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17,014 rounds |
0 stoppages | 0 malfunctions | 0 parts breakages |
The HK45 has now been proven to work in Canada as well as the United States!
The pistol has gone about 8,000 rounds without being cleaned… not to torture the gun but simply out of laziness, to be honest. I don’t think I’ve ever gone this long between cleanings. You wouldn’t realize it from looking at the gun, though. And you certainly wouldn’t know if if you were shooting the gun. In fact, about half a dozen different students tried the HK45 during the week and as usual there were rave reviews of the LEM trigger… and zero stoppages of any kind.
Among the demos during the classes were two Dot Torture runs (50 hits at three yards, yea!) and a nice Triple Nickel in 4.64 from under an untucked polo complete with a 1.56 reload. On the other hand, the best F.A.S.T. run I could turn in was a 5.25 clean.
Obviously, the gun hasn’t been pushed too hard over the past few weeks. So what is there to report on?
First, while there was obviously a fall off in skill (see “5.25 clean F.A.S.T. run” above, for example!), it was not as dramatic as I’d expect. The biggest deficiencies I saw were in slow marksmanship shooting strong- and weak-hand only. Overall operation of the gun was as simple as ever.
Second, without boring everyone with the personal and business goings-on that have prevented me from shooting much recently, suffice to say that I’ve had to be in a lot of places without being obvious that I was carrying a gun. The HK45, big as it is, has been no problem to conceal using my prototype Garrity In-Victus holster.
See you next week!
Train hard & stay safe! ToddG
Previous HK45 Endurance Test posts at pistol-training.com:
- Week Ten
- Week Nine
- Week Eight
- Week Seven
- Week Six
- Week Five
- Week Four
- Week Three
- Week Two
- Week One
- Announcement
Looking forward to shooting it in August.
ToddG,
Been following the HK45 endurance test and have a question. By the way, I find great value in the drills on this website and your weapon tests. I also just did your mod idea to my mags and am digging it.
Do you subscribe to the idea of using a rear sight that allows for one handed cycling of the weapon? Does Heinie make one of their “Ledge” sights for the HK45/P30?
My duty gun is a M&P 40 with factory Novak night sights. Obviously I can’t use the rear sight with the Novaks. We were taught to use the ejection port cycled off your holster or boot for one handed manipulation of the slide.
I would just like to get your opinion on ejection port vs rear sight for cycling the slide.
Thanks
Yeah I have to admit the LEM trigger won me over for the two mags I put through the gun. The sights however didn’t. That front blade is frikin huge man, and ugly. I would definitely go with something else when I buy one (which I will, and soon). I’ve only shot a handful of guns with mag releases like the HK’s, yet when the slide locked back it was completely natural to hit the release with my trigger finger, no thinking required. That surprised me.
The gun also felt very nice to grip, and it absorbed the “mankillin'” .45 recoil better than I expected. I’d still have to get used to gripping it a little harder than my jamomatic Shadow, but I can live with that.
Todd,
Are you back to using the dremeled down magazine baseplates? It’s too bad HK didn’t stick with the prototype design baseplates which had a more of an “Ed Brown” shape to them.
Zack — I definitely prefer to use the sights rather than the ejection port. I find the sights are far more reliable. The Heinie sights don’t have a particularly pronounced “ledge” but they’re more than adequate. I went through the USTC tac pistol class last year with the same sights on my P30, and had no problem racking the slide even when doing SHO or WHO drills.
Rob — While I’d prefer a slimmer front blade, it needs to house a big powerful tritium capsule. The trade-off is worth it for my purposes.
Jason — Yes, I’m back to using the DIY ugly baseplates. The factory configuration is simply not as functional.
Heh heh. I am going to win some money on this test.
Todd; Would be interested in what it took to import the pistol into Canada.ie.forms,how difficult,problems with officials,etc.
Have a kid up there and have never brought in a pistol even though I looked up the various forms needed.
Thanks
Fish — Robbie could explain it in more detail but essentially:
* You need a justification (match, class, hunting, etc.)
* You need a weapons permit that you get at their Border Security station as soon as you hit Canada.
* You need a transport license from the territory. In British Columbia it’s a same-day process but I’ve been told in other parts of the country (cough Montreal cough) it can take weeks.
You also need to be bringing in a handgun that meets Canadian requirements. It must have at least a 105mm long barrel, maximum of 10rd capacity magazines, etc.
Todd has it pretty much dead on there. However if you are looking to bring a pistol up to give to your kid as a gift, or to have him buy it off you, there are a bunch of other rules. Beyond the US State Department’s rules on exports and such. If you are just planning on bringing it up to shoot, then you also need to know where you are going, as we can only shoot handguns at ranges, not out in the bush or on our own private property. stupid I know.
Thanks guys,would just bring to shoot at a range.
Have always been worried about scenario where I arrive at Edmonton airport,apply for permit and am denied. What do I do with $800 pistol? (No jokes-please)
What about delay in getting transport permit??
western Canada is pretty quick at giving transport permits, any questions just call 1-800-731-4000 and follow the prompts. 1 for english, then hit 0 and wait for a bit (sometimes minutes, other times longer). ask every question you can think of. If you can get an invite from his local club for a match or something (you do need a legal reason to bring the gun other than plinking), it’s pretty damn simple.
Todd,
I neglected to pick your brain with respect to a comparision between the HK P30 and the Smith & Wesson M&P. Can you tell me what you like and dislike (pros-cons) between the two models.
Thanks
Curtis
When I tried the HK P30 it had a failure to feed and then had 2 more failures to extracts before I quit.
The Smith and Wesson M&P I don’t like either because, the slide release is worthless in its current form. It is low profile which is nice for avoiding fat fingering it in a shootout. However, it is WAY too stiff and cannot be manipulated unless you completely move your thumb to 90 degrees and press down HARD. Thank god for a heavily serrated slide that makes racking easy.
Second, the trigger is godawful. Like real bad. S&W says 7 pounds. My trigger scale say 8 pounds. And it’s not an easy road to get to the 8 pound breaking point.