HK P7

[Silvershadow]

Over the weekend I had the chance to handle an HK P7 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heckler_%26_Koch_P7) I found it to be quite strange and I was wondering who else has played with this gun and what you think.

[Tamara]

It used to be my ultimate dream gun; I've owned two P7M8s. I had to sell the first one due to a financial crisis after my motorcycle wreck back in '00 and I cried like a pet had died, which is messed up in retrospect.

Holsters, mags, and accessories are scarce. They get blistering hot from all the gas being vented into the frame above the trigger guard if you shoot the way folks around here do, and the little plastic "heat shield" on the M8/M13 is a joke. They are packed full of itty-bitty toaster parts.

They're reliable and mechanically accurate, but so are lots of other guns.

The main thing is that they are scarce, unusual, expensive, and still carry that 1337 HK vibe. If they were chambered in .41AE or .357SIG, they'd be the perfect gun hipster gun. "Do you know what kind of pistol I'm carrying? Never mind, it's pretty obscure; you've probably never heard of it anyway..."

For the kind of person who carries a gun to make a statement, a P7M13 makes a statement better than anything this side of a $3k custom 1911 or a Mk23. On the upside, you get to post at a web forum called the "Cult of the P7", where coolness is measured by the funkiness of the finish on your gun and the number of spare mags you own, rather than the number of rounds you've put through it.

OBLIGATORY GUN SNOB OLEG VOLK BEAUTY SHOT OF MY OLD P7M8 WITH >$1500 POCKET KNIFE:

1340

[secondstoryguy]

I have a buddy who loves P7s and subsequently have had a lot of trigger time on them. He still has the first P7M13 he purchased 10-12 years ago and has basically used/abused/tried to kill it with no luck...it just keeps going. They seem to be accurate, reliable, and due to the squeeze-cock (phrasing!) action the triggers are very nice. The weight of the gun and low bore axis also makes them shoot soft. My only complaints: they get hot after longer strings of fire(don't have any illusions of the little plastic guard thing helping with this) and the heavy frame-shorter barrel/slide makes them a little awkward to carry as they tend to not be as stable in holsters.

[TCinVA]

Over the weekend I had the chance to handle an HK P7 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heckler_%26_Koch_P7) I found it to be quite strange and I was wondering who else has played with this gun and what you think.

One of the most interesting and innovative handguns ever designed...and one I have a particular attraction to.

Because of the design, the pistol heats up like a soldering iron if you shoot it a lot. By "a lot" I mean more than a box or two of ammo in short order and it gets uncomfortable to hold. Some years ago I was in a course with a gentleman who carried a P7M13, the double-stack variant of the pistol. He had three of them with him, and while most of us were reloading magazines he was cycling through pistols. He had to in order to keep up with the tempo of the course.

They have, generally speaking, amazing triggers and outstanding mechanical accuracy.

Extremely low bore axis will sometimes bite larger mammals like myself, although not as reliably as Glocks.

They're probably one of the most expensive handguns ever produced, which is one reason why they were discontinued. The weapons themselves are stupid expensive thanks to avid HK collectors. Spare magazines for the high-capacity models are stupid, stupid expensive.

Being all steel guns, they tend to be quite heavy for their size...but their compact size is great as a weapon for concealment.

For someone who has unlimited resources, getting a few P7M13's and a sizeable quantity of spare magazines would leave them with a very nice, compact, reliable brace of pistols they could carry and take through a class. For the person on a limited budget and looking for a carry piece, the P7 family of pistols is a terrible idea.

You know me and the stupid lengths I'm willing to go to get my hands on a gun I have the hots for...and yet I have no P7's. This, as Ken Hackathorn is fond of saying, is a clue.

Once I hit the lotto all bets are off.

[ffhounddog]

The one HK that I want more than my P30 and P2000sk. For some odd reason whenever I shoot them or find them at a gun store I want it. Then I give it a week and I am still thinking about it. It is like my SW3913, great little gun that people want and will pay a premium to get and when you get it you do not want to give it up no matter if it is going into the safe.

I still want one because it is that good. Carrying it you would need a good suspemsion system they are a little on the buff side.

[1986s4]

I used to shoot with several guys who used P-7's to great effect, IDPA, USPSA and for carry. Most of them had several due to the heating effect as already discussed. But P-7's also break and parts are hard to find. By the time I left the area all of them had stopped using them as game and training guns. Now using Glocks or 1911's.

I always wanted one, still do. I want a SIG P-210 too but unless I win the lottery....

