Heckler & Koch P30

[Junkball]

I picked up a very lightly used H&K P30 off Gunbroker a few weeks ago for about $700. Round count so far is up to around 200, mostly Magtech, Brown Bear(!) -dirty as a mofo), some surplus NATO 9 MM stuff, a few Gold Dot 124gr, and some Speer Lawman FMJ

Comes with a nice case

I can't wait till it breaks...

Bottom line: once again, HK customer service sends the message to all of us in the USofA --- "YOU SUCK AND WE HATE YOU" ...

I'm sure I'll be coming back like a black-eyed stepwife though.

Jeff at pistol-training.com seems to think otherwise, however. He put his through a 50,000 round torture test, now up to 61k rounds

http://pistol-training.com/archives/2105

Note the decocker on the bottom left. I like the placement, although I prefer SIG's setup, being a righthander. Also, when you decock it, the hammer drops with a disconcerting "snap!" not like a SIG's slower letdown.

The night sights are the glow-in-the-dark paint type, requiring a charge every couple hours or so. Kind of disappointing from a company claiming "No Compromise" and for a definitely premium-priced product.

The ergonomics are incredible on this gun. Pretty much everyone who handles it comments that they feel as if it were molded for their hand. I haven't even put the L backstrap and side panels in, which will probably just improve my purchase on the grip due to my bear paws. Now I just want an HK45

The slide release is easily manipulated but I think probably a bit too long. Twice now the slide has failed to lock back on an empty magazine, which is probably a product of my thumbs-forward grip. The extended paddle-style magazine release is great and much superior to the P2000's, IMHO

I love this gun, but I'm not sure any 9mm polymer-frame handgun should retail for $1k. It's very soft-shooting, more accurate than the user, and a dream in the hands, but still too much. I hear they're coming out with the .40S&W version Q1 of the coming year, which I would have preferred.

Does anyone have an opinion on Militec-1? I bought a tube of it for a couple bucks off eBay, but kinda think its just the latest wonderlube. Hoppes' has always been fine for me.

I'm related to Ichiro Nagata

 

[MPH]

Well done with the backwards bullets.

 

[Schnugg]

How does it shoot like that?

 

[Treetop Flyer]

Haha what's the deal with the backwards bullets?

I've had a p30L for 3 or 4 months and I love it. I still prefer Sigs but it really does feel great in your hand.

 

[A4sForever]

HK45 inbound ... mebbe a Monday overhead time ... I like lots of EVERYTHING.

 

[ryan1234]

Well done with the backwards bullets.

That puts a slight damper on reliability

 

[PropAddict]

Well done with the backwards bullets.

Agreed.

That ad was pure gold. Your homage, just as much.

 

[Junkball]

Haha what's the deal with the backwards bullets?

I've had a p30L for 3 or 4 months and I love it. I still prefer Sigs but it really does feel great in your hand.

How do you like the long slide? After shooting my buddies P229, I'm happy I went with the P30. Still wish it was .40 though

How does it shoot like that?

Don't you know it works better that way!? You're not a manly Teutonic operator, obvs

For the uninformed:

HK - NO COMPROMISE http://larrycorreia.wordpress.com/2007/10/09/hk-because-you-suck-and-we-hate-you/

 

[Treetop Flyer]

I love it. I already have a p229 and a some other compact pistols. I was looking for a full sized 9mm and haven't owned and HK before so the p30L was a perfect choice.

 

[Junkball]

Anyone have any experience with a LEM trigger? I was thinking of converting my V3 (DA/SA) P30 to a V2 LEM. Apparently HK doesn't officially approve of this conversion, despite them offering to do it for the P2000 (of the same family) and USP series AND this type (a LEM w/ decocker) being previously marketed elsewhere as a P30 Variant 0. Here is a link to the kit

 

[fc2spyguy]

What does that do for you? I have a P30, love it, just curious what the whole LEM trigger is.

 

[mmx1]

I have a P30 that I specifically ordered with the LEM, can't remember if it was V2 or V4.

It's a glock trigger, basically, that doesn't suck. It's a double-action only trigger where the action of the slide half-cocks the hammer so the trigger pull is only 7.3lb (V2) or 6.2lb(V4). Consistent trigger pull from shot to shot (unlike DA/SA), but with a much lighter pull weight than a real DA-only trigger.

SIG does something similar with their DAK trigger, which I also owned for a bit before selling it for the HK. The one difference between the DAK and the LEM is that the DAK has a second-strike capability - if the round misfires in the chamber, a second trigger pull at about 13# will fire the firing pin again. After you pull the trigger in the LEM, the slide has to cycle to recock for the next shot. Much argued about on gun forums, it's of rather dubious utility, I think.

The trigger reset is a little wierd too on the DAK - there's two resets, a shorter one with a heavier pull and a longer one for a lighter pull. Bugged the shit out of me ( and the long reset is pretty damned long), which is ultimately why I sold it. This was back when I shot IDPA and cared about things like reset.

Yes, the built-in sights are pretty lame. I had them swapped out for Heine tritium sights.

Great pistol, almost as thin as my single-stack P225.

 

[Junkball]

Ever hear of the Todd Green Special? It's supposed to exist as between the 'medium' and 'heavy' HK-standard LEM weights @ 6.6lbs. I think I may try to order the couple extra springs and play with the trigger pull. I sent the frame to Bill Springfield to have him do a trigger job (DA/SA), but didn't notice much difference afterwards. The Heinies are definitely the sights to have... I wish I had sprung for them instead of Mepros.

 

[A7Dave]

I've been shooting a USP compact 40 with the LEM for about 8 years. I think it's great. Short reset, nice and smooth. I have always wanted a Sig 229, but I shoot the HK so well, it makes no sense for me to get a heavier gun to replace my HK. The old DAK system was an attempt to improve the Sig trigger. It was ok, but not as nice as the LEM. The new Sig SRT (short reset trigger) is a huge improvement. I've only dry fired it at the gunstore, but it is super smooth and tight. It certainly is on par with the LEM.

I wouldn't get an HK without the LEM. At the moment I'm torn between the P30 in 40 and the HK45. One of them will be inbound soon.

MMX1, what do you mean it's a "glock trigger?" Glocks are striker fired, not hammer.

 

[mmx1]

Glock trigger in the sense that functionally, it's a 6-8 lb trigger consistently from shot to shot with no external safety. My understanding is that both the DAK and the LEM were intended to emulate the trigger and control characteristics of a striker-fired system with a hammer-based system.

I got most of my LEM info from Todd Green's excellent site (pistol-training.org), but haven't gone for the mod.