April 25 update: Quick range report added to at post #24
When I was getting into shooting back in the early 1980s the H&K P9 and P7 series of pistols were probably in their prime. I picked up a P9S a couple of years ago, and I'd heard plenty about P7s and their almost mythical appeal over the years but I'd never seen one in person. I saw this PSP for sale on the EE a couple of weeks ago and thought I'd give it a try to see what all the fuss is about.
It's got some holster wear but looks to be in pretty good mechanical condition for a 32-year-old pistol—the cocking handle does not have much wear on it. My range is snowed in for probably another month and I'm stuck at home with a storm outside today so I thought I'd give you guys a closer look. I know that many members already know a great deal about this pistol but if you want to learn a bit more about this odd but intriguing pistol, read on!
There are three common versions of the 9mm P7—the PSP, the M8, and M13. The PSP was the earliest of the three, and has a heel-mounted magazine release, whereas the M8 and M13 have traditional mag releases by the trigger guard (as well as larger trigger guards and a heat shield above the trigger to reduce heat from the gas cylinder…more on that later). It's a all-steel pistol, but it's small size makes it lighter than expected. It's only 27 oz (785g), compared with the aluminum-framed SIG P225 of comparable size and capacity at 26 oz (740 g).
It's smaller than it looked to me in pictures. Here is is compared with a Glock 19:
Despite having a longer barrel (105mm and a bit, compared with 102mm) the P7's slide is noticeably shorter.
[Imgur](https://i.imgur.com/LZo6sDZ.jpg)
The P7 is slimmer, too, although the butt is a bit longer. The grips have a bit of a palm swell, too—from pictures I'd figured they were mostly flat panels but they're well-shaped.
The cocking handle is nicely stippled. I was thinking that the P7 might have the same grip characteristic of the P9S—I find the grip on the P9S a little long front-to-back—but the P7's is very comfortably proportioned. The plastic grips have a stippled texture and a bit of a thumb rest.
The magazine release is different than I originally thought—it's not like a Ruger Mk2 where there's a clip holding the mag in, instead, the release pushes in like a button and the mag pops partway out.
The backstrap is lightly textured as well. Sights are typical three-dot sights (I've read that the P7 was the first pistol to have them).
When the cocking handle is depressed, the striker extends from the rear of the side:
There are only two controls on the P7 (other than the cocking handle). There's a vestigial slide stop at the rear of the trigger guard, and there's a takedown button at the rear of the frame. Depress that button, pull the slide back and up, then slide it off the front of the frame.
The barrel is fixed to the frame, and sits very low.
There was plenty of complex machining in building one of these pistols!
Of course, the other distinctive feature of the pistol aside from the squeeze-cocking is the gas-delayed locking action. What happens when a round is fired is that some of the propellant gas is diverted through a small hole in front of chamber down into a gas cylinder below the barrel. The gases impinge on piston affixed to the slide, keeping it locked forward until the pressure has dropped. One advantage of this type of locking system (like the P9S's as well) is that the slide walls can be a little thinner, reducing it's weight, and also the reciprocating mass when the pistol's fired.
Here's the piston:
and the gas cylinder below the barrel (just above the trigger):
You can see the gas hole just in front of and at the bottom of the chamber here (as well as the chamber flutes, which make extraction easier):
Supposedly, the pistol can get quite hot around the trigger guard due to the gas action—the last P7M8 and M13 had the plastic heat shield to reduce this effect.
So, what about first impressions? Well, the after 30+ years of shooting more traditional handguns, the squeeze cocker does take some getting used to. It takes around 15 lb of squeeze pressure to ####, but only 1 pound and something to keep it held in. However, there's no point that you feel that the force has lessened, and I find myself gripping the pistol a bit too tightly. I'll have to work on modulating my grip pressure a bit. The vaunted 110° grip angle is actually very good—the pistol points very well, and the low bore axis and small side means that the sights are right above my hand when I point. The trigger pull is a little disappointing to me honest—it's quite long, a little creepy and has a fairly long reset. It reminds me a bit of the trigger pull on my S&W M&P40. It's not bad by any means, but not as light and crisp as I was expecting. Squeezing the cocking handle to drop the slide is very cool and very fast, too.
Generally, though, I'm pleased with it and am looking forward to taking it to the range—I'll report back once I have a chance to shoot it.
