Florida enacted its shall-issue Right to Carry law that allowed law-abiding adults to purchase a concealed carry license in 1987. Guns & Ammo has followed the carry movement as it was influenced by rising crime, including the 2003 move by six state legislatures to facilitate concealed carry. In 2008, the U.S. Supreme Court’s D.C. vs. Heller ruling impacted millions of Americans who decided to arm themselves for protection. Manufacturers quickly responded, developing compact firearms and accessories that increased capacity and accommodated optics and lights. As of 2024, all 50 states and D.C. allow concealed carry in some form. Permitless carry is available in 29 states.
“Micro” is a marketing term for which the meaning has never been clearly defined. To determine where the HK CC9 exists in this saturated category, I surveyed 18 striker-fired, sub-compact pistols for comparison. The CC9 is only more affordable than the HK VP9SK, a larger and 4-ounce heavier pistol. For the $699 manufacturer-suggested retail price (MSRP), the CC9 is a blend of low-profile dimensions, improved ergonomics, reliability and accuracy.
Talking Points
Never quick to react to trends, Heckler & Koch has been developing the CC9 — its first micro-compact pistol — for several years. Launched on October 16, 2024, HK fanboys instantly accepted it. There was enough fervor for it that the CC9 still seems exotic and rare to find under a gun store’s counter. That may change, though. Production volume won’t be as limited as we’ve experienced with imported models because the CC9 is produced in Georgia.
“Except for the barrel, which is cold hammer-forged in Germany,” HK Marketing Manager Angela Harrell confirmed, “the entire CC9 was designed, developed and is produced in the U.S.”
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The aesthetics of the CC9 will be familiar to those who have handled the VP9, Guns & Ammo’s 2014 Handgun of the Year.
“It needed to look enough like an HK, but it still had to function,” said Tommy Brooker, HK operations. “If a company develops a small pistol with full-size features, it can produce pinch points.”
There are no pinch points with the CC9, only tactile touchpoints. The front and rear slide serrations are like those on the VP9, such as beveled edges, grip contours, the beavertail, ambidextrous controls, sights and feel of the trigger. The textured areas on the polymer grip module are a finer version of the VP9’s, including a pattern of raised dots and interlocking rings. Not only does the texture appear around the grip and backstrap, but there are pads above the triggerguard for indexing the support-hand thumb with a two-hand grip and an idle trigger finger.
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Bilateral controls are serrated, including the curved face of the trigger, slide catch/release, and magazine release button. A roll pin secures the backstrap to the grip, which features a subtle arch to the longest point on the grip. With either 10- or 12-round magazines inserted, the bottom of the backstrap blends with both basepads. Two backstraps are provided with the CC9, a small labeled “S” and large “L.”
The triggerguard is shaped with a high-grip undercut. Paired with the beavertail, the CC9 features a low bore axis engineered for optimum control. Even with +P loads, the CC9 was easy to manage during rapid fire.
The two-slot accessory rail accepts compact pistol lights. In addition to G&A’s accuracy and reliability protocol tests, I evaluated the CC9 in low-light training with a SureFire XSC. It was perfectly suited for the CC9, providing 350 lumens and a rechargeable battery that can be changed without removing it from the rail.
The CC9 features a chassis pinned to the polymer grip module. Note the serial number plate at the rear under the slide. The serialized chassis is hooked into a slot at the back of the grip module and pinned at the front. Using a 2.3mm or 3/32-inch punch and hammer to drive out the pin, the chassis is among the easiest to remove from a grip module. The CC9 design is an open invitation from HK to aftermarket companies to develop different grip modules.
Molded within the grip module in front of the chassis, a stainless-steel horseshoe wall exists for the guiderod to press against. According to Brooker, “It slows down slide from over-function. A lot of smaller guns are over-sprung, alienating some older shooters who may have grip issues or dexterity challenges. If it is under-sprung, the pistol can have feeding issues. Some people may see the horseshoe wall as a point of reinforcement for the frame, but it was engineered to slow down the slide. Several of these nuances ensure the CC9 is the most reliable micro.”
The slide rails are 3.52 inches in length, and the internal action parts are conventional for a striker-fired system. Remove the magazine, lock or hold the slide to the rear, and rotate the takedown lever down 90 degrees. The slide assembly can then be removed forward of the grip module and chassis without needing to press the trigger, which HK advertises as an additional “safety” feature.
The slide and barrel are steel, finished in DLC. The slide was designed with an external extractor that produces a red, painted loaded chamber indicator when a cartridge rim is held by the claw. On top, the dovetail sights maximize the length of the side with a 43/4-inch sight radius. The front night sight and rear are made by XS Sights, the front featuring a thin, green, high-visibility ring encompassing a tritium vial. The rear sight is an all-black, serrated square notch. This pairing is excellent as a standalone sighting arrangement.
The CC9 is also optic-ready, including a direct-mount Shield RMSc footprint that will accept the Holosun 407K, 507K and EPS Carry. Remove two screws from the coverplate for access to the low-cut base. To evaluate the CC9 with an optic, I tried a Trijicon RMRcc, which required an additional adapter plate for the RMSc footprint. The adapter plate raised the optic .12 inches above the slide, but reliability was not affected.
