One of the biggest innovations in pistol manufacture and design in recent years has come from the German firm of Heckler and Koch. After many years of producing some of the finest handguns, rifles and sub machine guns, the technical specialists and designers came up with the revolutionary concept of a new type of safety feature for their P7 pistol.
Originally called the PSP (Police Service Pistol) - the P7 was apparently designed for the German police who required a functional and easy to use 9mm weapon for their law enforcement and anti-terrorist operational needs and who needed a replacement for the old warhorse Walther P38.

I was lucky enough to have had the opportunity to have a few days working with this pistol on a firearms course in Ireland several years ago and found it to be an efficient and compact sidearm.  The "squeeze cocker" itself consists of a grip sized lever built into the handle of the pistol.  Depress, or squeeze, it and the safety mechanism is released enabling the weapon to fire the round that may be loaded into the firing port.  Release the de-cocking lever and the weapon is once again made safe. Easy as that! 
This means that

1. There is no need for "thumb" fiddling to release the safety as is found on most semi's (especially when operating under stress conditions) and can be used by either left or right handed shooters.

2. You will need to get used to the motion of grip and fire.

So there are pros and cons of the squeeze cocker - at least initially!  Get used to this system and you will find that you will have a smoother and faster draw method in place.  For me it was not that great a concern as I have used the "squeeze the orange" and "convulsive grip" methods (as advocated by Colonel Hector Grant-Taylor) as part of my point shooting training.  The reflexive motions complemented the action of the P7 superbly. 

From a personal point of view the size of the P7 fitted my hand size perfectly, something that can be of concern to the new shooter with larger, more chunkier semi-autos. 

The body and slide are made of high grade steel that is light-weight and slim to profile, thus making the draw-stroke a smooth, fluid movement.  Because of its light mass any recoil is almost negligible from the slide and its accuracy both in full on range stance (ISO or weaver) and close contact point shooting drills was fantastic.

As well as drawing from my regular holster position I also ran a drill drawing it from a concealed F.A.G bag and once again found the P7's size and weight very complimentary for this type of concealed carry.  I spent most of a day on the range with the P7 going through my normal firing procedures and drills and didn't have a stoppage or jam once.  When I asked the gentleman who owned the gun had HE had any jam problems in the 6 months he had used it, his reply was in the negative!  Impressive. 

From an operational viewpoint, say as part of a close protection team or even for the civilian concerned with concealed carry in certain parts of the World, the P7 provides that holy trinity of  quick access due to its ergonomic design, simple functioning and use (thanks to its safety lever and craftsmanship), and concealibility thanks to its size. 

I carried it around all day on my belt with the result that after a few minutes its weight did not register uncomfortably.  All parts complement each other to make a truly remarkable piece of equipment and I would wholeheartedly recommend the P7 and its variants to individuals engaged in law enforcement and specialist security work.

Copyright MCG 2007