# HK P30S - Initial Thoughts



## VAMarine

I've been wanting a P30S since HK announced their production two or three years ago, I like the idea of non-1911 pistols in 9mm that offer cocked and locked (C&L) carry, meaning that the chamber is loaded and there is a manual safety engaged.

I am a die-hard 1911 fan and have no illusions that I am done with 1911s by any means and the addition of this feature on the P30 is very appealing as I can maintain familiarity with the drawing/firing process of a C&L platform. I've been very happy with the HK45 and the addition of the P30S will allow to to shoot more for less $$$, with the cost difference between 9mm and .45, I have the cost of the gun in just a few 1K ammo orders.

I've only got a couple hundred rounds through the gun so far, but plan on running the gun in this years trip to* TDI's Partner Tactics Course* (another advantage of the P30S is that we don't have to order two calibers of ammunition and can stick with 9mm as the wife will be running her Glock 19) as well as some other classes and of course, *IDPA*. As such, I'm not going to talk about two or three hundred "flawless rounds" as I should very well hope that a gun can go three hundred +/- rounds without hiccup.

So what I cam going to talk about is what I like/dislike about the P30S.

Some may be wondering why I chose the *regular length P30S* instead of the *P30LS*, well I'm a big proponent of keeping varying carry platforms and methods as close together as possible, and my preferred carry holster is the *Milt Sparks* Versa-Max II which is/was not available for the P30L...so yes, I actually chose my gun in part due to holster availability but it beats buying a gun and then not being able to find a holster for it. I know without a doubt that I like the VMII, most of my primary carry guns have ridden in one so why change?









From left to right: Les Baer SRP, HK45, Nighthawk Talon-Recon, Glock 19

As for the P30, the first thing anyone will talk about is the grip. I do have to say that this is probably the most customizable handgun grip on the market with what comes from the manufacturer.









Stock Photo from HK USA Website, P30 LEM shown

Three different back straps, and three different side panels allow the user to "custom fit" the gun to their hand. I've got it set up with the large back strap and large right side panel and it almost mirrors the feel of my HK45 with the large back strap. The left side back strap is the medium and I may change it to the small to reduce friction on my side when worn IWB.

A nice feature of the P30 family is that the de-cocker is not operated by a frame mounted lever like the USP line, it took the de-cocker location of the P2000 and is a button located to the left of the hammer. What this means to us that use the P30S is a C&L manner, is that we don't have to worry about de-cocking the hammer by mashing down too hard on the safety lever.


















Stock Photo from HK USA Website: HK P30S

The safety lever is also metal, a step up when compared to the USP and HK45 as far as I'm concerned. However this does mean that over time the safety will show the same discoloration as the slide stop levers and turn kind of a goldish bronze. Not really a big issue, but I may have the small parts Cerakoted if the wear gets too bad. Time will tell. I also like that there is a "detent ball" of sorts under the left side safety lever (will add pics later) that makes the safety much more positive in it's engagement than the the USP or HK45.



















As much as I like the operation of the de-cocker, one issue I can see happening is that while drawing or re-holstering using the "thumb cap" method that the de-cocker may be actuated and one may end up with a double action first shot when expecting a single action first shot. This will be something that I watch for and will report back later with my findings.

One other issue, is that when carried C&L, there is a cavernous amount of open space for dirt, lint, etc. to build up in the hammer & sear components.










The gun itself is just slightly larger than the Glock 19 which is pretty much the quintessential concealed carry gun, and for me this is good as the grip on the Glock 19 is just a hair too short for my liking and the P30 is just the right size. Despite having a sub 4" barrel, the pistol is quite accurate and like most guns, is more than accurate enough for defense and competition purposes. The one issue I have with the gun is HK's choice of sights, like the HK45, the P30S has the "luminous" sights and I personally find the three-dot arrangement too busy and will be replacing the rear sight in "6-8 weeks" with some newly produced *10-8* rear sights (not yet released but coming soon) to hopefully get a less busy sight picture.

The reset of the gun is a little longer than I'm used too, but by no means intolerable. A trip out for some action work may be in the gun's future, but as of right now I'm OK with it as is.


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## VAMarine

Regarding the dust trap in the slide, here are some more pictures:




























It catches a lot of lint in there when worn under a polo.


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## jyo

LOVE my P30S 9mm---nothing much else to say when the pistol gives you zero problems...


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## Puppage

I have the HK 45 and want to get either the P30 or P2000. I think you just made up my mind......I should get BOTH!


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## berettabone

Wouldn't mind having one............the wife said that it was the best " feeling" firearm that she handled...ended up getting her an SR40, because of price difference...but it's not off the radar yet.....


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## VAMarine

AS a follow up, the P30S in this thread has been updated a little bit and has been supplemented with a P30*L*S










The LS has been upgraded with some Heinie Straight 8 Night Sights and a trigger job from Gray Guns.

The LS is a light LEM and as the hammer is down eliminates all the crud build up I was getting in the hammer channel.

The red dot install on the P30S was done by *Bowie Tactical Concepts* and features a Leupold Delta Point with 7.5MOA Triangle.

There were some pains with the new set up, the original optic died on me and due to the milling and location of the optic, there was too much pressure on the stock firing pin block spring and the firing control group was binding up. I replaced the spring with a "light" spring and all my issues went away.

I'm shooting my best scores with these guns, I finally shot Expert on the IDPA classifier with the "L" and bettered my score by a decent margin in a mock classifier with the red dot equipped P30S with Red-Dot. I also had a pretty good performance at our Halloween match which was a mash-up of IDPA and USPSA where optic equipped guns were allowed.

For a little more info on the P30S with Delta Point:

Guns, Guns, & More Gosh Darn Guns: Bowie HK P30S w/ Delta Point Update

Guns, Guns, & More Gosh Darn Guns: Update: Bowie Tactical P30S w/ Delta Point

_edited to add:

Before the 10-8 sights came out I installed a set of Dawson Fiber Optic sights on the P30S and *managed to get them in straight, 
*the guns then went a couple thousand rounds at both *Suarez Intl's Point Shooting Progressions (PSP*) and TDI's Partner Tactics Course and ran very well. I did have some premature slide lock backs with the gun and installed a set of slim slide release levers which eliminated those issues.

Overall I'm VERY happy with both P30S'
_


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## jakeleinen1

^dude VAMarine, those are crazy tactical weapons mane


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## Guilty

Great write-up on both pistols.


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## SigP229R

Not in my possession yet but, I have a P30 V3 on the way. I specifically purchased it without the manual safety because my other carry pistols are the same way and, it will keep all my carry pistols basically the same. I really didn't care much for my Sig P229 when I first bought it but after I got used to it I find I love that configuration.:smt1099


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