I am looking at the HK P7M8 pistols. They seem like great guns and it would be my first 9mm.I am looking at the refurbs that cost about $750 is this right? The new ones or non refurbs cost way to much for me right now.Maybe someday.What can you tell me about these guns? I assume they are great guns.I have heard that they are hard to maintain is this true?I am not a newbie to guns and have a Glock 21 and 4 1911's. I really like these guns but the refurb i looked at was an ugly brownish color,the new one the dealer had next to it was a nice blue finish.Can i send this gun to HK for a refinish?Maybe a brushed matte chrome? Or maybe one of the after market shops that do refinishes? Isn't this the gun that Hans used in "Die Hard" to pop a few people? Also the dealer said that i should buy now as these refurbs are going to dry up and then they will be near full price. Is this just a sales pitch? Thanks for your help and info.
HK P7M8 how good?Help new user here at The Firing Line!
- Thread starter 45automan
- Start date
George Hill
Staff Alumnus
For a 9mm - the HK P7 series is one of the best.
The only better is the SIG P210.
The only better is the SIG P210.
Marko Kloos
Inactive
The H&K P7M8 is the finest 9mm carry gun in the world, bar none. It is flat, small, superbly engineered, extremely safe to operate, and will shoot the hottest and weakest 9mm loads thanks to the gas-retarded blowback design. If the ammo has a 9mm bullet on top of a 19mm case, the P7 will chamber, fire and extract it, even if it is Pakistani home-rolled ammo with shredded paper cellulose as propellant. The fixed barrel makes the P7 one of the most accurate handguns ever, and the gas system means it's also one of the mildest shooting 9mm pistols around. $750 is a good price at any rate.
Ron Ankeny
New member
Yeah, what Lendringser said. And the axis of the bore is very low reducing felt recoil and making it a natural pointer. I sold mine, dumb, dumb, dumb...
@ Lendringser.There are a couple of bad things about the P7, though.
If you fire about a hundred rounds, rapid, the frame above the trigger guard will get bloody hot. This isn't a problem in most self-defense situations that you may run across. Unless you plan on doing an imitation of Rorke's Drift or the Little Bighorn. Now that I think about it, in a case like those, you aren't going to be worrying about a scorched finger. Never mind.
It doesn't carry a box and a half of ammo. Since you should only be using your pistol to cover your exit, or fight your way to a bigger gun, this shouldn't matter either. See also the Little Bighorn example above.
The manual of arms is totally different from any other self-loading pistol out there. The other bad thing being, that once you get used to the odd manual of arms, it'll totally spoil you for any other pistol.
It is also the only pistol that I know of that will load, extract and eject with a broken extractor.
LawDog
Great gun. They're not too hard to maintain, just have to clean out the gas piston chamber. Well-built and put together and really fun to shoot. Conceals well, very accurate. As mentioned, can get hot if you touch off magazine after magazine.
Hans in "Die Hard" did indeed have a nickel P7 of some sort. Not sure if it was an M8 or the .32/.380 version, though.
Hans in "Die Hard" did indeed have a nickel P7 of some sort. Not sure if it was an M8 or the .32/.380 version, though.
Buy it!
I bought 2 last year and had never seen one before!!! A NIB and a fefurb a month or so later ($600)
read this, it should be of some help http://www.thefiringline.com/NonCGI/Forum22/HTML/000455.html
good luck!
I bought 2 last year and had never seen one before!!! A NIB and a fefurb a month or so later ($600)
read this, it should be of some help http://www.thefiringline.com/NonCGI/Forum22/HTML/000455.html
good luck!
45automan:
Will you need to change your name? Will you turn into a smaller caliber guy?
I mainly shoot .45 and Sig .357 and so it was out of curiosity that I purchased my first P7 last week. The shop that I visited had three refurbished P7M8s and they varied a good bit as to condition. They wanted pennies shy of $800. I told them that I had seen them sold on a regular basis for $699 and they went for it. I need to bring my California "Good Boy" card to the dealer and then wait for ten days, so it will be a while before I get to shoot.
I do wish that they would make the gun in a heavier caliber with a bit less bulk than the P7M10. I'm not a big fan of 9mm, but then again with enough practice, maybe I will be able to improve my skills. Right now I'm a Glock fan. I don't like double/single triggers and I haven't ventured into single action only, except for my .22 target. The P7 trigger seemed to be just about right. We will see if it replaces my Glock 33 as my small carry gun. Of course, I can't carry anything other than a bottle of milk. Ahh, I heard that carrying milk might be illegal also.. Oh Well
Will you need to change your name? Will you turn into a smaller caliber guy?
I mainly shoot .45 and Sig .357 and so it was out of curiosity that I purchased my first P7 last week. The shop that I visited had three refurbished P7M8s and they varied a good bit as to condition. They wanted pennies shy of $800. I told them that I had seen them sold on a regular basis for $699 and they went for it. I need to bring my California "Good Boy" card to the dealer and then wait for ten days, so it will be a while before I get to shoot.
I do wish that they would make the gun in a heavier caliber with a bit less bulk than the P7M10. I'm not a big fan of 9mm, but then again with enough practice, maybe I will be able to improve my skills. Right now I'm a Glock fan. I don't like double/single triggers and I haven't ventured into single action only, except for my .22 target. The P7 trigger seemed to be just about right. We will see if it replaces my Glock 33 as my small carry gun. Of course, I can't carry anything other than a bottle of milk. Ahh, I heard that carrying milk might be illegal also.. Oh Well
45automan-
Currently the proud owner of a highly-modified HKP7M10 by ROBAR that I purchased new in 1993 and upgraded in 1998.
