P30L a quick review

thedudeabides · September 23, 2012, 07:21 AM

One of the more 'specialized' guns HK makes is the P30L.

Unlike its siblings, the P2000 and regular P30, the first thing you will notice is its size. At 4.45'' barrel length, it's as large as many 45s. Side by side, it's the same as my P220. Although it's chambered in 9mm and 40, I had to have mine in 9.

What I like:
-accuracy. With a steady hand, it's one of the most accurate 9mm's I've ever shot, with tight groupings at 15 yards with 9mm NATO ammo (or any 124 grain)
-solid build, it's an HK after all
-V3 is a true ambidextrous pistol with two-sided slide release and a decocking switch by the spurred hammer--excellent for non-dominant hand drills. It also loses the bulky annoying HK safety lever/decocker
-interchangeable grip panels, just tap out the pin in the base of the grip and you can put in side panels AND back plates in S, M, L (which come with the gun and adjust the grip for hand size). The HK 45 only has adjustable back plates, in comparison, despite being a very similar design.
-light, it is one of the lightest polymer pistols
-balance, fully loaded or empty, the weight of the gun is towards the back of your hand. It takes little effort to keep the barrel upright

What I don't like:
-HK triggers. You can have any of the many different variants, from standard LEM, light LEM, DA/SA, etc. but there's a LOT of travel in any of the triggers before they engage. Yes this is perception, but different from other guns I own.
-Break in period/heavy slide. It seems this gun was meant to take 9mm NATO ammo, despite HK's comments to the contrary in the manual. 115 will eject pretty good after you break it in, but some brass will still fly back into your face or hit you in the arm after the break-in period. Do not shoot 115 until you do break it in, you'll get FTE's. This is made most evident by the occasional stovepipe new owners talk about, or how the slide won't lock back with an empty magazine.
-glow in the dark sights. No, really, glow in the dark. No tritium. They glow in the dark for a while after being left out in the sun.
-small magazines will only hold 15 rounds in a gun that is bigger than others which hold 17. You could argue this prevents misfeeds in what appears to be a military handgun.

I HAD to have this, since it's essentially a clone of my HK45 chambered in 9mm.

It's a great range gun. Once you break it in, 9mm 115 gr is cheap and has zero recoil compared to the kick of the NATO. It's also accurate and fun as hell to shoot, once you get used to the trigger.

I really hate the glow in the dark sights, and will have to replace them with aftermarket solutions.

sigarms228 · September 23, 2012, 08:43 AM

Congrats on the new HK P30L.

I am SIG guy but am planning to purchase a HK pistol someday. I really like the HK45 but I find I don't shoot .45 much anymore due to the cost of .45 being so much more than 9MM and I have plenty of 9MM pistols already.

Can you easily change the HK P30 from DA/SA to LEM?? I would like the option to have the possibility of both if I do get an HK pistol but I have only seen the conversion kit for USP and HK45/45C.

thedudeabides · September 23, 2012, 08:53 AM

I have no experience in converting triggers on these guns myself, mostly because I don't want to void HK's really generous warranty on something that costs close to a grand. Those who have done it say it's pretty easy, tho.

HK quoted me about 200 bucks for a LEM conversion, minus shipping--which I had to cover myself.

September 23, 2012, 07:21 AM	#1
thedudeabides Senior Member Join Date: August 22, 2012 Posts: 1,031	P30L a quick review One of the more 'specialized' guns HK makes is the P30L. Unlike its siblings, the P2000 and regular P30, the first thing you will notice is its size. At 4.45'' barrel length, it's as large as many 45s. Side by side, it's the same as my P220. Although it's chambered in 9mm and 40, I had to have mine in 9. What I like: -accuracy. With a steady hand, it's one of the most accurate 9mm's I've ever shot, with tight groupings at 15 yards with 9mm NATO ammo (or any 124 grain) -solid build, it's an HK after all -V3 is a true ambidextrous pistol with two-sided slide release and a decocking switch by the spurred hammer--excellent for non-dominant hand drills. It also loses the bulky annoying HK safety lever/decocker -interchangeable grip panels, just tap out the pin in the base of the grip and you can put in side panels AND back plates in S, M, L (which come with the gun and adjust the grip for hand size). The HK 45 only has adjustable back plates, in comparison, despite being a very similar design. -light, it is one of the lightest polymer pistols -balance, fully loaded or empty, the weight of the gun is towards the back of your hand. It takes little effort to keep the barrel upright What I don't like: -HK triggers. You can have any of the many different variants, from standard LEM, light LEM, DA/SA, etc. but there's a LOT of travel in any of the triggers before they engage. Yes this is perception, but different from other guns I own. -Break in period/heavy slide. It seems this gun was meant to take 9mm NATO ammo, despite HK's comments to the contrary in the manual. 115 will eject pretty good after you break it in, but some brass will still fly back into your face or hit you in the arm after the break-in period. Do not shoot 115 until you do break it in, you'll get FTE's. This is made most evident by the occasional stovepipe new owners talk about, or how the slide won't lock back with an empty magazine. -glow in the dark sights. No, really, glow in the dark. No tritium. They glow in the dark for a while after being left out in the sun. -small magazines will only hold 15 rounds in a gun that is bigger than others which hold 17. You could argue this prevents misfeeds in what appears to be a military handgun. I HAD to have this, since it's essentially a clone of my HK45 chambered in 9mm. It's a great range gun. Once you break it in, 9mm 115 gr is cheap and has zero recoil compared to the kick of the NATO. It's also accurate and fun as hell to shoot, once you get used to the trigger. I really hate the glow in the dark sights, and will have to replace them with aftermarket solutions. Last edited by thedudeabides; September 23, 2012 at 09:12 AM.

September 23, 2012, 08:43 AM	#2
sigarms228 Senior Member Join Date: October 29, 2011 Posts: 1,768	Congrats on the new HK P30L. I am SIG guy but am planning to purchase a HK pistol someday. I really like the HK45 but I find I don't shoot .45 much anymore due to the cost of .45 being so much more than 9MM and I have plenty of 9MM pistols already. Can you easily change the HK P30 from DA/SA to LEM?? I would like the option to have the possibility of both if I do get an HK pistol but I have only seen the conversion kit for USP and HK45/45C. Last edited by sigarms228; September 23, 2012 at 08:50 AM.

September 23, 2012, 08:53 AM	#3
thedudeabides Senior Member Join Date: August 22, 2012 Posts: 1,031	I have no experience in converting triggers on these guns myself, mostly because I don't want to void HK's really generous warranty on something that costs close to a grand. Those who have done it say it's pretty easy, tho. HK quoted me about 200 bucks for a LEM conversion, minus shipping--which I had to cover myself.