HK P2000 Mini Review

[Clobbersauras]

Picked up this Hk P2000 V3 off the EE. It's actually a small little pistol, the grip is very slim. It's a V3 so it's SA/DA with a de-cocker.

Trigger pull is typical for a service pistol. It has lots of take up and is on the heavy side. SA is quite light with long take up. You'll notice in the pics that I've installed the extra large grip insert, it looks strange (kinda like a T-33) but it really helps with the trigger pull, especially in DA. I have medium size hands but fairly long fingers, so I found that the let off point, with the other inserts installed, was quite heavy and was too far "into" my grip to be comfortable. It was kinda like squeezing a straw in my fist, I couldn't get any power on the final stroke of the trigger.
The extra large grip insert increased the length enough that I could get a good solid stroke with my trigger finger. Resulting felt pull was much better with a much better defined let off. I tried all the inserts and for my hand the small grip insert was very tiny! I'm telling you, if you have small hands the P2000 is for you.

De-cocker. It's just goofy! Why Hk put it at the rear of the slide is beyond me. I guess they wanted a truly ambi pistol, which it is, but it's hard to manipulate with either hand. If you had a ND when trying to de-#### it, you would have a severely sore thumb or worse. I think bringing the pistol back to a ready position, angling it to the left slightly, and hitting it with your left hand is the best way to do it, time will tell.

So far I like the pistol, despite the de-cocker., it points well, has excellent sights, and seems well made. With the XL grip instert the trigger, in both DA and SA, is quite good. Range review soon.

Medium Back Strap:

With Streamlight TLR-3

XL Back Strap:

With TLR-3:

 

[american lockpicker]

Very nice.

 

[greentips]

I run a P2000 V1 - very compact, handy and accurate pistol. The lem trigger is a bit different from the striker pistol I used to run, like Glock and MP. It is like a very light DA. The trigger reset is between a DA and SA trigger, longer than a Glock/MP or a typical SA, but shorter than a DA. I have small hands and shorter fingers, it is more difficult for me to master the pistol.

A very nice "police" or profession carrying pistol, but I dont think it is a pistol you can win competition with or intentionally bring to a firefight if that is your profession to pick fight with other people.

 

[winnipegger]

I've been interested in a p2000 for a while now preferably a v3 but i've only shot a v5? (it was a dao with no safety) I'm looking forward to your range review but i think i just need to buy one already (i'm trying to decide between the p2000 and the hk USP .45 Compact... and am leaning to the p2000 for ammo cost) Oh i also have small hands and i find the grip to be perfect with the med installed. (on the gun i rented that is)

also i can't see the pics (idk if it's just me or what)

 

[jperos]

Picked up this Hk P2000 V3 off the EE. It's actually a small little pistol, the grip is very slim. It's a V3 so it's SA/DA with a de-cocker.

Trigger pull is typical for a service pistol. It has lots of take up and is on the heavy side. SA is quite light with long take up. You'll notice in the pics that I've installed the extra large grip insert, it looks strange (kinda like a T-33) but it really helps with the trigger pull, especially in DA. I have medium size hands but fairly long fingers, so I found that the let off point, with the other inserts installed, was quite heavy and was too far "into" my grip to be comfortable. It was kinda like squeezing a straw in my fist, I couldn't get any power on the final stroke of the trigger.
The extra large grip insert increased the length enough that I could get a good solid stroke with my trigger finger. Resulting felt pull was much better with a much better defined let off. I tried all the inserts and for my hand the small grip insert was very tiny! I'm telling you, if you have small hands the P2000 is for you.

De-cocker. It's just goofy! Why Hk put it at the rear of the slide is beyond me. I guess they wanted a truly ambi pistol, which it is, but it's hard to manipulate with either hand. If you had a ND when trying to de-#### it, you would have a severely sore thumb or worse. I think bringing the pistol back to a ready position, angling it to the left slightly, and hitting it with your left hand is the best way to do it, time will tell.

So far I like the pistol, despite the de-cocker., it points well, has excellent sights, and seems well made. With the XL grip instert the trigger, in both DA and SA, is quite good. Range review soon.

Medium Back Strap:

With Streamlight TLR-3

XL Back Strap:

With TLR-3:

Hey, that gun looks familiar??