Great, great firearms, but don't bother dealing with the HK people at the HQ in Sterling, Virginia. If you send it in for a re-bluing, they don't return it to the factory, they "job" it out to someone and won't even tell you who it is. Chances are you'll just get a mediocre job and pay over $100.00 to get it done.
The stock finish on these firearms is complete crap. Send it off to ROBAR, BearCoat, Metalloy, AWAP, or any of the other top-notch places and you'll be much happier.
Make the investment, make a few changes to "personalize" your HKP7M8 and you'll be a very happy camper indeed!
Regards,
~ Blue Jays ~
Currently the proud owner of a highly-modified HKP7M10 by ROBAR that I purchased new in 1993 and upgraded in 1998.
Great, great firearms, but don't bother dealing with the HK people at the HQ in Sterling, Virginia. If you send it in for a re-bluing, they don't return it to the factory, they "job" it out to someone and won't even tell you who it is. Chances are you'll just get a mediocre job and pay over $100.00 to get it done.
The stock finish on these firearms is complete crap. Send it off to ROBAR, BearCoat, Metalloy, AWAP, or any of the other top-notch places and you'll be much happier.
Make the investment, make a few changes to "personalize" your HKP7M8 and you'll be a very happy camper indeed!
Regards,
~ Blue Jays ~
It's my favorite at this time.IT shoots better than i'm capable of shooting.A new one should go for 900 to 1000 and well worth it.With a new one you get a lifetime warrantee.I don't like the heat on the trigger finger after a few mags of fire.The heat shield does little for me.You don't need to clean it often.It works well dirty.If you decide to buy a refurb send it to one of the recomended refinishers.Some others have screwed up the tolerances when doing their thing.I use a TUFF CLOTH to wipe the finish when I handle it with no problems. It still looks great after 3 years of use.
Great gun. Almost as good as the P7.
Buy it and you'll be happy with your targets if you do your job!
PS - the Sig P210 doesn't have the ergonomics of the P7. The beavertail's angles just pushes your hand high up on the beavertail giving the web of your thumb to many chances to get bitten by the hammer. P210 owners get bitten alot. It's bitten me several times. I just don't like a gun that snaps back at you.
And where are the P210 owners? I have owned several Sigs (p226/P220) and think they were just as accurate as the P210.
I don't know of hardly any LE agencies, armies, or militaries using the P210. The 1911 and the P220/226/228 have moved into that market.
If concealment is your game, get the P7. If not or you like a slightly larger, taller,heavier or one with a thumb mag release, then the P7M8.
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The Seattle SharpShooter - TFL/GT/UGW/PCT/KTOG
Buy it and you'll be happy with your targets if you do your job!
PS - the Sig P210 doesn't have the ergonomics of the P7. The beavertail's angles just pushes your hand high up on the beavertail giving the web of your thumb to many chances to get bitten by the hammer. P210 owners get bitten alot. It's bitten me several times. I just don't like a gun that snaps back at you.
And where are the P210 owners? I have owned several Sigs (p226/P220) and think they were just as accurate as the P210.
I don't know of hardly any LE agencies, armies, or militaries using the P210. The 1911 and the P220/226/228 have moved into that market.
If concealment is your game, get the P7. If not or you like a slightly larger, taller,heavier or one with a thumb mag release, then the P7M8.
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The Seattle SharpShooter - TFL/GT/UGW/PCT/KTOG
The sales reciept for my P7M8 refurb is dated TODAY. $699. Some have said the manual included is German, mine is in English. It has the gas chamber cleaning tools. Dealer said that it does have a HK warranty, but I will contact the factory to confirm that. Of the 3 my dealer had, one was sold, there was mine, and one left. The one left is in very rough shape. Mine is 95%, I assume the one sold first was close to 100%. So yes, condition varies greatly.
Buy it and enjoy...I intend to.
Buy it and enjoy...I intend to.
I like my P7s. To me they have the speed of Glocks yet the safety of Sigs and the reliability of both. They will even function without an extractor. The magazine is the stongest i've seen so far. I do not own 1911 type guns. . one day kimber. . but for self defense purpose I rank the P7s above the Sigs and Glocks. The ease in getting that first shot off is amazing and reholster is a snap without having to worry about snags.. . .
On a side note.. HK compromised on their factory nickle finish. . . Blue Jay is right. . better send it off to someone else.
On a side note.. HK compromised on their factory nickle finish. . . Blue Jay is right. . better send it off to someone else.
I must respectfully disagree with the above. I personally wasn't impressed with the P7 when I got to fire one. I'm not aware of what ammo was used (this was at the Outdoors Festival in Memphis) but I'm pretty sure that it wasn't +P. None the less, the recoil reminded me of my brother-in-law's Makarov. I just didn't enjoy shooting it. It wasn't bad at all, but not something I wanted to go back and do all over again.
The Sig 245, though, . . . talk about a dream gun!
The Sig 245, though, . . . talk about a dream gun!
The P7's recoil can be a bit snappy, but after a few shoot sessions you'll get used to it. I remember when I first shot the Sig220 I didn't like it's thinnger trigger because I got used to the much wider trigger on the 226 and 228. However, after a few shooting sessions I quickly got used to 220's narrower trigger. I think the same is true for P7's relatively snappier recoil.