Heckler and Koch P2000

I've owned several HK handguns in the past. One of them was the USP which was an incredible handgun when it first came out. It was big and rugged and sported frame rails for those who wanted to mount lights or lasers... I might be wrong but I think the USP was the first handgun to have these rails built into the frame. The one I had was a full sized .40 caliber unit. It was reliable, it was accurate, and it was a pussycat even shooting the sharp .40 rounds that I liked, mainly hot 135 grain Cor-Bons. I tell you this to impress upon you that I have always appreciated HK handguns.

I'm not alone in liking HK guns... lots of shooters like them too. Some of people like them a bit too much. To the Mall Ninjas and Gunshop Commandos, anything with the HK logo on it is imbued with mystical forces that give it +2 powers against the forces of evil. Even Jack Bauer uses an HK. HK's are always the gun of choice for those who play Rogue Spear or Counter Strike, not that it has anything to do with anything. HK's have garnered themselves a legendary reputation. Their MP5 is in the arsenals of just about every police and military force with a decent budget. The G3 rifle is world class. Their G36 is quickly building up the same rep as the G3. HK's P7 handgun is just as fantastic as you would hope it to be given it's price. HK has earned this hype and reputation because their guns are in fact very very good. All a bit heavy, but very good still. This time around, the reality is a little different from the fanboy hype and I find myself being disappointed with this particular HK handgun.

I think the P2000 may have ridden in on the crest of that hype wave. Germany's state police wanted a new gun but they didn't want a USP. It looks like HK took the USP, put some bevels on it, remolded the grip frame and copied the Walther P99 to include user changeable back straps. Then they called it the P2000 and the German State Police adopted it whole heartedly. Supposedly it is a completely different gun from the USP now. Maybe it is. The new grip frame feels smaller in my hand than the USP did, but not really any better. For some reason the alternate backstrap choices seem to make the gun feel just a bit wrong in my hand regardless of which one I tried. Instead of 3 choices, maybe they should try 5 or 6. That way you can try more options before you realize the gun still doesn't fit your hand right.

I dislike HK's mag release on these guns (and with the USPs as well) because for some reason they always accidentally trip and let the magazine slip. My USP did it to me a couple times, the P2000 did it too. Several times already. I've never really had a problem with this with any other magazine release type. This could have been because I was using my favorite “Packs everything but the HK's Perfectly” generic belt slide holster with the P2000 and not a form fitted rig made specifically for it. The mag release also irritated the middle finger on my firing hand. Perhaps there was a burr or something that could have been remedied with a touch of a nail file, but I didn't see anything that could have explained the feeling. It just felt uncomfortable while shooting with a firm firing grip.

The sights are typical HK, which is to say they are large and generally quite good with big white dots. I would have been more impressed had HK included night sights on this gun. One would think any serious handgun company bold enough to put “No Compromises” out as their motto would compromise on a handgun purportedly for serious use would naturally include night sights as a standard feature. Evidently this is upgrade option... so HK does have some compromises.
The one thing that I found interesting was the location of the decocker lever. It was at the back of the gun, next to the hammer. Maybe “interesting” isn't the right word for it... I hate this thing to a level that surprised me. I can't stand having the decocker on the back of the gun. I would rather have all my shirts hanging in my closet some shade of pink than own a gun where the decocker is on the back of it by the hammer. Maybe this is something I'm just not used to, but I don't make that statement lightly. Having done my own laundry in college, I have had on more than one occasion accidentally turned all my light colored shirts pink. I don't really know why I hate this decocker so much, but I do. The only thing that I know I hate as much as this... ocra. I can't stand that stuff. Some people love ocra... but I don't know any of those people. I'm only guessing that someone out there likes it because I see it on the store shelves. Since HK is still offering this decocker, I'm guessing some people must like it too. I don't know any of those people either.

The trigger pull on this gun is something special. Now, this gun I'm testing is a traditional Double Action/Single Action. There is another version that has something called an “LEM” Trigger system. Get the LEM trigger. LEM stands for Law Enforcement Modification. What it does is give you a light and crisp four pound double action only pull. If you are shopping for your own P2000 and there is no LEM version available, then put your name on a waiting list for it... because you do not want the DA/SA version. The double action pull is truly and amazingly horrible. Hillary winning in '08 horrible. The pull weight is up there in the realm of “Crossbow Draw Weight”. If it was just heavy, it wouldn't have been so bad. But it was heavy and gritty. Maybe gritty isn't the right word for it... it's more like... rocky. If this was a road, you would need a Trail Rated Jeep with a winch and a lift kit. This has to be the worst double action trigger pull I've felt in a good long time. The only thing worse was probably... no... my mistake... there was nothing worse. This takes the crown.

The upside was that the single action trigger pull was just fine. Nothing special, but nothing too bad. A completely average pull. Yet after the Double Action pull, it almost felt heavenly.

So what does the P2000 have going for it?

Well, it's a rugged little beast. Feels very solid. It is a handsome sidearm. Not the best looking, but a good looking pistol I think. It has that authoritative, don't screw around with me look that a Rottweiler has... and that is a very good thing.

The recoil from firing even the hottest +P+ ammunition was not unpleasant. Most of my shooting with the P2000 was done with typical standard pressure or +P 9MM ammunition in the 115 to 124 grain range. The gun was perfectly reliable as is the tradition of all things by Heckler and Koch. Accuracy unfortunately was very average. Acceptable by most standards for a service pistol, but I was disappointed. I suspect that it could have been much better had I either found ammo that the gun liked better or if the trigger had been less of a nightmare. I have no doubt that the LEM trigger system would have allowed a much better group, but that is only my speculation at the time of this writing since I've not had the chance to have some target practice with an LEM P2000.

I fired all rounds in the target photo double action, decocking after every shot. With some more practice, better ammo, and using single action, this group should tighten. Range was 15 yards, standing, unsupported, using a modified Weaver stance (as all my evaluation shooting).

I found this P2000 to be a completely adequate handgun and if I was to be issued one for whatever reason, I'm sure I would be just fine with it. Should I be in the market for a new handgun, I don't think I would go out of my way to look for a P2000 as my gun of choice. If I came across one with the LEM trigger I would consider it for a moment, if it had night sights. If not, I'd most likely pass it up for something else. Perhaps for a Springfield XD or a Baby Eagle Compact if I was wanting a polymer framed gun.

Perhaps I am judging this pistol too harshly, having come into to this review with higher expectations. Perhaps not. This gun doesn't fail my evaluation by any means, but passes with a solid “C” grade. I am sure I am going to raise some Heckler Hackles by being critical of one of HK's firearms, but please understand, it loses most of it's points on the trigger. It also looses some points on the decocker, the magazine release, the lackluster accuracy, the dot sights when it should have night sights, magazines that hold only 13 rounds when it should have 15. Should you find a P2000 with the LEM system and night sights, I'd bet that it could score a “B” easily.