I won’t hide it, but I’m a huge HK fan. Name something more ubiquitous than a roller-delayed sub-gun. Any millennial who grew up playing Call of Duty will understand. More than that, these firearms are part of popular culture. Movies, TV shows, and books all highlight the guns of HK. Unfortunately, many of those guns, even though they are awesome, are outdated and…expensive. Like really expensive. Plus, most of the ones people want HK don’t offer us regular folk (it’s like they hate us). Even though I rag on them, HK does make two of my favorite pistols on the market—the P30 and VP9. Although the P30 series is SA/DA and the VP9 is a striker-fired pistol, they have many similarities. But what they don’t offer is something in the way of a modern concealed-carry pistol. Yes, there is the VP9SK, but that’s akin to carrying a Glock 26. It’s surprising (or maybe not) that HK has ignored this segment of the market for so long. Sig introduced the market-setting P365 back in January of 2018 since nearly every major manufacturer has come out with something to compete against it, except HK. Finally, that has changed.

A New Carry Piece

HK claims they’ve taken a slow and methodical approach to designing their version of the best carry pistol. Dubbed the CC9 (I’m guessing CC stands for Concealed Carry?), HK’s new pistol resembles a scaled-down VP9. Dimensionally, it’s very similar to a P365 and Springfield Hellcat. Note the grip doesn’t appear to use the same customizable panel system on the sides as the VP9, which is something I like about the larger gun, but it does have swappable backstraps. Unfortunately, HK did not divulge much information about the pistol ahead of its release other than a few pictures, pricing, and a bit of marketing nonsense. But what I can gather from examining the image is that the pistol is optics-ready (presumably the standard Romeo ZERO or RMSc footprint) and will hold 10 or 12 rounds, depending on the magazine you select. The sights are from XS, which is positive, and there is a normal Picatinny rail under the dust cover. However, due to its short length, I’m not sure a TLR-7 sub will fit, time will tell. All in all, the CC9 has everything you’d expect in a modern carry pistol.

Final Thoughts

Even though it’s a bit late (or a lot late, depending on your perspective), the CC9 gives users another option. Options are a good thing. Pricing is also on par with Sig and Springfield. At $599.99, the pistol has value, especially from a company that is known to have steep pricing (just look up the price of an SP5 and then a clone of one from Turkey). Unfortunately, its availability will be limited in 2024, so if you want it, you must act fast.