HK P7 PSP re-finish question

Bimmerman · Mar 22, 2011

Hi everyone! I am a newbie here with a question. I am thinking of buying one of those "refurbished" P7 PSP (or possible an M8, depending on price) in the hard chrome finish. I know these are not factory finishes and I am concerned about the durability of these "after market" plating jobs. Anyone out there with experience, or expertise on the subject? Thanks.

asiparks · Mar 22, 2011

Hard chrome is generally an excellent and durable finish if applied properly, vastly better than the stock blued finish on the P7's

45 for me · Mar 23, 2011

asiparks said:
Hard chrome is generally an excellent and durable finish if applied properly, vastly better than the stock blued finish on the P7's

All true. I think there only a few places that do hard chrome anymore. Fords and Tripp are both reputable. Find out who did the chroming.

Here is a pic of mine. This is a few years and a few hundred rounds after chroming. No carry, but general range use:

Here is a pic with the grips I got for Christmas. This is a very nice looking gun in person. Good shooter too.

Bimmerman · Mar 24, 2011

That is a great looking P7, and the new grips are outstanding. Thanks for the photos.

Bimmerman · Mar 24, 2011

I forgot to ask where you got those beautiful grips for your P7, and what was the cost? Thanks.

45 for me · Mar 25, 2011

Thanks,

MacTech. I think they were about $150 with shipping. The price fluctuates a little based on the exchange rate with the euro, although I think mactech is a US distributor for them. (link below)

HK0358

torrejon224 · Mar 25, 2011

Tripp stopped doing hard chrome a few years back but there are at least a dozen shops that do it and most do a fantastic job. Best advice is if you can do a visual inspection is to check for any type of pitting or small bumps, this would indicate poor surface prep and possible troubles down the road. If not have the seller agree to a reasonable inspection period (3 days usually) so you can give it a good check. I collect all varieties of P7s and carry a M8 or M13 daily, honestly I have never seen a poor refinish job on one. Chrome is IMO one of the best finishes available for thse weapons here in the NW and it handles heat well as P7s get really hot when firing. As long as your buying from a reputable dealer or person I don't think you have anything to worry about. That finish will probably outlast you!

Bimmerman · Mar 25, 2011

Thanks for your good comments. The one I am thinking of is one of the "re-furbished" PSP's (I guess they all are). However today I found a nice, original owner, M8 (black) with little use (KB date code). The shop wants $1300.00 for it (no brush, no take down tool, no manual) and I can buy an A Grade hard chrome PSP from a reputable on line dealer for $800.00. I am not a collector, nor part of the "M8 cult", I just want one of these to carry. It is hard for me to justify the big price difference. Any thoughts or advice for me? It will be much appreciated.

torrejon224 · Mar 25, 2011

The PSP (actually just a P7, the PSP is a rare model) is a fantastic weapon. The only difference is that the M8 has a mag release in the normal place vs the heel of the grip (why P7s are called "heelers") and a heat shield around the trigger. IMO the mag release is a training issue and not a big deal. The heat shield is nice if your going to be firing 100s of rounds. P7s do get hot but not unbearably. You can buy a scraper (absolute must) that has a screwdriver for the grips and a take down tool for $25), the manual is on-line for free so it boils down to personal preference. I have two M8s, two M13s, two P7s and a M10 and carry the M8 the majority of the time but if you do research you'll find that most carry the P7 most of the time. $1300 is an OK price not a great one and the P7 is a decent price. One thing you didn't mention is magazines. They are spendy at $60 and upwards and the HK factory mags are a must, the only others made are ProMag which you may as well use as a paperweight. One last thing is holsters. M8s/M13s are interchangeable, the P7 needs it's own as the trigger guard is smaller. You can use a M8 mag pouch for the P7 but not the other way aroind. Confused yet! ****, I am and I'm writing this!! Based on what you have said I'd go for the P7, it will serve you well and if you do get the "disease" you can always find a M8 or M13. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail at [email protected] if I can confuse you some more!! Enjoy your new heeler and welcome to the cult!!

Bimmerman · Feb 17, 2020

This is a very belated reply (and that is an understatement)!! I have long since bought two M8's, but my original hard chrome P7 is the one I will keep forever. I truly believe that is the finest piece ever produced. I eventually found an IWB holster which works well for these gems. Thank you for your excellent comments.

Jonnyuma · Feb 17, 2020

I read all the way through without realizing that this thread was almost 9 yrs old... interesting stuff. I've always wanted to fire a P7 but haven't had the chance.

Congratulations (belatedly) on the pick up and new obsession.

Bimmerman · Feb 17, 2020

Good morning Jonnyuma! Yes, that was a late response, for sure. Hope you get a chance to fire one of these fine weapons sometime. They are the most accurate 9mm I have ever owned and, due to the design, have less recoil than most others. I sold my two M8's a couple of years ago for twice what I paid for them. They keep going up!

And yes, "obsession" is the operative word!! Thanks for your comments.