Why has the HK P7 series been discontinued?

bac1023:
Superb pre-planning you seem to have done! I read that a single variation is double-stack.

Besides modern P7 prices, if I didn't already have about eight handguns, and either the USP or P30 DA triggers were a bit better, you would be my One-Stop HK Guru.
 
@44Amp
There is a generalized "rule of 72" which says you take the inflation rate and divide it in to 72 to get the number of years for the price of a fixed asset to double in cost.

There is a shortage of craftsmen willing to work for low wages, a decline in workers familiar with machine tool operation, increases in legal risks, shortage of quality hardwoods, competition from competitors that can stamp out a cheaper acceptable product... inflation...

it's true that quality firearms tend to hold their value.

I was looking last month at a double barrel shotgun my great grandfather bought in 1995. It was $19 in the Montgomery Wards catalog. It was a working man's hunting shotgun, not a high gloss belgian beauty.

I wonder what a Glock 19 will be worth in 125 years. Lacking the need for hand fitting.. I expect that there is nothing really special about a mass produced thing that can easily be reproduced. It will simply appreciate with inflation and scarcity due to legal restrictions.
 
I don’t think it is fair or accurate to bring up COLT when we are talking about rational decisions to end production of any particular anything. Colt has made the largest, most infamous and ridiculous decisions (and failures) in the history of small arms.
 
I was always a big HK fan, even after they started to hate us and tried their best to get us to do the same. :)

The one thing that stood out to me with the P7 was, you pretty much had to dedicate yourself to it, if you were going to carry it. If you are one of those "rotation" carriers, its not the gun for you.

I also think it was a little too strange for the US market. A lot of the people I let shoot mine, seemed to have a lot of trouble with it, and didnt like it. Some were even afraid of it.

Kind of scary when you think about it, but that squeeze cocker seemed to be overly technical for them.

Its a shame too, as, once you get them down, they are one of the most accurate and easy to shoot well with, out of the box factory guns out there.

One other thing I think really killed them here, was price. When they first showed up here, they werent bad, but you still paid the HK premium, compared to other things. That went for guns and accessories as well. They didnt seem to become desireable until they really became expensive.

I paid $450 NIB for my P7M13 back when they first showed up here in the 80's. I sold it less than a decade later, for $975. Mags I bought when I got it were going for around $25. When I sold it, they were getting $125 for them. There was a lot of HK turmoil going on back then too, with import bans etc.

Things like the 91's and 94's were relatively cheap back then too, and shot up in price dramatically. I paid $450 for my 94 before I had it converted ($800 for an MP5 ;)), and around $550 for my 91's. I literally made thousands on them when I sold them. Made a killing on the accessories as well.

Maybe if they didnt hate us so bad, they would have done better. :D
 
The P7 pistol was produced from 1978 to 2008. Story is that following the Munich Olympic massacre the West German police wanted a new pistol in 9mm that could be used for both open and concealed carry, that was not much larger than the Walther PP, that weighed no more than 35 oz, that could be safely carried with a loaded chamber in both holster and pocket, and that could be drawn and ready to fire instantly.

The P7 carried 8 rounds in a single stack mag. It weighed 27.5 ounces or thereabouts empty as I recall. The German police designated it the PSP when they adopted it as one of three guns they choose in 9mm.

A phrase you frequently hear about these is a jewel of engineering.These were tough, well made guns.

I had one of these early guns. It shot very well. It was heavy and dense by today's standards. The squeeze cocker required no more of a squeeze than what is normal for a handgun. I never had an issue with it and I never heard of anyone who did, till the one post above. The gun was smooth all over with nothing on it that could hang up during a draw or during holstering, nothing that could cut or gouge the shooter. The single action trigger was a jewell and, in 2008 exceptional. It was striker fired. The mag release was on the butt heel of the gun.

After maybe 50 rounds of firing the gun became too hot to hold. This was due to the gas operated recoil system. From the dust cover to the trigger guard and sometime to the trigger it became too hot to hold. Even with gloves it could be too hot to hold. So for any gun you planned to shoot at the range with it was impractical for more than a few mags. You could lay it down and wait for it to cool which could be frustrating.

HK came up with the solution to this heat issue by installing a heat shield which increased the weight by a bit and made the trigger guard a bit smaller. In post #18 above you can see the heat shield on the three guns on the right hand of the pic inside the trigger guard.

For the U.S. market HK came up with double stack versions, moved the mag release, produced in 40 S&W and a few other things. It sold to a few law enforcement agencies here.

Many variants in different calibers were produced. These were more expensive than other guns on the market at the time and a stiff tariff was placed on them when imported.

Bottom line was that, especially after Glock arrived on the scene, it was too expensive to manufacture. It could not compete with Glock for the law enforcement and military markets.

tipoc
 
Nice collection BAC1023! Tell me what grips are those on the third from the left? Are those Nils?
Click to expand...

Thanks

They were on the gun when I bought it. I had it hard chromed. I don't think they are Nills, but very similar




 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top