[JV_]

I'm glad that FredM had one, so I could shoot a mag or two through it - and hand it back.

[JonInWA]

I had my local gunshop order me a P7 back in the late '90's; expecting a P7M8, I actually ended up with one of the last production revised P7 PSPs-just dumb luck, no foresight on my part. What I DID have the foresight to do was order it with enough magazines....

In some respects, it certainly was a great gun-beautiful trigger, exceptionally flat, slim profile, reliability, excellent sights, easy take-down, superb accuracy. But then there was the very odd weight displacement, making comfortable holstering exceptionally difficult-I has a Kramer 1 1/2 horsehide IWB made up for it, but it just never felt "right" in carrying. There was the excessive heat build up issue others have mentioned-but frankly, that was more of a gun-game/recreational/hard training issue, not really a defensive use issue-but it still was a bit of an irritating idiosyncrisity. Parts/magazine availability and expense is another negative factor, and will only worsen over time due to its discontinuation.

Probably the most serious issue I had was its manual of arms. I was efficient, but so unique that if you were carrying a P7 for serious use, you really in my opinion needed to make it almost your sole defensive firearm to build up the unique muscle memories needed. The killer for me was an accidental, but still in retrospect negligent discharge I had after cleaning and re-loading for carry use. I wasn't ready to make it my sole "serious" gun, and that caught me. Beautiful gun, aesthetically and mechanically, but I sold it to a friend who to this day cherishes it.

And yes, back in that day I also had a Walther P5, P88 and a SIG P-210-6...

Best, Jon

[Sparks2112]

I actually have a scar on the middle finger of my right hand from a P7m13 burn. Probably my favorite handgun ever but as others stated they carry oddly due to the short muzzle / heavy butt. If I won the lottery I'd get a tactical version of this (http://www.hkpro.com/forum/hk-handgun-talk/104214-mythical-long-slide-p7m13-revealed-ggi-warning-picture-heavy.html) made. Then I'd bribe Spencer to make me a keepers for it. If I won A LOT of money I'd get HK to make a polymer version.

[TCinVA]

I always wanted one, still do. I want a SIG P-210 too but unless I win the lottery....

I've spent an embarrassing amount of time looking at P210's on Gunbroker.

[LSP972]

One of the most interesting and innovative handguns ever designed...and one I have a particular attraction to.

.

Agreed. With a proper holster, it is a great carry piece (and suitable for mexican in a pinch). Shootability is unsurpassed, as is accuracy.

But I have had two break on me after just moderate use; one firing pin bushing, and one drop safety spring.

That was enough; I got them fixed and sold 'em. It was a shame really, because both were very nice pieces; one a heeler that had been NP3'ed, and a Black T'ed M8.

But I simply didn't trust them anymore.

.

[Tamara]

But I have had two break on me after just moderate use; one firing pin bushing, and one drop safety spring.

My downstairs neighbor at my last residence had the FP safety spring on his P7M8 fail on him. He found this out when he was saddling up for the day; standing in front of his gun safe, he dropped the slide and there was a *BANG!*

Scrupulous adherence to the Four Rules prevented any harm to anything other than the wall, but his daughter in the office maybe eight feet away and myself in the next room were awful startled.

I ran back into the room and he was still holding the pistol, shaking his head and saying "I could swear my finger was right here on the frame like this but I guess I must have touched the trigger and not realized it and then jerked my finger back onto the frame..."

It wasn't 'til a couple minutes later when I found the empty case, which was all swollen in the back half, showing it had only been half-chambered when it discharged from a slam-fire, that he let himself off the hook.

He sent the gun to work with me, where we did the HK customer service dance (this was late '03 or early '04) for a couple months until our 'smith gave up and just wound a custom spring to replace the broken one.

[Kyle Reese]

I'm glad that FredM had one, so I could shoot a mag or two through it - and hand it back.

I've owned the P7M8 and the PSP over the years. Once I got serious about training with a handgun they were both relegated to novelty status, and henceforth sold off for more 9mm training ammo.

Very well made / engineered weapons, but they're very heavy for an 8 round single stack 9mm, and at the end of the day my Glock 17's fit my lifestyle and training needs better.

[Clyde from Carolina]

I'm one of the P7 lovers. They are everything that's already been covered: a brilliant design that makes it very reactive, fast and ambidextrous ; easy to shoot with great triggers, über reliable with proper ammo.; super slim and easy to carry; heats up quickly with shooting.(Take two to the range, let one cool, alternate. Or take THREE to the high volume shooting class as already said.)

