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10/1/2013 3:53:05 PM
 
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Section 8: Handguns Subject: P9S Ad Msg# 869266
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The P9S wasn't sold in the US in large quantities, so the base is pretty small. I suspect the price was one reason for limited distribution, and as Jerry mentioned, it was "different" enough that American shooters resisted buying it. I bought my 2 9mm pistols in Cali, where they weren't all that uncommon, so I guess that state was one of the better ones for H&K sales. The .45acp version was bought from a Marine Captain who was a recruiting officer in Cleveland and was getting ready to return to his outfit for OIF. The pistols are sought after by collectors, but I'm surprised you don't see them at OGCA. Most owners don't seem to want to sell them, or at least that has been my experience.
IIRC, the P9S was one of the first "hush puppies" used by the Navy SEALs in combat.That's an FYI. You are asking me to remember about the manual safeties on the P9S and Sauer 38H, and that's a stretch for me. I do remember the P9S safety was up for Fire and down for Safe. OTOH, while I think I remember the 38H safety operated the same, I'm not really sure. The P9S was a pretty radical pistol for the times. It had a similar roller block action as the G3 Rifle, the cocker/decocker system was unusual, it used a bit of polymer for the trigger guard, and it had a synthetic buffer that was disposable/replaceable (although a lot of those pistols' owners never bothered with them, I ended up buying some from Germany when I couldn't find them here). In this day of pretty simple striker fired pistols, the P9S would be considered overly complex, and rightly so. But it was such a pleasant pistol to shoot, accurate, reliable and soft shooting. If you ever get a chance to fire one, I think you'll see why Jerry and I bought them. Harvey |
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For reference, the above message is a reply to a message where: I am completely ignorant of the P9S beyond having a general book knowledge and remembering them in stores. I've never shot one and don't recall ever even handling one. I wouldn't say I know "less than nothing" about them, but "nothing" is a fair description.  So--I envy you--and Jerry--your experience with these pistols. Today I think they are on the rare side. I don't see them at OGCA but rarely. It may be that they were made in comparatively small numbers--you'd know more about that than me. Or perhaps collectors and/or shooters are still hanging on to them, or maybe they just aren't well-represented at OGCA, which can't, ultimately, represent the entire gun collecting scene perfectly.
At any rate, I'd love to have some experience with these. Your mention of the Sauer 38H was interesting. I had to think about that one as I had never thought about the connection, but of course the controls are the same. Does the safety work in the same direction on both models? |
Sorry.