EDC? HK P7? Pictures?

I have owned 4 P7s, including an M13 I bought new back in the 80s. There is lots of internet chatter about them being so accurate due to the fixed barrel, low recoil axis, etc., but I shot them a lot and did not shoot them as accurately as my other handguns. In the 80s, I was carrying a Beretta 92 on duty, and I shot that like a laser and the P7 like a shotgun.

More recently, I tried the P7 again and had the same accuracy issue. Also, you have to train yourself up on the operating system (which is at odds with the 1911 system and so you will screw up your 1911 muscle memory) so I did not carry them.

Having said that, they are very cool firearms to play around with.

Just my personal experience. Your's may vary.

 

If I’m not carrying a 1911 due to clothing restraints, I carry a p7m8. I tried the 1911 officer route and didn’t like it, so the p7m8 stays. I find I can switch between the 2 platforms without fumbling. I actually shoot the p7m8 much less than a 1911, but still shoot it better and faster. It’s a slim, heavy, low bore axis 9mm with super easy manipulations to fire from a draw, drop a mag, and release the slide from open. It’s downside is the long take up of trigger compared to a 1911, and it’s lower capacity compared to many other smaller 9’s. It’s obvisously not for everyone either.

I liken it to something like operating a skid loader. There are 3-4 main ways these have been manufactured to operate. From joystick controls you can operate with a few fingers to pushing levers with the entire arms and using your feet to control the bucket. I can jump in any of them and the brain can swtich gears to operating the machine like it’s the only way it knows how.

Use something enough and your brain will remember it and figure it out. If a guy stuck to one handgun or one piece of machinery, would he be better off? I could see the argument he would most likely be more proficient in the short and long run. Life’s too short though. I’m not a competitor nor a professional so might as well mix it up some if it doesn’t throw you off too much.

 

Obviously I am in the minority on this forum on this issue, but I strongly urge people who carry to stick to one operating system, or at least multiple systems that involve the same muscle movements, because if you have to actually pull out a gun in response to a deadly threat, you will not be able to "switch gears" because your mind will not be operating the gun. Your mind will be 100 percent dealing with the threat. It's a free country, the chances of actually confronting such a threat are off the scale low, and different guns are fun, but just my 2 cents.

 

If your “mind will not be operating the gun”, what is running it?

 

Your muscle memory. You will do in combat what you do in training, and if you are not swiping down that safety in training, you will not do it in combat.

 

I respectfully disagree. I have been shooting handguns for over 50 years and carried a number of different handguns as my duty weapons during 25 years as a reserve deputy sheriff. I prefer the 1911 operating system but have found with a minimal amount of training that I can quickly and safely operate a different operating system. For many years my backup gun was a j frame revolver while carrying first an HK P7M13 and then a 1911. I also carried a P7M8 as an off duty gun. Never had any problem with quickly transitioning between either of these systems. I had a number of instances where I was forced to deploy my handgun and never fumbled or had to think about operating it.

I believe the key to this is training with everything that you carry (I shot matches with my duty handguns) and taking a minute or two to think about which weapon is on your hip before you walk out the door.

 

I've owned 2 P7M8 pistols, carried both for years. They, literally, never jammed over THOUSANDS of rounds. My last one, on a couple occasions, put 5 defensive rounds inside 1.5" at 25 yards offhand. They are very accurate pistols and quick into action.
But, I no longer own either one and this is due to one reason. I like to practice with my carry guns regularly, not just run 2 magazines through them every few months... The P7 platform, due to the gas system, gets REALLY hot inside the trigger guard. After 2 or 3 magazines I'd have to let the gun cool before starting again. At times it felt like my finger was burning while practicing. So now I carry a custom CCO in 38 Super...

 

The P7 series was my carry gun for the last 7 yrs until I recently switched to the Sig P225 A1. The P7 is my favorite pistol ever made. If you take one apart it looks like a swiss watch with all the little parts and levers involved in its operation. But with that comes maintenance issues, needed parts, and the dedication to know how to fix those things.
It's not a gun for most people. It needs regular cleaning, especially the gas tube. And it gets extremely hot after about 4 or 5 mags due to the gas system that operates it.
All that being said, much like the 1911, if you really love it than the extra sacrifices are worth it. The P7 is an absolute "one off" in the pistol world. It will never be made again by HK, and no other company would ever try to repeat it due to manufacturing costs. So grab one now if you want one. Because they are also pretty much money in the bank from an investment point of view.
As for sticking to one manual of arms or not. To me the P7 is the safest manual of arms ever made. It's not a difficult transition at all in my opinion. The Sig has been a easy transition for me. And I think it would be the same if I started with the Sig 1st.
Many of the reasons that attract me to the 1911 is found in the HK P7 series. It harkens me to a time where true craftsman were building steel guns. Not a whole lot of plastic involved.

 

I never carried one, but I love shooting them...

 

Impressive collection.

 

Age, cost and parts are key facts to consider.

I’ve had 3-4, love the gun, shoot it well. Last one I traded for a Wilson about 3 years back, I had to scour sites for magazines and they cost a fortune when I found them. I was on waiting lists for parts. I decided it wasn’t if but when something was going to go wrong and I’d be stuck waiting for parts to repair it.


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