H&Ks were never considered inexpensive, but you get something for the extra cash. The tolerances on the P30 are remarkable tight for a factory gun. You can see the quality in the machining and finishes, especially on the various facets of the slide, which is machined from a solid billet of steel and has a black oxide coating.
Heckler & Koch and I go way back. I first shot an H&K about 30 years ago. My opinion then was that it was a perfect example of Germanic over-engineering heavy, with snappy recoil, too many parts and everything about it expensive (just like German cars without the leather seats). Despite the vaunted H&K reputation for reliability, I even managed once to break the “anvil” of them all — an MP-5.
Thus reads the unofficial slogan of Heckler & Koch, whose products I can only dream of owning…not just because they’re expensive, but because they won’t sell me the really neat stuff they make. Since 1949, the good folks from Oberndorf have been supplying excellent firearms to just about any government willing to pay for them. H&K’s achievements are numerous, but since that’s not the point of the article, I’ll be brief; they have been tactical since before tactical was cool. They revolutionized the use of plastics and polymers in firearms, popularized polygonal rifling, designed a rifle that didn’t need any of those silly brass casings, and still make everything from target pistols to heavy machine guns. All that being said, let’s take a look at their latest pistol offering. Meet the H&K P30…