Bigray's review of the HK P30 in .40 S&W

[BigRay]

Okay, so it's not uncommon for me to fall in love at first sight with a new pistol at the local gun store. It is very unusual, though, for that pistol to almost immediately become my EDC and HD gun.
That was the case with the HK P30 I picked up a couple of months ago. It's chambered in .40 S&W, and packs 13 +1. It came with HK's "luminous" sights, which glow in the dark for a few minutes if you hit them with a bright light. I quickly replaced those with Trijicons.
Like the Gen. 4 Glocks and the S&W M&Ps, it has interchangeable backstraps, but it also goes one step more, with three sizes of interchangeable side panels for a truly custom grip fit. No matter your hand size or shape, this gun is going to fit you like a glove!
What really sold me on the P30 is the LEM (Law Enforcement Modification) trigger, which is not really a DA/SA or a DA only or even a SA only. Sure, it does have a long initial takeup, measuring just over 7 pounds (and it's very, very smooth, I might add). Then you come to the break, which is a crisp 4.5 pounds. It's very much like a very well tuned two-stage match trigger on a rifle. Best of all, the break point remains the same shot after shot, so after the initial long pull, the trigger resets very quickly.
The result is a surprisingly easy-to-master trigger that makes very quick double taps a breeze.
Part of the reason for this is the very effective recoil buffer system incorporated into the recoil spring assembly, which takes much of the "snap" out of .40 rounds. In fact, the pistol's felt recoil is less than many 9mms I've tried.
For more than a few years, my EDC pistol has been a Sig P220 Carry SAO, but one trip to the rage and 200 rounds later, the P30 has taken it's place of honor on my hip.
So why pay $800+ for a polymer pistol when you can spend far less on an XD or a Glock? Here's my personal opinion, having owned all three of the pistols:
1. Ergonomics. The P30 winds here hands-down.
2. Trigger. A little practice, and you'll quickly find the LEM trigger to be more user-friendly than those on the Glocks or the XDs.
3. Size. The pistol is slimmer than the mid-size and full-size Glocks and Springfields, and is easy to conceal.
4. HK quality. You really can tell a difference when handling the three pistols side-by-side.
5. Accuracy. Sure, all three pistols are very accurate, but the P30 is the easiest of the three to shoot to your fullest potential.
Now don't get me wrong — I believe Glocks and XDs are superior pistols, and are among the most reliable handguns made. But if you get the chance, do give the HK P30 LEM a try. I think you'll be very, very pleasantly surprised.
Bigray

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[maddy345]

I had a P30 for about two weeks and couldn't get over how cheap it felt. Im not a fanboy of any specific brand but own Sigs, Glocks, M&Ps and one XD.I traded it for another P229 and never looked back.I'm glad you are satisfied as it can be a long road to find handgun zen :)

[ZX9RCAM]

I love mine, just can't shoot it very well for some reason, therefore it rarely comes out to play.

[redbeardsong]

I spent some time shooting steel with a P30 9mm today with the DA/SA trigger. I love the ergos, but I had a hard time hitting anything with the DA/SA trigger. I normally carry and shoot my Ruger SR9c, with which I'm pretty accurate. I'd like to try the LEM trigger, but I'm not totally sold on the HK yet.

[BigRay]

Granted, the LEM trigger is probably not for everyone. My 15-year-old son who is very, very good with most pistols, has trouble with my P30. He also never really mastered the trigger on a Sig P250 9mm I used to own, which is in some ways similar to HK's LEM system.
And yes, redbeardsong, the HK's DA/SA is certainly not up to par with many other brands. But do try to find one with the LEM trigger and give it a try. You might be sold.
Bigray

[C hawk Glock]

I honestly don't mind the cost of HK firearms, but I would think they could throw in a decent trigger for that kind of dough. They make fantastic firearms, but instead of making 7 variants why not do two variants well?