What really impressed me was the lack of recoil. I didn't notice it at first, as I was chronographing standard 9mm ammo after having done the same with a .357 SIG (so of course the 9mm felt softer). Then I shot some Winchester "Law Enforcement Only" 9mm +P+ through the P30 and over the chrono. It didn't feel that much different from the standard 9mm. My 115s at 1,350 didn't feel sharp? Waitaminnit! So I shot the two side by side: an all-steel 1911 in .357 SIG and the P30 with the 9mm +P+. The 9mms were only nine grains lighter and 15 fps slower, but the H&K P30 felt markedly softer in recoil. More so than the small difference in weight and velocity between them. So I loaded up with standard 9mm and just shot, paying attention to the felt recoil. And this only strengthened my impression--this is one soft-shooting little gun.

For a hi-cap 9mm, the P30 has about the same grip circumference as a 1911. The trigger is easy to reach.

Will there be a .40 S&W P30? I don't know, but if the .40 is as soft-shooting for its caliber as the 9 is, I want one when H&K makes it.

Accurate, soft-shooting and holds a lot of bullets: sounds like a great little carry 9 to me. With the well-shaped grip and the grip-panel options, it should fit a lot of hands. Where I think the P30 also has a bright future is in competition. In USPSA/IPSC Production Division, or in IDPA SSP, the P30 offers a lot. I'm sure shooters who find a well-fitting combination of grip panels and backstrap will then be hounding their gunsmiths for trigger work. You competition shooters might have to switch from your lead-bullet reloads. The H&K's polygonal barrel won't be happy with lead. The problem isn't as marked in 9mm as it is in the bigger calibers, but you'll probably see lots of leading.

Those of you who live in one of the various "People's Republics" that do not allow more than 10-shot magazines will have to figure a work-around. I don't know if the P30 will be offered with 10-shot magazines. However, if the sales take off as I expect them to, there will be a lot of interest. For most hi-cap 9s, 10-shot magazines are idiotic. Why have a big fat 9 and then only put 10 shots in it? But the P30 is slim enough that you won't feel dumb, even if you're limited by state law.

Five Hornady 124-grain JHP/XTPs into a smidge over two inches at 25 yards is pretty hard to argue with.

In all this exclaiming, I did manage to find one thing to be grumpy about, so my history with H&K isn't completely abandoned. The backstrap is secured to the frame by means of a roll pin. To change the backstrap (and the backstrap holds the grip panels on) you need to use a drift punch and a hammer. Oh my. Everyone else has managed to figure a way to let the end-user do it either with his bare hands or with a tool built into the pistol. H&K requires a punch and hammer. Oh well, you aren't going to be mixing and matching out in the field, and the roll pin is more secure.

To disassemble, hold the slide back and push out the slide stop. The slide stop stays attached, even when you've taken off the slide. Notice the lack of a steel insert for the barrel lug.

I'm sure at least one of you has remarked "Great--Sweeney gets to tell us about his adventures shooting an H&K prototype and how neat it all is. What good is that for us?" Simple: The one-and-only will--very soon--not be alone. Before this issue hits the newsstand, H&K will have taken delivery of what promises to be a steady stream of P30s.

	(This is article appears in the October 2007 issue of GUNS & AMMO magazine, which is on sale now at your local newsstand. Click HERE for a look at the other great features and stories available in the October 2007 issue)