It’s Official: Check out the Subcompact HK VP9 SK

The basic model with a flush magazine and high-visibility 3-dot sights. (Photo: H&K)

Heckler & Koch is about to make a lot of people very happy. The company is officially announcing the VP9 SK, the subcompact successor to the wildly popular striker-fired polymer VP9 service pistol.

Designed for backup and concealed-carry, the VP9 SK sports all of the great features that made the full-size version such a hit. It’s also priced in-line with other VP pistols making it particularly affordable for Heckler & Koch fans.

The VP9 SK is a double-stack subcompact with a standard capacity of 10+1 chambered for 9mm Luger. The magazines can be equipped with flush or extended floorplates. This way the carrier has the option of a full four-fingered grip or going flush for improved concealability.

Shown here with the extended floorplate and night sights. (Photo: H&K)

The subcompact has a 3.4-inch barrel with polygonal rifling. This is right at the sweet spot where it’s easy to carry concealed while not sacrificing velocity for better projectile performance. Overall it measures 6.6 inches long by 4.6 inches tall and is 1.3 inches wide at the controls.

Like the full-size VP9 the SK will first be offered in two configurations, an entry-level model and an upgraded package. The plain version comes with high-visibility 3-dot sights and two magazines, one flush and one extended. The upgraded “Law Enforcement” package comes with self-illuminating tritium night sights, two magazines and an extra extended floorplate.

Other features that make the VP series stand out include fully-ambidextrous extended controls, paddle magazine release buttons and a full-length accessory rail. The VP9 SK has the same highly ergonomic grip with interchaneable panels for a custom grip size and shape. It also has mild fingergrooves and a positive grip pattern for improved control.

See Also: Are these the Next H&K VP Pistols? Subcompact and Long-Slide

The slide is machined with forward and rear slide serrations and has two small cocking extensions at the rear. The extensions can be removed for a thinner slide profile. Rounding out the features is a cocked striker indicator on the striker retainer plate. And the extractor doubles as a a loaded chamber indicator.

Heckler & Koch is not giving the VP9 SK a solid release date just yet, just a nod toward later this year. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the company has an undetermined number of pistols to set aside for police and agency contracts, and with a halo product like this, Heckler & Koch is wise to make sure they have enough product at launch to ensure that they can satisfy consumer demand. It’s better to have a delayed hard launch than an immediate soft launch.

Also while both launch packages come standard with 10-round magazines, Heckler & Koch expects to have 13- and 15-round magazines available by November 2017. It’s likely that the 15-round mags are standard VP9 magazines with a grip extension.

MSRP for the base model is $719 and the LE package is $100 more — exactly the same as the standard full-size VP pistols.