• Action: Striker fired
• Caliber: 9x19mm
• Can be found in .32ACP, .22LR, .40S&W, .380ACP if you want to spend some real $$$
• Capacity: 8 round, single stack magazine
• Barrel Length: 4.13 Inches
• Sights: Patridge style
• Front is dovetailed to slide and has a white dot
• Rear is dovetailed to slide and has 2 white dots
• Safety: Unique squeeze cock mechanism
• MSRP: N/A; discontinued

It was not too long ago a pistol like this selling for $1000-1200 or more. Apparently the market recently saw an increase in the number of P7's due to a release of pistols from the German police forces that formerly used them. Supply went up so prices went down. In December 2007 I picked up this HK factory graded "Grade A" used pistol for $800. This was an impulse buy. I had not seen one with such a low price and snagged it. If I had done a little research I could have found one for close to $600. Live and learn. I wasn't too disappointed because this specimen is in better condition than the "Grade B" pistols I have handled and most of the other "Grade A" guns as well.

The P7's in the 3-figure price range are European models with the claw-style magazine catch at the bottom rear of the grip and in 9x19mm. If you want one with the American-style magazine release near the trigger guard (M8, M13) or a different caliber (like the M10) you're looking at 4-figure prices again.

I always wanted to shoot a P7 but never thought I would actually own one. I picked it up at a local range/shop within about 25 minutes of closing so I also bought a box of rounds to try her out in a hurry. The P7 well surpassed any expectations I had.

This pistol feels like a quality tool the second you pick it up. It sports a steel frame and slide so it's got a little heft to it. But the weight is not a burden. Just looking a a P7 it would seem to be an akward handgun to use. That assumption went right out the window when I held it. These things are very well balanced. The center-of-gravity seems to go straight down through the grip. This attribute lends to making the pistol extremely pointable. When I raise it up to my line of sight the sites are already aligned. I don't have to search for the front site. The pistol is not front-heavy at all.

The fit of my pistol was excellent and the finish was good. All the parts feel like they are made of high quality materials and move smoothly. The trigger and squeeze cocker function crisply. Nothing feels sloppy.The finish is nice but not pristine. Some tooling marks are readily visible but nothing too offensive as in a pistol like the CZ 52. My pistol was finished in a standard blue . It shows signs of use and does not seem to be very durable. Definitely not comparable to a Glock or Sig Sauer finish.

If you have read any of my other gun reviews you know that I love Hogue grips. Installing a set is the first change I make to any pistol. The P7 is the only pistol I have owned that did not need them (I never looked but I doubt Hogue even makes rubber grips for the P7). The plastic grip panels have good, aggressive texturing. The front strap (front of the squeeze cocker) and back strap are also textured well. I always feel that I have a good purchase on the weapon as soon as it gets in my hand and it does not shift around during firing.

While unique, function of the P7 is very simple. When shooting there are two controls to worry about; the trigger and the squeeze cocker. The pistol is striker-fired but according to the included manual the pistol can be fired in 3 ways:

1. SA: The squeeze cocker is depressed then the trigger is pulled.
   Depressing the cocker compressed the firing pin spring. Then only a light trigger pull is needed to discharge the weapon. This method should be most accurate.
2. DA: The trigger is pulled then the squeeze cocker depressed until the weapon discharges. The cocker acts like a trigger in this case. Depressing it compresses the firing pin to its rear-most point. Since the trigger is already activated once the cocker reaches this point the firing pin is free to travel forward. This results in a heavier "trigger pull" and should be less accurate.
3. ??: The trigger and squeeze cocker can be engaged simultaneously.

The slide will lock back on an empty magazine and can be released by squeezing the cocker. If the cocker is already engaged it will need to be released then squeezed again. Some force is needed to engage the squeeze cocker (the manual did not quantify it) but only 1.5 pounds of force is needed to keep the mechanism engaged. It is not difficult at all.

My P7 is bar none my most accurate/precise centerfire handgun. I think there a several things that make this so:

1. Fixed barrel: The barrel is pinned to the frame and never moves. This provides a stable firing platform.
2. Low barrel axis: The distance between the barrel and hand is not as great as most other pistols. This results in less felt recoil when firing for reasons I won't get into here (reduced moment arm if you know what that means).
3. Squeeze cocker: I believe this mechanism aids in accuracy. It requires the shooter to hold the pistol just tight enough for good alignment of the wrist and use of muscles in the hand and forearm.

Are there aspects of the P7 that I don't like as much as some other pistols? Yes.

1. Carry: Since most of the weight seems to be concentrated in the grip area the pistol feels a little akward in a belt holster. It feels top heavy. If I bend forward while wearing it I always keep a hand on the gun because I feel that it may slip out of the holster. Now let me qualify this a bit. Holsters are hard to come by for this pistol, especially for less than $100 dollars. The only one I have bought is a Don Hume J.I.T Slide (see photo). I'm sure if I were to invest in a rig by Del Fatti or a similar outfit the P7 would carry better. At this point I carry other pistols more and I'm just not willing to invest that much.
2. Reassembly: Disassembly is a breeze. Getting the gun back together is a pain in the derrière. I have this trouble with all pistols using the barrel as a guide for the recoil spring (ex: CZ 52, Sig P230/232). I always have trouble with the recoil spring binding up and with getting the front of the barrel through its hole in the front of the slide. With the P7 the task is complicated by also having to get the piston aligned with the gas tube. I have gotten better at this but it still proves more difficult than my Sigs, Berettas, Glocks, etc.
3. Parts/Accessories: Talk about hard to shop for. Where can I get a factory gas tube scraping tool, HK doesn't even have them. I hope nothing ever goes wrong with the pistol. I can't imagine the cost to have HK work on it.

