Tweet
I went in to get my PPQ M2 out of jail today, and the dealer had a VP9 in stock. I had a few minutes to quickly compare the two.
The VP9 looks like it uses almost the same grip texture and form as the PPQ, and felt close enough to me that I'd say I wouldn't be able to tell the difference in daily use.
When I looked at the guns side by side, they look like clones of each other. It actually took me a little while to notice the differences - no offense intended to the folks at HK, but it looked like they used the PPQ M1 as their design template.
The VP9 had what looks like the "old" style paddle mag release (similar to the original Walther P99). I personally prefer the longer paddle release of the PPQ M1 - it gives you much more leverage and just feels more comfortable. I was leery of the thumb release on the PPQ M2 because I've become so familiar with my P99 paddle release - but after trying it out, I honestly think it is an improvement. It just happens to be perfectly placed for my thumb when I have the largest backstrap installed.
I didn't dry fire the VP9 more than once because I figure that's disrespectful to do to someone else's gun, but the trigger felt about equal to the PPQ. Can't say one way or another which one I liked better - they're both excellent. After initial clean and oil, I'll bet they're about the same.
The VP9 has a really cool "racking aid" at the back of the slide. It looks like it makes the gun a lot easier to chamber with slippery hands, and I liked it because I generally carry in my pocket with no holster. That "racking aid" or whatever HK calls it seemed like it would help keep the gun from dropping into my blue jeans pocket when carrying around the property. Not a major consideration for most, but I carry my guns around as tools, and I don't have time to fuss with a holster around the property. So I thought it could potentially be a good multi-use feature as long as it didn't cause the gun to hang up on my pocket when trying to get at it.
I like the fact that the VP9 still has the striker pin visible at the back of the gun when cocked. So, when it's cocked, you see the red dot. That's probably just because I'm accustomed to the P99 and I'm used to seeing when the striker is cocked. The PPQ might take some getting used to in that regard - we'll have to see. I personally still like the de-cocker on the P99 better than the "constant cocked state" of the PPQ. I'll have to spend time with the gun to see if it matters at all.
I liked the sights on the VP9 better than the white-dot plastic sights that come with the PPQ. The sights on the PPQ have to go - they'll be replaced with tritium night sights.
The following is just extra info - so probably not worth reading... I didn't bother test fitting the magazines between the VP9 and the PPQ. One reason I bought the PPQ is that I can use magazines from my other guns in it (albeit with some minor Dremel modifications). I like to standardize on magazines, and with a little work, I've gotten all of my Beretta 92F mags, my P226 mags, and my P99 mags to work in each gun (some fit a little funky because the baseplate angles are different, but they work fine). My P99 mags will fit into the PPQ, but I'll have to put yet another notch in them to get them to work properly with the mag release. Not a really big deal, but since PPQ magazines are hard to come by right now, at least I've got dozens of others sitting around that can be made to work.
My final thought is that I'll get a VP9 before the end of the year - once the fever dies down on them. Definitely feels and looks like a high-quality gun, and if it's as accurate as the PPQ, it's worth having at the $650-$675 price point. But, I can honestly say that there isn't that much different about the VP9 that I would choose it over the PPQ.
The VP9 looks like it uses almost the same grip texture and form as the PPQ, and felt close enough to me that I'd say I wouldn't be able to tell the difference in daily use.
When I looked at the guns side by side, they look like clones of each other. It actually took me a little while to notice the differences - no offense intended to the folks at HK, but it looked like they used the PPQ M1 as their design template.
The VP9 had what looks like the "old" style paddle mag release (similar to the original Walther P99). I personally prefer the longer paddle release of the PPQ M1 - it gives you much more leverage and just feels more comfortable. I was leery of the thumb release on the PPQ M2 because I've become so familiar with my P99 paddle release - but after trying it out, I honestly think it is an improvement. It just happens to be perfectly placed for my thumb when I have the largest backstrap installed.
I didn't dry fire the VP9 more than once because I figure that's disrespectful to do to someone else's gun, but the trigger felt about equal to the PPQ. Can't say one way or another which one I liked better - they're both excellent. After initial clean and oil, I'll bet they're about the same.
The VP9 has a really cool "racking aid" at the back of the slide. It looks like it makes the gun a lot easier to chamber with slippery hands, and I liked it because I generally carry in my pocket with no holster. That "racking aid" or whatever HK calls it seemed like it would help keep the gun from dropping into my blue jeans pocket when carrying around the property. Not a major consideration for most, but I carry my guns around as tools, and I don't have time to fuss with a holster around the property. So I thought it could potentially be a good multi-use feature as long as it didn't cause the gun to hang up on my pocket when trying to get at it.
I like the fact that the VP9 still has the striker pin visible at the back of the gun when cocked. So, when it's cocked, you see the red dot. That's probably just because I'm accustomed to the P99 and I'm used to seeing when the striker is cocked. The PPQ might take some getting used to in that regard - we'll have to see. I personally still like the de-cocker on the P99 better than the "constant cocked state" of the PPQ. I'll have to spend time with the gun to see if it matters at all.
I liked the sights on the VP9 better than the white-dot plastic sights that come with the PPQ. The sights on the PPQ have to go - they'll be replaced with tritium night sights.
The following is just extra info - so probably not worth reading... I didn't bother test fitting the magazines between the VP9 and the PPQ. One reason I bought the PPQ is that I can use magazines from my other guns in it (albeit with some minor Dremel modifications). I like to standardize on magazines, and with a little work, I've gotten all of my Beretta 92F mags, my P226 mags, and my P99 mags to work in each gun (some fit a little funky because the baseplate angles are different, but they work fine). My P99 mags will fit into the PPQ, but I'll have to put yet another notch in them to get them to work properly with the mag release. Not a really big deal, but since PPQ magazines are hard to come by right now, at least I've got dozens of others sitting around that can be made to work.
My final thought is that I'll get a VP9 before the end of the year - once the fever dies down on them. Definitely feels and looks like a high-quality gun, and if it's as accurate as the PPQ, it's worth having at the $650-$675 price point. But, I can honestly say that there isn't that much different about the VP9 that I would choose it over the PPQ.
Comment