I've been shooting and carrying them for years, willing to trade their peculiar negatives for the all the positives. Today it's true that parts are getting harder to source and are expensive, but they are out there. The good news is the mags last a long, long time and the major parts rarely break (but yeah, they can and do.) Here's a quote from Bruce Gray of Gray Guns, former HK P7 competitive shooter and super P7 'smith on parts breakage and replacing parts on high round count P7s over at HK Pro:

"Hi! Saw this old thread and thought I'd comment. It's an interesting story. The drop safety catch breakage issue we discovered in our pistols was simply made clearly evident by the immense amount of shooting we were doing. I fired well over 200,000 rounds though my M13-LSC's in a bit less than three years. No one was firing or handling individual P7's more than I and my fellow HK Team mates were, so we saw issues reguarly that NJSP and others were seeing only sporadically. Thanks to our experience, I was able to assist Herr Schumacher in redesigning the drop safety catch and trigger bar to attenuate this issue. Problem solved. BTW, in all those rounds, most of them at 175 PF, I had very few real problems and no major breakages of slides, frames, barrels, gas pistons and so forth. Never broke a drag lever, a trigger bar, or even a spring. Just drop safety catches and extractors, pretty much. What a great weapon! -Bruce"

http://www.hkpro.com/forum/hk-handgun-talk/75325-have-you-seen-p7.html



One of the posters here, Nyeti, is a true SME on these guns (and a lot of others) and wrote the single best article I've seen on the P7 series. Somebody scanned the whole thing from Surefire Combat Tactics and it is here on page five of this thread at HK Pro:

http://www.hkpro.com/forum/hk-handgun-talk/125890-hk-p7-article-5.html


Nyeti calls these guns enthusiast pistols and I think that nails it. They are like the 1911 today: great guns with wonderful qualities, IF you are willing to learn them to use them to best advantage, and higher maintenance than a Glock. P7 also has a host of outdated/peculiar features. These days everybody is probably better off with a (good) Glock or SIG or polymer HK or other plastic fantastic gun for their hard use, high round count training and and hard use duty/service/carry guns. Let's face it, most folks weren't doing 2,000 round challenges or 50,000 round count endurance tests in the early 1980s when the P7 was state of the art.

I must say however, I still use the P7 frequently for carry since it is so sinfully flat, easy to shoot, and particulary well-suited for appendix carry. That and they tend to WORK and run right out of the box, something a lot of 1911 owners can't claim without dropping money on 'smithing - (and hey, for that matter, something too many Gen 3 and Gen 4 Glock owners wish they could say.)

Like Tamara said, there are definitely guys out there with P7s who have them for the cachet of ownership and the "bet you don't have one of these rare beasts" factor. There's also a number of P7 owners who are simply aficionados of the pistol and who have practical needs as well as epicurean tendencies the P7 appeals to...they are great guns for these folks. :cool:

[Tamara]

That and they tend to WORK and run right out of the box, something a lot of 1911 owners can't claim without dropping money on 'smithing...

Any 1911 in the price class of an M13 is as likely to work right out of the box as the HK is.

[Clyde from Carolina]

Any 1911 in the price class of an M13 is as likely to work right out of the box as the HK is.

Probably true today, but not so much in 1981 or 1987. :-) and I've always been a cheap SOB who never paid more than about 800 bucks for a P7- buy them gently used and let somebody else take the depreciation hit. Now of course, prices are in the stratosphere. But there were a bunch of perfectly good police trade-in PSPs on the market at gimme prices the past few years. My faves- easy to buy, great shooters. (I prefer the PSPs these days as I find them optimal for IWB.)

[Tamara]

Probably true today, but not so much in 1981 or 1987. :-)

Yet another reason, besides the hairstyles, that I'm glad that decade is long behind us. :p

[1986s4]

I've spent an embarrassing amount of time looking at P210's on Gunbroker.

I with ya' brother...

[Drang]

...they tend to WORK and run right out of the box, something a lot of 1911 owners can't claim without dropping money on 'smithing - (and hey, for that matter, something too many Gen 3 and Gen 4 Glock owners wish they could say.)


Any 1911 in the price class of an M13 is as likely to work right out of the box as the HK is.


Probably true today, but not so much in 1981 or 1987.

In 1984, Happy Herbie tried to sell me a P7. I got a Combat Commander instead. Except for a grip screw bushing coming loose, the only problems I've had with it have been ammo-related. Even feeds hollow points. FWIW.

