Must Have Heckler and Koch VP9 Accessories

H&K VP9 Accessories 

If you Have been on the site lately you have probably seen that we have done an article covering what we think are the 10 best 9 millimetre pistols out on the market today. On that list, it shouldn’t be at all surprising is the Heckler and Koch VP9.

The VP9 is in many ways HK’s answer to the Glock platform that has, for a long time now been the main player in the polymer wonder 9 category. With its new entry in the VP9, HK has come up with a serious answer to what block is putting out. Here what we’re going to try to do is give you 10 accessories that we think will help make your VP9 one of the best concealed carry guns out there so let’s get started .

You’ll notice that we make very few modifications to the gun itself on this list. This is for a few reasons. First, this is a relatively new design, so there aren’t as many options out there as there are for, say, a Glock 19. The other big reason is that, it is a new design. HK has had the lessons of the past century in small arms design to look at when designing the VP9.  That allowed them to put out an excellent concealed carry gun straight from the factory, and we happen to think that they did a pretty darn good job. The things on this list, then, are meant to compliment that great design and manufacturing work.

In making this list, we make a few kinds of recommendations. On the easier end, we recommend holsters and magazines in order to make it very possible to carry this excellent handgun on a daily basis. At a little more advanced, you can add a threaded barrel, suppressor, or sighting system. No matter the level of work that you’re willing to put in, it’s totally possible to make the VP9 one of the best carry guns on the market.

Blade-Tech Holster

If you own a VP9, chances are you want to carry it. Assuming that’s the case, you’re going to need a holster. This one by Blade tech, is a flexible and quality one that will let you carry the VP9 any way you like. At its core, this is a kydex holster that retains the pistol safely, covering the trigger guard entirely. From there, the really cool thing about this is how versatile is. This holster can be worn either inside or outside the waistband, making it great for several kinds of concealed carry, either with or without a cover garment. It can also be switched from left to right-handed, which is a nice nod to the left handed gun owners out there. Finally, you can adjust the cant to keep things comfortable. Overall, this is a flexible and high quality holster that can be made to fit any type of carry.

MagPump MagRetainer

IF you do choose to carry the VP9, it makes a great deal of sense to also get some more magazines on your person in the event that you may need to defend yourself.  That means you’ll end up loading magazines. Some of us already have the Magpul Magpump, which is one of the best magazine loaders on the market. If you do, then you’ll need this adapter. All you do is pop it on the end of your existing loader and you can load your VP9 mags much more easily than doing it by hand. Tools like this save your hand strength for actual training at the range. This is one of those things that seems like a luxury, but once you try it you’ll never want to go to the rang without it and you’ll curse yourself when you forget it.

ProMag VP9 Magazine 

There are some great aftermarket magazines out there for the VP9. These, by Promag, are a great example of quality aftermarket mags which are often much cheaper than the OEM magazines. These are made out of blued steel and have a flush fitting 17 round format. These would be great magazines to use for concealed carry on a daily basis.  We recommend, especially if you’re picking up an older VP9 that’s used, to pick up a few new magazines to make sure that you have reliable magazines whether that’s on the range or using them for self defense.

HK VP9 20 Round Magazine 

Just now, we recommended that you keep around a standard sized magazine to concealed carry because they’re smaller and easier to avoid printing with. That, we think, is solid advice. That does not mean, however, that you necessarily need to make a big sacrifice in terms of firepower.

Here, we have OEM HK magazines that are meant for the VP9. These hold 20 rounds and have an attractive baseplate that also adds to the ergonomics of the gun: you’ll have no problem getting a good grip on the gun with the pinky extension on the already generous frame. These magazines are our go-to for the VP9, and we recommend that you taker a serious look at them as well. These might be a little less concealable than the 17 round magazines available by Promag, but the extra three rounds are handy, and the overall weight balance of these is very nice when they’re in the gun.

HK VP9 TekMat

HK does make a fine firearm. Usually, their fit and finish is second to none. Your kitchen table is also probably pretty decent. At least, that’s what the keeper of the house would probably say, and if you don’t want to sleep on the couch, you probably shouldn’t scratch the table.

In order to keep the VP9’s finish nice, the table from being scratched, and general peace in the house, consider getting something on which to clean your gun that you don’t need to worry about. We highly recommend Tekmats for this purpose. These are rubberized mats with a nice neoprene top. That completes the practical purposes described above. This one also has a blown-up diagram of the internals of the VP9, which we find useful and informative.  They also make rifle and shotgun mats, as well as some novelty ones, so check them out if you’re looking for a better spot to clean guns or work on other small objects. We use ours for things like cleaning watches and fixing anything that has small screws that we’d otherwise lose.