The barrel starts out as a French blank made of hammer-forged canon-grade steel. I asked HK what type of steel is used and the meaning of “canon grade,” only to be told that it is a proprietary steel alloy. The barrel bar is sent to HK in Germany where it is bored and given six-groove, 1-in-10-inch twist rifling. The barrel is then exported to HK USA for machining and proofing. I noted the “HK P”-shield proofmark on the right side of the barrel; imported HK barrels and slides feature Ulm proofhouse and CIP pressure-test proofmarks.
Safety is extant throughout the CC9. The slide contains a firing pin safety, and an interference plunger that is pushed out of the way by the trigger bar as the trigger is pressed. The trigger bar and shoe are a unit inspired by the VP series, explaining, in part, why the CC9 trigger feels familiar to me.
HK advertises a 5-pound trigger featuring a pre-cocked system. G&A’s sample averaged 5 pounds, 10 ounces, for 10 pulls on a Lyman Digital Trigger Pull Gauge. The trigger characteristic presented a short, clean take-up to a wall, requiring a little pressure to stage the press and fire the pistol.
Two magazines are included with the CC9. Cartridges load easily into the CC9 mags, but the feed lips are a bit sharp. If you are subject to a magazine-restricted jurisdiction, two 10-round magazines are provided. Otherwise, the CC9 is standard with 10- and 12-round, slick, steel-bodied “Made in the U.S.A.” magazines. The 10-round magazine features the same body as the 12-rounder but is marked to the “10” witness hole, and has a punctured notch to the lower left that prevents the follower from sliding to the 11th and 12th positions. The 10-round magazine features a thin baseplate that’s better suited for concealment at the sacrifice of pinky support, while the 12-round magazine basepad offers full-fingered grip support with an angled extension.
Incredibly, HK CC9 magazines manage to offer more capacity for similar dimensions to competitors that feed from 10-round mags. True double-stack magazines for sub-compact pistols such as the G26 may soon be irrelevant. Single-stack magazine-fed pistols such as the G43 will remain despite the compromise in capacity, but dimensionally those pistols need to be thinner than the CC9’s .99-inch width.
At The Range
With a lot of micro pistols, a shooter must readjust their grip every three to four rounds. With the high beavertail and triggerguard undercut, you can choke up high on the CC9 and run this pistol fast with either flush or extended magazines.
HK guarantees the recoil and guiderod spring assembly for 10,000 rounds, but engineers tested the CC9 to 18,000 rounds before needing to replace this component. Shared with Shooting Times, G&A’s test sample proved flawless through more than 1,000 rounds fired of various loads — including +P loads. Bullet weights spanned 115 to 147 grains. Testing continues. No malfunctions.
Why are fanboys willing to pay more for an HK? Accuracy has something to do with it. I’ve never heard someone claim that HK makes inaccurate guns. Even with a 3.32-inch barrel, the CC9 continues this reputation. Like large model HK pistols, the CC9 barrel contains six-groove polygonal rifling. Is this HK’s secret sauce? I debated whether to include two 25-yard five-shot groups from the bench into the average accuracy results. Even as unbelievable as it may seem, it happened. The first group from Hornady’s American Gunner 115-grain XTP produced a .29-inch hole. Later, using SIG Sauer Elite V-Crown 124-grain +P load, another one-hole group was printed that measured .76 inches. These anomalies improved the overall average, but the CC9 was a 1.65- to 2.3-inch pistol from 25 yards.
If you purchase a CC9, holsters from ANR Design, DeSantis, and Weber Tactical are available now. Holsters from Comp-Tac, CrossBreed Holsters, Safariland, Vedder are in development.
HK Loves You
Many posts online and on social have repeated the fictional slogan, “HK: Because you suck. And we hate you,” sometimes referring to the company’s inability to import enough rifles and pistols to meet demand and reduce the price, or for its inability (or unwillingness) to produce semiautomatic versions of the select-fire G36, MP5, MP7, UMP, and M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle for law-abiding U.S. citizens commercially. In honor of its 75th Anniversary, HK has offered models such as the MR-Series and VP-series in Flecktarn and Tropentarn camo, as well as a limited-edition MR27 tribute to the M27. HK is aware of its cult following. With manufacturing capability in Columbus, Georgia, HK USA is excited to develop and produce crowd-pleasing guns — and more of them. Given the popularity of the micro-compact category, I predict the CC9 series will become a best-seller for HK. It’s already the most accurate pistol in this segment that Guns & Ammo has ever tested.
HK CC9
- Type: Recoil operated, striker fired, semiautomatic
- Cartridge: 9mm
- Capacity: 10+1 rds., 12+1 rds.
- Barrel: 3.32 in.; polygonal, six-groove rifling; 1:10-in. twist rate
- Length: 6.03 in.
- Width: .99 in.
- Height: 4.5 in. (w/ 10-rd. mag.)
- Weight: 1 lb., 2.4 oz.
- Slide: Canon-grade alloy style, DLC finish
- Frame: Textured polymer grip, S/L backstraps
- Trigger: 5 lbs., 10 oz. (tested)
- Sights: XS Sights, tritium post (front), black, serrated notch (rear); optic-ready, RMSc footprint
- Safety: Trigger lever, firing pin
- Accessories: Soft case, manual, child safety lock, Large backstrap, two magazines (10 and 12 round), 10-round pinky extension floorplate
- MSRP: $699
- Manufacturer: HK USA, 706-701-5554, hk-usa.com
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