12,761 rounds
7 stoppages, 0 malfunctions, 0 parts breakages
Happily, there is nothing but good news to report this week. The P30 is running perfectly, with over 2,800 rounds fired since it returned from repair. As reported yesterday, the gun passed the 2,000 Round Challenge with zero stoppages.
The gun is certainly still accurate as can be. In addition to shooting a 2″ group offhand at 25yd this week, I also put the gun through the Dot Torture drill at 7yd with a perfect 50 out of 50 score. When you take your time, the LEM trigger is extremely good at helping you make accurate shots.
Speed is pretty good, though I still can’t manage blind splits as fast as I could with the M&P9. Running a string of 5-shot draws at 7yd on a paper plate, I averaged 0.17 splits, with a range of 0.15 to 0.20. That’s about 0.01-0.02 slower than with the M&P9. However, the speed difference is more noticeable when running a drill like the F.A.S.T. Unless I’m being very conscious about fast splits, I tend to slow down to the low-to-mid 20’s with the HK, whereas I was usually in the high teens on the M&P. So the speed is possible, but at this point it takes more mental effort to make it happen.
With the extra strength trigger return spring from the Variant 4 LEM, though, I never suffer from trigger freeze even when pulling my fastest splits. It provides the same benefit as the MA-compliant trigger spring and trigger bar I used in the M&P9 last year.
One thing we get asked constantly at pistol-training.com is, “Which do you like better, the M&P or the P30?” So this week, we had another shooter spend some significant time shooting both the test gun and the backup. An experienced and proficient shooter who currently uses an M&P9 himself, we’re getting an independent assessment comparing the two. Expect to see his report shortly.
That’s it for Week Nine. Now that the gun is back and running like a pneumatic hammer, we should be able to put some significant rounds down range during Week Ten. See you next Thursday …
Train hard & stay safe! ToddG
Previous P30 Endurance Test posts at pistol-training.com:
- Week Eight
- Week Seven
- Week Six
- Week Five
- Week Four
- Week Three
- Week Two
- Week One
- Initial Report
Thanks for making me aware of the “Dot Drill.” I’m going to try it out this weekend. I may split the difference on the distance, 3-yards seems too easy and 7-yards a bit far for the first time. So, I’m going to try it at 5-yards.
“experienced and proficient” may be a bit of a stretch
Hey can you say when the M&P9 vs P30 article will be on the site?
JD — We’re anxious to get it, too. Hopefully soon.