Heckler and Koch P30SK after 12 Thousand Rounds

H&K’s pistols are about as famous as is the company’s attitude towards civilians, poors, and common-folks clamoring for them. Hollywood and video games have radicalized the masses by featured them in the hands of heroes, commandos, spies, and bad guys for over 30 years. This subsequently created a ripple effect on the gun world, somehow brainwashing the market into justifying their high price tags. I was not immune. Growing up, I would see the famous H&K USP pistol in almost all of the media I consumed and it made me want an H&K…And I eventually would get one.

In 2018, I had been on the prowl for a new carry pistol that was a good carry gun but with added cool-factor. At the time, I was carrying a Glock 19 for both concealed carry and fugitive recovery work in the field. The Glock 19 is of course, a tried-and-true do-all pistol. Issued to cops, spec ops guys, and probably still the best selling handgun in the USA, its track record is legendary. It’s also comfortable enough to carry concealed and great for high-vis professional work as well. Not to mention, they are so easy to shoot that we currently still use them to teach new shooters in our firearms classes.

The 19 was all good but I’ll be honest, I was pining for a pistol that could be even easier to carry without sacrificing too much shootability or firepower. I wanted something that I could “transform” from a tiny package to a compact duty weapon. I got the idea from my partner partner who had recently switched over to a Glock 26 (from a Glock 19) as his main pistol. He could adapt it between lo-vis, high-vis, and every day carry by just changing which capacity magazine he used. Going from the flush fit 10-round magazine, it would disappear completely on him while slamming a 15 round magazine (with grip sleeve) gave him the capacity of his old Glock 19 again. I wanted something that could do the same….just a little cooler.

I had never paid much attention to the H&K P30 series as I always felt any pistol from the German company would be far out of my price range. Additionally, the guns I knew about from H&K (the USP series) had always been way too big for my concealed carry tastes. Even the USP Compact is rather large and with smaller pistols with similar capacity flooding the market, I would only ever buy one for cool-factor alone.

Later that year, my eyes caught an image of what looked like a USP Compact…only smaller! It had a threaded barrel and a weapon light attached that gave it the nostalgic lines of Solid Snake’s gargantuan Mk23 SOCOM pistol from the OG Metal Gear Solid game from the 90’s. Or one those sweet USP ads from the same era. You guys know the ones I’m talking about: SWAT/Spec Ops guy at the ready, pointing this (at the time) state-of-the art pistol down some smoky hallway ready to bust on a baddie. After seeing this carry-sized, modernized version of gun I hoped to one day own, I had to have it. It seemed it would scratch a lot of those H&K itches while cutting down on size. There were many more benefits to owning this pistol that I was soon to find out after training with it.

Months later, I met a person who wanted to trade his P30SKS (Hammer and Safety Version) for a Glock 19. I met up with him promptly and made the trade! The pistol already had a few thousand rounds through it before me owning it but it looked to be in good shape. I took it to the range that day and put another 150 rounds through it without a single hiccup!

FEATURES

The model I picked up was the P30SKS V3. This version features a single/double action trigger with a spurred hammer, de-cocker button, ambidextrous paddle magazine release, ambidextrous safety, and ambidextrous slide-catches. Out of the 3 options offered for this pistol, I chose this configuration because it seemed closest to a 1911 which is just a pistol I intuitively shoot well. The manual of arms is so similar and the safety allows me to carry the pistol in single action mode (cocked and locked).

The P30SK comes in two other configurations: A SA/DA, full spurred hammer model with no safety (P30SK V3) and a model with and the “Law Enforcement Modification” trigger (P30SK LEM V1). The LEM V1 trigger is a double action only trigger that breaks at 5.4lbs. The LEM trigger works by pre-cocking the hammer spring during the normal cycling of the gun. The result is the trigger take up only has to overcome the trigger return spring which is very light, then the trigger stacks at the end almost like a single action.

Some of the notable features I love about this pistol: The slide catches/releases are HUGE. These things are like surf boards for your fingers but they are recessed in a way that do not stick out or create hot spots when carrying. This makes reloads and clearing malfunctions lightning fast. The de-cocker is also very different from the USP-style de-cockers of the 90’s. USP pistols have their de-dockers integrated with their thumb safeties and are actuated by thumbing the lever down past the “S” marking to safely lower the hammer. Shooters found this to sometimes be troublesome because if they carried these pistols cocked and locked (round in the chamber, hammer back, safety on), they often over-actuated the safety and accidentally de-cocked the pistol prior to shooting. This would essentially put their single-action pistol in double-action mode, making the trigger pull much heavier. This would throw off shots and make the shooter less accurate.

The P30 series of pistols solved this issue by placing the de-cocker on the back of the slide. This square button must be deliberately pushed to de-cock the pistol. Way to go, H&K!

