ZAT
Member
Having spent the day cleaning out the garage, including the safe, I headed over to my local shop to sell off a rifle that hasn’t seen the light of day in a couple of years. Low and behold, what do I run across as soon a I enter the store, but an HK P30 fresh out of its UPS shipper and barely with a price tag on it. Well after some drooling, haggling, begging and groveling I came away with an even trade on the HK. If you have followed HK for a while you will know that the P30 is about as anticipated as the still upcoming HK45. The hype on both these guns has been in overdrive over the past few quarters. Needless to say, the units that have seen the shelves of dealers are going for a wide range of prices.
Depending on your location anywhere from $790-$1000 buys you:
1 gun
2 fifteen round magazines
1 large back strap
1 medium back strap (installed)
1 small back strap
1 set large side panels
1 set medium side panels (installed)
1 set small side panels
1 key for internal lock
1 P series owners manual
1 warranty card
1 HK rebranded Master gun lock
2 spent cases
1 small bag desiccant
Out of the box the gun was literally dripping in lubricant. I am willing to bet that HK owns stock in some lube company
As soon as I got home I took the thing apart and spent a LOOOONG time cleaning out the grease and oil form the various nooks and crannies. Disassembly is simple:
Retract slide until the tab on the slide stop aligns with the take down notch on the slide.
The neat thing about locating the take down notch so far forward on the slide is that it is impossible to disassemble the gun with a round in the chamber.
You then push out the slide stop lever from right to left until the tab clears the slide and it locks in place.
This is as far as the lever goes as it stays attached to the frame after disassembly, which is very nice as it leaves one less loose part to misplace.
The slide then comes off to the front as with any other handgun. Below are some pics of the gun after disassembly.
After spending considerable time trying to get all the goop out of the gun, all the while wishing I had bought some gun scrubber to hose the thing down with, I got it back together and had a chance to inspect and dry fire the crap out of it. Fit and finish is above average for the most part. Exterior surfaces have no machining marks visible, but the inside of the slide where some of the reliefs are cut you can see slight marks. “Bluing” is even through out the gun, with the exception of the slide stop levers. These look like they are worn at the edges. Not really bad, but also not what one would expect from a gun commanding premium prices. Side to frame fit is pretty tight,. You can barely feel any movement in the slide either side to side or up and down. Lock up is also very tight. About the only thing that is loose is the slide stop lever on the right side of the gun which hs a good amount of play.
Size wise the gun is definitely a compact with a full sized frame. Below are some pics of the P30 next to my MP9, G21SF and the MP9 mag.
The pictures, however, don’t do it justice wrt ergonomics. The P30 is probably one of the most comfortable guns that I have held. I would rate it better than the MP series simply because of the ability to separately adjust the with and length of the grip. You can mix and match the various panels and straps to get just the right feel for your hand and shooting style. For me, because of the DA/SA transition I ended up with the medium back strap coupled with the large side panels. This offers me a good purchase on the gun and still allows me to reach the DA trigger without having some huge grip transition to the SA trigger. Below are some measurements of how the various panels effect trigger reach and circumference. Trigger reach for all panels when measured horizontally form the center of the trigger to the back strap is 2.9”(DA) and 2.5” (SA). Grip circumference was measured at the middle finger groove.
Small back strap and panels: 5 5/8”
Medium back strap and panels: 5 3/4”
Large back strap and panels: 6 1/4”
Say want you will about the Spider Man grips, but they work. They offer very good grip without being abrasive. I will preface this that all shooting was done at an indoor range. While there was no AC in the place, it still isn’t the same as sweating buckets outdoors. Also, many people have complained about the addition of the finger grooves. While they are there I did not even notice them. About the only negative I can add about the grips is the fit of the back strap. If you hold the frame in one hand and move the upper end of the straps they wiggle. My guess is somewhere around .005”-.010”. I am surprised that our German friends didn’t incorporate some tab/dowel to fix this end of the strap as well. I will add that I could not feel the strap shift during firing or handling of the gun, so this is probably a non issue.
