HK $200 Rebate - P30 V1 9mm Review

[lunker 274]

That $200 HK rebate lured me in. I ended up picking up a P30 V1 (light LEM) in 9mm for $650 after the rebate. For those who aren't familiar, LEM is HK's version of the DAO trigger. It could be compared to a Glock trigger, but this gun is hammer fired. The version I got is the Light LEM, which is around 4.5 pounds. I am a lefty, and HK lately is really good about designing fully ambi controls, not just safety or mag release like some other brands. Another thing that is really nice about this gun is that it comes with backstrap and side grip inserts (small, medium, large and can be used in any combination). You can modify the grip so it is a perfect fit to your hand. And I thought I had...

 Today was the first day I took the P30 out to shoot, One of the first things I realized was that I needed to re-adjust the grip inserts. I had them set as if this was a regular full double action pull each time. Once the gun is racked, the trigger is all the way forward and there is a ton of pre-travel. Then you get to the point of resistance, which is very close to the rear. This is where your finger will be 90% of the time. Because of the poor grip setup, I had way too much finger over the trigger. Shooting the P30 was a pleasure though. The grip does make the gun fit like no other I have tried. Surprisingly (considering my porky fingers) I did not have the problem that many others do with the trough on the interior trigger guard. But that may be because I only put 150 rounds through the gun. Time wil tell. The trigger felt good and broke cleanly, although truth be told I am not a trigger snob. My stock Glock 34 trigger is fine by me. The slide on this gun is tall, at least compared to the Glock and HK P7 I was shooting alongside it. I didn't feel like the high bore axis slowed down my followup shots though. I was shooting 10 yards at a plate rack with 12 falling plates, and a dueling tree. So I was able to determine my rough accuracy and speed pretty well. The sight picture on the P30 is nice (unlike the awful one on my Glock), although my gun came with those day-glo luminova sights and not real night sights. When I aimed with deliberation, I hit my target every time. The trigger reset on it was not as pronounced or as short as my Glock 34, and I was noticeably slower with the HK P30 than either of the two other guns. When I tried to pick up speed to keep up with the Glock and P7, I started missing plates. I don't think that is anything inherently wrong or bad about the P30, just a product of me having thousands of rounds through the Glock 34 and the fact that the HK P7 points and shoots like a laser. I am looking forward to breaking this gun in. One thing to note: P30 magazines (which are also used by the VP9) are apparently designed by German Engineer sadists to slice your finger tips to ribbons when trying to load bullets on a cold day. I could shave with the feed lips on my mags.

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[bry@n 195]

Send that to Bruce Gray and it will be a different gun. Mine has less pre travel and has a short reset now.

 

Shane and I have run this gun at racks against 1911's, Sigs and glocks. When you come back down, we'll gtg and compare the two.

[bry@n 195]

Btw, great write up.

[lunker 274]

Send that to Bruce Gray and it will be a different gun. Mine has less pre travel and has a short reset now.

 

Shane and I have run this gun at racks against 1911's, Sigs and glocks. When you come back down, we'll gtg and compare the two.

Those steel plates don't fall down with the same authority using 9mm as when I use the 357. i am looking forward to increasing my speed. I was trying the both eyes open thing and the double vision i get from focusing on the front sight is messing me up. I need to work on that, especially for clay shooting.

 

After shooting a good number of rounds with the P30 and letting my hand get fatigued, i ditched the large backstrap because I Realized only the small insert guarantees I have the LOP, leverage and strength to reliably actuate the slide release every time with my left thumb (i am a lefty), even when tired. Should this even be a consideration? Are most people using their support hand thumb to activate the slide release on guns that have one? I always just slingshot my Glock slide since it has a slide lock and it's on the wrong side for me anyway.

[bry@n 195]

Wouldn't be a concern for me. Over time you'll develop the strength and what's the odds you will need to shoot over 150 at a given time other than the range.

[bhunted 887]

It will get better, trust me. I am right handed and use my trigger finger to release the mag and don't use release, just sling shot it.

[Rob0115 1,105]

Send that to Bruce Gray and it will be a different gun. Mine has less pre travel and has a short reset now.

Shane and I have run this gun at racks against 1911's, Sigs and glocks. When you come back down, we'll gtg and compare the two.

What action work package did you choose from Gray? I have a P30 SA/DA version. I'd like a shorter reset than it currently has.

[bry@n 195]

I have a lem, so I have the lem package which makes the action smoother and slightly lighter. The reset is sort of like a da/sa. The lem is the way to go imo.