Heckler & Koch VP9 With Trijicon RMR 500 Rounds Later

Several months back I shared my first impressions on the Heckler & Koch VP9 with a Trijicon RMR, which by and large were really good impressions. This set up quickly replaced the other VP9, which I also love, as my everyday carry. Thanks to the pandemic and related shelter at home orders, it took quite a bit longer to get the round count on this VP9 past the 500 mark than it took with the other VP9, but the round count is there now. As such, it’s time to share my opinions on the VP9 and RMR.

This VP9 has not disappointed. It might be surprising to hear me say that my experience with this VP9 was not identical to my experience with other VP9 (without the RMR) while feeding it its first 500 rounds. Let’s break it down.

Reliability

Again, I found the VP9 to be one hundred percent reliable with the ammo I’ve fed it. The ammo I’ve fired so far includes some 124 grain FMJ American Eagle ammunition from Federal, a bit of 124 grain HST JHP ammunition also by Federal, and a significant amount of 124 grain FMJ ammunition from Aguila. Every single trigger press so far has resulted in a bang followed by flawless cycling of the slide or a slide lock on an empty magazine.

Unlike my experience with the other VP9, there was no short stroking the trigger. I attribute this improvement to be completely related to my increasing familiarity with VP9 triggers. I’m also convinced that the short strokes I had with the other VP9 were entirely my fault.

The RMR has also proven to be very reliable so far and I haven’t had any issues with the battery life. Every single time the gun goes to the ready, the dot is there with the perfect level of brightness to match the light conditions.

I have absolutely no reservations about this gun’s reliability.

Accuracy

It was not surprising to find this VP9 to be very accurate.

The interchangeable grip side panels and back strap made it very easy to optimize the fit of the gun to my hand. Gun fit plays a critical role in allowing a shooter to maximize their ability to work the trigger correctly with varying cadences appropriate for shooting at different distances.

The RMR also played a significant role contributing to how accurate I could be with this gun. I found the contribution to be especially true at longer distances requiring more precision. Honestly, I felt like I was cheating with the red dot. Furthermore, I found the feedback from the dot movement to be much easier to read making it easier for me to call my shots.

Customization

This optics ready VP9 (sometimes referred to as the 2020 VP9) has less aftermarket support for customization that the previous version of the VP9 which was already lacking compared to the Glock and M&P Shield. This is due to the changes H&K made to the VP9 slide in order to make it optics ready.

As an example, there are geometrical differences between the dovetail cut outs for the front and rear sights. Due to these changes I have been unable to find aftermarket suppressor height sights that I want to install as a back up (and a co-witness) to the RMR red dot. Right now this is my only gripe about this gun.

I’m fairly confident the aftermarket support for this new version of the VP9 will catch up to the level of support the previous version currently enjoys.

Final Thoughts

My love for the VP9 and the RMR is healthy and continues to grow. At this point in time, I can’t recommend the VP9 enough to anyone who is looking for a quality duty sized 9mm striker fired pistol. Same can be said about the RMR for anyone who is looking for a solid pistol red dot sight. While the aftermarket support is not quite where I would like it be yet, it’s not a show stopper for me.