Why haven't I owned handguns from Heckler and Koch & Walther ?

I'm just thinking out loud about why that never happened. Could it be correlated to my gun bug catching on in the 70's when everyone was mostly shooting S&W Revolvers, Colt 1911s, WWII battle rifles and 30 Carbines, commercial and sporterized military bolt rifles? Or was it because European guns just weren't really well known or available in the US back then, and by the time I came into the age range of being able to buy guns it was already too late for me to catch on ?

I have shot a few Walthers and HKs that were not mine, and I liked them, but I don't know why I didn't think to actually get any of them over the years.

It's a mystery to me. Have you guys experienced this or related situation with your own history ?

Well, I did own an Interarms PPKs a very long time ago, but I lost it in a burglary, so that doesn't count.

You’re missing out. The wife and I shot an HK VP9. Great pistol. My cousin has owned an HK USP in 45 for 20 years but it’s like trying to grasp an oak tree.

I own a Walther PPQ M2 in 9mm that is a joy to shoot with an incredible trigger. My daily carry is a Walther PPS M2 also in 9mm.
The newer Walther PDP’s are supposed to be even sweeter shooting than the PPQ, but I just can’t stand to look at the thing.

Both have pretty good ergonomics and fit well in my large hands.

HK guns don’t appeal to everyone. I like them. They’re expensive. But I think they’re worth the money. I have Walthers too. P99s, P22, P88, PP and when I get around to it, a P5. I have been a German gun snob for almost 30 years. My SIGs are even more favored.

Most people I know who avoid German guns do so because they’re generally more expensive than most other options and -this may surprise you- gun guys are cheapskates. Lol

Honestly, while I respect HK handguns, I've just never really liked them enough after getting my hands on them. Not for me. Maybe it's just that I'm not much of a fan of polymer framed guns.

I carried SIG for years and now a CZ.

quote:

Originally posted by wrightd:
Why haven't I owned handguns from Heckler and Koch & Walther ?

I'm just thinking out loud about why that never happened. Could it be correlated to my gun bug catching on in the 70's when everyone was mostly shooting S&W Revolvers, Colt 1911s, WWII battle rifles and 30 Carbines, commercial and sporterized military bolt rifles?.....

Your own answer sounds reasonable.

My situation was somewhat opposite. In the late 70's I lost interest in firearms after I lost interest in hunting, so sold the hunting rifle and shotguns but fortunately hung on to my .22's. Then in the 1980's a good friend showed me his "made in West Germany PPK/S" and I was struck by the design, craftsmanship, polish and beautiful bluing. He'd only taken it to the range a few times then lost interest in shooting. Maybe 10 years later when he asked if I'd be interested in buying it I did. That really got me interested in Walthers and European pistols in general, I later bought a P5, P88, and a current Fort Smith PPk.

I soon discovered the HK P7, loved how they shot and started accumulating a few of them. I also have a P30.

Next was Sphinx so I added a couple of those. By then I became interested in revolvers and added a few pre-lock S&W's and Colts.

If you get the chance to shoot a suppressed HK .45, whether a USP(C), Mark 23, or HK45(C), jump at it. There is something just different about how these HKs feel and shoot when compared to suppressed Sigs, Glocks, or 1911s that will have you shopping for one shortly after trying it!

From Counter Strike, I always wanted a USP in .45. I went to the store and held the thing, I have decent sized hands and it was too big. Ended up with my first P220 instead which fit perfect.

I've also not owned either, they're both brands I like and I'll actively cheerlead for Walther, I've just had better options personally from Sig, Steyr, or Glock.

At present the VP9CC looks good, but I've got a P365 with better capacity and holster support. Even if I was looking for a Duty gun the PDP-F fit's my hand wonderfully but so does a FUSE...

I checked out the H&K P7 when it came out in the late 1970's, and was especially interested when it was adopted by GSG-9.

Way too heavy!!!

I'd been shooting a Colt 1911 in competition for several years, and even by that standard, the P7 was overweight. Plus, that squeeze-cocking thing didn't appeal, reminding me of Jeff Cooper's criticism of DA/SA, that it was an overly-complicated solution to a non-existent problem.

Besides that, it shot the then-wimpy 9mm round.

