Features and First Impressions
I was excited to see the HK CC9 come into the shop. I had been anticipating it for some time. In fact, I had to wait several weeks for the gun because our distribution was so backed up on orders after SHOT Show. Then, when the gun arrived and I opened the box, I noticed that it was a compliant 10-round only variant.
Nonetheless, I was happy to get the gun in hand. Capacity cutoff or not, I liked the FDE slide and black frame, or “tactical peanut butter,” as my buddy Chuck likes to say. Regardless of restrictions in your state, you get two magazines with the gun; it’s just going to depend on whether you get a 12-rounder or another 10. Since I live in a free state, I decided to order another 12-round magazine when I got home to get the full experience.
The CC9 has a lot to like right out of the box. It is optics cut for an RMSc footprint, wears serrations on the front and back of the slide, and sports an ambi slide lock/release. That ambi treatment continues on the mag release, set up nicely for the southpaws out there or the guys who truly train to be ambi-proficient. To finish off the slide, HK provides a Pic rail for lights and a hi-vis Tritium front sight.
In the hand, the gun feels phenomenal. HK did it right with the grip treatment, providing just enough grip texture without being uncomfortable even after long days on the range. Finally, a single dry-fire press had me itching to get on the range. The trigger felt great, especially for a micro-compact.
For the sake of clarity, Guns.com sent me this gun for testing, and all testing has occurred on this single gun without any need to send it in for work.
Specs
Caliber: 9mm
Capacity: 10+1 or 12+1
Barrel Length: 3.32 inches
Overall Length: 6.03 inches
Width: .99 inches
Height: 4.92 inches (12-round)
Weight w/ 12-round mag fully loaded with Double Tap 124-grain Bonded Defense : 1.69 lbs
First Rounds Downrange
I was so eager to shoot this gun that as soon as I cleared NICS, I took it to the range and shot 100 rounds of PMC Bronze through it. To my surprise, I did not shoot it well. In fact, I struggled to put together a single satisfactory target. It didn’t matter whether it was slow-paced fire or quick, more rapid fire, my groups were not only off, they were inconsistently off in a frustrating way that was tough to diagnose.
I shrugged it off as first mag jitters or just needing some additional time with the gun. The following week, I was excited to go help a friend film some training footage. Jack Shepard of Black Watch training ran me through some of his warm-up drills before we started filming. I was excited to get the CC9 back on the range and run through some drills.
Again, after 100-150 rounds, I was frustrated by the results. Most of my groups seemed to be coming in low and left. While that isn’t necessarily out of the question for me, especially with micro-compacts, this was egregiously off. The patterns weren’t making sense.
A second frustrating range day had me thinking that I didn’t like the gun. When I lent the gun to Jack and fellow Guns.com writer Paul Peterson, they had similar, albeit less extensive, issues. Jack had mentioned that he felt like the gun was driving that way and that he needed to fight it to get back up on target.
I didn’t want to give up hope, though, and I figured finding the right optic could start to help turn this whole thing around.
Finding an Optic
A couple of optics struck my fancy at SHOT Show this year, but the one that really stuck out was the Shield Sights AMSc. It’s a fully enclosed micro red dot – the first of its kind from a company that has helped set the standard for optics footprints. Knowing that, I was excited to try it. I’ve always wanted to try a fully enclosed red dot, but I never wanted the giant mailbox on top of my gun.
I’m a creature of comfort and carry AIWB, so I always felt that big, enclosed dots like the Aimpoint ACRO would be inconvenient to carry. Shield Sights seeks to solve that problem by shrinking the entire optic while still delivering the same ruggedness and reliability.
I quickly got the AMSc set up and was eager to get the gun back on the range. It took some tinkering to get it zeroed, but after about 10 minutes, I seemed to be connecting better with the target. I started to see the advantage of the fully enclosed optic. It drew my eyes to the center of the dot easier, and it was quick on target.
I shot some groups for accuracy again at the indoor range where I first tested this gun. The frustration melted away and slowly turned to happiness, and my groups started to look a lot better.
Extended Testing
The more I shot the gun with the Shield Sights optic on top, the more I started to fall for it. You could argue that it wasn’t all the optic and that I simply learned to shoot the gun better as I became more familiar with it. Certainly, there is something to be said about that, but I’ve never had such a dramatic turnaround in such a short time.
