Heckler & Koch P2000 SK 9mm Auto Pistol

I first became familiar with HK pistols back in the 1970s when I ran across a VP70. At the time, that was a very radical and thoroughly modern auto pistol, holding eighteen rounds of 9x19mm ammo. It was a big pistol, and had a double-action only type of trigger. Many shooters think that Glock invented the polymer-framed auto pistol, but it just ain’t so. H&K introduced the VP70 series with its polymer frame a dozen years before the Glock was adopted as Austria’s sidearm. The VP70z was the semi-auto version, and the one that I was playing with, as the select-fire VP70m was for military and European use only. Of course, I was already familiar with the H&K G3 and the semi-auto H&K91 rifles at that time. As a teenager, I was both intrigued and impressed with these German firearm designs.

Since those days, both Germany and the world has changed quite a bit, but Heckler & Koch is still a manufacturer of premier weapons systems, from military rifles, grenade launchers, and the most widely-used submachine gun in the world: the MP5.

The VP70 was dropped from production in 1989, but H&K today produces some of the best service pistols on the planet. Most are full-sized pistols intended for military and police duty, and ride well in a belt holster. The pistol shown here, the P2000 SK is a scaled-down version of the full-sized P2000, intended for concealed carry, and is even smaller than their USP Compact. The SK has a barrel length of just three and one-quarter inches, and weighs in at 24.2 ounces on my scale, with an empty magazine in place. Like some other H&K pistols, the P2000 SK is available with the Law Enforcement Modification trigger, which gives a light, smooth trigger pull, as the hammer is pre-cocked by the slide. In case of a failure to fire, the hammer can be cycled again by just pulling the trigger, which feels like a standard double-action pull. In the pre-cocked mode, the pull measures a velvety-smooth six and one-quarter pounds on my sample. The un-cocked double-action pull measures almost eleven pounds, but is only needed in the case of a round that doesn’t fire on the first pull of the trigger. The Law Enforcement Modification trigger is a very worthwhile option, but for those who prefer a heavier trigger pull, a version is offered in that mode as well. All controls on the P2000 SK are ambidextrous. The magazine release is at the lower rear of the trigger guard, on both sides, and pushes down to release the magazine, which ejects rapidly. The slide release is also located on both sides, and is easily reached with the shooter’s thumb to close the slide and chamber a round. The slide locks open on an empty magazine, and two steel ten-shot magazines with are included with the pistol. The P2000 SK can use the longer thirteen-round P2000 magazines, and H&K sells a filler called the X-grip to adapt the longer magazines, filling the gap, and the SK can use the USP Compact magazines as well. Both magazines have a polymer floorplate with finger-rest extensions for a secure grip. The SK came with two interchangeable backstraps, to adjust the grip size to fit the shooter’s hand. The grip is well-textured, and is integral with the polymer frame. The barrel, slide, hammer and other small parts are blackened steel. The sights are the three-dot variety, and both front and rear are adjustable for windage correction by drifting in their dovetail slots. The trigger guard is large, and has plenty of room for a gloved finger. The trigger is wide, and has serrations for a non-slip purchase. The slide has rear serrations for a secure grip in cycling to chamber a round. The SK hammer is bobbed, with no thumb piece, as it cannot be cocked for single-action fire. The slide has no barrel bushing, and the chamber area of the barrel locks securely into the ejection port, as the barrel lowers at the rear for unlocking, using a modified Browning short recoil principle.

Firing the P2000 SK was a pleasure. The design of the grip makes for a very secure hold, and felt recoil was relatively light. The SK was easy to control during rapid fire. There were four failures of the slide to fully close using Cor-Bon 115 grain hollowpoint ammo during the first magazine fired through the pistol, but after that, the pistol functioned perfectly for the duration of the testing, including subsequent firing with the same Cor-Bon ammunition. It was just new and dry, and needed a break-in. I tried a wide variety of ammo in the H&K, and everything fed, fired, and ejected perfectly, with the exception of the first magazine full of ammo, as noted above. Accuracy was very good, with twenty-five yard hand-held rested groups measuring in the two to two and three-quarters inch range for five shots, with every brand and type tested. The pistol fired to point of aim, so no adjusting of the sights was attempted. The SK turned in very good velocities from its short polygonal-rifled barrel. Velocities are listed in the chart below. Velocities were recorded at a distance of ten feet, with an air temperature of around thirty degrees Fahrenheit, at an elevation of approximately 600 feet above sea level. Velocities are listed in feet-per-second (fps). Bullet weights are listed in grains. JHP is jacketed hollowpoint. PB is a specialty bullet from Cor-Bon which has a plastic ball inserted into a hollow nose bullet. DPX is a Cor-Bon load which uses the Barnes XPB homogenous copper hollow nose bullet. Glaser is a specialty round consisting of a pre-fragmented load of shot compressed into a bullet jacket. All three of the Buffalo Bore loads use Speer Gold Dot hollowpoint bullets.

As mentioned above, the P2000 SK was a pleasant, fun pistol to shoot. Accuracy was good, reliability was excellent, and it was easy to hit steel plates and paper targets, due in part to the superb trigger pull, which is much better on this H&K pistol than on most of the competition. The P2000 SK has accessory mounting grooves on the frame, just forward of the trigger guard, for those who want to mount a laser sight or flashlight. The pistol is built of quality materials, and is beefy, but compact. The pistol has an internal lock, for those who wish to or are required by law to use the device. It does not, thankfully, have a magazine safety, but does have a firing pin lock to prevent the gun from firing if dropped. It is relatively light, and easy to use. I really like the P2000 SK, and it could be the best H&K pistol yet, especially for concealed carry.