For those that have used both, how’s the comparison as far as overall accuracy and reliability?
Both are great guns, accurate and reliable. The P30 is V3, double action isn’t my favorite but the single action is nice. The VP9 has a better trigger and I shoot faster with it. However i like the P30 more due to being hammer fired. I also have an HK45 tac and that is a great pistol as well. The VP9 is a great gun but so is the P30 so really it comes down to what feels best in hand and what you want.
P30/L also comes in V1 and V2 that are various LEM variants, and can be further converted to V4 and V4.1
They are identical in accuracy and seemingly identical in reliability. I’ve not shot VP9 in the same amount as P30L to fully compare the reliability.
I have a P30L I bought used off a member here that I have put roughly 750 rounds through since I got it. It’s not a training gun, I’m not pumping 1000’s of rounds down range a year like I am my Glocks, but I feel like I have enough trigger time on it to tell you a few things.
P30L:
I have the DA/SA version without the safety. First off the stock trigger is really bad. Heavy, long semi smooth double action, odd break, LOOOOOONG reset which I personally hate. Single action out of the box is decent, with a solid break and a wee bit of over-travel. Same bad reset. I had Bill Springfield change my SA reset, reduced it by about half, put in a trigger screw and polished it up. It’s very nice in single action now. I almost wish that I was able to try the LEM, becasue now that my double action pull is smoother, I like how it feels and stacks.
Recoil impulse feels sharper and snappier than most long slides that I have fired including the USP expert, Glock 34, etc. It seems it takes me longer to get back on target with it over other handguns. It is very accurate though once you get a good feel on the trigger. Mine has never had a failure of any kind, whatsoever. No stoppages, no failures. Factory brass, NATO 124gr, steel cased Wolf, it has ate everything. My goal in the next few months is to run it through a few classes, see if I can get it to choke.
VP9
The VP9 I had I completely regret selling. It was flawlessly reliable, and easily just as accurate as my P30L is. It has one of the best factory striker-fired triggers I have every shot, including Walther. It was easy to shoot fast as well.
YMMV, but maybe wait until the VP9L drops some time this year?
I have been through 3 P30. V1,V1,V3. I hated the long trigger pull of the V1. Wish I had kept the V3. I liked it.
I have been through 3 VP9. Never a malfunction in any of them. I sold them to friends and they have never had issues with them. I shot about 1500 rounds through one, the other 2 were consecutively serial numbered and I put 300-500 through one and kept the other NIB.
The P30 just feels higher quality but in the end, I found them to do nothing my G19 could not and sold all of them.
Just to hazard a guess, I would imagine that the VP9 outsells the P30 by a comfortable margin?
Only HK knows. VP9 was rumored to be their best seller but it seems like it has saturated it’s available market share by now. They are available on every corner, in all kind of colors too, doesn’t look like they are flying off the shelves. At the same time HK dropped P30 prices and some of their models, particularly V1 with 15 round mags seem to be a bit less available now than they used to be.
Man, when the VP9L comes out, i might have to get it
That may also have to do with price. the VP9 is pretty competitively priced while the P30 is ~$800+ on a good day for the most part. Not saying you can’t get them cheaper, just on average.
I have a P30 and although it took some practice to get used to the trigger, I don’t even notice the long reset or pull anymore. It’s like anything else, practice with what you got and it’s all good. I was thinking about sending it out to Bill Springfield for the short reset package awhile back, but that is now way down on the priority list. The thing I do notice though, it does help you on training trigger discipline, so when you shoot anything with a “better” trigger, you shoot it pretty well from the get go.
Whatever P30 you can find in stock right now, everything is under 600 bucks. Check Bud’s, Grabagun, Kygunco. Overall stock seems to be low but so are the prices.
Locally I’m seeing P30s in the 800 range. Online I’m sure I can find cheaper or tge odd deal in the 500 range. But with VP9s in the 500 range on dealer shelves locally that pushes your average buyer.
I haven’t seen any P30 variants for sub $600
Cross Creek, Top Gun Supply, Impact, they all hover sub $600 Standard or SK. The problem is, because of HK’s recent price drop, they are flying off the shelves and it is hard to find certain configs in stock especially in 9mm.
I think Cdnn had some .40s around the 600 mark. Can’t recall if they still have any. But the vast majority I’ve seen lately are still in the upper realm, caveat being that yes the SK varients are cheaper.
I forget bout Top Gun. I’ve bought h&K parts off them in the past. Damn good people.
Yeah OP hooked me up with a few links on some very, very good pricing. Some from places you’ve mentioned. Guess I wasn’t looking hard enough :blink:
My P30 Light LEM trigger is my goto CCW if I go larger than shield. The VP9 is very nice, slightly bigger, very slightly. Trigger very good. The P30 edges out the VP9 in ergos, again slightly. Most people grab a P30 and say wow, that feels amazing.
Both great guns.
PB
I have a P30 in regular LEM. I keep meaning to get the parts to convert to light, as that’s my preferred, I just haven’t done so. The VP9 is my nightstand gun. They’re both excellent. I’m an, at best, slightly above average shooter and I could easily qualify as expert with either gun according to the old tables I qualified under. You really can’t go wrong with either or both, but going back and forth takes a little adjustment with the differing triggers.
Take your pick…
Thanks for reading.