Heckler & Koch continues to expand the VP line of pistols. After the initial introduction of the VP9 in 9mm, the company has added the VP40 in .40 S&W and introduced FDE colored frames to the mix. The most recent addition to the VP line are the VP9 and VP40 Tactical models.

A quick glance will tell you that a differentiator from the original VP9 and VP40 are the use of a threaded barrel. The cold hammer forged barrels are made in the company’s Oberndorf factory in Germany. As HK likes to say, the barrels are made of a proprietary cannon grade steel.

According to Michael Holley, the vice president for commercial sales and marketing at HK-USA, the addition of threaded barrels to the VP line was a direct result of customer demand.

A few of the specifications have changed from the base VP pistols. For example, the VP9 Tactical has a barrel length of 4.70″ and overall length of 7.95″ as compared to the standard VP9’s 4.09″ and 7.34″ respectively.

Although the company’s press release plainly states there will be a VP40 Tactical, I could not find that gun listed on the company’s website. The change in specifications should be similar.

It sounds like there will be more additions to the VP line in the future.

“Look for us to continue fleshing out the VP Series with customer-driven product improvements,” said Holley. “The VP is one of HK’s most successful handguns.”