on the draw. I suspect it is the relationship of the trigger undercut and the webbing cut. I am still using the standard backstrap and I have exactly average sized hands. I really think they did their ergonomic homework on this one. Up until now the Shield Plus was the only micro 9 that I thought got the balance of shoot ability vs. deep concealment right but I think HK pushed it up a couple of notches in pretty much every category. Further, at $579 this gun barely cost any more than a shield Plus optics ready with HD sights installed (maybe less but I am not including the install cost).
At this point I am at a whopping 200 rounds of 115 grain MAgtech FMJ, 50 147 grain LAawman FMJ, 24 rounds of 147 HST and 10 rounds of either 124 or 147 Gold dot (I cannibalized it from my shield, so I can’t recall). The only lube is the factory grease and a squirt of Rem oil I traditionally spray into the underside of the slide (while still mounted) when I get a new gun and I am too lazy to break it down and clean it. Gun has run 100 percent (not a big deal, but still, it is data).
The trigger is basically the equivalent of the Shield Plus (which is waayyy better than the 365 IMHO). The Hk has a longer take up, possibly a lighter break, but a shorter and more positive reset (the Shield is excellent, btw, I am just distinguishing them). The HK has a bit more take up in the initial stroke (a BIT) and after that it is better than the shield. You will not notice a difference while shooting unless you have crippling mental illness.
I’ve yet to see one in the wild which is odd as it’s HK USA. Went to the huge Atlanta gun show a couple weeks ago and not one anywhere. I would have thought after 6 years they would build up a larger inventory to go to market with actual availability.
The only complaint that I have heard from owners is that they were disappointed in the accuracy compared to other compacts that they owned…365, G43, etc.
