So the bored guy with no impulse control has another new toy and wants to wax on about it. Errr what I mean is I have one of the newest self defense tools and I am here to give my completely expert opinion about it. Ok we all know its the former but let's move on anyway. :P

Once again I always feel the need to provide the disclaimer that I am not in ANY WAY a subject matter expert nor have I ever had to carry a firearm for any professional use. I have absolutely NO desire to visit violence on anything that isn't 2 dimensional, carbonated or of a fruit and or vegetable makeup. In short I am not a gunfighter nor do I want to be one.

On to the the HK CC9. As most folks know the HK CC9 is their itty bitty, stack and a half, carry pistol that they have been working on since 1926 to compete with the likes of the P365, Shield Plus etc.

So what do I think of it? Well I'm glad you asked. I have about 600 or so rounds through the gun at this point so here is the Good, the Meh and the Bad.


THE GOOD

FIT AND FINISH
While it may look like it, this ain't no Taurus. The gun has a solidity to it much more so then most of its peers. Honestly the Springfield Hellcat series is probably the closest in terms of my impressions of overall quality. The finish has held up over 600ish rounds with the only wear being some markings inside the slide from the factory where it appears they may have done some final fitting. The barrel has absolutely no wear at all. The exterior of the gun seems to have that same durable HK finish and has yet to show any marks from coming in and out of kydex.

The gun is fit pretty tightly with no rattles/or movement when shaking etc.

All in all I am very happy with it in this regard.

LIVE FIRE RELIABILITY
We will get back to that "live fire" comment when we get to the bad. I have run the following ammo through several different magazines and have had absolutely no hint of a malfunction of any kind. The gun shoots smooth and reliably and the magazines seem to be excellent.
-115 Grain Norma FMJ
-115 Grain Ammo Inc. FMJ
-124 Grain Staccatto FMJ
-124 Grain HST
-124 Grain Gold Dot
-+P variations of the HST and Gold Dot as well.
As far as live fire goes this thing is all good in the hood.

TRIGGER
The trigger is quite good, but not the ZOMG!! its the bestest ever trigger!!!! that folks always seem to say everytime a new VP9 or in this case the CC9 comes out. Its no Walther PPQ/PDP by the long shot. It has a fair bit of take up, which I like in a defensive gun, The break is pretty nice and is breaking in to be nicer, reset is ok, not too long but not instant short either. All in all I like the trigger quite a bit. I always liked the VP9 triggers and this is really much the same.

FEEL
The little gun FEELS like an HK, which is what I wanted. I don't mean some teutonic story of HK durability where I feel the gun will last until the setting of the last sun or some such I just mean the overall feel and handling of it. I have relied on HK's primarily for my self defense guns for a long time and have been wanting a micro that "FELT" kind of the same. I put the larger backstrap on and it feels and points like my other HK's to me and I love that. As an aside I am not usually one to care about replaceable grips but in this case the larger backstrap makes a difference to me, even with my smallish to medium sized hands.

RECOIL CHARACTERISTICS AND POINTABILITY
I made a comment in an post early on about the CC9 that I felt that the recoil characteristics were on par with the Smith and Wesson Shield Plus. After shooting it more I would would have to say, at least subjectively to me, the CC9 handles recoil even better then the Shield Plus. The gun really is a soft shooter for its size. Now I don't mean it shoots like a Beretta 92 or some crazyness but in its class it's near or at the top as far as recoil impulse/control for me. The pointability is also.....errr. on point....for me. Again feels like an HK and points like one too. Now the reality of the matter is this is still an itty bitty, thin, short, 9mm handgun and it shoots for all practical purposes like......SURPRISE!!! most of the other itty bitty, thin micro compacts. I do think it is one of best but we are talking minutiae between them all.

CONTROLS
The controls are great IMO. They are small and unobstrusive but completely useable as needed. Out of the box the slide lock/release is TIGHT but loosens up within a box or two of ammo, at least in my experience. Some folks have noted the take down lever is hard to use but I have had no such issues. I love completely ambi guns even being a righty and this checks all the boxes. My only control issue is the mag release, which I will discuss in the MEH section. PADDLES FOR LIFE YO!!!!

CHASSIS SYSTEM AND FRAME
The frame seems well made and the chassis system is easy to remove and feels stout, not fragile like you need to hold it with kid gloves.