P30 Series pistols come in 3 main sizes. The P30L has the longest slide and a 4.45 Inch barrel length. The P30 is in the middle with a 3.85 Inch Barrel but same grip height as the p30L. H&K skips over compact guns completely with their p30sk (subcompact) at 3.27 Inch Barrel and much shorter grip height.

P30SK pictured with our Tie Breaker CQC Knives. Perfect EDC combination.

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SHOOTING

As of today’s date, my little P30SK has had over 12k rounds pass through its barrel (with 800 more next week at a tactical pistol course). This does not include how ever many rounds the original owner had shot (he did not give me a number). I have had a lot of time teaching, training, and carrying with this pistol. To give context to how I feel about it, remember that it is technically classified as a sub-compact pistol. In my experiences, however, it occupies a unique no-mans-land size between subcompact and compact. This leads me up to the important question of how does it feel to shoot? The simplest answer: not like a subcompact.

Recoil is (mostly) subjective to who is shooting. Hand size, strength, and proper body mechanics all play a part in how a gun feels when fired BUT not everything about recoil is subjective. I personally found the P30SK’s recoil impulse to be no snappier than my Glock 19. Over the past few years, many who I have lent this gun to try out in classes or with friends noticed the same thing: The P30SK carries like a subcompact but recoils like a compact.

When compared to my partner’s Glock 26, it was marginally less snappy and more pleasant to shoot. That isn’t to say Glock 26s are hard guns to shoot at all but the P30SK’s slightly tamer recoil makes sense given it’s just a hair taller and wider. Most importantly though, I found that my consistency, accuracy, and splits with follow up shots were nearly identical to my performance with a Glock 19.

P30SK (behind) Size Comparison with a Glock 26 (in front)

Comparing dimensions between a Glock 19 (Left) and the H&K P30SK (Right)

RELIABILITY

As stated, I’ve put roughly 12K rounds through this pistol over the span of 3 years on top of what was shot before I owned it. This includes taking it to multiple tactical classes where it was subjected to heat, cold, dirt, mud, and high shot volume. Even at its dirtiest, the gun has eaten everything I’ve ever thrown at it. Steel cased, remanufactured, and rounds found on the ground, it shoots it all. Even when tossed in the dirt, the P30SK has chopped through the grit and continued to load.

There has only been one point of worry for me when shooting it and that has to do with the magazine release. More about that below.

THE MICRO 9 - A BETTER OPTION?

Now knowing its size and capacity, I know a lot of you are probably thinking this pistol isn’t worth your time given newer, smaller micro 9’s exist. With pistols that defy logic like the Glock 43, Springfield Hellcat, and of course a gun created of pure German devil magic: the Sig P365, why would the P30SK be relevant at all? Let’s compare.

A few years back, gun magicians successfully figured out alchemy and were able to create pistols that hold the same amount of ammunition as bigger, fatter subcompact pistols but be small enough to fit in your pocket. They flooded the market and absolutely smashed the public’s conceptions of how small a carry gun should be. The most famous example of this is the P365 by Sig Sauer. With a pocket-sized pistol holding a 10 round magazine flush-fit to the grip, it has the SAME capacity as the P30SK while still being shorter, thinner, and lighter weight.

P30SK (behind) Size Comparison with a Sig P365 (in front)

So what role would the P30SK fill if a gun that small is packing the same fire power? In my opinion, guns like the P365 serve a single purpose while the H&K P30SK fulfills two. The P365 still feels like a micro pistol when I shoot it. It’s a nice pistol and compared to other micro 9’s, it won’t Rex-Kwon-Do your wrists. But you can feel that there is still a compromise of shootability for convenience. Most micro 9’s simply don’t shoot as easily as guns used for duty. That is no knock on the P365, Glock 43, or Hellcat as these pistols are advertised to fill this role.

The P30SK touches on the sizes of these pistols but still feels like shooting a much larger, duty-sized gun like the Glock 19. I often place it on my battle belt with a 15 round magazine it feels right at home in its OWB holster. I cant imagine strapping a pistol as small as a Glock 43 in a drop leg and using it as a tactical pistol. The P30SK is just more versatile and if you are looking for only one gun to buy to fill those roles, I would recommend it. Just be warned that it will never be as concealable as a true micro pistol.

OK..THE BAD

No matter how much I praise an H&K product, I know deep down they will still see me as a lowly casual. So I might as well be real with you all and mention the things I do not like about this pistol.

The Trigger: Dear god, the double action trigger on this gun feels as rough and unrefined as your racist uncle practicing his first stand-up gig at Thanksgiving dinner. The trigger pull is predicable but long at 12 lbs.

The single action trigger pull is FAR more manageable at 5.5 lbs. Now being spoiled by 1911 triggers, I did not like the amount of take-up leading to the wall on the SA trigger. Training and a lot of rounds got me used to it and I can now put holes on top of holes with it but I would prefer to not have so much slack.

