HK P7. Why?

[KDTS]

So I've been following the "classiest pistol" thread that's going on right now, and I've seen plenty of people speak highly of the HK P7, but... Why? I've never shot one, obviously, and it's an older, discontinued model I think? Does it feel really nice to shoot? Does it have some advantages to its successors? Do you just like the way it looks and the prestige of its reputation? I'm really just curious.

[CrippledPidgeon]

Basically it's a single-stack 9mm with a full-length (4") barrel in a compact body. The barrel is (IIRC) pinned to the frame, and the slide has a gas piston to slow down its movement before the bullet exits the barrel. It has a surprisingly decent single-action trigger, coupled with the squeeze-cocking mechanism that is safer than a traditional safety mechanism. Safeties are generally considered to be parts that mechanically block the action, but aren't integral to the gun's functioning. The P7's lever must be depressed in order for the striker to cock, and therefore is an integral part of the action.

Because of the gas retarded blowback, the slide and barrel sit lower on the gun than most other designs, so it has really flat recoil. And because the chamber is fluted like the G3 or MP5, has been known to function without an extractor. An unfortunate side-effect to the system, though, is that the heat from the burning powder transfers quite efficiently to the frame, making it extremely hot after about 100 rounds of rapid fire, if the cylinder isn't kept clean, it'll jam up quickly.

There's really nothing about it that would make it a better choice than any of the other choices, other than it shoots 9mm Luger or .40 S&W, rather than .380 or .32 in the more traditional Walther PPK, and it's more easily concealable than a Beretta or P226. I think that its popularity comes mainly from the fact that it's a fairly exotic gun. It's not a Hollywood go-to like the 1911, Glock, Beretta, P226, or the PPK (notable appearances include: Hans Gruber's nickel-plated P7 in Die Hard, as the evil doctor's gun in 007: Tomorrow Never Dies, and as a "replica" along with a P9 in Snatch), and despite being adopted by a bunch of police departments across the nation, the name never really spread.

Its downfall came from the price. It was expensive for its time, and the CA legal P7M8 (in my opinion, much, much better than the original P7) is extremely expensive (expect to pay $1200 for a decent gun, plus $60-80 per mag). It basically priced itself out of the market, especially when Glock hit the stage.

[elSquid]

It's not as random or as clumsy as a Glock; an elegant weapon for a more civilized age.

-- Michael

[RickD427]

So I've been following the "classiest pistol" thread that's going on right now, and I've seen plenty of people speak highly of the HK P7, but... Why? I've never shot one, obviously, and it's an older, discontinued model I think? Does it feel really nice to shoot? Does it have some advantages to its successors? Do you just like the way it looks and the prestige of its reputation? I'm really just curious.

The P7 does have a lot to offer. It's a very flat and compact weapon that lends itself well to concealed carry.

The gas piston blowback design provides the "tightest" recoil of any 9mm that I have fired. The weapons points quite well and the time back on target for subsequent shots is the fastest of any weapon that I've fired.

I've never had a malfuction with my P7's. I very rarely have malfunctions with my Beretta 92. On the other hand, I've rarely been able to complete a 30 round qual course with my two S+W 9mm's.

The fit of the P7's have been pretty much top-drawer. The finish is nothing spectacular. The factory blue steel does not hold up very well.

[Quiet]

It's not as random or as clumsy as a Glock; an elegant weapon for a more civilized age.

-- Michael

[redcliff]

I'm a fan of the P7 series in all its variations. They're very nice pistols to shoot provided you have more than one so you can swap when the first one heats up after 50 rounds Of course in a real self defense situation the heating is a non-issue.

Heres what HK would want you to know about the P7:

[21SF]

Cuz fanbois

[willerfortheworld]

Why not?? Is a better question

It has a low bore axis like my cz p01, so it's very accurate.

Oh, and it's a hk....so...ya

[fiddletown]

[wilit]

I had some hate for the P7. It's not pretty, it's expensive and mags are costly. Then I shot one. What a wonderful pistol. It is one of those pistols that truely is worth every penny.

[Plisk]

Another function annotation to add on to fiddletowns excellent writeup:

One other feature of the P7 series, is that when performing a slide-lock reload (slide has locked to the rear, new magazine inserted) squeezing the cocking lever is how you can release the slide and be back on target with the cocking lever already depressed. With training, you can run those pistols pretty fast.

[scootle]

Why not?

At the time, this was one of the most innovative designs for a pistol ever made, imho. It was just a little too complex and expensive to gain much market traction... especially when Glock rolled into town...

For a single-stack 9mm design, it's honestly not as thin as people think it is... the grip is fairly large even thought he pistol itself sits very low profile due to the pinned barrel design.

[9mmepiphany]

The H&K P7 was a very early fully ambidextrous pistol.

Cocking/decocking, mag releases and slide release was equally accessible from either side...the two functions that has a one-handed bias is the slide stop (different from the slide release) and the take-down button

It was highly reliable. While the grip angle was nicely sloped to aid in indexing the pistol, the magazine was straight and the feed angle had little incline. Plus the fluted chamber allowed the pistol to extract/eject with a broken extractor. This last occurred during a endurance test (IIRC 10k rounds by Ayoob) were the extractor broke and no one noticed as the gun never stopped working.

The gas system is self-regulating. Higher pressure loadings caused the slide to stay closed longer

The magazines aren't cheap, but may well be the best built magazines in the world. They can take levels of abuse only matched by polymer magazines...yes, I'm talking about driving over them with a truck.

[Squidward]

The HK P7 is one of those things that personifies the phrase:

"If I have to explain, you wouldn't understand. "

[1911whore]

I all day P 7 and 8 for quite sometime and I have to say I really really love that pistol. grace I picture, predictable clean trigger, very quick snappy recoil impulse with very little muzzle flip. the text ring on the grip and front and back strap is enough to give good traction but does not abraid your hand. can be operated equally efficiently with either hand, as the controls are not right or left handed. butterly reliable. perfect size for concealed carry, yet match grade accurate.

you just don't want to run a range session of 200-250 rounds because you're almost certainly burn your hand unless you allow the weapon to cool down. but as a previous poster sad in a self defense in area that is an irrelevant point.

damn good looking pistol as well.