HK P7 PSP

[knights77]

I am considering purchasing a HK P7 PSP. Has anyone used the P7 series and their thoughts on the pistol. Thanks

[Rosco Benson]

The P7 PSP is an interesting pistol. The squeeze-cocker is easily mastered, but it is odd enough that someone with no familiarity with the pistol might be confused by it for long enough to be helpful in a gun-grab situation.

I purchased the first one I saw in this part of the country back in the early 1980's.

The pistol's bore axis is nice and low and the fixed barrel makes for nice accuracy. The trigger feels lighter than it actually is, probably due to having to ensure that the squeeze cocker is held in.

The pistol tends to be butt-heavy on the belt. This, along with the pistol's short slide, makes good holster design very important. The P7 is at its best in an IWB holster that has "wings" that extend outward and downward from the holster pouch itself.

In extended shooting, the frame can get hot in the triggerguard area. The later P7M8 and P7M13 added a plastic buffer in the topside of the triggerguard to minimize this. The later guns also featured magazine releases that were operated with the thumb. The original PSP has a heel-of-butt magazine release, but it is a better rendition of such than is typically seen, as one can eject the magazine as opposed to dragging it out against the tension of the latch.

The early P7 pistols were sprung for hot European 9mm and wouldn't run reliably with wimpy US ball. Hotter US JHP ammo ran fine. Wolff started producing a reduced power recoil spring for it early on. They sent Ken Hackathorn a big bag of them and he hooked up those of us who were fiddling with the "Kraut staple gun" around the Marietta club back then.

The chamber of the P7 is fluted, which gives the fired cases a distinctive look. This didn't seem to hurt them any for reloading.

One aspect of the P7 is that, when one releases the squeeze cocker, it emits a rather loud "CLACK". So, if trying to be quiet during a house clearing or similar, one is faced with having to keep the sqeeze cocker squeezed for the whole process. One can minimize the noise by retracting the slide slightly and then easing off the squeeze cocker, but this is not something that one wants to be doing when one's attention should be focused elsewhere.

All in all, it is a nice pistol. I sold mine in a fickle moment and wish I hadn't.

Rosco

[F-Trooper05]

Scroll down on this link to read an outstanding article about the P7 that was recently published in Combat Tactics...

http://hkpro.com/forum/showthread.php?125890-HK-P7-Article/page5

[fnforme]

I always wanted a P7M8 but couldn't afford one. A few years ago when the surplus P7 PSP police trade ins crossed the Atlantic I snatched up three of them.

These are fantastic pistols and I thought they would become my new carry gun because I shoot them so well. However this didn't happen.

The positives:
-VERY little felt recoil, far less than most 9mm pistols
-extreme accuracy
-high reliability
-built like a tank, durability is not in question

The negatives:
-very stiff recoil spring
-butt heavy design is tough to balance well, even with a premium IWB holster
-heats up almost instantaneously, making extended practice sessions difficult. When I shoot my P7s I find them painful after 5 magazines fired a normal rate of fire. I bring all three of mine and rotate them, letting one cool while the others are shot.
-heel magazine release is nice for a heel mag release but sucks when you're used to a "standard" side mag release
-heavy for a 8 shot 9mm single stack

NOTE: many of these negatives are mitigated or resolved with the M8 and M13 series.

I carried the P7 for a while but I kept wondering why I wasn't just carrying a 1911 considering how heavy the P7 was. I quit carrying the P7 in favor of a Kahr K9 or PM9 when I had to carry something light and cocnealable, and a Glock 19 when I could carry whatever I want and desire to maximimize my capacity.

The P7 series are one of the great all-time designs and it has its place as a classic. I won't be without one. There are certainly people who could outshoot me all day long with a P7, but IMO for my uses the P7 just feels a bit antiquated, heavy, and there are too many compromises compared to more modern designs.

[TOrrock]

https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=63725

https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=3106

https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=28978

https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=13442

[memphisjim]

there are plenty of people that swear that this is the best 9mm ever made
i held one and didnt see it the squeeze thing was flat strange maybe shooting one would change my mind

[Rosco Benson]

Scroll down on this link to read an outstanding article about the P7 that was recently published in Combat Tactics...

http://hkpro.com/forum/showthread.php?125890-HK-P7-Article/page5

Enjoyable article. Nice photos. I was kind of amused by the author's dismissal of the "CLACK when releasing the squeeze cocker" issue as silly internet commando stuff. It may not seem loud in a shoot-house with ear protection on, but it is very loud in a quiet house in the middle of the night. I agree that it doesn't relegate the P7 to the scrap heap, but it is something a user should take into account.

The author also seemed enamored of the "second strike" capability (sort of, gotta cycle the cocker) that the P7 offers. A click when a bang is expected should spur the user into a tap-rack-assess response, not trying the failed action again.

Lastly, the author's approach of having two different, situationally-driven, draw strokes (as pertains to when the cocker is squeezed) seems ill-advised. Conditional branching always works against speed and consistancy.

One thing that the author mentions that I do strongly agree with is to not go beyond field stripping. It's a complicated pistol.

Rosco

[knights77]

Thanks for all the help. I think this might go down to a coin flip as my next pistol.