To my surprise, it still held good accuracy. Compared to some of the other micro-compacts I’ve reviewed, including the P365X that I often carry, this gun started to outshoot them all. Part of that must be the trigger. Compared to others in the same weight class, the CC9 has a superior trigger. The only other micro-compact framed gun that comes close for me in the trigger regard would be the Canik Mete MC9. Check out a small selection of highlights and how the trigger looks in the video below.
I just crossed 1,000 rounds in the last month. I’ve fed the CC9 everything I had, and it still wants more. Spit, chew, repeat. It’s feasted on a whole load of Federal ammo, everything from Syntech to HST and Punch for self-defense rounds. In between, it snacked on remanufactured ammo I had lying around, old Wolf steel case of the same regard, PMC Bronze, MagTech, Blazer Brass, Remington UMC, and finally, a small selection of Double Tap.
It ran it all, and I have yet to have a single malfunction other than a slide not locking back. I think that it was more a fault of the shooter, as I tend to grip high and rest my shooting hand thumb up close to the slide lock. It is not hard to actuate the slide release function on this gun, making the failure of the lockback even more likely my fault.
It doesn’t matter how I load the magazines or whether the ammo was brand-new or several years old (I hate to admit I have some old ammo), this CC9 only wants to feed and feed more. I was happy to oblige. There was a small qualm about the 12-round magazine when I first got it. I had a very tough time loading that 12th round the first few times I went to load it, but after 100 rounds or so it became easier.
I’ve fallen out of rhythm with my P365X and haven’t been training as much as I should. The CC9 make me want to go to the range. I have to tell myself not to shoot it when reviewing other guns, otherwise I’ll spend all my time shooting the CC9.
Carrying the CC9
Around the 500-round mark, when I was confident in both the reliability and my accuracy, I decided I needed to start carrying the gun. I liked it too much, and it became as accurate, if not more than my P365X, so it only made sense to get it in a holster. To that end, I reached out to Falco Holsters. I had turned to the company in the past for a Mossberg pistol, but it had been a minute since I carried in a Falco.
To my delight, they were able to send me an A805 nylon/leather hybrid holster designed for AIWB carry. At first, I thought, “Eww, nylon. Not sure how much I’ll like this.” How wrong I was once again. I’ve been so used to Kydex for the past several years that I forgot other materials even existed. This is one of the most comfortable holsters I’ve ever worn.
The nylon has a cushioned pad that makes AIWB for the CC9 easy, even if sitting in a car all day. The leather on the sweat guard also helps with comfort by not exposing the skin to nylon, which could get itchy. In another nice addition, Falco stitched in a polymer channel for the front sight to guide the gun into the holster, which also adds the rigidity needed for the holster to not collapse when the gun is drawn. Unlike a lot of floppy nylon holsters, which would make holster training a pain, this one stays open after the draw.
Finally, I don’t know what magic they are working over there in Slovakia where these holsters are manufactured, but this holster conceals better than some of my Kydex holsters that feature a claw. Some of that might be the strength of the clip, which is probably the strongest I’ve ever felt. Either way, I’ve been regularly carrying the CC9 as my primary EDC for the past month, and it’s been a great experience. I’m confident in both the gun and the fact that I’m not printing with the A805 holster from Falco.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Zero malfunctions in over 1,000 rounds of testing and counting
- Great trigger
- Fantastic ergonomics
- Ambi ready out of the box
- Button mag release over paddle release
- Optics ready for RMSc footprint optics
- Nice stock sights with hi-vis front tritium sight
- Grip texture and finger grooves feel great in hand
- Mags drop free
- Comfortable to carry
- Looks good
- Feels good
- Shoots good
Cons:
- I shot terribly with just the iron sights, not sure why
- Failure to lock back on several occasions, again probably a user error in grip
- Expensive compared to competitors
Conclusion
If it isn’t already obvious, I love this gun. HK has brought a gun to market that’s what the company’s U.S. audience has craved for years: a slim micro-compact that runs like a tank with features galore and a great trigger to boot. After 1,000 rounds, I still haven’t had a malfunction, and I still haven’t even broken the gun down for a cleaning.
I should probably do that soon, but I’m confident that even if I don’t get to it in the next 1,000 rounds, that this gun will keep chugging along, eating everything in sight as it goes. Pick one up and see for yourself, it might just become your next carry gun.
