HK VP40 Update

[Wondering Beard]

A minor thing that bugs me about the VP series is I'm truly scratching my head as to why HK decided to name the series "VP" for the US market, and "SFP" in Germany. The most frequent answer that I've seen is that "VP" stands for "Volks Pistole," or "People's Pistol," or "Value Pistol" conjuring up the images of desperately cobbled-up, last-ditch dirt cheap and easy to manufacture German pistols of questionable functionality, durability and reliability produced in the last gasps of the Third Reich. It's almost as if HK is disdainfully turning up their noses at the stench of having to make a pistol if not specifically aimed for, at least market-priced in competition with what they perceive to be mass-market pistols for the lowly plebeian masses-i.e., those whiny Americans bubbas (ok, Hans, will give 'em what they want and price it accordingly so they'll buy it to go with their jacked-up pickup trucks for the mud races, but we'll name it so the TRUE HK cognoscenti will know that it's our other pistols that have The Moral High Ground). (But for other TRUE HK users that we're marketing to and hope to win contracts from we'll give it a much more professional name-the SFP, or Striker-Fired Pistol...) A small part of me really wishes that HK had just named the darn things "SFP 9" or "SFP 40" and called it good....

The operative words here are: Third Reich.

To the best of my understanding, anything that too easily reminds Germans of the Third Reich is just a no go. It has nothing to do with "value pistol", price point (I really don't like that term), bubbas, class disdain, or anything of the kind. Quite the contrary, I've gotten to understand that HK was quite proud of having produced a high quality, comparatively inexpensive pistol for the low brow and high brow American market. It's just that 'Volks Pistole', as a name, is too much of a reminder of Germany's nazi past to be marketable in Europe.

If someone knows better, don't hesitate to correct me :-)

[Mjolnir]

The operative words here are: Third Reich.

To the best of my understanding, anything that too easily reminds Germans of the Third Reich is just a no go. It has nothing to do with "value pistol", price point (I really don't like that term), bubbas, class disdain, or anything of the kind. Quite the contrary, I've gotten to understand that HK was quite proud of having produced a high quality, comparatively inexpensive pistol for the low brow and high brow American market. It's just that 'Volks Pistole', as a name, is too much of a reminder of Germany's nazi past to be marketable in Europe.

If someone knows better, don't hesitate to correct me :-)

The Euros need to move to the 21st century. None of those nations have bloodless hands (and neither do we, for that matter).

They purchase Volkswagens so they really should not complain about a “Volks Pistole”. They also buy Bayerische Motoren Werke and Porsche, too.


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[Balisong]

Ironically, my understanding is that the VP9 slides are a bit heavier and more durable than the SFP slides, as those foolish Amerikiners are more predisposed to firing +P cartridges...


Best, Jon

This is the first I've heard this. Very interesting, but it doesn't make much sense to me. Wouldn't that mean running 2 entirely different assembly lines/machines for the slides of each? I would think it'd be way more cost effective to just make the heavier slide version and call it good.

[JonInWA]

This is the first I've heard this. Very interesting, but it doesn't make much sense to me. Wouldn't that mean running 2 entirely different assembly lines/machines for the slides of each? I would think it'd be way more cost effective to just make the heavier slide version and call it good.

Yes, apparently HK does exactly that. There are a couple of other subtle differences between the VP 9 and the SFP9, and the SFP9 is available in several more variations, including with a manual safety.

https://www.hkpro.com/forum/hk-refer...wo-models.html

So the VP9 is a stronger/probably more durable pistol, but given the platform's relatively soft triggerpull, that manual safety might be a nice option, particularly for duty/threat management use.

And yes, I still prefer the "SFP" designation over "VP"....

The weight differences between the two is also verifiable by HK's published information on their websites and catalogs. Unlike the VP9/SFP9, the VP40 and the SFP40 appear to be identical pistols, other than their designations.

Best, Jon

[raks]

I had read that the VP/SFP naming is because there is already a VP9 pistol in Germany. It's for veterinary use and is produced by Brugger & Thomet - http://modernfirearms.net/en/handgun...s/bt-vp-9-eng/

[Balisong]

Yes, apparently HK does exactly that. There are a couple of other subtle differences between the VP 9 and the SFP9, and the SFP9 is available in several more variations, including with a manual safety.

https://www.hkpro.com/forum/hk-refer...wo-models.html

So the VP9 is a stronger/probably more durable pistol, but given the platform's relatively soft triggerpull, that manual safety might be a nice option, particularly for duty/threat management use.

And yes, I still prefer the "SFP" designation over "VP"....

The weight differences between the two is also verifiable by HK's published information on their websites and catalogs. Unlike the VP9/SFP9, the VP40 and the SFP40 appear to be identical pistols, other than their designations.

Best, Jon

Man, that is crazy to me that they do that for such similar pistols! That has to cost them an insane amount of money vs doing just one slide or the other. But I agree that a thumb safety is not necessarily a bad idea on that gun. If a Gadget was possible I'd seriously consider it for an EDC gun.

[MGW]

Someone refresh my memory. Is the VP9/40 a fully tensioned striker?

[Doc_Glock]

Someone refresh my memory. Is the VP9/40 a fully tensioned striker?

Fully tensioned.

[JonInWA]

New minor update: Recently, HK Customer Service was exceptionally helpful in getting for me the proper-sized OD Green (to commemorate my Army career) side panels for my VP40. I like it, it provides a tasteful and meaningful cosmetic upgrade for me. Arguably gun Barbie-ish, but hey, it's my gun...That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

The ultimate backstrap and side-panel configuration that I empirically worked my way into on both my VP40 and P30L consist of the Small backstrap, Large left grip panel, and Small right grip panel. That provides for the best index, ergonomics and accuracy for me with both pistols.

Best, Jon

[Balisong]

Man that's making me want to shoot mine. It's been a while. I almost took it yesterday, but shot my USP compact instead.