After 5000 rounds, my VP9 has championed on and has maintained as a solid and reliable pistol that hasn’t ceased to impress. Though not typically thought of as a duty pistol, the VP9 holds a reputation for being sturdy and hard to beat. From my experience, this pistol can be shot without cleaning, shot until its too hot to holster, and until you cant see the target through the slide mirage.
It just doesn’t die. It wears a bit, but still is quite subtle and graceful. Don’t underestimate the validity of this pistol. Its trigger is light, its action is smooth, and its aim is true. You’d be hard-pressed to beat this quality out of the box.
Drawing from the same technology as the P30, this pistol is overbuilt for the task of shooting 9mm. Its recoil takes a bit to smooth out, but with proper lubrication, and a good gun oil, it’s action will definitely run smooth in no time. I recommend lubricating the barrel contact points, the recoil guide rod, and the rail channels. Its recoil characteristics are going to be the biggest difference between this pistol, and the P30. A quality it shares with the P30 though is the chamber-step that is used to improve the seal of the cartridge in the chamber. This is (in theory) supposed to increase efficiency of powder burn and also reduce fouling in the action. I can say that it does indeed do some reducing of fouling from what I’ve experienced.
The trigger is the hotspot on this pistol and has really been the biggest draw and curiosity for a lot of folks that have seen my videos on this pistol. So how is it? It is extremely light now. Last pull I gave it, it stood at 4-4.5lb, which is actually going to feel like 2lb with a well defined wall.it is incredibly easy to shoot fast with, also. How did I go about pulling this off, you may ask? Well I simply used the pistol and shot it dry (a lot), and with a lot of ammo. And the kicker is that I never touched it with a polisher because it doesn’t need it. The trigger will smooth out even more if you just oil the friction points and springs. As wear is my witness, this pistol was only shot and oiled to get down to this trigger pull.
As for the life of the pistol, you can expect the recoil spring, for the way it was designed, to last a solid 15,000 rounds. This pistol is unaffected by +P ammo also, so feel free to practice with it. Shoot the VP9, and shoot it often. It likes a lot of range time, and if you shoot it, you will too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cK2Nzng1ido&index=7&list=PLYUFsZkp0SkHJkEuoVEmoGNHXPMGjunaM
David served in the USMC for a few years, deployed twice and got wounded. Retired and moved to Alaska. Has a passion for reviewing and testing guns and gear of all kinds. Enjoys working to dispel myths and show that you can train and practice in a realistic, safe, and practical way.
Photo by author.