Trigger is your standard DA/SA jobber. DA trigger pull feels to be around 12# and the SA pull measured a consistent 5.5# out of the box. DA travel measures around .70” while the SA travel is around .25”. These measurements do not include any pre or over travel. I am estimating that these are both around .10-.15”. Trigger reset is very long at .40” from full travel to reset. There is a bit of stacking on the DA side of things, but the break is pretty predictable. On the SA side of things there is a bit of creep, but again the break is predictable. I would love to see an over travel stop incorporated like the USP match series, but then this is a duty gun, not a comp gun…yet
Sights are standard 3 dot with a .140 front mated to a .155 rear notch. They are coated with Superluminova and appear yellow instead of white. The SL is a neat touch, but I would rate it only slightly better than nothing. The sights work as needed. The post to notch ratio allows for enough light for quick sight picture, but also for finer shots to be placed. I would have preferred a wider notch, but them my eyes aren’t what they used to be.
After a few days of dry firing I finally managed to get to the range and put a few rounds through her. Below is a list of ammo used all of which was 115 FMJ
Winchester WB 150 rds
Monarch 100 rds
CCI Blazer 100 rds
PMC 50 rds
Sellier&Bellot 200 rds
Total round count 600 rds.
I began the day with the Monarch, since my MP9 loves the stuff. The HK did not like it at the onset. It is pretty soft shooting stuff and I experienced 3 stove pipes out of the first magazine. I went through the rest of the ammo with no further malfunctions, including the rest of the Monarch. The gun is a very soft shooter. Recoil is pretty mild and very manageable. I would put it on par with the MP9 as far as controllability and feel goes. I didn’t really shoot it for accuracy, but when I did my part I was able to put together some very tight clover leafs. I also didn’t have an PD ammo to run through it, but will do so at the next outing.
So what is the conclusion you may ask. Well it’s a great little gun. Great ergonomics. Seems to be a pretty good shooter which will improve with some dry firing. Over all, I think that it will fit in great as an EDC gun. However, I would not run out and spend the exorbitant prices that these guns are getting right now. I don’t regret making the trade on it, but I would wait till the supply side of the equation catches up with the hype and prices settle down a bit. The biggest bummer about the whole thing is that it leaves one Jonesing for the HK45 even more.
Depending on your location anywhere from $790-$1000 buys you:
1 gun
2 fifteen round magazines
1 large back strap
1 medium back strap (installed)
1 small back strap
1 set large side panels
1 set medium side panels (installed)
1 set small side panels
1 key for internal lock
1 P series owners manual
1 warranty card
1 HK rebranded Master gun lock
2 spent cases
1 small bag desiccant
Out of the box the gun was literally dripping in lubricant. I am willing to bet that HK owns stock in some lube company
As soon as I got home I took the thing apart and spent a LOOOONG time cleaning out the grease and oil form the various nooks and crannies. Disassembly is simple:Retract slide until the tab on the slide stop aligns with the take down notch on the slide.
The neat thing about locating the take down notch so far forward on the slide is that it is impossible to disassemble the gun with a round in the chamber.
You then push out the slide stop lever from right to left until the tab clears the slide and it locks in place.
This is as far as the lever goes as it stays attached to the frame after disassembly, which is very nice as it leaves one less loose part to misplace.
The slide then comes off to the front as with any other handgun. Below are some pics of the gun after disassembly.
After spending considerable time trying to get all the goop out of the gun, all the while wishing I had bought some gun scrubber to hose the thing down with, I got it back together and had a chance to inspect and dry fire the crap out of it. Fit and finish is above average for the most part. Exterior surfaces have no machining marks visible, but the inside of the slide where some of the reliefs are cut you can see slight marks. “Bluing” is even through out the gun, with the exception of the slide stop levers. These look like they are worn at the edges. Not really bad, but also not what one would expect from a gun commanding premium prices. Side to frame fit is pretty tight,. You can barely feel any movement in the slide either side to side or up and down. Lock up is also very tight. About the only thing that is loose is the slide stop lever on the right side of the gun which hs a good amount of play.