I do think about his personal, fancy-schmancy, Robar'd (?) P7 a lot, though. (Was Robar refinishing guns back then?)

[2alpha-down0]

A P7M8 was my first handgun and I carried it until last June. They're interesting handguns but I wound up selling it in December, and I don't really miss it.

It was a compact gun that shot like a full-size, well-suited for 4:00 IWB, with a passable trigger, great ergonomics and great accuracy. But...

-Heavy for size and capacity. With the right gear, this isn't a big issue for carry, but it's a consideration.
-Expensive. Gun is expensive, parts are expensive, mags are expensive.
-Rust-prone. The smallest amount of moisture will rust this thing. Wipe-downs and surface rust removal twice a week or more during the summer were the norm. This was my biggest problem with the gun; I don't abuse my carry guns but I shouldn't have to baby them to keep from doing permanent damage. An aftermarket finish is a necessity if you want it as a carry gun.
-Heat. For carry it's not an issue, but for training, competition, and even casual practice it is a significant hindrance. The heat shield on the M8/M10/M13 models is a joke and does virtually nothing. A good thumbs-forward grip puts your support-hand thumb up against the hottest part of the gun. I had to shoot with gloves, because 50 somewhat-rapid rounds with bare hands and you will be hating life.

[YVK]

Despite my deep sentimental attachment to P7M8, which was my first handgun, and my appreciation of fine engineering of it, I sold mine last year for the reasons that were enumerated by many posters above.

[blake_g]

I have a pair of P7 PSP's and love the ergo's on them enough that I picked up a CompTac 2 O'Clock for them. While I don't have the trigger time that Bruce or Darryl does, I do have considerable and find that for the average IDPA type endeavor they are quite sufficient but do fall down a bit for high round-count IPSC stages.

Where they really shine is in concealed carry, and they are quite honestly one of the few that I feel truly comfortable carrying AIWB.

Having said all that, I've converted over pretty much to straight M&P although I certainly will keep the PSP's...

[TGS]

You guys mentioning how great the P7 is for AIWB..........this is something that is completely opposite to what I've always heard. I also always figured it would suck for AIWB as it would have to be mounted super high over the belt, lest you need to take the gun out significantly before you can actually have a full grip (the grip-cocker sticking out below the belt-line causing this). This was my experience with owning a P7. Obviously this isn't a problem when carried with an FBI cant on or behind the hip.

What holsters are you guys using to AIWB the P7?

[Clyde from Carolina]

You guys mentioning how great the P7 is for AIWB..........this is something that is completely opposite to what I've always heard. I also always figured it would suck for AIWB as it would have to be mounted super high over the belt, lest you need to take the gun out significantly before you can actually have a full grip (the grip-cocker sticking out below the belt-line causing this). This was my experience with owning a P7. Obviously this isn't a problem when carried with an FBI cant on or behind the hip.

What holsters are you guys using to AIWB the P7?

Good question. I have a TT Gunleather AIWB rig on the way, but as much as I hate to admit it, my most-used AIWB rig for the P7 is a Wild Bill extreme heat. Now, I got this years ago because I live pretty close to bills shop. I needed a holster, like yesterday, to qualify with... and that is all he had. It is made for a P7M8 and of course is designed for behind the hip three or 4 o'clock carry. Now I will agree it is far from optimal, but I have used that rig For appendox carry at 12:30 for years and it works beautifully well.

I have never had a problem with the gun shifting out of place too much, or the butt-heavy nature of the P7 being an issue in my Wild Bill's holster.



No, the extreme heat would not be my first choice for a really hight round count shooting school, nor would that pistol be; but both for deep concealment and comfort it is great. You have to use a pinch draw to access the weapon, and it rides low. But personally I rather like that in a concealment (not range use) rig for AIWB.


Matt Del Fatti told me recently he has an AIWB design that works well for the P7, a recent design; however, he is close to six months out on taking new orders. That's about the norm with Del Fatti. I have a regular IWB (ISP-4) for the P7 that Matt made and it is a work of art. So long story short, from a safety standpoint, and a speed standpoint, in my humble opinion the P7 is great as an appendix gun. Finding a holster for it though can be tricky if not downright difficult. But I know that it works because I've done it and have done it for years.

Edit: I will also add this. I think the extreme heat would probably suck as a regular behind the hip IWB holster! That is where the short-barreled slide of the P7 bites you in the butt. Because there is a tendency to work its way out of your waistband if you move around a lot. In my experience at least, in appendix carry at 12:30, the gun just tends to stay put, at least for me, better than it does behind the hip. I have "Mex" carried there a lot too, at 12:30, with and without a simple 550 cord string holster also. And for me at least, it tends to stay put in that location. As always YMMV.