HK VP9 Optics Mounting Plate

One thing that is a little limiting with the VP9 are the optics options. Some other modern handguns come with slides that are pre-cut for the mounting of optics such as red dot sights, whereas this one does not. But, that doesn’t mean that you’re totally left in the dark. This mounting plate attaches to the standard VP9 slide, and allows you to mount several small red dots, in particular the EOTECH MRDS sight. Basically, this is no way to get an optic on your VP9, which will make it an even more competent carry, defense, or competition gun. A micro red dot is one of those things that some people, especially now ,really want on their firearm and with a bit of effort you can get one of the VP9 as well.

VP9 Threaded Barrel 

One thing that anyone with a 9mm handgun should do well to consider is the adding of a suppressor. In order to so, you’ll need one of these threaded barrels. Made by Silencerco, this is one of the best ones on the market. Installation wise, it couldn’t be easier as it drops in just like a factory barrel. IN terms of specs, this wonderfully made barrel is made out of 416R steel, has a 4.5” barrel, and has 1-10” right-handed rifling. ON the end of the barrel you get 1/2×28 threads, making the attachment of suppressors a breeze. The threads are protected by an included protector. Overall, this is arguably one of, if not the, best threaded barrel out there for the VP9.

Griffin Armaments Suppressor 

OF course, if you’re buying a threaded barrel, it makes sense that you’ll be threaded a suppressor onto that barrel. This one, by Griffin Armaments an excellent choice to that end. This one will thread right on to the barrel that we recommended. Additionally, something we really like about this one is that it can be user services and maintained. That means that you can keep it clean yourself and make it either smaller or larger to get the performance and weight balance that you want out of this excellent suppressor. This one comes with the tools you need to service and clean it, including the necessary wrenches. Basically, this is a modular and user serviceable suppressor that you can dial in to your concealed carry needs.

Crimson Trace Laser

Aside from mounting optics on the slide, one way to get a sighting option on the VP9s is through this laser guard by Crimson Trace. Basically, this system attaches to the bottom rail on the VP9 and covers the trigger guard. Out of this, you’ll get a red or green laser that is turned from the factory to be accurate at fifty feet, but can be zeroed to your preferences. These generally stay pretty well out of the way, so we like these as an option to get a laser on the VP9 without adding bulk on the top of the slide. Dots like these are extremely useful as concealed carry accessories in that night fighting is common in these defense scenarios, and is also a terrible situation in which to have a gunfight. In those bad situations, knowing that you have a convenient red dot to get you on target can go a long way to adding peace of mind.

Hornady Vehicle Safe

Especially with some of the mods, the VP9 isn’t a cheap firearm. Also, it’s all of our responsibility to be responsible gun owners in order to prevent our firearms from causing accidents or falling into hands that we do not intend. To that end, this vehicle safe by Hornady is a great choice. There are three things that we really like about this. First, it’s got a really slick mounting system. It can be put between seats and center consoles, and is secured by inflating a semi-rigid panel that locks in the safe. In terms of opening, secondly, it’s RFID, so all you have to do is keep the wristband or sticker handy when you want to open the safe. Finally, it’s powered by either the car itself or 4 AAA batteries. Put together, this gives you a usable and elegant way to safely store a firearm in your vehicle.

The HK VP9 is an extremely compelling entry into the 9mm space. This is especially considering that HK knows their way around the 9mm pretty well in that they basically kept it relevant for half a century with their MP5 lineup, which is still going strong today.  This firearm is a striker fired 9mm pistol that will serve you well in a concealed carry format but would also make a pistol worth consideration in competition as well.

Parting Shots…

With this one, we think that adding a few basic modifications can be an excellent carry gun. A magazine or two is a great place to start, as is a holster. Going a little bit forward, you can add a laser sight that makes it a fast to target weapon. With just a little more effort, you can add something like a threaded barrel and a suppressor to work towards the VP9 being a great carry gun. If you take things to the next level and add a red dot sight, it could also be a great competition gun as well.

This list does very little change a fundamentally good pistol, and instead focuses on making sure that it  runs in a way that you like for a very, very long time.  With some good magazines, quality cleaning gear, and safe storage, we have a feeling that the VP9 will be your trusty concealed carry gun if you want to get into seriously good German design.