Heckler & Koch CC9: An H&K For The USA

Heckler & Koch is an interesting brand within the American shooting landscape. The German maker has wide respect among shooters—with multiple iconic models associated with legendary military units and police SWAT teams. And it would be challenging to find a blockbuster action movie that did not prominently feature an H&K firearm; however, it is almost an in-joke among H&K’s dedicated U.S. fan base that the company seems indifferent to its demands. HK USA has had the difficult job of trying to import firearms and parts to a hungry U.S. market, navigating both German and U.S. firearm import/export laws, exchange rates and parent-company priorities.

A recent corporate restructuring has, thankfully, allowed HK USA to take a much more active role in servicing and advocating for the U.S. market. The proof of this is in the highly anticipated launch of the U.S.-made Concealed Carry 9 mm, or CC9. The 12+1, 9 mm Luger-chambered, micro-compact pistol is the first domestically made H&K, and it is aimed squarely at the U.S. concealed-carry market.

Market Demands
The micro-compact class is perhaps the hottest category in semi-automatic handguns. Subcompact models of popular service pistols have existed since shortly after states began embracing “shall-issue” concealed-carry permits. However, the micro-class handguns were largely designed from the drawing board as miniature 9 mms. There are no hard rules, but looking across the market you see commonalities of roughly 6″ in length by 4.5″ in height, around 18 ozs. of weight and about 1″ in width. This thinness is the chief parameter separating the micro-compact from the service-pistol-derived subcompacts, which start around 1.1″ and range to about 1.4″ wide. The thin, small and light micros are conveniently carried and concealed while providing an ample payload of powerful 9 mm Luger ammunition for personal defense. Any company not currently offering a micro-compact is almost certainly trying to get one to market, and those that have them are actively expanding their lines.

HK USA knew the CC9 was going to be entering a crowded market. On top of that, H&K pistols come with higher expectations than many makes, and the first U.S.-manufactured model was sure to face deep scrutiny. The team chose to emphasize making the CC9 as shootable as possible while ensuring service-pistol-like reliability. To give the ending away up front, I think the company succeeded brilliantly.

Inside The CC9
The American H&K is a striker-fired, polymer-frame, micro-compact semi-automatic. The pistol ships with a slightly extended 12-round magazine, which allows even large hands a full firing grasp, along with a flush 10-rounder that allows most hands to get all fingers on the frame and works for larger shooters with some overlap. Trigger reach on the new micro-compact is, incredibly, virtually the same as that of the company’s full-size VP9 model.

The CC9 features a modular design in which the fire-control components are mounted within a chassis—the firearm by law and the serialized part—that fits within the polymer grip frame. That potentially allows a buyer to swap slides and frames at his or her discretion in the future, were HK USA or the aftermarket to provide such options. This is mostly a theoretical feature at this time; the aftermarket has really only embraced a few of the numerous modular systems available. Some chassis designs were never provided other than a single alternative from even the host manufacturer, so modular systems are more of a potential future feature than a present selling point. This is an area where Heckler & Koch’s checkered past on parts support gives HK USA a real opportunity to differentiate itself by both providing options or cultivating aftermarket support. Company representatives assured me that while they are aware of this, they were still not ready to release details on the future availability of accessory frames or line extensions related to the chassis.

The design of the chassis is impressive in that, unlike most others on the market, it is machined from a single piece of steel bar stock. According to James Williamson, business development manager for HK USA, a solid unit was the key to ensuring that the micro-compact CC9 could meet the standards of reliability for which the company’s larger guns are known.

The assembly seems similar to other takes on chassis systems until you remove it, and then the H&K reputation for engineering is on full display. That simply involves pulling out the takedown lever’s spindle, then driving out a small roll pin. The front end of the chassis is then lifted slightly before withdrawing the entire unit forward as the tab at its rear, onto which the serial number is engraved, clears a window at the back of the frame. Once removed, the one-piece chassis’ mechanical advantages are readily apparent: the full-length guide rails, integrated locking block and well-protected areas for the action parts and bilateral slide-release levers. You don’t need to have a mechanical bent to appreciate how solid and well-laid-out it appears.

The CC9 has the now-familiar tab safety in its flat-faced trigger. The trigger has a light take-up, moving about 3/10″ before meeting a very distinct “wall” of resistance and then a clean release over about an 1/8″ of movement. The CC9 takes a different approach from many striker-fired guns in that the firing-pin block is depressed almost in time with the sear being lowered from the striker. This should add a margin of safety compared to designs where the firing-pin block is deactivated early in the pre-travel. The trigger on my sample broke at a total weight of 5 lbs., 11 ozs.—quite sensible for a carry gun—however, the wall is so distinct and easily taken up to that point that the shooter is really only pressing through the second stage, which measured right at 3 lbs., 12 ozs. The light, clean release aids shootability.

