Welcome to the first full length gear review here at Recycled Firefighter! I wanted to kick things off by talking about a gun that I have been conceal carrying for a year now. I am still really excited this pistol, even after a year. And I see it as one of the best options for a full size/duty pistol.

HK VP9 Review:

If you’re unfamiliar with the H&K VP9 i’ll start out by dropping some general specs about this full size pistol below:

• Chambering: 9 x 19 (9mm)
• Overall Length: 7.34in.
• Height: 5.41in.
• Width: 1.32in.
• Barrel Length: 4.09in.
• Sight Radius: 6.38in.
• Weight (with empty magazine): 25.56oz.
• Capacity: 15+1
• General Price (for the LE edition): $670.00

My first impressions with the H&K VP9:

Feel in hand: Right off the bat when you pick up a VP9 you’re going to notice that it is the most comfortable gun on the market. This is partially due to the overall ergonomics that HK put into this gun. But they also give you 3 options for the backstrap, left side panel and right side panel. This allows you to customize the panels (small, medium and large) to your specific hand shape & size. You can even mix and match all of these panels (ie: small on one side, large on the other, with a medium backstrap). It’s totally up to you how you customize your grip.

Trigger: This has the best OEM trigger on the market. It has no slack, it's buttery smooth and the reset is absolutely excellent. The trigger is predictable and consistent, which is what you want.

Magazine Release: I honestly about passed this gun up because of the European/paddle style magazine release. But it has caused no problems and I can change mags as quick with this pistol, as any other standard push button magazine release.

Fully Ambidextrous: I'm right handed and I never really shoot left handed. However, I do appreciate that this pistol is fully ambidextrous. Though I don't really use any of the ambi-features I think it was a smart move for H&K to accommodate lefty shooters.

Operation: I really love the ease of operation with this pistol. The front & rear cocking serrations are especially nice. I even like the little charging supports that they put on the back end of the slide, thought they are not really necessary.

H&K VP9 Performance:

Reliability: I have cranked close to 600 rounds through this particular HK VP9 LE and it has been nothing short of 100%! I have fed it everything from cheap aluminum cased ammo, to federal ball ammo, and a health supply of my Speer Gold Dot 124 Grain self defense ammo. I have never had a hiccup, malfunction or problem out of this pistol. No matter how clean or dirty this pistol is, it has always performed. I would feel totally confident carrying this is my life were on the line.

Accuracy & Shooting Performance: I couldn’t ask for a better pistol in terms of shootability. The VP9, as I describe it feels like an extension of my hand. Where I point it, the bullets land. I’m not saying i’m the best shot - The gun is just that good. The trigger also adds to this pistols accuracy…It’s so smooth and predictable that you can get extremely precise with it.

* Seen above is my VP9 in the N82 Tactical Original Holster + Recycled Firefighter Belt. An excellent, secure and very concealable combo. (Sitting below the gear is a new Recycled Firefighter bag...more on that later though!)

Concealability for EDC: Let’s be realistic here. The pistol is not a pocket pistol or a subcompact. So you will have to dress around it, in order to conceal it. But it is fairly easy to pull off with the right IWB (inside the waistband) holster, like the one i've shown above. It is also a fairly light pistol for it’s size. So you won’t feel like you’re wearing a huge brick on your side.

Picatinny Rail Attachments: The VP9 was actually designed by H&K to accommodate lights, lasers and other accesssories up to 5.6 ounces. Anything up to this weight should be fully reliable and not cause performance issues for the VP9. I can personally attest to using a Streamlight TLR2 on mine and it has worked phenomenally.

Who would love the H&K VP9?