SIZE AND CARRIABILITY
I don't care for the P365/OG Hellcat size guns. They are just too small even for my small mitts. I much prefer the P365XL/Hellcat Pro/Shield Plus/Glock 43x size. The CC9 falls somewhere around the size of a P365X, maybe a hair bigger. It is smaller than a Glock 43X, and of course a Hellcat Pro and kind of on par with a Shield Plus. Like most HK's its nicely melted, and carries even smaller than it is. Basically its a dream to carry and still shoots really well. If you can't carry something like this, maybe you shouldn't be going out in public wearing speedos.


smaller then a PPS

ACCURACY
Look here is the hard truth. I suck at shooting. I mean I'm safe, and I know the direction the pointy flashy end should go but that is about the end of my shooting resume. So grain of salt for what I say here.

I feel like the mechanical accuracy of the CC9 is excellent. When I do my part rounds really just sort of start going same hole. Now I tend to fall apart with light weight, thin short, semi autos past 10 yards but I've been shooting this HK a bit beyond and I am fairly happy with my results. I tend to overcontrol these types of guns either pushing low or left (or is it the gun's fault. With as few rounds through this gun as I have I am very happy with its accuracy in my hands.





THE MEH

MAG RELEASE
Look in all honesty the mag release works great. It can be used with a trigger or middle finger of the shooting hand, its well made and it FIRES empty mags out. I mean it will damn near fire a mag totally out upside down. So what's the problem? IT'S NOT A GOD DAMN PADDLE LIKE I WANT AND LOVE!!!! Look I know I am either among the short bus riders or hipsters of shooters but dammit I like my paddle mag releases and it is far and away my preference. I just like them. So even though there is absolutely no problems whatsoever with the CC9 mag release.......its not a paddle and therefore.....WRONG. I will hear no more of this. :P

THE SIGHTS
Ok here is another thing that while technically there is absolutely no problem with the sights and as a matter of fact I quite like them they have some issues for me.

1st, while they are a really nice steel set with a blacked out rear and high viz/tritium front (which is my preferred setup) they are too low to use with any optic. I just feel like in 2025 an optics ready pistol should come with sights just tall enough to be used with at least the lower deck optic options. I am not running an optic on this and I may very well not but this a pet peeve of mine.

The 2nd issue I have is the change over from Meprolight to XS as the vendor for HK sights. While I have personally never had an issue with XS sights and I certainly don't think they are "shit tier" or anything, they are not up to Meprolight standards. I have seen several front sights online with burnt out or leaked tritium. Mine doesn't have the issue I just lament the move from Meprolight whom I always felt made a top tier, if boring, set of sights.

THE AESTHETICS
Look lets be honest the vast majority of us are gun nerds and looks matter at least a little bit. Now while the CC9 doesn't look anything like it does in pictures in real life it still at a glance has that "Taurus vibe". Outside of a glance its actually not a bad looking pistol but I think the rollmarks could have been done a bit differently and have I mentioned the mag release I am really not piling on to the "meme" if you will but its not as attractive as its HK brethren IMO. Does that really matter. Hell no as long as it shoots.

THE BAD
So this thing has been in development for 62 years, has had eleventy billion rounds of ammo put though it, has been tested to NATO specs all the way up to dunking it in Cracker Barrel molasses and powdered sugar soooooooooooo a quality control issue is really gonna piss me off.......which it did.

Remember that "LIVE FIRE RELIABILITY" comment above? Well here is the rub. My particular gun and at least a couple others I am aware of have an out of spec trigger bar. If the slide is racked in dry fire, dryfired with the trigger left pinned to the rear as if to release to reset, and the slide is re-racked with any leftward lateral or torsional force the trigger wouldn't reset. Now would any of that happen for real? Probably not. Did it effect actual live fire at all? Nope. Will the vast number of shooters even ever notice if they have the problem? Probably not, but I did. Sigh poor QC is just the way of the world these days and I've seen it from Glock, Smith and damn sure from SIG but ET TU HK???? ET TU


That said HK customer service was perfect. I contacted them the Friday before Easter, has a reply Monday morning. I was on vacation so I couldn't fill out the paperwork so they left the ticket open and when I got back I had RMA and shipping label immediately. They informed me they had a 2-3 week lead time on repairs but the gun was returned much faster then that. They noted the issue, fixed it and got it right back to me. I have since put 100 rounds of live fire and lots of dryfire through the gun with no issue. HK may indeed suck........but at least they don't appear to hate ME.

FINAL THOUGHTS
Even with my QC issue and the fact its missing my paddles I REALLY like this gun. Its the micro compact I wanted because it "feels" like the others guns I primarily shoot. It seems well made, QC issues aside, and certainly shoots and carries well. The one thought about this gun that I keep coming back to is while in pictures it reminds one of a Taurus offering, in hand it feels very much like an evolution of the Walther PPS M1/classic. Something about the feel and shape and pointability / recoil characteristics just give me a Walther PPS M3 vibe if you will and frankly that's not a bad thing. While the VP9 series was not a keeper for me this CC9 absolutely is and minor issue early on past me I look forward to a great future with this little HK.

