Hammer Striker on the HK VP9A1 K

Is the HK VP9A1 K the compact HK you would actually carry? Hammer Striker treats the K as the Glock 19 size of the VP9A1 line, aimed at inside the waistband carry, and walks through what the A1 changed.

What they cover: the compact VP9A1 K. The slide is marked VP9K, and they say the K stands for compact. Their sample uses the half paddle magazine release on both sides, which they like because the finger stays behind the trigger, plus an extended slide stop on both sides. It ships with two 15 round magazines, and they note a 10 round version as well. The A1 changes they call mostly cosmetic are the serrations, small charging supports that catch a finger if it slips, and an optics ready slide. The plates are not in the box. They say you buy those separately, unless you fit a Holosun SCS made for the VP9, which mounts with no plate and sits low enough to line up with the sights. The grip is the larger change: three backstraps and three pairs of side panels, small, medium, and large, all included. Sights on this one are a tritium front with a ring and a blacked out rear, which they personally dislike. They say the factory optic packages, Vortex or Holosun, come with a blacked out front instead. They measure it at 7.32 inches long, 5.12 inches tall with the flush magazine and no optic, and 1.3 inches wide, with a 4.09 inch barrel and polygonal rifling. The factory trigger has a reasonable take up, a little scratch, a defined wall, and a reset they call vague. They call it a very good striker trigger, not the best they have shot, and say it did its job at the range. The gun ran every time they tried it. Field strip needs no tools. Specific claims and handling comments in the video are theirs, not ours. It is a full review of about 15 minutes.

Here’s our take. Buy the VP9A1 K if you want a compact HK striker for inside the waistband carry and you want those swappable side panels. The one we stock from this review is the optics ready 9mm with night sights. Skip it if you want a button magazine release, optic plates in the box, or a dot already mounted, because this package has none of those. They name a full size F, an L, a Match, and a Tactical in the same family, and they do not review those here. If you already own a VP9, the grip panels and the missing plates are the part worth watching.

We stock the HK VP9A1 K they are covering. On the shelf: the VP9A1 K OR 9mm with night sights. Related: the VP9A1 K Tactical and the VP9A1 X OR. Complete firearm. Indiana FFL transfer through Wulfy’s. Ask us for current fees.