Size wise the gun is definitely a compact with a full sized frame. Below are some pics of the P30 next to my MP9, G21SF and the MP9 mag.
The pictures, however, don’t do it justice wrt ergonomics. The P30 is probably one of the most comfortable guns that I have held. I would rate it better than the MP series simply because of the ability to separately adjust the with and length of the grip. You can mix and match the various panels and straps to get just the right feel for your hand and shooting style. For me, because of the DA/SA transition I ended up with the medium back strap coupled with the large side panels. This offers me a good purchase on the gun and still allows me to reach the DA trigger without having some huge grip transition to the SA trigger. Below are some measurements of how the various panels effect trigger reach and circumference. Trigger reach for all panels when measured horizontally form the center of the trigger to the back strap is 2.9”(DA) and 2.5” (SA). Grip circumference was measured at the middle finger groove.
Small back strap and panels: 5 5/8”
Medium back strap and panels: 5 3/4”
Large back strap and panels: 6 1/4”
Say want you will about the Spider Man grips, but they work. They offer very good grip without being abrasive. I will preface this that all shooting was done at an indoor range. While there was no AC in the place, it still isn’t the same as sweating buckets outdoors. Also, many people have complained about the addition of the finger grooves. While they are there I did not even notice them. About the only negative I can add about the grips is the fit of the back strap. If you hold the frame in one hand and move the upper end of the straps they wiggle. My guess is somewhere around .005”-.010”. I am surprised that our German friends didn’t incorporate some tab/dowel to fix this end of the strap as well. I will add that I could not feel the strap shift during firing or handling of the gun, so this is probably a non issue.
Trigger is your standard DA/SA jobber. DA trigger pull feels to be around 12# and the SA pull measured a consistent 5.5# out of the box. DA travel measures around .70” while the SA travel is around .25”. These measurements do not include any pre or over travel. I am estimating that these are both around .10-.15”. Trigger reset is very long at .40” from full travel to reset. There is a bit of stacking on the DA side of things, but the break is pretty predictable. On the SA side of things there is a bit of creep, but again the break is predictable. I would love to see an over travel stop incorporated like the USP match series, but then this is a duty gun, not a comp gun…yet
Sights are standard 3 dot with a .140 front mated to a .155 rear notch. They are coated with Superluminova and appear yellow instead of white. The SL is a neat touch, but I would rate it only slightly better than nothing. The sights work as needed. The post to notch ratio allows for enough light for quick sight picture, but also for finer shots to be placed. I would have preferred a wider notch, but them my eyes aren’t what they used to be.
After a few days of dry firing I finally managed to get to the range and put a few rounds through her. Below is a list of ammo used all of which was 115 FMJ
Winchester WB 150 rds
Monarch 100 rds
CCI Blazer 100 rds
PMC 50 rds
Sellier&Bellot 200 rds
Total round count 600 rds.
I began the day with the Monarch, since my MP9 loves the stuff. The HK did not like it at the onset. It is pretty soft shooting stuff and I experienced 3 stove pipes out of the first magazine. I went through the rest of the ammo with no further malfunctions, including the rest of the Monarch. The gun is a very soft shooter. Recoil is pretty mild and very manageable. I would put it on par with the MP9 as far as controllability and feel goes. I didn’t really shoot it for accuracy, but when I did my part I was able to put together some very tight clover leafs. I also didn’t have an PD ammo to run through it, but will do so at the next outing.
So what is the conclusion you may ask. Well it’s a great little gun. Great ergonomics. Seems to be a pretty good shooter which will improve with some dry firing. Over all, I think that it will fit in great as an EDC gun. However, I would not run out and spend the exorbitant prices that these guns are getting right now. I don’t regret making the trade on it, but I would wait till the supply side of the equation catches up with the hype and prices settle down a bit. The biggest bummer about the whole thing is that it leaves one Jonesing for the HK45 even more.
