Count me in as a fan. I've owned two or three. I still have the last one I bought, a P7M8 purchased new back in the '80s.

Bought my pair of PSPs here ages ago, one has Tripp’s hard chrome on the slide and the other is still “plum” color.

I have one of the last ones HK imported. Date code is AH. IIRC there were about 200-300 of them and not all had the lanyard loop. These have intrigued me since first reading about them in the late 70s in the American Rifleman. The "fat trigger" ones made sometime during the 80s had an especially cool profile. Not sure why HK did away with that feature.

I've had several including a P7, P7m10 and P7m13 pass through my hands. I still have the M13 and P7(heel release). Is it weird that I miss my M10? Great guns.

P7 M10= the hen’s tooth of P7’s

^^^^ Whoa! Nice ^^^^

Had one of the Dancing Tomatoes "B" guns, that was nicer than some of the "A's", but adverse times forced the sale.

There is no such thing as a perfect gun and, for those capable of objective assessments, the P7 family has its downsides... but it is a damn fine gun with a lot of positives going for it. Safe, reliable, accurate, relatively compact and easy to conceal, and the quality is unmistakable.

In addition, from a mechanical engineering standpoint, the P7 design appeals to my gun geek side. Those crafty Teutonic HK engineers showed remarkable ingenuity and creativity in this design, and I'm particularly impressed with how they were able to design internal parts that served multiple functional purposes.

I once made the mistake of intentionally removing the Cocking Lever, thinking I would stop there, but once it was removed several other parts started to spontaneously disassemble themselves, and I ended up having a bit of a puzzle project on my hands. Took a while, but I finally got it reassembled, and got to know the design better than I had planned, and grew to appreciate and admire the design.

Sure do miss enjoying both handling and shooting a P7, and while it was never my primary carry gun, it was carried in certain specific instances that it excelled at, and I miss having one for those times. Maybe one day...

So what are the drawbacks of the P7 design?

Always wanted one as well.

quote:

Originally posted by saigonsmuggler:
So what are the drawbacks of the P7 design?

The pistol makes noise when you grip the cocker. Even louder decocking. Gets bloody hot after three or four magazines. Expensive pistol and expensive magazines, getting scarcer every day. Limited parts availability.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:

quote:

Originally posted by saigonsmuggler:
So what are the drawbacks of the P7 design?

The pistol makes noise when you grip the cocker. Even louder decocking. Gets bloody hot after three or four magazines. Expensive pistol and expensive magazines, getting scarcer every day. Limited parts availability.

...and incredibly accurate. At least mine is.

rambo

Para pretty much nailed the downsides. About the only additional downsides I can think of is that the P7 family is relatively heavy for their size, and also relatively heavy considering their limited magazine capacity. I think the other fair criticism is that it does require a fairly specific manual of arms that does not translate to using other guns. Anyone intent on carrying a P7 should not rely on their previous handgun training exclusively, but should be prepared to dedicate themselves to familiarizing themselves on P7 specifics.

The P7 was state of the art innovation for its day, and also a reflection of its times, in that higher mag. capacities weren't viewed as a limitation back then, the way they are today. Personally, I don't mind the limited magazine capacity of the early guns in the family, for the role that I carried it in.

quote:

Originally posted by rambo:
...and incredibly accurate. At least mine is.

He asked about drawbacks

Cleaning the gas cylinder is a drawback that hasn’t been mentioned. And you probably shouldn’t shoot cast lead bullets in them, as they can clog the gas port between the barrel and the cylinder. Or so I’ve heard, I never shot anything but fmj or hp bullets through mine.

Yes, no lead bullets, no +P+ and no bullets of less than 100 grains.

You can decock them quietly by pushing up behind the trigger guard. Nobody does it but you can.

I had a P7 for a bit. Great carry gun, acute, and a very unique design. Just wasn't for me and I traded it off. Only HK I have ever owned.

Please educate me on how to decock the P7 squeeze cock ?
Quietly?

I had a P7M8 a while ago, was used but mint at the LGS and I grabbed it. That was probably around 2008 or so. It was interesting, but at the time, the size and weight relative to the capacity made it just a curiosity. And shooting it on the range it got pretty hot after 50 rounds. I traded it back at the LGS, can't remember what for. Might have been for the HK45 I still have.

In hindsight I should have kept it, as I seem to be collecting HK's now...