This smaller HK subcompact interests me. We have a HK thread, but I did not glean from it information on this offering. Does anyone here own and shoot the subcompact, and does anyone have opinions about it? I refer to the SA/DA choice.
This smaller HK subcompact interests me. We have a HK thread, but I did not glean from it information on this offering. Does anyone here own and shoot the subcompact, and does anyone have opinions about it? I refer to the SA/DA choice.
I’ve owned two. One was a V3 and the other a V2. I remember them being typical HK solid quality pistols that also had the benefit of using the same mags and sights as the P30/VP9. They were slightly more difficult to work on compared to the P30 due to an extra drop safety pin near the extractor, but otherwise used the same springs and parts as the P30 if I remember correctly.
I wanted to like them, but couldn’t get over a few things to really give them a fair shot: 1) the size/weight to capacity; 2) what I perceived as excessive movement under recoil that I didn’t control very well; and 3) a nearly impossible DA pull weight on the V3 (not applicable to the V2).
The first two items are common with HKs in my unprofessional experience. The way I viewed it was if you love HKs, you decide to accept them as features. The last item of DA trigger weight didn’t have a solution I could find, such as a reduced power hammer spring. I wasn’t willing to mess with cutting a factory spring down on what was going to be a carry pistol.
The V2 LEM had all the trigger/hammer benefits and challenges of the larger P30 version, without the shooting comfort. If you love P30s and the LEM though, I can’t see why it wouldn’t be a great choice. In that case, the V3 is a good choice if you want to experience the DA/SA with an option to move it to LEM when or if desired.
If the Glock 19 would have stayed stuck in Gen4; if the SCD wasn’t a thing; and if I wasn’t hooked on optics, then I probably would be carrying an LEM version of P30/P2000sk based on the quality, safety and reliability of the design.
My lgs has been receiving HK's, and I have noticed that in each the double action pull weight is much lighter than those seen last year.
Everything DEG said is spot on. Mine was V3 DA/SA and while I could get them to a very shootable trigger the SK couldn't be gotten to quite as nice of a state as the full size guns. They benefit greatly from the 13-round mag with extra finger space, and with a 15rd they're essentially a full size P30. They were a decent complement to a normal brace of P30s but I wouldn't go out of my way to get one unless I was firmly entrenched in the HK P30 "ecosystem" and just wanted some a hair smaller. On paper they seem more like a comparison to a G26 but size-wise they're dang near the size of a G19, even with the flush mag.
--Josh
“Formerly we suffered from crimes; now we suffer from laws.” - Tacitus.
I owned a P30SK LEM V1 for *checks notes* 18 months and shot 491 rounds through it, including at my first Tom Givens class in 2018.
I was shooting a VP9 in USPSA at the time, and thought it would make a good carry gun companion. It was not.
I had two issues with running the gun. One was the LEM trigger, and since you indicated you wanted the SA/DA, I'll stop there.
The other was attempting to do reloads under stress. Like, as in, Tom Givens timing you with a stopwatch stress. I did not fare well. I kept pinching my palm jamming the mag in. It was not an enjoyable experience.
Having said that: I had no malfunctions. It was accurate. It worked with a variety of mag options.
I carried it without drama, albeit being a chunky monkey, in a Mitch Rosen Upper Limit leather (high riding, straight drop OWB holster that worked well near the Appendix position, just outside the waistband.)
It will not make me popular to repeat this, but I put the P30SK in the same category as the Glock 26: old designs based on the "shortened double stack gun" idea that have been overtaken in today's CCW market space by better (better = more rounds per unit weight, or more rounds per unit sq in/width) options such as the Glock 43X/48, Sig P365/XL, Hellcat, and Shield Plus. Unless of course you have a P30 already, and want a chopped gun that will use the same mags as a reload with a X grip. That, I understand.
I will defer to others here on HKs SA/DA trigger, as I have no experience with one.
Last edited by RJ; 06-05-2021 at 01:37 PM.
Just to add some data to my comment about "weight", I've been curious enough to keep track of how many ounces per round you have to carry around with all the different guns I've owned since 2013 as an objective measure. A snip out of my spreadsheet is below.
The P30SK is near the bottom.
I carry a P30 V1 and really only carry HK because of the LEM trigger. So I won't address the trigger issues with the traditional DA variant. I rarely have to down-size to the SK but find that I can shoot it pretty well. I don't use the XGrip spacers due to the pinching mentioned earlier in the thread. The extensions I use offer different degrees of concealment. I would add that the OP could look at a P2000 as an in between size carry gun. My first HK was a P2000 and I still like it very much. It falls between the P30 and the P30SK in height. I realize there are smaller guns but the LEM is my idea of a street trigger. When I need a smaller pistol, I go to the Kahr section of the safe.
Big fan of the P2000 sk, which is a close sibling to the P30 sk. (I'd own a P30 sk but they're (generally) not available in my state.)
I've carried the P2000 sk daily for 2 years AIWB, and it's a remarkable gun. To me, the p2000 sk is a nice size between a G26 and G19, but the sk is scalable with larger mags. With the 10-round mag it's more concealable than a G19 due to it's rounded slide and shorter grip. With the pinky extension on the 10-round mag I can get a full grip on the pistol (medium sized hands). If concealment allows, I'll use the 13-round P2000 mag and an X-grip.
On timed drills the sk performs very close to the full-sized P2000 for me. Muzzle rise is noticeable but not unpleasant. The pinky extension on the 10-round mag seems to help remediate the muzzle flip by camming my hand into a position that is mechanically advantageous.
The pistol is extremely accurate and reliable. I prefer the LEM, but I'd consider a DA/SA version too, especially if a Gray Guns or Lazy Wolf trigger job was an option.
ETA: reloads are harder with the short grip, but that's a small concern of mine. If I'm doing reloads on the clock (i.e. a in a match or a class) I'll typically use a full size P2000.
Originally Posted by Mark D
Very much agreed. The P30sk squirms / swims in recoil just like the full size. The P2000sk is a different animal. It tracks evenly, and has very impressive accuracy. Haven't updated my training journal yet, but last steel shoot I had average M level runs, and missed a GM level run by .04 seconds with a sub compact LEM. I'm going to be carrying it for awhile now.
Taking a break from social media.
Despite the chronology, the P2000 SK feels like a product improved P30 SK.
Likes pretty much everything in every caliber.
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