The pistol ships with a small and large backstrap. HK USA spent time and effort to get the shooting ergonomics right, and the backstraps show it. The large backstrap extends the trigger reach to where the little CC9 puts my XL hand in a very favorable position on the trigger. Although the frame is micro-size, the relationship between the web of my hand and the trigger finger resting on the trigger feels quite similar to my VP9L with its large backstrap in place. The small CC9 backstrap is meant to have a similar relationship with the full-size pistols set up with the small backstrap.

If you look critically at the CC9, you may notice that the trigger seems both long and farther forward in the trigger guard than some of the “micro” genre pistols. Many of the competitors seem to have scaled down their micro-compacts proportionally from typical duty-size models, shortening trigger reach and leaving smallish triggers/guards. H&K intentionally violated proportional appearance to give the shooter a familiar feel and placement for the trigger. It works.

The dovetailed-in-place steel sights consist of a post front and a wide-notch, serrated rear. The front unit houses a tritium insert surrounded by a high-visibility neon green ring. The combination of a wide, deep rear notch and high-visibility front dot makes the sights easy to pick up in all light. They are also quick to acquire, which is great both from the holster but also as the shooter recovers the sights in recoil—helpful since micro 9 mms tend to have considerable rise in many hands. And even with generous light on either side of the front sight, there is enough precision to get distinct sight alignment for more difficult shots.

The CC9 is cut for an optic as delivered. The shooter simply unscrews the cover plate and can then directly mount any optic with a Shield or Holosun K footprint. I mounted a Holosun 507K for the accuracy testing and left it on for about half of the range trips. The small optic was well integrated with the pistol, and its width matched up almost perfectly with the 0.99“-wide CC9.

One of the pistol’s features that is easy to miss on the first pass is that it disassembles without having to pull the trigger to drop the striker. The shooter simply locks the slide to the rear and rotates the takedown lever to remove the slide. The rotation of the takedown lever lowers the sear in a clever arrangement, allowing the slide to be removed. I am aware of far too many instances where a moment of inattentiveness in disassembling common pistol designs that require the trigger to be pulled has led to injury or other misfortune. Eliminating that step is a not-insignificant bonus for the H&K.

The controls on the CC9 are laid out identically on each side of the pistol. The low-profile trapezoidal magazine-release buttons are well-placed. With the paddle release common on many H&K pistols, I tend to use my trigger finger to swipe the outboard paddle lever to release magazines. With the CC9, I found it easier to use my thumb in the “American” style but suspect that some shooters beyond left-handers will enjoy the mirror-image button releases. Of course, the advantage presented with the dual release comes with a caution: Since a magazine release is presented outward from the beltline during carry, a shooter may need to mind that their holster protects that outboard button and that the magazine is not inadvertently released during daily activity. I didn’t find this to be a problem at all and think the orientation of the button makes this unlikely, but it remains a possibility.

The slide releases on each side were also low-profile yet highly useful. On a micro-size pistol, this is a hard task; get a lever on each side just big enough to lock the slide back or release it while not interfering with the shooter or adding overall width to the gun. I tip my hat to the H&K design team here because there are plenty of compact and service pistols without bilateral releases this good.

One of the most frequent complaints about micro-compact 9 mms is how tightly sprung they are and, combined with often shallow serrations in the slimline slides, how difficult they can be to rack or lock back. “Best” would be difficult to quantify, but the H&K is certainly in the top quarter among the class here. There are serrations forward and rear that are deep and “grabby,” and the captive dual recoil spring seems strong but manageable.

Settling In
When a new carry pistol comes to market, there is often a standoff between potential buyers and holster makers. Interested buyers won’t move without quality holster options and holster makers won’t invest the time and resources to accommodate a new model without the sales numbers to show potential return on investment. Manufacturers have made strides here in recent years by working directly with holster makers behind the scenes pre-launch. HK USA is staffed by serious shooters, and they made sure that not only were holsters going to be available but that options existed even from more professionally oriented makers with limited handgun models supported.

An example of this is Tenicor. The Idaho-based maker is disproportionately used by professional trainers and the “gun guys” in the armed professions. However, Tenicor tends to limit its offerings to well-established pistols used broadly by professionals and serious daily carriers. The brand is among my favorites for inside-the-waistband (IWB) holsters, so I was excited to see that its new VELO 5 appendix IWB model launched for the CC9, with more of its models coming shortly. I carried the CC9 in the VELO through the final month of my testing on Tenicor’s Zero model belts. The VELO carried comfortably while completely concealing the small H&K. Even under several layers of clothes, my draw times were consistent and fast.

I shot the CC9 for accuracy at 7 yards, per the American Rifleman small-pistol protocol, but after seeing a number of “bug-hole” groups, I set up the bag at 25 yards as well and found that the hammer-forged German barrel in the pistol was holding up the H&K reputation for accuracy. Speer Gold Dots cut several tight 25-yard clusters in the 1.5″ to 1.75″ bracket, and the +P Black Hills were just over 2″. I later backed off to 40 yards to see how many hits I could land on an 8″ plate. Over multiple attempts, the CC9 dinged nine out of 10, with the tenth 100 percent my fault. On one attempt, on a day where I was shooting well and the stars aligned, the CC9 flattened nine 124-grain Black Hills JHPs into a tidy cluster where most of them could be covered with a fist.

