HK VP9 / SFP9

The Heckler & Koch VP9, sold as the SFP9 in Europe and Canada, is a polymer-framed striker-fired pistol released in June 2014 after more than four years of development. It was designed at the request of the Bavarian State Police as a replacement for the HK P7, and began life internally as the "P30X", essentially a striker-fired derivative of the hammer-fired P30, before being renamed for the American commercial market. VP stands for Volkspistole and SFP for Striker-Fired Pistol. It was Heckler & Koch's first striker-fired handgun since the P7 series of the 1980s, and is built at the company's Oberndorf factory. A .40 S&W version is sold as the VP40 or SFP40.

The pistol uses a short-recoil Browning-type tilting barrel with a locked breech and a hammer-forged polygonal bore. Where most striker-fired designs have a pre-travel pull that grows heavier as the trigger moves back, the VP9 trigger offers a short light take-up followed by a single-action-style break at around 23 N and a short positive reset; disassembly does not require pulling the trigger to release the striker. Ergonomics were a central design goal: three interchangeable backstraps and six side panels give 27 grip configurations, and the controls are fully ambidextrous, with slide releases on both sides of the frame and a paddle magazine release usable with either hand. A full-length MIL-STD-1913 rail is moulded into the frame and certified to carry heavier accessories without frame flex.

The European SFP9 line is the more militarily relevant branch. The base SFP9 is offered with either a TR trigger conforming to German police specifications (5 mm reset, 30-35 N pull) or an SF "Special Forces" trigger with a 3 mm reset and a lighter 23 N pull. The SFP9 M is a maritime model with a salt-water-resistant coating meeting the NATO AC225 salt spray requirement and over-the-beach capability, aggressive slide serrations and higher-tension magazine springs. Other variants include the optics-ready SFP9 OR, the suppressor-ready SFP9 SD with a 119 mm threaded barrel and Super-Luminova night sights, the subcompact SK, the long-barrelled L and the Match OR. Heckler & Koch updated the whole line to A1 standard in 2025 with revised serrations, an improved trigger bar, optics-ready slides and a bevelled magazine well.

American-market variants track the European ones, with the VP9 shipping with the SF trigger. In late 2018 HK added the VP9 B with a push-button magazine release for US buyers, and in January 2020 the standard pistol gained an optics cutout, 17-round magazines in place of the earlier 15-round units, and blacked-out rear sights. The VP9 won Guns & Ammo's Handgun of the Year in 2014 and American Rifleman's Golden Bullseye for 2015.