Anyone Using H&Ks in Competition???????

[dukeyjoe]

Looking at possibly getting a Combat Competition. Would like to hear from members shooting HKs in IDPA,IPSC, or Steel Challenge or members that know someone that does. Please state gun, caliber, and whether you feel the gun is competitive. Thanks...............................Duke

[CAL.BAR]

I've used the new HK45 for IDPA style shooting since it came out a year ago or so. Works perfectly with no malfunctions of any sort. However, does take a while to get used to the trigger. Though the picatinny rail is useful for low light scenarios. Overall a perfect pistol for such competitions.

[sammy]

My HK's are the only guns in my stable to never have a failure of any kind. That said the trigger resets on the guns are very long which costs time. If you are new to shooting competitively any service sized pistol will serve you well for a long while. Shoot 10 matches with what you have and then decide.

I would start out with a G34 in Limited 10 with 6 magazines. The Glock has a very short and positive reset, long sight radius and excellent reliability. Where are you located? If you are near Concord PM me and come shoot a few of my favorite pistols, I tend to lean toward single stack because I love magazine changes. In some stages shooting USPSA I need 6 or more magazines. Tha hard part is finding them all.

[dukeyjoe]

Thanks for the responses. Looks like the HKs are pretty reliable. I just bought my first one 3 weeks ago, a P2000SK V2 in .40S&W. Last week, my 16 yo son traded a rifle for a P2000 V3. We have quickly become enamored with these HKs, however I, for sure, need a longer gun to compete with; wouldn't you agree?

[gose]

If you have one, by all means, use it to get started. It might be that it fits you just right and you'll keep it. You wont really know until you've shot a few matches and tried out a few different pistols.
However, if you don't want the equipment to hold you back, chances are pretty high that you'll want to switch to something else as you get more experienced.

Don't get me wrong, H&Ks are some pretty nice guns that work fine for what they were built for, but, that was not competing...

[dukeyjoe]

gose, what are you competing with?

[joelogic]

From what I can tell, most people that shoot IDPA and such shoot plastic. I dont know all of the rules but someone told me that you have to start hammer down so thats why people use striker fired guns. I found competions that suited my wants, matches that aren't purely based on speed. So I train and compete like I would fight. I compete in a modified 3 gun competition with my USP 45 with full power loads. It took me a while to get use to and I am not a top finisher but thats not the point of the competition for me. Its to hone my craft. Figure out what you want and keep asking questions.

[randy]

You would be better off shooting a 9mm than 45 in IDPA/IPSC. Ammo is cheaper and easier to shoot faster. The power factor in production/SSP is made for 9mm.

As far as using an HK if you like it shoot it.

[dukeyjoe]

Thanks joelogic and randy for the input. There is some 3 gun stuff in the area, but I have not been to any matches. I will look into the rules and equipment uses, but I've been told it's expensive to get started in. Right now, this is a family endeavour, with my wife and son wanting to compete as well. We all are planning to switch to 9mm for IDPA and Steel Challenge, since there is no power factor issue as Randy has pointed out.

[gose]

gose, what are you competing with?

Started with a Beretta 92 way back in the day. Realized it sucked for competition and switched to a CZ75 shortly after. When the CZ was up for replacement I switched to a Glock 17, that I used for several years and when that gun was up for replacement I switched to a Glock 34. When the SP01 came out I figured it was time to switch back to CZ again.
Lately I've pretty much switched over to my CZ Tac Sports though, a 9mm for 3gun(when time+ scoring) and a .40 for USPSA Limited and 3gun (when San Angelo scoring).

It looks like I've switched a lot, but this is over the course of 17 years... Between the switches I did a lot of testing and playing around to find the better mouse trap...
So, in short, play around, test as much as you can and pick whatever fits you the best.

[Mac Attack]

I am a big advocate that you should train with the tools in your toolbox.

Since I carried a HK P7 as my ccw I used my P7M8's in atleast a dozen IDPA matches and classes. I also tried one of my P7M13's in a few matches. Neither of them missed a beat and functioned well. I knew of another IDPA shooter who also used a P7 variant in matches.

[Gryff]

H&K's are wonderful weapons, but they generally are not "competitive" in action shooting. That is because the heavy first double-action trigger pull. The same-action trigger pull on guns like the XD, M&P, and Glock make them much faster on the first shot. This, especially in IDPA and Steel Challenge with their lower stage round counts, is a great benefit.

Now having said that, it really is the indian and not the arrow. If you are fantastically fast with a double-action trigger, there's no rule that says you can't win.

Like others have suggested, I would recommend shooting what you have for a while. See how it goes, talk to the other competitors, find out what you don't know or anticipate. Then make a decision about whether or not you need to move to a different gun.

I've used the new HK45 for IDPA style shooting since it came out a year ago or so. Works perfectly with no malfunctions of any sort. However, does take a while to get used to the trigger. Though the picatinny rail is useful for low light scenarios. Overall a perfect pistol for such competitions.

Can't use weapon-mounted lights in IDPA. They have to be handhelds.

You would be better off shooting a 9mm than 45 in IDPA/IPSC. Ammo is cheaper and easier to shoot faster. The power factor in production/SSP is made for 9mm.

You can shoot an HK in .45acp in CDP division in IDPA. You just have to load it with only 8 rounds in each magazine. In USPSA Production division, you are at a disadvantage since you are competing against people using less-powerful calibers.

Right now, this is a family endeavour, with my wife and son wanting to compete as well. We all are planning to switch to 9mm for IDPA and Steel Challenge, since there is no power factor issue as Randy has pointed out.

There are ammo requirements in each sport. IDPA has power factors (125,000 or 165,000 depending upon division), and Steel Challenge requires ammo to travel at least 750 FPS.

[Gryff]

I am a big advocate that you should train with the tools in your toolbox.

Since I carried a HK P7 as my ccw I used my P7M8's in atleast a dozen IDPA matches and classes. I also tried one of my P7M13's in a few matches. Neither of them missed a beat and functioned well. I knew of another IDPA shooter who also used a P7 variant in matches.

The problem is that competition is not, and should not be considered, training. You can talk about using real-life carry guns and holsters, but the minute you introduce a speed-based scoring system, you are just training to get yourself dead very fast.

What you are doing with competition, is helping to refine your weapon-handling mechanics. If you want to use your carry gear, you will gain real-world benefits but it is important to realize that other parts of competition are completely counter-productive to proper training.

I am a huge advocate of competitive shooting, and the benefits you receive from it. But I believe that it is critical to be aware of what it doesn't do for you.

[ar15barrels]

Started with a Beretta 92 way back in the day. Realized it sucked for competition and switched to a CZ75 shortly after. When the CZ was up for replacement I switched to a Glock 17, that I used for several years and when that gun was up for replacement I switched to a Glock 34. When the SP01 came out I figured it was time to switch back to CZ again.

I have followed almost the same path.
I just have not gone to an SP01 yet.
Started with a Ruger P89 (it was what I had)
Got a 9mm Witness and put the single stage trigger on it.
Went to a Glock 17.
Now shooting a 17 or a 34 and thinking about going to an SP01...
This is over 13 years of shooting matches.

Knowing what I know now, I would never buy an HK to compete with.

[Lancear15]

I have shot HK USP 40 in USPSA limited quite a bit and it is definitely not cut out for the task. to much recoil and lower round count then other makes and models. Here's me shooting it at the last meet.

USPSA HK USP 40