[skyugo]

my big p7 thread and several others were just linked... but
here's my take on my C-grade p7 psp:

incredibly high quality neat looking gun
super reliable.
gets warm, but i can typically do a 200 round range session with minimal pain in under an hour. I find field stripping the gun and setting it on the bench really helps it cool faster
i alternate mine with a g19 and a g26 for carry. it sees 80% of my carry
very convenient if you have to disarm for any reason, as the squeeze safety doesn't necessitate unloading or leaving in a holster-ie going into the post office, using the bathroom etc.

mags are absurdly expensive

parts are expensive, and can be hard to get. on the other hand the gun is unlikely to break. i have around 3000 rounds through mine personally, it's 28 years old and saw EDC use by a police officer in germany for an unknown length of time.

PSP's can be had consistently for under 600 bucks.

very easy to draw and shoot quickly and accurately

very comfortable to carry-i use a neutral cant minotaur holster at 2:30

smaller and thinner than a glock 19

this gun IS an aquired taste. it's quite a bit different than the double stack polymer framed pistols that most of us are used to. I think the grip angle is pretty close to a glock. Glock shooters seem to pick up the p7 pretty quick.


so yeah, it does bring some things to the table that you won't find elsewhere:
-unique very positive squeeze cocking safety system
-light crisp trigger
-excellent quality
-single stack 9mm
-all steel
hard combo to find elsewhere

it's my favorite pistol to shoot and carry.

[FromMyColdDeadHand]

there are plenty of people that swear that this is the best 9mm ever made
i held one and didnt see it the squeeze thing was flat strange maybe shooting one would change my mind

I think it comes down to that a proper grip on the gun is conducive to operating the squeeze cock. Holding and fondling it does lead to overthinking. Grip, draw, squeeze, fire becomes second nature.

Just was CCWing mine this weekend and you never have to worry about something getting caught on the trigger or the safety coming off.

I don't find the trigger or accuracy to be in the legendary category, but that might just be my gun.

Lot's of threads here and other places about them.

Are spare mags still an issue?

[Irish10]

I carried 1911s on and off duty for over thirty years but due to a bad case of carpal tunnel and arthritis I was forced to switch to 9mm and decided the P7 was the ideal gun (at least for me). I started out with a straight P7 (wrongly called PSPs by most) and now have two P7s, two M8s and two M13s. My daily carry is usually a M8 but on occasion I'll carry a M13. Botton line is they are very easy to conceal, extremely safe, dependable and accurate as hell!! Be forewarned the P7s are like a disease, once you buy one you'll want another, then another and so on. Now if I could find a reasonably priced M10 I might be set for awhile!!

[Cylinder Head]

I had a P7M8 that was a beautiful thing to behold. NP3 Coated with Nill grips and it worked like a dream. Only problem was I couldn't shoot it worth a damn. I was absolutely dreadful with it actually, to the point where I sold it out of frustration. They're not for everyone, I don't miss it.

[Irish10]

Damm, your the first person I have ever heard say they couldn't shoot the P7 "worth a damm". Out of curiousity what was the issue? Just the way the gun operates or accuracy issues? On another note one of my M13s just got back from Robar with the NP3+ finish and it is a thing of beauty. ALso have NP3 on a refurb P7 and hard chrome on a M8. Not sure if I like the chrome or NP3 best, they are both great finishes and just look fantastic on the P7s.

[Cylinder Head]

Damm, your the first person I have ever heard say they couldn't shoot the P7 "worth a damm". Out of curiousity what was the issue? Just the way the gun operates or accuracy issues? On another note one of my M13s just got back from Robar with the NP3+ finish and it is a thing of beauty. ALso have NP3 on a refurb P7 and hard chrome on a M8. Not sure if I like the chrome or NP3 best, they are both great finishes and just look fantastic on the P7s.

It was a gorgeous gun.
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d82/youreallclones/photo-11.jpg

I wish I could tell you it was the gun's fault, but I had handed it to a few people, even novices, who shot it better than me. I'd consider myself a decent shot, I can shoot 2" groups with my HK45 at 20 yards, but I've never shot a gun worse in my life than the P7M8.
I just couldn't get comfortable with it.

[yellowfin]

It's really a shame the design was phased out when it was. If they'd hung around just a little while longer, having the majority of states having shall issue carry licenses might have made the P7's demand a lot higher.

[jasonhgross]

I had one for years. Great pistol but if a part breaks you have to twist HK's arm to get a very minor sping (for instance). Based on that, unless its just as a collector or range piece, I would pass. I ended up selling mine.

[Cylinder Head]

I had one for years. Great pistol but if a part breaks you have to twist HK's arm to get a very minor sping (for instance). Based on that, unless its just as a collector or range piece, I would pass. I ended up selling mine.

Not to mention you need a watch maker and not a gunsmith to take one apart and put it back together.

[CarbonCycles]

Not to mention you need a watch maker and not a gunsmith to take one apart and put it back together.

Yes, obtaining parts can be somewhat a pain, but I'm not following with your comment regarding taking one apart. For the uninitiated, it can be a challenge the first time, but after that, it's much easier than some of the other handguns (e.g. Ruger) on the market.

I love my P7M8 (will be adding another in the future when funds permit), and I'm looking for a better holster for it. I own an Alessi, but since I've lost some weight, it's become much harder to conceal. I may have to pick up a VM2 or something from TT - I've heard great things about TT.

[Cylinder Head]

Yes, obtaining parts can be somewhat a pain, but I'm not following with your comment regarding taking one apart. For the uninitiated, it can be a challenge the first time, but after that, it's much easier than some of the other handguns (e.g. Ruger) on the market.


I should have been more specific. Field stripping is easy, detail stripping requires three hands, a magnifying glass and a degree from MIT.