When I was getting into shooting back in the early 1980s the H&K P9 and P7 series of pistols were probably in their prime. I picked up a P9S a couple of years ago, and I'd heard plenty about P7s and their almost mythical appeal over the years but I'd never seen one in person. I saw this PSP for sale on the EE a couple of weeks ago and thought I'd give it a try to see what all the fuss is about.
It's got some holster wear but looks to be in pretty good mechanical condition for a 32-year-old pistol—the cocking handle does not have much wear on it. My range is snowed in for probably another month and I'm stuck at home with a storm outside today so I thought I'd give you guys a closer look. I know that many members already know a great deal about this pistol but if you want to learn a bit more about this odd but intriguing pistol, read on!
There are three common versions of the 9mm P7—the PSP, the M8, and M13. The PSP was the earliest of the three, and has a heel-mounted magazine release, whereas the M8 and M13 have traditional mag releases by the trigger guard (as well as larger trigger guards and a heat shield above the trigger to reduce heat from the gas cylinder…more on that later). It's a all-steel pistol, but it's small size makes it lighter than expected. It's only 27 oz (785g), compared with the aluminum-framed SIG P225 of comparable size and capacity at 26 oz (740 g).
It's smaller than it looked to me in pictures. Here is is compared with a Glock 19:
Despite having a longer barrel (105mm and a bit, compared with 102mm) the P7's slide is noticeably shorter.
[Imgur](https://i.imgur.com/LZo6sDZ.jpg)
The P7 is slimmer, too, although the butt is a bit longer. The grips have a bit of a palm swell, too—from pictures I'd figured they were mostly flat panels but they're well-shaped.
The cocking handle is nicely stippled. I was thinking that the P7 might have the same grip characteristic of the P9S—I find the grip on the P9S a little long front-to-back—but the P7's is very comfortably proportioned. The plastic grips have a stippled texture and a bit of a thumb rest.
The magazine release is different than I originally thought—it's not like a Ruger Mk2 where there's a clip holding the mag in, instead, the release pushes in like a button and the mag pops partway out.
The backstrap is lightly textured as well. Sights are typical three-dot sights (I've read that the P7 was the first pistol to have them).
When the cocking handle is depressed, the striker extends from the rear of the side:
There are only two controls on the P7 (other than the cocking handle). There's a vestigial slide stop at the rear of the trigger guard, and there's a takedown button at the rear of the frame. Depress that button, pull the slide back and up, then slide it off the front of the frame.
The barrel is fixed to the frame, and sits very low.
There was plenty of complex machining in building one of these pistols!
Of course, the other distinctive feature of the pistol aside from the squeeze-cocking is the gas-delayed locking action. What happens when a round is fired is that some of the propellant gas is diverted through a small hole in front of chamber down into a gas cylinder below the barrel. The gases impinge on piston affixed to the slide, keeping it locked forward until the pressure has dropped. One advantage of this type of locking system (like the P9S's as well) is that the slide walls can be a little thinner, reducing it's weight, and also the reciprocating mass when the pistol's fired.
Here's the piston:
and the gas cylinder below the barrel (just above the trigger):
You can see the gas hole just in front of and at the bottom of the chamber here (as well as the chamber flutes, which make extraction easier):
Supposedly, the pistol can get quite hot around the trigger guard due to the gas action—the last P7M8 and M13 had the plastic heat shield to reduce this effect.
So, what about first impressions? Well, the after 30+ years of shooting more traditional handguns, the squeeze cocker does take some getting used to. It takes around 15 lb of squeeze pressure to ####, but only 1 pound and something to keep it held in. However, there's no point that you feel that the force has lessened, and I find myself gripping the pistol a bit too tightly. I'll have to work on modulating my grip pressure a bit. The vaunted 110° grip angle is actually very good—the pistol points very well, and the low bore axis and small side means that the sights are right above my hand when I point. The trigger pull is a little disappointing to me honest—it's quite long, a little creepy and has a fairly long reset. It reminds me a bit of the trigger pull on my S&W M&P40. It's not bad by any means, but not as light and crisp as I was expecting. Squeezing the cocking handle to drop the slide is very cool and very fast, too.
Generally, though, I'm pleased with it and am looking forward to taking it to the range—I'll report back once I have a chance to shoot it.
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