H&K VP9 vs. Sig Sauer P320…both just arrived 7/31/14

Good morning all.  So, this is one of those fun mornings where we get to compare the new striker fired 9mm entries into the market from two of the top weapons manufacturers in the world.  The Heckler & Koch VP9 and the Sig Sauer P320 just came in with FedEx this morning and it kind of feels like Christmas in the shop. Let’s first, just take a look at them side by side.

 

This is our second VP9 through the door this week.  The first was sold so fast, almost nobody got a chance to take a look at it.  No one can tell us about his weapon better than H&K so we are going to do a little website plagiarism to start the morning off.  In development for more than four years, the VP9 is Heckler & Koch’s latest handgun and the first striker fired HK since the renowned P7 series pistols were introduced in the 1980s.  Experience gained by HK engineers with the recent P30 pistol had a direct influence on the design of the VP9, but the VP9 breaks new ground with its integration of a unique striker firing system with an enhanced HK “light pull” trigger. The net result is trigger quality unequaled in any production striker fired handgun.

The VP9 trigger has a consistent pre-travel pull with a positive wall/crisp break. Typically, striker fired guns have a pre-travel pull that increases in weight as you go through the trigger stroke. With the VP9, you have a less than noticeable pre-travel pull until the trigger reaches the engagement point of the fire control parts prior to trigger break.

The VP9 uses HK’s ergonomic handgun grip design that includes three changeable backstraps and six side panels— accommodating all hand sizes. Molded finger grooves in the front of the pistol’s grip also instinctively position an operator’s hand for optimal shooting. Only HK handguns have such a customized grip.

We did a trigger pull and reset demonstration for both of todays weapons so let’s take a look at the H&K first.

Next, we have the Sig Sauer P320, a polymer-framed service pistol designed from the ground up with the input of law enforcement officers. The result is the most operator-safety focused striker duty pistol on the market today.  Featuring a modular grip frame and removable fire control assembly pioneered by SIG SAUER, the P320 is customizable to any hand size or duty requirement. The P320 can quickly be converted from a Full-size to a Carry pistol. Slide and barrel conversions allow the P320 to change between calibers and barrel lengths as well.  With a partially pretensioned striker, the P320 has a short, crisp trigger pull with a quick, pronounced reset right out-of-the-box. Featuring the SIG SAUER internal safety system, the P320 has no external safety or decocking lever to snag or hang up on the draw.  SIGLITE night sights come standard, and the reversible magazine release makes the P320 completely ambidextrous.

This is the trigger pull and reset demonstration for the Sig Sauer P320.

Some initial thoughts on seeing and handling these weapons side by side.  The triggers are fantastic on both weapons, although they are very different from each other.  Both have clean crisp breaks, but the travel on the Sig Sauer is less than on the H&K.  Both weapons offer both front and rear slide serrations but the H&K has a step up over the Sig Sauer on this count as H&K incorporated little wings on the rear of the slide that make chambering a round or clearing a jam about as natural as I’ve ever seen.  Sig Sauer steps up in the sight department as they offer the SIGLITE night sights standard, while H&K considers that an upgrade (and I haven’t seen the VP9’s with the night sights on the market yet).  The long and short of this little rivalry is that they both appear to be fantastic weapons and I’ve gotten nothing but glowing reports from the people that have purchased these weapons from the shop.  The fit, finish and feel of the H&K is superior to the Sig, but Sig offers more features than H&K for a lower price.  You really can’t go wrong either way.  Come by and take a look when you have time.

As always, thank you for reading the Blog at https://gunshinearms.com