Tell me about the HK P7M8

L

lonegunman

New member
I was drooling over one of them yesterday at a gun show, and have a few questions.

Is it available in stainless or hard chrome? or just blue? the gun I saw was blue. HK website just shows a blue one too.

I have heard this gun gets hot real fast when shooting. Why more so than other guns? What exactly is the "heat shield" I have heard people mention?

I have seen some P7s in the past that appeared to be refurbished, or at least I thought they were refurbished because the blueing on the slide looked kind of a weird shade of purple. Anybody have any idea what I was looking at?

While I was looking at the gun, another customer walked up and traded a basic parkerized Springield Armory Loaded 1911 plus $300 for the P7. Was that a good deal?
 
You've been hooked

The P7 has a gas recoil system. Part of the exhaust gases are bled into a piston (just above the trigger area). As a result, the gun can heat up. The heat shield is a plastic (?) piece that is placed between the gun and the top of the trigger area. P7M8 has the shield, other P7's do not. I find it gets kinda warm after 2-3 mags. Others on this board can put up with 50-100 rounds before worrying about the heat (please do "flame" me :) ). I've taken to wearing golf gloves when shooting a lot of rounds rapidly, and now I don't have to worry about even putting down my P7M8.

Have you shot a P7? If not, try and rent one. Nice balance. I'm debating whether to keep my HK USP9c or trade it for a second P7M8 (non-refurb KI for $899). Any suggestions helping me decide would be appreciated. BTW a refurb is a gun which is turned back into HK (such as German Police) and refurbished. These will have a grind mark ("mill mark") on the forward ejector side to eliminate the german police mark. From what I've read, these german guns don't have many rounds through them.
 
Very accurate guns. They hold their value well.

You can't shoot lead in them, as the lead fouls the blowback system. And, as noted, they get hot very fast.

If you plan to get one and use it regularly, you may create a problem for yourself: the squeeze/cock grip requires a different set of learned behaviors than do standard guns, and getting proficient with the P7 will interfere with your skills with other guns. (Shooting it just every now and then and not carrying, it won't matter.)

About the only service pistol that's more accurate is the SIG P-210, and that costs twice as much (for the cheapest models).

If you want one that's hard chromed, you'll probably have to get it hard chromed yourself.
 
Yeah, I like P7s a little bit. :)

Here's my collection:

p7-collection.jpg
 
More things to add.

P7s were once offered in a nickel finish. I suggest hard chrome if you want durability and corrosion resistance. Two of mine were done by Tripp Research. See: http://www.trippresearch.com/

My hard-chromed P7 PSP also has "brush flats" on the two sides of the slide that give it a polished look. Its original finish in those areas was a highly polished blue, so this preserved it. Here's a closer look:

psp-1.jpg


Also, I have not found the P7M8 heat shield to be that important. When firing, I usually feel the "heat" on the index finger of my support hand, because it touches the bottom of the trigger guard. For my P7M8s and P7 PSPs, it is this area that seems to heat up. Using +P ammo also seems to cause this area to heat up faster.

The P7s are outstanding pistols, and am glad that I have four of them with lots of spare magazines. They are the most accurate pistols that I own, due to their fixed barrel and excellent trigger. And, although they are heavier than an equivalent Glock (such as the Model 19), they balance better in the hand. Only my Glock 35 comes close in terms of accuracy.
 
Lunde has the best pictures.....

Anyway, the P7 is adictive. I have 3 now and if a good 4th comes into the fold so be it.

The key on the p7 is thin accurate power. It is very safe to carry (an 84 p7 is my standard carry gun). It is accurate with a great trigger, and it is center of attention when you shoot it at the range.

Here in Houston we have routine meetings of the p7 users and have sometimes as many as 12 p7's on the bench. It certainly draws a crowd.

Does it get hot, well it can if you push it. That is why I usually shoot two.

Great guns, I trust my life to one daily.
 
My P7M8 was the 2nd gun I ever bought. As a result, it has spoiled me. I now expect a high level of performance in all my guns...why buy them if they're not going to perform, right? Accurate, unique, reliable & dependable.
My only complaint is how hot they get after shooting a relatively low amount.
I've had mine more than 10+ years & recommend them highly. :cool:
 
How hot they get, and of more importance, how FAST they heat up, is largely a function of how rapidly you go through a magazine. If you load up ten mags and rapid fire all of them, you'll need a glove to shoot a P7 PSP--the only P7 model without a heat shield over the trigger area. You may even want a glove for the P7M8 or M13.

But for defensive use the heat up issue is irrelevant. One or two mags shot fast isn't going to render the gun unholdable.

It's true that the manual of arms is different enough from other handguns to surprise you occasionally when you're shooting IDPA and you forget to squeeze the grip cocker. (Wouldn't exactly want that to happen during an armed encounter). For this reason I shoot only P7's. There are other legendary defensive handguns, but I think none that represent a better balance between accuracy, safe carry, reliability etc.
 
Lonegunman,

I asked this same question less than a year ago. Now I have three P7M8's. It is my "go to" gun for the most part, if conecealment is an issue. Its also a lot of fun to shoot.
 
The quickest way to the poor house? Buying your first P7...

As can be evidenced by the above posts, you won't be buying just one P7. If you're interested in the P7 because of its simplicity and reputation, you'll fall into a trap: once you get the first one, you'll find yourself NEEDING more. They are the closest thing to an addiction this side of cigarettes - so be careful. There have been many not so far fetched suggestions of starting a group not unlike AAA to assist those with the P7 'problem'.

After that being said, the P7 is a fine pistol, and in many ways without peer. I started with a P7M8, which I sold because I like the P7M10 MUCH better (grip, recoil and the BFG factor). I now have 2 M10's, and have never looked back.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top