Companies like Gray Guns can improve and modify P30 triggers for the modest cost of 355.00

The Stock Sights: With the pistol, I received a glow in the dark set of sights. Very basic, no tritium. I obviously will be replacing these sights even though they work ok but I would have liked to have seen a tritium front sight and maybe a blacked out back.

Let’s also talk about the rear sight for a second. This thing is angled and ramped so smoothly that there is NO WAY to catch it on your belt (or something) to rack the slide. This is a huge problem for one-handed loading and malfunction clearing. I typically have to use the front of the slide to rack the slide. Modern rear sights are typically made with sharp, right angles to be used as “shelves” to cycle the slide with only one hand. I know this is a sub-compact carry pistol and we want to keep everything smooth to not catch clothes but it was designed for fighting. Shelved rear sights are a must.

Not MRDS compatible: Micro Red Dot Sights cannot be mounted to this gun. And before you think you will get the slide milled to accept one, don’t. The P30SK series of pistols has internal holes and wells that make doing this dangerous to the gun’s integrity. This is something that H&K messed up on, I think. MRDS’ are becoming mainstream for compact combat pistols and there is little we can do to mount one on this otherwise great combat pistol.

Some issues with the magazine release: This could be the way I hold the pistol OR a mechanical problem. I have not figured out which one it is. Occasionally, the magazine will come loose after shooting. I assumed this had to do with the unique H&K paddle release and it does not happen often. This also has not happened with other shooters using it so I assume it is something to do with how I grip the pistol. Nevertheless, I will find the magazine on rare occasion has popped out after a shot, causing the pistol to not chamber a new round. A swift tap, rack, squeeze fixes the issue.

H&K P30SK being used at the ISP Protective Pistol Level 2 Course in Moyock, NC

*UPDATE AS OF 6/29/21* - AN ADDITIONAL 500 ROUNDS!
Over the weekend, I took this pistol to the grueling Intuitive Self Protection Level 2 Protective Pistol course in Moyock, NC. Over two days, we did pistol drills that most people only dream of. Shooting from retention, rapid fire, 2x2x2’s, and shooting from inside vehicles to name a few. There were also tons of sprints, calisthenics, and unorthodox shooting positions that were peppered into the 500-800 round count courses of fire.

The little P30SK NEVER never stopped feeding rounds. We were shooting in a dusty gravel pit and were constantly sliding into the dirt. A lot of prone and urban prone shooting positions put the gun in those elements and many of the other guns in the class (Sigs mainly) had malfunctions that needed to be cleared.

The only issue I had with the P30SK was a problem I encountered once more. When I canted the pistol to the side for close quarters retention shooting, the magazine would sometimes pop out. I would have to do immediate action (Tap, Rack, Press) to fix this issue and it did frustrate me. Upon further inspection of the pistol, I found that the roll pin that holds the Paddle-style magazine release in had slid to the side a bit. I used a punch to re-center it. This is not a part that should be doing this and I will soon be replacing that pin. Your magazine should NOT be dropping in the middle of a course of fire. That being said, this issue never happened when I was firing my pistol in a traditional upright position and has ceased to be a problem in any position post-fix.

In a class where most people were carrying full-sized to compact pistols, I felt a little outgunned at the start. This sub compact kept up and lapped some of the other big-named pistols in a class designed to test your fitness, mental toughness, AND your gear.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, how do I feel about the P30SK as a carry/duty pistol? Lets see below.

RELIABILITY - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - 12K rounds is a hell of a lot of lead to go through a pistol barrel in 3 years. The little P30SK ate everything I put in it and continues to hit where I aim to this day. I trust it as a fighting pistol.

VERSATILITY - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Being able to change the roles this pistol plays by just changing out the magazines is amazing. The fact that it shoots like a compact pistol at a sub-compact size is really cool. It can’t touch the concealability-to-firepower ratio of newer micro pistols, however. The diminutive Glock 43x with Shield 15-round magazines really changes the game in this category.

AFTERMARKET PARTS - ⭐⭐⭐ - H&K Parts are plentiful but expensive. The fact that you cannot mount a red dot on this pistol is unfortunate.

CARRYABILITY - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - For a subcompact, it carries easily! But with lighter, smaller micro pistols that hold the same amount of ammo flooding the market, it no longer reins supreme in carry-convenience.

COOL FACTOR - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - A very subjective rating, I know. But owning this gun will make chicks like you more and improve your credit score. Also, with this gun carrying the lines of so many pistols used in video games and Hollywood along with being feature-packed, this gun is just cool. Deal with it.

VALUE - ⭐⭐⭐⭐- H&K will do as H&K has always done and force you into perma-poverty buying their guns. The P30SK has been seen for up to $900.00 and as low as $580.00. It isn’t a cheap pistol, either way. But a subcompact pistol that can survive what I’ve put it through and fill two roles for me is worth the middle ground of those prices.

OVERALL SCORE
⭐⭐⭐⭐ - BUY IT

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H&K P30SK Review | Life after 12K Rounds

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