About that time, I got an HK-91 which was great, I liked it a lot, shot it a lot since 7.62 was available surplus for pennies. I wasn't opposed to the brand, but they didn't design a great pistol, in my book.

As to Walther, I bought a pre-war PPK in not-really great shape, because that's all that was available in the years after GCA-68. I still have it, though I haven't shot it for nearly 20 years, but it's still a keeper.

I've gotten trigger time with multiple HKs, but no Walthers.
Entry cost is/was the main barrier for me.

Why?

Because you suck, and we hate you...

Love my PDP. Want a high end PDP, but cost is keeping it away from me!

quote:

Originally posted by benny6:
Why?

Because you suck, and we hate you...

Magazine is loaded wrong

Similarly to the OP I've shot Walthers and H&Ks, but never owned them.

I have respect for both companies. They make good reliable guns. But they just don't do anything for me.

Walthers feel ok in the hand, but they have strange ergos and although people rave about the triggers, I just don't get it. I prefer my P320 trigger to the one in the PDP that I shot.

H&Ks tend to range from non-ergonomic bricks (USP, P2000, etc) to being absolutely molded for your hand (H&K45, P30), but they have really horrible triggers and cost way too much. Their rifles are similar...interesting, but anything I can do with them I can do better (and cheaper) with an AR. It also doesn't help that a lot of the H&K crowd tend to be annoying fanboys who won't admit that the main reason they own them is because they played too much GoldenEye and Rainbow Six in their youth.

I've pretty much worked through my exploratory stages of gun ownership and am content with where I've landed. If something really revolutionary and compelling came along I might give it a try, but beyond that branching out would be just a distraction at this point. Neither Walther or H&K make anything better enough than what I've already got to convince me I need to own one.

I had 9 duty pistols, and one was a stainless USP40 at my first agency.(other makes being S&W, Glock, and Beretta) I didn’t carry it too long due to not liking the ‘crunchy’ DA trigger.

I carried a P2000 in .40, and that had become my favorite pistol up to that time. It was perfect for my bike patrol duty.

At retirement, I got the newly released VP9, which was my favorite pistol up to that time. However, I sold it after a while after determining I didn’t want to carry a full sized pistol in retirement.

In retirement, I was really happy with my G43…until the P365XL was released. THAT became my favorite compact/sub-compact pistol.

Then, the Hk CC9 was announced, and I became interested after the stories and videos of unintended discharges with the P320’s and P365XL’s. I finally picked one up 2 or 3 months ago, and so far, I’m happy. However, I do miss how the XL shot over the CC9.

My sister has a Walther PPQ m2, and I love shooting it. However, I’m just not interested in a full sized pistol since I just don’t want to carry one anymore after almost a 30 year career of having to.

quote:

Originally posted by darthfuster:
HK guns don’t appeal to everyone. I like them. They’re expensive. But I think they’re worth the money. I have Walthers too. P99s, P22, P88, PP and when I get around to it, a P5.

Where would you rank the P88 1)among all your Walthers and, 2) among all your handguns?

quote:

Originally posted by newtoSig765:
I checked out the H&K P7 when it came out in the late 1970's, and was especially interested when it was adopted by GSG-9.

Way too heavy!!!

I'd been shooting a Colt 1911 in competition for several years, and even by that standard, the P7 was overweight.....

No an all steel gun like a P7 won't be light but it's way lighter than a 1911. My Colt Gold Cup weighs 38 oz, my P7M8 weighs 28 oz, both empty. With the magazines full the disparity is more due to the caliber.

https://sigforum.com/eve/forums?a=corfrm&cf=430601935



Again? Sorry.

quote:

Originally posted by ridewv:

quote:

Originally posted by newtoSig765:

Way too heavy!!!

No an all steel gun like a P7 won't be light but it's way lighter than a 1911. My Colt Gold Cup weighs 38 oz, my P7M8 weighs 28 oz, both empty. With the magazines full the disparity is more due to the caliber.

Google bears you out, but I remember being put-off by the weight. Of course, after nearly 50 years I can't explain why I felt that, but it definitely "held" heavier than my Mk 4 Series 70 Colt. Most certainly, I thought it was too heavy for concealed carry.