Conclusion:

A P7 will make a fine addition to any collection if you can afford one. For the $600-800 range I find this pistol to be an exceptional value in terms of quality, reliability, accuracy and innovation. I personally would not pay more for one because it's just a piece for my collection. I would whole-heartedly trust my life to this gun if I had to. However, for daily carry I want something with easy-to-find parts/accessories.

My pistol came with a plastic clamshell box, owner's manual and one magazine. I have since acquired a second factory magazine (used demo) here for $40. I also got a factory firing pin assembly removal tool on eBay for $16.

P7 in a Don Hume J.I.T Slide belt holster

I bought this gun at a range/gun shop about 1/2 an hour before they closed and just had to shoot it. With so little time I just used one target. I fell in love in 30 minutes, a new record. HK's P7 series is a group of unique guns. This is the best I've done with a 9mm out of the box. Given these two factors I developed an admiration for this pistol. There are actually two groupings on this target. One is centered around the target center. The other is centered around the upper "7". As I said I really did not have time to change targets. The first group, centered around the target center, was shot with a Weaver-style stance at 21 feet. The second was shot with the same stance at 30 feet. The ammo I bought at the range was a little hot and I was really tired when I shot. The big hole is where the things started and got a little worst from there. I was exhausted from work. On subsequent range trips this pistol has proven it's accuracy/precision potential time and again.

Like the CZ 52 the HK P7 series of pistols has an operating system unique in handguns. The following is my attempt to explain how this pistol works based on my examination of it. If I am incorrect in anything please correct me.

The field-stripped pistol

The piston pinned to the slide travels within this tube when the pistol is assembled and fired or the slide is pulled back manually.

This is the chamber of the barrel. A cartridge would be in here with the pistol assembled, ready to fire. In pistols of larger calibers (larger than about a .380ACP) the breech most stay closed until the slug exits the barrel for the safety of the shooter. When these pistols are fired the slide and barrel ususally travel rearward as one unit for a short distance before separting to eject the spent casing and feed a new round. P7 series pistols use a different method. These have a fixed barrel like pistols firing weaker rounds (.22LR, .380ACP, .25ACP, etc). The slide and barrel are never locked together in a P7 pistol.

So how does the breech stay closed? When the pistol is fired gases force the slug out of the barrel. Some of those gases travel through the gas tube port (see photo above). That slide-mounted piston you saw in the previous photo is in the gas tube as well. The gases push on this piston and therefore push on the slide since they are pinned together. The slide/piston assembly is pushed toward the front (muzzle end) of the gun, stopping it from recoiling toward the shooter. This all works until the slug exits the barrel. At that point there is not enough gas pressure to stop the slide/piston assembly from recoling rearward, Now it travels back and ejects the spent casing. The recoil spring returns the slide/piston assembly forward to feed a new round, assuming the magazine is not empty.

Some of the gases also travel through the flutes in the chamber helping to push the spent casing rearward once the breech opens. This aids in ejection and the pistol is reported to operate with the claw extractor completely removed.

The system works very well (my P7 has had not a single issue). However, there are drawbacks. The gases foul the gas tube and piston and heat up the frame of the pistol quickly.

The P7's are not gas-operated in the sense that many rifles are (AR-15, AK-47/74, many others). In fact the P7 gas operation does the opposite of that operating those rifles. Gas pressure in the P7's stops parts from moving. Gases in the rifles are used to make parts move.

Piece A in the photo above is attached to the squeeze cocker. Piece B is attached to the firing pin. When the shooter squeezes the grip Piece A moves back. This in turn pushes Piece B back, thus cocking the firing pin back.

This photo shows Piece A with the squeeze cocker engaged. Piece B would now be back if the pistol were assembled, compressing the firing pin spring. Pulling the trigger lowers Piece A which allows Piece B (the firing pin) to travel forward under the pressure of the compressed firing pin spring. The firing pin strikes the primer of the cartridge in the chamber. Now everything I explained above occurs. The shooter does not need to release/resqueeze the cocker for each round fired, only keep it squeezed and pull the trigger to shoot. Without pressure on the squeeze cocker the trigger does not work and the firing ping spring is not compressed so the pistol is rendered completely nonfunctional and safe, even with a round in the chamber. Look below for photos of the firing pin assembly.

Once the magazine is empty the follower will push up the slide catch to lock the slide back, a method common to most all semiautomatic pistols.

The slide catch can be engaged manually if there is no magazine in the gun by pushing this little button rearward. It's almost unnoticeable.

This shows the squeeze cocker engaged. The back of the firing ping protrudes slightly from the back of the slide, a clear indication to the shooter that the pistol is armed. 

Piece B is attached to the firing pin. To remove the firing pin assembly a tool is used to rotate is 90 degrees which locks Piece B back. Refer to the next photo to see this assembly as it looks when installed in the pistol.

This is how the firing pin assembly looks installed in the pistol without the squeeze cocker engaged. Engaging the cocker would pull Piece B straight back and compress the spring.

With the firing pin assembly removed you can see straight down the barrel. Look to the right and you will see the firing pin assembly on top of the voice recorder. Next to that is the firing pin assembly removal tool (with the 2 big holes in it). This tool can also be used to remove the grip panels, something I have not yet done.

When the squeeze cocker is released there is a loud "click". That can be avoided by pressing up on this little button behind the trigger guard at the top of the cocker. It is not visible when the cocker is not squeezed. It is very recessed. Just put a finger tip on it and apply pressure. You will know when it releases. The cocker may pinch your finger a little. Once this button is released you can ease the cocker (thereby the firing pin) forward.