Glock 17 vs VP9

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Doc13067

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I have been carrying a Glock 17 as my edc for a very long time. I recently felt that I needed something more updated because I could never get a perfect grip on the 17. So I got the VP9. I haven’t had a chance to fire it yet so I’m not sure of it’s reliability (this particular one) but I do know I can get a much better and more natural hold on it. I work construction and always have my 17 on me. Is the vp9 as rugged and reliable? What do you guys think about these two guns?
 
Welcome to TFL! I have neither a G17 or a VP9. With that said, I don't have any reason to think that a VP9 won't hold up as well as a G17. HK has a reputation for building durable, reliable pistols.
 
The only thing I would change is the HKpart's solid striker back plate cover given your work. That will keep dust/crud out of the striker.

HK copied the Walther P99 which has the firing pin protrude when cocked/fired.

Those are both big guns for daily carry. I hope you don't mean you carry a full sized on you all day?

You are fine with the VP9.
 
I've had a VP9 for a couple of years and made it my primary carry gun about a year ago. It shoots great and does fit my hand better than my GLOCKs, but I never had an issue shooting the GLOCKs. As for reliability I've never had any issues or noticed any unusual wear.
 
The hairs I see split on these gun forums never ceases to amaze me. With respect to full size "black" guns, I have H&K USP Compact and VP-9, Glock 22 and 30, a Sig P320 and P220 and a FN FNS. To be honest, they all shoot well and I'd have no problem trusting my life to them. the VP-9 does feel the best in my hand but I seem to shoot the FN FNS the best.

If the "perfect grip" is what is important to you, go fondle a bunch of different guns and get the one you are most comfortable with. However, nothing is going to go "bang" any more reliably than that Glock 17 you have.
 
Thank you! I’ve been here many years just never had an account. I always come here for answers. I most certainly do carry a full size pistol concealed all day long. A lot of people do. There are advantages over smaller guns. And these guns aren’t as big as say a beretta 92 or a MK23. Thanks for all the feedback I just haven’t been able to find much on the reliability of the VP9. But ergos are definitely the best hands down. And it goes a lot further than simply how it feels in ones hand. A better grip means better shooting. Does anyone know if the VP9 is used as a duty weapon by any LE or military? I just want to find some more reliability data before I start trusting my life to it. I may just be struggling because I’ve carried the Glock for well over a decade.
 
No military contracts for the VP9.

Yes to US and Europe police use. That shouldn't be surprising, HK might be #1 or #2 for total contracts.

But that is unrelated to the VP9. The VP9 has the same treatment (hostile environment over metal penetrating nitriding), hammer forged barrel, etc. Same mags as the P30. P30 mags are fine. P30 also got the 17 upgrade redisgn like the VP9 Optic ready 2020 model. The 2020 VP9 is improved in unimportant ways. 2020 Optic VP9 current has zippo sight options.

The "Value" in the VP9 comes from spot welding vs fully forged normal HK. That hasn't proven a problem yet.

To learn more about your VP9, two comparisons of it against the Walther PPQ prove very useful. The PPQ mechanically is better in all measures, but the VP9 is fine. The Walther has cracked slides before. Never heard of the VP9 doing it.

Read up:

https://lanzerbot.wordpress.com/2015/02/08/case-study-ppq-vs-vp9-trigger/

https://defensereview.com/walther-p...ker-fired-combattactical-9mm-pistol-face-off/
 
The Japanese Army has gone with the VP9 for their new handgun, details in link below.

I would not worry about reliability/durability of the HK VP9. HK had military and law enforcement contracts in mind too when they developed it and for a brand new design striker fired pistol it has been amazingly troublle free especially considering other manufacturers that have certainly had issues with their more rushed to market products including the SIG P320, but the VP9 was in development and testing for a long time. On HK Pro forum some of the guys on HK shooting team post and they are using the VP9 and they have been doing very well with reliaiblity and durability well into tens of thousands of rounds fired.

I just wish HK would make more of the optics ready long slide kits with barrel so I could find one at a decent price for mine but they seem to be perpetually out of stock.

