Heckler & Koch P30: Full-Size Security

The welcome was a warm one from European law-enforcement agencies when Heckler & Koch introduced a new, short-recoil operated, 9 mm Luger-chambered semi-automatic pistol in 2006. That year, the German Federal Customs Administration ordered 13,500. The Norwegian Police Service followed by procuring 7,000, and a parade of others soon followed.

It initially launched with a P3000 label, but the name changed quickly to the now-familiar P30. The double-action/single-action pistol has an exposed hammer and standard magazine capacity of 15 cartridges. At slightly more than 7" in length and weighing more than 23 ozs., the P30 pistol is tailored for duty.

The P30 has undergone a vast number of upgrades throughout its history, including the addition of a .40 S&W chambering and an accessory rail under the dustcover. Today, it’s available in a number of variants, including a long-slide version (P30L seen above) and another with a shorter, more compact profile—the P30SK that debuted at the 2015 NRA Annual Meetings and Exhibits.

Each come with interchangeable backstraps and side panels to customize fit. All have an automatic hammer safety and firing pin safety, as well as ambidextrous magazine release and slide release. Ambidextrous manual safeties are available throughout the line. Owners can also opt for H&K’s enhanced double-action-only Law Enforcement Modification—which adds a de-cocking button and trigger modification that results in a light-strike setup with a let-off weight of 5.4 lbs.

Overall length of the P30SK is 6.42", and the barrel measures 3.27". It weighs slightly less than 24 ozs., but is only available in 9 mm Luger. Magazine capacity, depending on the model selected, is 10 or 13 cartridges, and factory-installed options include night sights. MSRPs are either $839 or $949.

The P30L, or long-slide, measures 7.71" long and has a 4.45" barrel. The P30 model, for comparison, is 7.12" and 3.85", respectively. Corresponding weights are 27.52 ozs. and 26.98 ozs. Both are available in 9 mm Luger and .40 S&W. MSRPs are the same, depending on configuration, although factory-supplied magazine capacity goes as high as 17 rounds for guns chambered in 9 mm and 13 rounds for those in .40 S&W.