Excellent write-up, Chris! I enjoyed reading it.

Thank You! I have been curious about this gun. Excellent review.

I love mine. It has replaced my P365. The only thing I’m waiting for is suppressor height tritium sites so that I have usable back up sights. I have a Holosun on it right now, but the factory sights are not tall enough to see through the optic aperture.

Now that’s what I call a damn fine gun review.

Great review as always. Excellent detail...you definitely made me want to try one of these.

I agree nice review. I also agree on the paddle mag release, I have 4 HK guns all with paddles of course and I really prefer them.
I’ve been carrying a 43x for awhile, but after reading this I think I’m ready to pick up a cc9, even though it lacks the paddles.

I had one. It was nice and typical HK but, man that mag spring in the 10 rounder was a thumb buster!!! I liked the sights. They are very nice. I really really tried to like it but, it was meh to me. I did a little comparison w/ my Sig P365X. I prefer the little Sig.

I am glad you like it. I just could not warm up to it. I guess that is what makes this stuff fun. Choices.

You actually raise a point I forgot to mention.

While out of the wrapper the mags are a PITA to load just like all of these new tiny offerings. That said my mags quickly became “fairly” easy to load by hand. The last round in is tight but still doable by hand. It only took a few cycles or leaving them loaded for a couple days.

The other thing I appreciate is you can actually insert the loaded mag on a closed slide and plus up without issue. Some of these guns are either a bear to load closed slide or in some cases will have cycling issues plussed up. The CC9 has no issues with any of this. I mean you will feel it putting a full mag in on a closed slide but it’s nothing onerous or troubling in any way.

As to 357fuzz not meshing with his I completely get it. The CC9 is nothing more than yet another itty bitty striker nine. There really isn’t anything that makes it somehow radically better or worse than the competition. IMO it’s good gun and does it’s job well and for me personally hit sort of an ergonomic / size sweet spot I wanted but if you have any of the other big offerings (P365/Hellcat/Glock/Smith etc.) and are happy with it there is absolutely no reason for you to run out and grab a CC9 for some perceived benefit. I mean beyond IWANNANEWGUN syndrome of course. .

Seen a good while ago
"Any gun should be working right after only two trips back to the factory."
So you are doing better than average.

I also appreciate the rigorous testing HK does before releasing a product to market. Marketing a pistol as a defense tool to stake your life in while simultaneously using your customer base to beta test your product is unforgivable. There’s also no made in India MIM in the CC9. That alone is worth the extra cost to me. It’s what’s under the hood that counts.

While I’m not the Hk whore that you are, I’m damn close! I’m pretty happy with my 365, 365 xl and 43x, but we all know I’m getting this new little HK

REALLY wish it had paddles and meprolights or Trijicons.

Thanks for the review.

quote:

The CC9 is nothing more than yet another itty bitty striker nine. There really isn’t anything that makes it somehow radically better or worse than the competition.

And with that, you gained instant credibility from me. I will handle one at some point just to appreciate your perspective of a gun with good... "feel" (even with its "Taurus vibe")

Thank you for your write up, cheers.

Appreciate the kind words all. I don’t say that enough.

I was talking with a HK rep a short while back and they basically said without fully admitting it that a paddle version is pending. I will grab one then for sure.

Wow if a paddle version is a possibility I’ll wait for that. It would definately make it stand out from the crowd!

You H&K guys really are sick, lol. The only reason I'd consider buying one of these is because it lacks the goofy paddles!

I can appreciate wanting to stick with the same manual of arms, so if you're already invested in H&K guns with them, it absolutely makes sense. But for the rest of us, not having a button is a barrier to entry, and if H&K is trying to expand their customer base they're doing themselves a big favor by offering this with a manual of arms that matches what the rest of the world is used to. Seeing a button on a newly released H&K gives me hope that maybe I don't completely suck, and they hate me a little less .

Well, I'm catching up. I guess the "paddle" is what I'd call a magazine release lever as opposed to the release button on all the ones I'm used to. Not a fan of them. Don't remember what it was but briefly had something with it quite a long time ago. But I've eaten and slept since then. So I'm going with the better idea camp and thinking this one has potential for me. Although I don't need another every day option. Any new purchases need to be something special like a 4" Python or nickel plated S&W or a Hi-Power or SA35, arguably (although there's no argument at all) the best looking handgun ever made.

The VP series can be had with either a paddle or a reversible button so it keeps everyone happy.
If the CC9 goes the same way we can all have what we like.

Hey we are spending HK money…….that makes us eccentric not crazy. . Mutterssomethingpaddlesmuttersmyprecious.