The micro-compact class of pistols may all be roughly similar in dimensions and features, but they vary widely in the shooting experience. Some shoot impressively well and are valid replacements for service pistols or compacts for some shooters. Others are functional but snappy to the point of discouraging much practice. There is a certain amount of recoil energy that can’t be designed away in a tiny platform releasing 38,500 p.s.i. of pressure to launch 300-plus ft.-lbs. of muzzle energy. One local shooter was asking me about the CC9 and said that he was looking for a carry gun that “carried little and shot big”—which is the sweet spot every shooter is trying to find.

To get some sense of this, I shot the new CC9 alongside the H&K P30L, a duty-size pistol several friends have recommended as being soft-shooting. The P30L had H&K’s Law Enforcement Module trigger, or LEM, where the shooter moves through light take-up that draws the hammer back to merge to a single-action-style break. I thought it would be a messy comparison to shoot the unfamiliar CC9 against a service-size pistol I had significant experience with, so shooting the CC9 and P30L head-to-head was a great opportunity; I would be getting used to the CC9 and P30L at the same time and be able to get a read of how shootable each was “out of the box.”

I fired the two pistols for time to see how quickly I could come from the ready position and hit two 8″ MGM steel plates hanging at 20 yards three times each—six possible hits alternating left, right, left, right, left, right. This was enough distance and a small enough target that the exercise would challenge shootability. I knew from experience that some micro-compact 9 mms would either be difficult to reliably hit the plates with or would be actively trying to squirm out of my grasp under recoil by the third or fourth shot.

This was not the case with the CC9. There was more rise and recoil than with the P30L (as one would expect), but the pistol stayed solidly locked into my shooting grasp and the trigger reach combined with the high-visibility sights made confident hits possible on each plate. The CC9 averaged 5.5 seconds to smack the plates; 4.8 for the fastest and with 1.1 second variation between that and the slowest run. The P30L averaged 4.5 seconds for six hits and was remarkably consistent with only 2/10ths of a second of variation. So, the difference between the big and little H&K pistols equaled about 16/100ths of a second per shot, mostly for the CC9 to recover from higher muzzle rise. This was exceptional performance; I would have been happy just to get six hits with the micro-compact at a less aggressive pace.

I realize that 20 yards is farther out than many shooters will be concerned with. On another range trip, I set up a target at 5 yards and just shot the two pistols as fast as I could pull the trigger in multiple three-round “bursts.” With the P30L, the hits punched tight little fist clusters with an occasional outlier. The CC9 formed wider 6″ to 7″ spreads at that speed, which required me to stretch my fingers out to cover. Between the two comparisons, it was clear that the CC9 is, indeed, quite shootable and even comparing it against a well-regarded, full-size service pistol, the little H&K was fully capable.

Final Impressions
I fired just more than 1,000 rounds through the CC9 across 16 range days. During most of those, I fired a few magazines on certain drills much as I would with any of my personal carry guns. I find that the number of rounds is less important in my overall impression of a review pistol than the number of range trips. I like to note the first impression over comparative data from other handguns on similar drills/exercises, but it is also interesting to me how that impression holds up over time as I get more accustomed to the pistol. Sometimes I notice little things as the “new” wears off and, other times, initial doubts go away as I learn the gun and begin to appreciate it.

In the case of the CC9, my first impression was strong; within about 200 rounds, I was seeing quite a bit of potential—and this only grew with the round count. On numerous tests where I have data with a wide variety of micro, compact and service pistols, the handy H&K was outperforming the class in my hands. On a challenging multi-string test where I might average 8-9 of 10 hits with other micro-compact pistols, I was consistently getting 9-10 hits, well within the time limits, with the CC9. I attribute this to how well the pistol stayed locked into my hand and the extra trigger reach.

Over the course of testing, I fired nine different types of defensive ammunition. I had no issues, whether it was ultra lightweight/low-recoil loads such as Hornady’s 100-grain Critical Defense or heavy +P outdoors loads such as Federal’s 147-grain Solid Core. Among range or “ball” ammunitions, I shot 10 loads across numerous makers and bullet weights.

There were three stoppages total. One of these was a failure to extract with some commercial re-manufactured FMJ where the low recoil and heavy soot on the fired case lead me to believe it was a low charge or some other ammunition issue. On another day, I had two failures to extract with some steel-case rounds. I’ve had a similar issue with that load in another otherwise reliable pistol, so I simply listened to what this particular CC9 was telling me and avoided that load. Across the 17 other loads, there was perfect reliability.

The CC9 seems like an excellent launch for the new HK USA. It was always going to be hard to take the high expectations that fans have about H&K products and condense them into a micro-compact pistol. It took some years of careful development, but the company seems to have achieved a high mark in current handgun design and re-defined what is possible in a micro pistol. HK USA has already followed up with American-focused offerings in its AR line and with a VP9 refresh, so it is safe to say that the crew in Georgia is indeed stepping out boldly.