The HK VP9SK (Subcompact) shown with Winchester USA Forged ammo.

I was asked to review the Heckler & Koch VP9SK. As I had never tried the full-size gun, I wasn't sure what to expect. I bundled the SK along with other guns on some range trips to get some idea of the gun and how it fits into the grand scheme of things. A 10-shot double stack 9mm striker-fired auto may not seem ground breaking. Just like some people prefer Ford pickups or Coke over Pepsi, there are those that are hard and fast HK believers. Having a variety can be a good thing. While I don't routinely carry HK products, I have to say that I've been a fan of their guns for just over 20 years. Part of this is because I spent two weeks as a student in a couple of training courses put on my the old HK International Training Division at the Loudon Co. Sheriff's Range in Virginia. This was in the late 1990s. The gun I used for the first week was the enormous HK USP 45. The second week had me using the more manageable USP Compact in .40 S&W. I can imagine how that gun would have handled in 9mm. We ran the guns hard and I learned a lot. These were real mil-standard class handguns. Maintenance was minimal and quick. No stoppages were seen.

Part of seeing how the gun interfaces to the shooter is to test it one-handed -- with either hand -- as in the Vicker's Bullseye drill.

A USP Compact 40 ended up in the shop, along with an original HK barrel in 357 SIG. The pistol has the "Law Enforcement Modification" – LEM – which amounts to a trigger-cocking hammer fired action. No need for "decocking" before holstering and a consistent trigger press are two of the advantages of the system. The VP9, being striker fired, requires no separate decocking and features a consistent trigger. The magazine release is a lever, bilateral, at the base of the trigger guard. It's short enough to be different and to slow me down – though that's a training issue. The VP9SK (sub compact) has a barrel just under 3.4" long and the gun weighs 23 ounces empty. Like the full-size gun, it has a bilateral slide stop and replaceable backstraps and grip panels. A "cocking" indicator shows red at the rear of the slide when the striker is cocked. That doesn't mean there's a round chambered – but there could be. Disassembly does not require a trigger press. Remove the magazine, lock the slide open, rotate the disassembly lever (on the left side of the gun only) to six o'clock and allow the slide forward off of the frame. Removing the recoil spring and barrel is typical. The VP9 series uses P30 magazines. There are forward cocking serrations, okay for checking the chamber, and a rear-mounted "charging support." This is an element protruding from both sides of the rear of the slide to assist in racking the slide. It can be replaced by a flush mounted unit but I'm not sure it's necessary.

The results of shooting the subcompact HK VP9 one handed at ten yards with Remington-UMC 9mm 115 grain MC ammo.

The VP9SK provided a few surprises. In an attempt to shoot from 50 yards using Winchester USA Forged 9mm ammo, I found one round hit steel out of three attempts. At 25 yards for the shot to the (reduced) B-zone, there was a miss. I then tried the gun with the USA Forged at fifty yards on a Birchwood-Casey 12"x18" "Dirty Bird" silhouette target – zero hits. Moving in, I discovered that the VP9SK was "minute of backstop" with USA Forged: the first real problem I've seen with this round. Trying it in another pistol put three hits into around 4" hand held at fifty yards. I loaded the VP9SK up with Federal Champion "Aluminum" and the accuracy issue disappeared. On a later trip, I used the VP9SK with Remington-UMC 115 grain MC ammunition. The course I used was the "Vicker's Bullseye" drill. Using a B-8 repair center – I used three – fire ten rounds support hand only from five yards (trying to stay in the "X"), ten rounds dominant hand from ten yards (to stay inside the "10" ring) and ten rounds with both hands from 20 yards – staying in the "black." There is no time constraint. I used a separate repair center for each string of fire: five yards on one bull, 10 on another and 20 on yet another. That would let me see what I was doing at each distance and with either hand.

The Heckler & Koch VP9SK ships with two magazines.

I failed to make the yard line goals, "X," "10," and "the black," but shot 100 at five yards, 97 at ten yards and 91 at 20 yards – with a subcompact pistol. It was the first drill fired of the day, so I shot it cold. Yes, there's no drawing from a holster, no recoil control exercise, no speed reloads – it's not per se a handling drill, but a "how does this gun work for me" drill. I'd say that 288/300 doesn't suck: a subcompact, service-caliber pistol turns in 96%. I'm okay with that. It's a plastic striker-fired pistol – but it shoots extremely well. Even though it didn't like one type of ammo, it fired, extracted, ejected, fed and locked with that same round. I'd say I was impressed but the little gun was simply living up to the reputation for quality that HK has had for decades. If you're not wrapped up in certain brands you should try HK. If you're wrapped up in HK but haven't yet gone to striker-fired pistols, this may be what you're looking for. - - Rich Grassi