HK VP40 .40 S&W
Model: 81001160
HK VP40 .40 S&W
Model: 81001160
Full Specifications
About This Firearm
The HK VP40 is a full-size striker-fired .40 S&W built for duty and range work, and it has an MSRP of $949. Molded extensions at the rear of the slide, which HK patented and calls charging supports, give the hand something to pull against when a .40 slide has to come back one-handed or with wet fingers.
Two 13-round magazines come in the box, and the magazine release is an ambidextrous lever at the lower rear of the trigger guard instead of a button, though HK also builds the VP40 with a push button. Slide releases sit on both sides of the frame. Three backstraps and six side panels change grip circumference and shape separately. A standard Picatinny rail runs under the dust cover. The three-dot luminous sights drift for windage, and the slide has no optic cut, so a dot means machine work.
If you're cross-shopping, the HK USP40 is the hammer-fired HK in this caliber at an MSRP of $1,259, with a frame-mounted safety, a decocker and 29.12 oz. The Glock G22 Gen5 holds 15 rounds at 28.43 oz behind a 4.49-inch barrel and ships with three magazines. The VP40 costs less than the USP and gives up two rounds to the Glock.
Best For
Strengths & Limitations
- The slide is milled from a solid block of high carbon steel and then given a corrosion resistant nitro finish.
- The barrel is cold hammer forged with six-groove polygonal rifling at a 1 in 9.8 twist.
- Both slide releases and the magazine lever work from either side as issued, with no parts to swap for a left-handed shooter.
- The magazine lever is a different thumb motion from a button, and the push-button VP40 is a separate pistol instead of a parts change.
- HK asks that a certified armorer adjust the sights, so moving point of impact means a shop visit.
- At 28.93 oz and 1.32 inches across it is a duty pistol on the belt, not a pocket or ankle gun.
Category Rankings
How the HK VP40 .40 S&W ranks among full-size .40 S&W handguns.
Ballistics Calculator
Calculate trajectory, drop, and energy for .40 S&W ammunition.
.40 S&W Ballistics →Where to Buy
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Alternatives to Consider
Similar full-size .40 S&W handguns ranked by similarity.
| NAME | BEST PRICE |
|---|---|
|
HK USP40 .40 S&W
Heckler & Koch
|
— |
|
Sig Sauer P320 .40 S&W
Sig Sauer
|
— |
|
Beretta PX4 Storm .40 S&W
Beretta
|
— |
|
Smith & Wesson M&P 40 M2.0 .40 S&W
Smith & Wesson
|
— |
|
Glock G22 Gen5 .40 S&W
Glock
|
$1,599.99 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the VP40 related to the VP9?
Yes. The VP series arrived in 2014 with the 9mm VP9, and the VP40 is the .40 S&W model of the same pistol. It was the first striker-fired HK since the P7.
Do VP40 magazines fit anything else?
Yes. HK sells the same 13-round and 10-round magazines for the VP40 and the P30 in .40.
Is there a threaded barrel option?
HK added Tactical models to the VP series in 2016 with an M14x1 left-hand thread. That is a different pistol to buy, not a barrel swap HK sells for this one.
Where is it made?
In HK's Oberndorf factory in southwest Germany, the same plant that builds the 9mm VP pistols.