[YVK]

You guys mentioning how great the P7 is for AIWB..........this is something that is completely opposite to what I've always heard. I also always figured it would suck for AIWB as it would have to be mounted super high over the belt, lest you need to take the gun out significantly before you can actually have a full grip (the grip-cocker sticking out below the belt-line causing this). This was my experience with owning a P7. Obviously this isn't a problem when carried with an FBI cant on or behind the hip.

What holsters are you guys using to AIWB the P7?


Mirrors my experience. Clearance for squeeze cocker, heavy frame and butt sitting high because of squeezer, and short slide made it pretty lousy aiwb for my tastes. I used shaggy which has worked well for me for four other types of pistols. Nyeti has my shaggy now, I wonder how it has panned out for him.

[David Armstrong]

I tried the P7, and my problem was that as long as I was using other handguns I found I had an embarrasment of negligent discharges with the P7. So if I had a P7 it would have to be the ONLY handgun I used. Since it is not, I do not have any P7s as I do not feel safe handling them.

[Tamara]

I tried the P7, and my problem was that as long as I was using other handguns I found I had an embarrasment of negligent discharges with the P7.

How do you have an ND with a P7 that you wouldn't have with, say, a Glock or M&P? Even with the squeezer squoze, you still have to put your finger in the guard and actively press to the rear to make the weapon discharge.

Sure, some agencies had that issue, but that's because inadequately trained officers were running around with their finger on the trigger and then squeezed the grip... If they'll do that, they'll ventilate the scenery with the Austrian plastic, too.

[LtDave]

Carried a PSP for several years working plain clothes in the late '80’s and again in the late '90’s. During those periods, it was the only auto pistol I carried. Used a DeSantis Speed Scabbard that had a pretty significant rake to it. I was very happy with that rig. I no longer carry a 9mm, so it has been retired. I would be real concerned about parts availability if still actively carrying one. I discovered Glocks late, but found I could shoot a G19 just as well and got 7 more rounds and a lighter gun in the bargain. Picked up an M8 and an M13 before prices went nuts. The M13 is a brick, and doesn't fit my average size hand at all.

[1slow]

Had 4 P7M8s, 1PSP.
M8s had parts breakage under light use 2 of 4 down at one time. PSP was more durable, no Idea why. Sold them all. I would do something else buying now. Of course I sold most of my 1911s too.
Still have 22 M8 mags I should sell.

[Kyle Reese]

Still have 22 M8 mags I should sell.

The proceeds will go a long way towards funding any new handgun platform. :)

[JodyH]

How do you have an ND with a P7 that you wouldn't have with, say, a Glock or M&P? Even with the squeezer squoze, you still have to put your finger in the guard and actively press to the rear to make the weapon discharge.

Sure, some agencies had that issue, but that's because inadequately trained officers were running around with their finger on the trigger and then squeezed the grip... If they'll do that, they'll ventilate the scenery with the Austrian plastic, too.
The difference is the P7 requires you to squeeze 3 out of 4 fingers before it's ready to shoot.
I've personally witnessed a ND immediately after a reload.
Yes, it was due to having his finger on the trigger.
But the other 3 fingers squeezing to drop the slide were contributing factors.
As a IPSC/IDPA RO I catch guys reloading with their finger on the trigger all the time, rarely does it result in a ND.
Of course the other 3 fingers are usually relaxed and the thumb is doing the work on a traditional pistol reload, hence less chance of a sympathetic response from the trigger finger.

I have also witnessed a ND from a Walther P99 on a IDPA reload with retention.
The combination of adrenaline, fat trigger finger activating the paddle style release and a super short SA trigger resulted in a round through the barricade.
:cool:

[David Armstrong]

How do you have an ND with a P7 that you wouldn't have with, say, a Glock or M&P? Even with the squeezer squoze, you still have to put your finger in the guard and actively press to the rear to make the weapon discharge.
Perhaps it has to do with the fact that the trigger pull on the P7 is small fraction of what the trigger pull is on my Glock, both in distance and weight? I've never had an ND with one of my Glocks, which are all equipped with the NY-1 trigger. I have had multiple NDs with the P7. So apparently I regularly have NDs with P7s that I would not have with a Glock. Can't address the M&P as I haven't used it much....unless you are talking about the pre-Model 10!:D

[JonInWA]

The difference is the P7 requires you to squeeze 3 out of 4 fingers before it's ready to shoot.
I've personally witnessed a ND immediately after a reload.
Yes, it was due to having his finger on the trigger.
But the other 3 fingers squeezing to drop the slide were contributing factors.
As a IPSC/IDPA RO I catch guys reloading with their finger on the trigger all the time, rarely does it result in a ND.
Of course the other 3 fingers are usually relaxed and the thumb is doing the work on a traditional pistol reload, hence less chance of a sympathetic response from the trigger finger.

