Changing up the EDC, anyone ever done it? (vp9SK)

[turnburglar]

So I have been carrying my gen 3 Glock 19 since I joined this forum pretty much. We have been through not only a half dozen classes, but a few actual escaltion of force incidents, and thousands of rounds. I did all the stippling myself, and even bent my own kydex that I have been rocking for years at this point. I guess i just have some sentimenal feelings towards my 19. Honeslty over the years I have had zero desire to ever replace the glock or even try another gun. Recently though I got cool with a guy that runs the indoor range, and he lets me rent everything for free. I am highly unimpressed with Sigs offerings, but I shot the vp9 recently and it kinda made me want more than the Glock provides.

Anyone out there ever chase the new hotness and never look back? Or did you fall back into old ways once the honeymoon wears off? Obvisouly Im not selling the 19 and can always just continue to carry it, the $900 investment into the vp9SK + mags is a big expesne for me that I try not to take lightly.

[AKDoug]

I went to the VP9 for a while. I gave it an honest shake through a summer season of weekend matches. While it was more "comfortable" in hand than my G19, I actually didn't shoot it any faster or more accurately. I haven't tried the SK model, though. My daughter had the same results, while my other daughter and wife shot the VP9 better.

[lsllc]

I have carried a VP9 on and off. It was the only gun I carried for over a year. I recently acquired a VP9SK. I shoot it much better than Glock. Only downside is the $50 magazines and deduced capacity....the ten rounders hold 11 and the 12s hold 13. That’s ok, I have quite a few magazines and losing two rounds isn’t that big of a deal.

I also bent a holster for mine.

If it suits your needs, go for it. They are excellent guns.


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[1168]

Can one of you PM me about your learning experience on homemade kydex?

[Circle_10]

I started carrying a full sized VP9 in the summer of 2015, as a replacement for the Glock 23 I had grown to hate. Originally I used a Crossbreed Snapslide for the VP, but eventually decided this holster had some real deficiencies, at least for my needs. I generally carry one spare mag, and for this I started out using the same Safariland horizontal mag carrier I had used for my G23. I ended up getting tired of having extra stuff on my belt so I moved to a SnagMag pocket magazine carrier. While it's far from perfect I do prefer it to carrying a mag on my belt.
Meanwhile on the holster front, I moved to a Raven Concealment Phantom. A much better holster in my opinion. By late 2017 I was getting sick of carrying a full sized gun and bought a VP9SK (somewhat grudgingly, but I wanted holster/mag compatibility) and by March of 2018 started carrying it instead, relegating the full sized VP9 to house gun duty and using the same Raven Phantom holster I used for the full sized VP9, and carrying a 15 and mag as a reload on the SnagMag still.
After putting almost 3500 rounds through the VP9SK, and carrying it for a while, I went back to carrying my full sized VP9 because try as I might I just can't get much better with the SK. I've never been a particularly strong pistol shooter and my lack of skill with the SK finally drove me to go back to the full sized gun because I'm better with it, though it's size is a hindrance for carry.
As far as the reliability of the VP9SK goes, in about 3500 rounds I had two malfunctions, one that may have been my fault and one that was probably my fault.
My full size has, thus far, been completely reliable.
On both guns I replaced the factory plastic striker plates with the stupid striker viewing holes with the solid aluminum replacements from HK parts. I found the holes allowed a lot of lint and crap into the gun.
My only other complaint about the VPs is I feel like they are perhaps a bit undersprung. My full-sized VP still has the old first-gen red recoil spring though. HK has since started using the same, stronger, recoil spring in the 9mm VPs as they use in the VP40s though.
And while the "weak" spring in my VP9 kinda bugs me to be fair I've never had a malfunction with it so I haven't felt hugely compelled to replace it yet.

[SeriousStudent]

Got you beat by a generation - I have been carrying the same boringly reliable Gen 2 Glock 19 for about 25 years.

If you do swap, remember that you really need a spare gun, at least a dozen mags, and both right and left handed carry gear.

(Fall and break your dominant wrist, and you will know why I said that.)

So that pistol and a few mags starts looking like a lot more money. If you shoot it loads better, rock on.

Of course, having delivering that diatribe, I'm experimenting with a Beretta Vertec tuned by Ernest Langdon. It shoots minute of eyeball, and I love this thing.

I think you touched on the important pieces - do you shoot it demonstrably better? Mags and gear are more expensive. So it's not really $900, it's honestly closer to $2K.

Are you ever going to carry AIWB? The G19 has "The Gadget", but the VP9SK does not. You could go with a P2000SK or a P30SK to get a hammer-fired gun. All of them are nice, and share mags. That's another thing to think about.

Hope that helps.

[Uni-Vibe]

I carried a compact .45 1911 for 20 years.

Then a bit of training taught me that you can get to slide lock really quick. Especially if the Gang of Four jumps on you.

So I parked the 1911 and got serious. 17+1 of 9mm in modern double stack, striker fired plastic.

[Prestonshooting]

I'm of a mind to stick with what I know best and train with the most often and so I don't like to swap out EDC handguns like ladies change their purses.

[Coal Dragger]

I can’t speak directly to the VP9SK, but my normal carry gun is a full size VP9 LE with the factory night sights.

Up until the last few months I had carried it on my strong side hip in a Comp-Tac kydex holster. Wearing a casual fit shirt would usually conceal the pistol without issue, and I don often find myself in situations where a tucked in shirt is mandatory. My personal performance with the VP9 is better than with any other striker fired pistol that I have tried. In 2016 I managed to win the pistol challenge in a Pat McNamara class with it shooting predominantly against other guys shooting Glocks. Mine came out of the box shooting to the sights out to 50 yards with the factory tritium sights. Subjectively I like how the medium grip panels feel, but I shoot the large panels and large back strap better.

The only modification to the frame I have done is installing an HK Parts match striker catch/seer spring. It cleaned up the let off just a bit, and I retained the factory trigger return spring for the nice positive trigger return. I don’t hump the reset so that’s not a huge concern, but the reset is pretty positive. I plan the have custom trigger work done later this year if possible to get rid of excessive over travel.

I also acquired a long slide kit for the pistol, and in the limited shooting I did with it the long slide proved reliable and very very accurate. Think match gun accurate. This slide is currently at Primary Machine getting milled for an Aimpoint ACRO P-1.

I have had one ammunition related malfunction with the original slide and barrel, a failure to extract. The casing was stuck so hard that I had to disassemble the pistol and punch the case out with a rod down the barrel. No idea why.

Currently carrying the pistol AIWB in a PHLster Floodlight holster. This holster is made to work with a Surefire X300U and retention is based off of the light not the pistol. Since the light sticks out well past the stock slide length I tried it with the long slide and it carried with no issues. Given the accuracy potential of the match fit barrel, I’ll probably carry the long slide from here on out assuming the ACRO on the slide doesn’t make concealment impossible. I have found AIWB comfortable and allows for concealing an outrageously large handgun with normal cover garments like a button up shirt. You can’t dress like a hipster in skinny jeans and an extra medium shirt and make it work, but if you wear normal fitting clothes it conceals just fine as long as your pants are sized for IWB/AIWB carry.

[Pappabear]

If you want to rock the HK, rock it. You will do fine with either gun. I dig the HK guns for their reliability, but many feel Glocks are the same . Either will work just fine, just rock one. Done over think it, its not a big deal.

PB