 

[Gundoggy]

Regarding this pistol's overall 'ability' it really depends on the person.
I have small hands with medium length fingers, the P2000 with the small insert fits me very well. Mine is the V1 LEM, in my hands it feels like a single action with longer takeup and reset.

I find that I shoot this pistol as well if not a little better than a 9mm all steel 1911. The 1911 is a tiny bit more accurate, but it was a custom with barsto barrel. In my hands, the LEM P2000 is about the most effective pistol I've tried, I shoot it better than the very accurate P7M8, comes down to how the grip optimized my trigger control.

As with everything else, everyone has some model of gun/trigger system they tend to do better with than others. Give a model a good try (at least 500 rounds) in some practical draw/fire/movement type training in addition to static target practice before writing it off.

 

[Clobbersauras]

comes down to how the grip optimized my trigger control.

I've been dry firing it every night with a snap cap. It was only through this practice and swapping out the back straps that I found the right combination for what I feel is proper trigger control.

Don't misunderstand my first post. I quite like the pistol. But as with every pistol I've tried, it has some idiosyncrasies. I just need some range time in.

Hey, that gun looks familiar??

Thank you Sir! Don't worry, it went to a good home!

A very nice "police" or profession carrying pistol, but I dont think it is a pistol you can win competition with or intentionally bring to a firefight if that is your profession to pick fight with other people.

This is a perfect description for this pistol.

 

[mardig88]

i handled it as well as the p30 p30L
i found the p30 much more comfortable

 

[Gundoggy]

Clobbasaurus,

when I was 'learning the P2000', I put in a snap cap and dry-fired over 100 times nightly for over a month.

It shot very nicely when I took it to the range!!!

 

[Clobbersauras]

Update

I've had this pistol for 5 months now and have about 600 rounds through it or so. I've had no stoppages of any kind but I have had a couple failures of the slide to lock back on an empty mag(more on that later).

The sights are excellent. The trigger has broken in nicely and I am now able to run it using the pad of my index finger and not the middle joint, even in double action. The decocker, though still located in a goofy position, is very intuitive to run and I now just use the thumb of my shooting hand, sweeping downward at the joint. I've also switched back to the large grip insert from the X-Large I first used.

The slide release lever took some getting used to. It's way too long and if you run a thumbs forward grip you will likely inadvertently drop the slide, which is what happened to me a couple times, resulting in a failure of the slide to lock back on an empty mag. I've begrudgingly adjusted my grip slightly to accommodate the design but I'm tempted to take a dremel to the lever and grind it down so that it won't happen again. I don't use the release anyway so it wouldn't alter function for me.

The mag release is a pain for me as well. It's ambi and you have to push down on it, as opposed to a conventional button. I have no problem doing this with my thumb, but the right side of the lever hits my middle finger and I can't depress it fully. I have to alter my grip to get it to release. I've tried using my shooting finger to depress it and I can't do it, my fingers are too long. When doing speed drills, I haven't had an issue with altering my grip, it's just not as desirable.

You would think that HK would have ferreted out these problems early in their design, but apparently they didn't.

Otherwise I really like the pistol. I shoots it very well and it's been very reliable, even though I've fed it a steady diet of cheap MFS 115g. I compared it side by side to a friends PSP and was shocked to see that in stock form, without the Canada mandated spaghetti barrel, it's very close in size to the PSP. It's a very compact little pistol.

The Streamight TL-3 has held up to all the shooting and so far. I was skeptical of the polymer body, but it's given me no problems and seems to be a good little light. I find it easier to activate the light with my support hand thumb than I do with my shooting finger, and I believe that overall this is a better method to use.

 

[maurice]

I found with the Thumb safety on my new P30-L-S model,...I no longer hold the slide release down with my thumb,...as my thumb is now on the safety. With my old p30 L I would use the thumb forward grip and always ride the slide release,....run dry and the slide would be forward. I usually count my rounds, but I like the slide the lock back. What is noteable about my P30 model is how it feeds,....you can run the slide as slowly as possible, and it will still feed great. Even using HP ammo. As it get worked in, I am sure the recoil spring will loosen up. I would be great to put a lighter recoil spring in it.