Heckler & Koch P30

The Heckler & Koch P30 is a polymer framed semi-automatic handgun. The P30 represents an evolutionary advancement of the technology involved in the Heckler & Koch P2000 and Heckler & Koch USP Compact pistols. Early prototypes of the P30 were referred to as the P3000. The pistol is available in 9×19mm Parabellum and .40 S&W chamberings.

History
The P30 is positioned by the manufacturer as an ideal law enforcement pistol and has been chosen by several law enforcement organizations as their service sidearm.

As of fall 2006, the German Federal Customs Administration had procured 13,500 copies of the P30V6 for its forces, making them the first customer of the P30. Additionally, the Norwegian Police Service has decided in favor of the P30 pistol with an order of approximately 7,000 copies.

In October 2008, the Cantonal police of Zurich, Switzerland was granted the purchase of an undisclosed number of P30's worth 1.6 million CHF (US$1.35 million), 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 will take place between summer 2009 and 2011.

In April 2010, the state police of Hesse (Germany) ordered the P30 V2. In addition, correction officers in Hesse's state prisons will be equipped with this model.

The P30 NL (H3) variant was being considered for Dutch police service. This pistol finished second in a European tender, after the winning SIG Sauer P250 was rejected in November 2011, and before the Walther P99Q NL (H3) and Beretta Px4 Storm. When minister Ivo Opstelten concluded that SIG Sauer could not deliver the requisite quality in a mass production setting, he chose the P30 NL (H3). However, Walther and Beretta appealed to court, insisting that a new tender procedure should be started. On 24 January 2012 the court decided that a new tender process should be organized. Opstelten chose to initiate a quick and rigorous new tender process that allows to choose another product if the winner should be rejected. This will delay the introduction of a new police pistol by 1 to 1½ years according to the Dutch Ministry of Security and Justice. In October 2012 it became clear that the P99Q NL (H3) will succeed the Walther P5 and Glock 17 pistols in 2013-2014.

Design details
The P30 is a fully ambidextrous polymer framed short recoil–operated locked breech pistol with a modified Browning-type linkless cam action with a vertically tilting barrel.

Technically, the P30 is similar to the Heckler & Koch P2000 pistol; the differences are in exterior appearance and ergonomics.

The P30 is a hammer-fired pistol with an exposed spurred hammer; a bobbed hammer is optional. It has ambidextrous slide release locks and a fully ambidextrous magazine release installed in the trigger guard, on both sides. Various trigger and cocking systems offer the possibility of converting the trigger firing mode from one type to another. Several variants are available based whether the LEM (Law Enforcement Modification) trigger (H&K's double-action only) mechanism is used versus a SA/DA trigger.

All P30 pistols feature an automatic hammer safety and firing pin safety. Some trigger configurations also offer a decocker.

The cold hammer-forged barrel has hexagonal right-hand polygonal rifling while the slide, having both front and rear serrations, is made from a solid bar of nitro-carburized steel. Besides metals the P30 makes extensive use of impact-resistant polymers to reduce weight and production costs.

Major metal components like the steel slide are treated with a protective surface treatment. Heckler & Koch refers to this treatment as the "HE" (Hostile Environment) finish, which is an extremely hard, nitro-gas carburized, black oxide coating. It aids resisting wear and corrosion, including exposure to salt water, making the pistol particularly suitable for individuals carrying the pistol concealed as the highly chloride-resistant finish allows the pistol to better endure the effects of perspiration.

As with other recent Heckler & Koch pistol designs, the P30 is modular to suit individual needs. The grip features three interchangeable backstrap inserts and three interchangeable grip shells both available in small, medium and large sizes. These backstraps and grip shells can be assembled completely at random, also asymmetrically, in 27 different user configurable grip configurations, allowing to customize the pistol's grip to various hand size and shapes and personal preferences.

The iron sights consist of a square notch rear sight and post type front sight. The sight features three-dot contrast enhancements that have been painted with non-radioactive photoluminescent Super-LumiNova afterglow paint that can aid target acquisition under unfavourable lighting conditions.

A MIL-STD-1913 (Picatinny) accessory rail on the dust cover allows mounting tactical lights, laser sights and other accessories. The attachment of such accessories does not require any tools.

The empty weight of a P30 box magazine is 93 g.

For cleaning purposes the pistol can be disassembled into its subassemblies without tools. Disassembly of the pistol is carried out without having to remove the slide release from the grip.

Options
The P30 can have an optional loaded chamber indicator that visibly and tactilely indicates the presence of a cartridge in the chamber.

Another P30 option is a visually conspicuous empty magazine indicator in the form of a red, white or orange colored magazine follower that becomes visible after the last round has been fired, and the slide release blocks the slide of the pistol in the open position.

A further option is an ambidextrous external thumb safety lever. With this decocking latch the pistol can be carried in a "cocked and locked" condition as well as in a decocked condition. P30 pistols that feature this optional external safety are denoted by the addition of an S to the type name.

For the recording of weapon specific data, a passive RFID transponder may be integrated into the weapon. The stored data can be read via an external unit.

Variants
The P30L is a P30 featuring a longer slide and barrel.

The P30S and P30LS variants feature an optional external ambidextrous thumb safety. This manual safety is available for most trigger variants.

Both the P30 and P30L pistols offer multiple trigger configurations. It is possible to change the (original) trigger configuration of a P30 or P30L to another trigger configuration.

P30 trigger and model configurations
Many P30 triggers feature Heckler and Koch's Combat Defensive Action (CDA), which is a variant of conventional Double Action Only (DAO) triggers featuring a cocking piece in the hammer for a lighter yet consistent trigger pull. In addition to the P30 variants featuring the proprietary CDA trigger, the P30 is also offered in conventional pistol trigger mechanisms.

Users

 * 🇩🇪 Germany: 13,500 V6 pistols were purchased by the Federal Customs Administration. 30,000 V2 pistols were purchased by the Federal Police with an option for another 5,000. Approx. 16,000 P30 V2 pistols were ordered for the Hesse State Police and Hessian corrections officers.
 * 🇳🇴 Norway: Norwegian Police Service.
 * 🇵🇹 Portugal: Used by Public Security Police and Republican National Guard since 2009.
 * 🇨🇭 Switzerland: Cantonal police of Zurich, as well as some municipal police departments.