I have also witnessed a ND from a Walther P99 on a IDPA reload with retention.
The combination of adrenaline, fat trigger finger activating the paddle style release and a super short SA trigger resulted in a round through the barricade.
:cool:

Yep. And that, ultimately, was the P7 retention-killer for me; the sympathetic response (combined with being somewhat tired from a day's work plus a match plus cleaning, lubing, reassembling and reloading plus the very light P7's triggerpull, with no real hesitation prior to break as I recall...).

Again, the P7 is a great gun-but one demanding inordinate attention and dedication to the point of exclusivity. In my eyes, they're certainly a viable defensive weapon, but one significantly superseded/rendered obsolescent by such guns as Glock, subsequent HK polymer framed developments, M&P, et al.


Best, Jon

[Tamara]

The difference is the P7 requires you to squeeze 3 out of 4 fingers before it's ready to shoot.
I've personally witnessed a ND immediately after a reload.
Yes, it was due to having his finger on the trigger.
But the other 3 fingers squeezing to drop the slide were contributing factors.

Okay, I can see launching one over the berm during a flustered reload under pressure if one's trigger finger gets a case of the dumbs and doesn't vacate the trigger. In my mind's eye I'm always perfectly safe, but I'm sure a camera would show that I've left a finger there during a reload or two at some point in my life.

[BillB]

How do you have an ND with a P7 that you wouldn't have with, say, a Glock or M&P? Even with the squeezer squoze, you still have to put your finger in the guard and actively press to the rear to make the weapon discharge.

Sure, some agencies had that issue, but that's because inadequately trained officers were running around with their finger on the trigger and then squeezed the grip... If they'll do that, they'll ventilate the scenery with the Austrian plastic, too.

[BillB]

How do you have an ND with a P7 that you wouldn't have with, say, a Glock or M&P? Even with the squeezer squoze, you still have to put your finger in the guard and actively press to the rear to make the weapon discharge.

Sure, some agencies had that issue, but that's because inadequately trained officers were running around with their finger on the trigger and then squeezed the grip... If they'll do that, they'll ventilate the scenery with the Austrian plastic, too.

I have to agree. I have seen plenty of folks launch a round downrange (thankfully) because they had their finger on the trigger when the slide went forward

I have had a PSP for almost 10 years and have never had a ND with thousands of rounds downrange. It is the one pistol I own that I can walk away from for months and come back and shoot it well. I almost always have it in the bag when I take out a new shooter and it is invariably the weapon of choice for that newbie. I like the fact that it is one of those weapons you can grab and jam in your belt or pocket without concerns about the tirggerguard being covered

They are not perfect.....but they act like it!

And I also gave it the greatest testimonial of all....I presented my daughter the (soon to be ) Army Nurse with a PSP for her birthday

[Rappahannock]

I wanted to like my P7M8. When I couldn't see the sights, I got night sights installed, and when the thin finish started to bother me, I had the thing done in NP3. Try though I may, I just couldn't get past the weight / capacity ratio and the heat generated. At the time, I had a long drive to get to somewhere I could practice, and when I went, I wanted to shoot, not burn my hand up. Sadly, I had to part ways with my wonderfully engineered German beauty. It was for the best, but damn, that was a nice pistol.

1350
1351

[Jim Watson]

I tried hard to like the P7, but ran into trouble with the manual of arms. If I shot nothing else, I did ok, but if a Colt (GC, Commander, Detective Special and Python were my main handguns in those days) got involved I would go kind of nuts and revert to a pump action. That is, I would ease and re-squeeze every shot. Pecuilar, but that is the way my reflexes worked. Hide the Colts and shoot nothing but H&K for about three weeks and I would get into the right frame of mind and do it properly. Even then, I worried about the draw. Take a firing grip on a P7 in the holster and you have a cocked and unlocked gun still in the holster. Sure, trigger finger control and all that, but it still made me uncomfortable with my history of guns with either manual safeties or double actions. I developed kind of a plucking motion on the draw that was safe in my mind but not as fast or positive. So I sold the P7 and moved on.