Heckler & Koch P30


The P30 is a polymer framed semi-automatic handgun by Heckler & Koch, available in 9×19mm Parabellum and .40 S&W.

History

Early prototypes of the P30 were referred to as the P3000. The P30 is marketed by the manufacturer as a law enforcement service pistol.
In 2006 the first customer of the P30, the German Federal Customs Administration procured 13,500 P30s for its forces. The Norwegian Police Service ordered about 7,000 P30s.
In October 2008, the cantonal police of Zurich, Switzerland purchased an undisclosed number of P30s for 1.6 million CHF, replacing the previously used SIG P228.
In late November 2008, the German Bundespolizei ordered 30,000 P30s with the option for another 5,000. Deliveries took place between summer 2009 and 2011.
In April 2010, the state police of Hessen ordered the P30 V2. This model was also supplied to Hessen prison officers.
In 2011 the P30 NL variant was among a few pistols under consideration for Dutch police service. However in October 2012 the Walther P99Q NL (H3) was selected to succeed the Walther P5 and Glock 17 pistols previously in use, in 2013-2014.

Variants

The P30L is a P30 featuring a longer slide and barrel.
The P30SK is a subcompact P30 featuring a shorter slide and barrel.
The P30S, P30LS and P30SKS variants feature an optional external ambidextrous thumb safety. This manual safety is available for most trigger variants. The variants with the optional external ambidextrous thumb safety have similar dimensions compared to the variants without this feature, but weigh approximately more and the safety levers add width resulting in an overall width of.
The P30, P30L and P30SK pistols offer multiple trigger configurations. It is possible to change the trigger configuration of a P30 series pistol to another trigger configuration.

P30 trigger and model configurations

In addition to classic DA/SA trigger variants, Heckler and Koch features a proprietary Combat Defensive Action or Law Enforcement Modification in their P30 line, which is a variant of conventional Double Action Only triggers.
The LEM mechanism operates via a combination of a cocking piece inside the hammer and an elbow spring to create a condition 0 or 1, while the hammer is placed in a hammer-down position. After racking the slide to chamber a round, the LEM versions produce a long Double Action trigger pull with the pull weight comparable to a Single Action.
VariantActionTrigger pullTrigger travelNotes
V0CDA aka LEM
Combat Defensive Action aka Law Enforcement Modification :
Exposed two-piece hammer with spur.
It uses a V1-type "light" Trigger Return Spring.
The cocking piece can be decocked by pressing the decocker button, located at the rear of the slide, next to the hammer.
This spurred hammer-version was designed for the European market.
V1CDA aka LEMSame as V0, but the hammer has no spur, and there is no decocker button; therefore, the only way to release the cocked mainspring is to pull the trigger over the empty chamber.
Employing a light Trigger Return Spring, it is referred to as "light LEM."
V2CDA aka LEMSame as V1, with a heavy Trigger Return Spring
Employing a heavy Trigger Return Spring, it is referred to as "heavy LEM."
The heavier TRS provides a more clean trigger reset while providing comfort to people concerned about accidentally discharging their firearm under stress.
This version is no longer directly purchasable in the USA.
V3DA/SA

Conventional DA/SA unit with single-piece, spurred hammer and decocker button at the rear of the slide, next to the hammer.
V4CDA aka LEMSame as V1, but it uses a medium Trigger Return Spring.
The medium Trigger Return Spring strikes a compromise for a cleaner trigger reset like the V2 version while providing a trigger pull weight in between V1 and V2.
V4.1/CHCDA aka LEMSame as V4, but, with the catch being slightly longer, the hammer slightly sticks out in the cocked position. The hammer is internally more recessed to accommodate the longer catch when decocked.
V4 and CH are used interchangeably due to this version being designed for Swiss law enforcement to reduce pretravel by roughly 1/3 of the other LEM versions. The shorter pretravel is associated with a reduced risk for trigger jerking.

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