The Glock 17 is a great pistol too and I still CCW my Gen 2 Glock 19 often.

https://www.guns.com/news/2020/05/19/japanese-army-picks-new-hp-vp9-howa-rifle-variants

VP9
A maritime variant of the Heckler & Koch VP9, the SFP9-M, will be Japan’s future handgun. The model has passed NATO’s long-term saltwater test and is referred to as Over-the-Beach certified. As with the rifle competition, the HK pistol beat out a wide field of competitors with the second-place selection being the Beretta APX while the third-place winner was the Glock 17.
Click to expand...
 
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"Hostile Environment" treatment is terrible on HK by the way. Your "black" finish will wear fast when roughed a bit, but that isn't your metal protection. Nitride is. HK nitrides their stuff. It's cosmetic. It is not cosmetic round areas that weren't nitrided before the Hostile Environment. You can read about those areas.

Think of the Sig P320. Huge unit total...But US uses, dropped by the one Canadian military anti terror group, and issued by Danish army. Total units high, actual use, not much.

So contracts don't mean much. Nearly every miliatry uses Glock. Again, doesn't matter, Glock is a price point item too.


Your biggest concern is HK shifted US VP9 production to the US and there has been some stuff to read about that not being great. Decidedly this did not improvement the VP9. A humorous event you can google is night sights being installed backwards on a US made VP9. Your new VP9 will not be German proofed for this reason.
 
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My new VP9 has German markings on frame, slide, and barrel.

There are sight options btw, but seemingly only through XS. You can get the standard height sights through XS directly, though last I checked the optic height sights are out of stock.


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Doc13067 said:
…I recently felt that I needed something more updated because I could never get a perfect grip on the 17. So I got the VP9.
Click to expand...

I’ve had my Gen3 Glock 17 since 2009, and I’ve carried it for a good portion of time that I’ve owned it. IMHO, there is no perfect grip on a Glock, but you don’t need a perfect grip on a pistol to be able to shoot it well, training & practice and some gun modifications can certainly help a lot. In my case, aftermarket sights, an APEX trigger, and a grip force adapter are what I use to help me shoot this gun better. The Gen4 & 5 Glocks have the modular grips, and my Glock 19X and Gen4 Glock 21 both have the large beavertail backstrap that came in the box. No doubt in my mind that these backstraps help me to shoot these guns better.

I don’t have a VP9 but I’ve had my HK P30 with the same modular grip for several years now, and IMHO it was definitely worthwhile to experiment with the backstrap & sideshell combinations to make the gun fit my large shooting hand better.
 
I hear that. Even with the better grip on the HK I still find myself carrying the Glock. I think the HK is the nicer gun but when it comes to using it as a self-defense tool or in some peoples cases a go to war tool I just still can’t see anything that causes it to edge out the Glock. I find myself wanting to carry the HK because I like it so much but then realizing that is a foolish reason to carry a gun LOL.
 
If it's a truly brand new VP9 and is optic ready, it won't have the stag antler proof marks. They are "proofed" in the US which has no standard. Made in Germany "DE," marking, claimed to be made to German proof standard, but not assembled or proofed in DE

I think we all agree the G17 is popular for a reason. If you can shoot your VP9 better and faster, that is a good reason to give up the G17. If not, great :)
 
They don’t always have the stag horns even when made in Germany. A few of the P series pistols I had at the end of my HK fanboy period just had CIP over N marked on the slide as well as the date code. A few other threads online show something similar. You can read about the proof marks here, including a legal dispute between HK and Ulm (the proof house that lead to the stag horn marking on HK pistols), and perhaps that is why some more recent HK pistol imports have been missing that mark: https://www.hkpro.com/threads/the-symbols-on-hk-firearms.527792/.

As you mentioned, per HK the VP9 is now proofed in the US (read into that what you will). If the barrel, slide, and frame are made in Germany (as they are marked) that would seem to counter your original claim of “produced” in the US. In shooting this VP9 I have not noticed any decrease in quality compared to my memories of the early VP9 I owned, which did at least have the CIP over N marking and German date code (I can’t remember if it had the stag horns). At the least I can say the XS sights installed on my pistol weren’t installed backwards.

Edit: adding HK markings description


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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I shot a rental last year and have been lusting after a VP9 ever since. Will be my next handgun! Just need to work out if I want the standard mag release or the B version, which I'd like to try. Gun fits my hand like a glove, and already being an owner of the HK45, I'm somewhat of an HK fanboy as I love that pistol.
 
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