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H&K's all-polymer pistol of Resident Evil fame, with firearm and weapons expert Jonathan Ferguson
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 ส.ค. 2024
- In many ways, the VP70 was a pistol ahead of its time, with an all-polymer frame and futuristic look. Anticipations were high for large sales across the Atlantic. Despite substantial adoption, the pistol was largely overshadowed by the Glock which followed it 10 years later.
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Seeing retro guns is pretty cool, but seeing them shoot is even better.
Shooting them is the best though :)
VP70 jammed a lot...cool burst fire though.
@@brokeandtired crap gun crap performance
"Ah, an awesome choice, stranger. It's got a 3-round rapid fire capability, although, it uses up ammo rather quickly".
When I was a kid at the end of the 70s I had a toy/replica one of these. Amusingly, I still remember how awful the slide trigger was. Remarkably realistic for a toy.
I had one in the early 80s. We had the BEST toy guns back then!
Lulu is a top tier waifu
@@chemistryofquestionablequa6252 indeed, we had real looking toy guns and NOBODY got hurt or in trouble. Amazing what good parenting can do
@@razieltalos Except for, of course, all the people who DID get killed. They're not around to comment about it on TH-cam though...
@@AirLancer I dont remember there being many shootings due to mistaken weapon identity.
Also appears (breafly) in Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex, a treasure trove of rare guns in itself.
I never caught that def gonna be looking for it when I rewatch! Thanks
One thing I love about SAC is it's got futuristic Seburo fictional firearms but also a bevy of guns from the 20th/21st century. Makes it feel more lived in. The original manga's firearms were all fictional IIRC.
@@KwadDamyj Makes a lot of sense, we still see guns from the first part of the 1900s going around and get used today, hell, some from the late 1800s, like old Nagant and Mauser rifles.
Still remembered how Batou reacted to discovering the cache.
“Score.”
Can’t forget it’s also in Aliens
As a kid I always wondered how that stock would actually alter fire modes on the pistol, never occurred to me the gun was even real. Thanks for the video!
and the funny thing is the resident evil series seems to have taken it as license to have gun mods do things that don't make sense in later entries. like 'we can have adding a scope increase 'power' or w/e because even as far back as the 2nd ones we were doing dumb stuff like having a stock add 3-round burst'
I love the contrast of a gun called the Peoples Pistol, with a subvariant that actual people can own.
I jokingly like to think it's not named after the intended owners, but the intended targets, like an Elephant gun. 🤣
As a fan of RE 2 & 4, this will always be one of my favourite pistols of all time. It's really interesting how innovative engineering like this doesn't always work out in a very practical sense, but lays the foundation for future designs like the glock, M9R, etc.
Same here bro!
Have you tried the REmakes?
REmake 2 is superb, while REmake 3 was a big letdown.
Can't wait for the REmake 4 that is coming out.
I hope they do it right, they have some big shoes to fill compared to Resident Evil 4.
Johnathan Ferguson - "I'd be disappointed if you didn't know it"
Me - Ah yes the Hand Gun (i know the description had the real name)
Continue to do the firing demonstations with firearms that you can, its quite interesting to see.
You can search shooting stuff on other different YT pages.
@@joe125ful These are guns and relatively rare ones at that. People naturally want to see guns being used as they we're intended.
@@acorgiwithacrown467 This is why i write that,iam sure you can find those on other YT pages..
I would be interested to know if H&K originally designed the pistol to be 3 round burst or if they implemented the limitation after seeing how insane the recoil was when shooting in full auto.
It's pretty fascinating how the gun ended up with a second life in video games, especially through the Resident Evil series.
I have the civilian version of this pistol! The trigger is absolutely horrendous and I hate it. But God I love the gun!
You are legend! Totally cool gun to have👍
The VP70 is so much fun to bring to the range. Watching someone try to wrangle the trigger for the first time is priceless
@@Stout936 I have a old semi auto co2 pistol w/ the WORST trigger ever. The HK works the same way, its a staggered trigger. Two clicks then a final pull to fire it.
It looks like a 100 dollar hi-point, lol
If you think that your gun's trigger is bad enough, try the military version.
The VP-70 complete with shoulder stock also appears in the anime Gunslinger Girl, as Claes' signature weapon (see episode 5 of season 1 for her introduction).
Also in Gunsmith Cats
Having recently played the Resident Evil 2 remake, I loved seeing the “Matilda” in real life! The clip of it firing was awesome too!!
Dad carried the this in NM in the 80s because it was 18+1 mag. Still have it, but not with the cool holster stock of automation, of course.. 2200 rounds per minute was intense in 3 red bursts, muzzle rize is minimal.. fired the auto once and was amazed at the upgrade, but HKs own MP5 in smallest form was so good it buried this rig in obscurity. With Blitz Action Trauma bullets, ability to keep one in the chamber with its heavy initial trigger pull, still a winner in those days.. no need of a safety aside from lawyers in the US.
Interesting to note, HK hired Gaston Glock to assist with polymer construction because he had fielded a fantastic trenching shovel already from Austria using same polymer. Well after finishing, Glock learned enough to borrow the striker fired feature, full auto option, and cold hammer forged etc to deliver the G17 later. Great vid, thanks, 🍻
Very cool, I came a couple of times as a teen and absolutely loved the Royal Armouries museum, there was too much to see and take in in even 10 visits from what I remember, I really must come again, great video thank you
I loved seeing you shoot it. I hope we can get more of you live-firing some of the guns you show. Question: Is this a fluke or do you get to shoot many of the guns in the museum's collection?
I kind of doubt they do considering the rarity age and condition some of these guns are in but they prolly do test them. Just a guess tho
@@m0ney4me Probably. Guns like these aren't rare unfinished prototypes, rather actual marketed products, so that's why I figure they can demonstrate them, they aren't wont to just break or explode from shooting a little bit of normal off the shelf ammo, or proper handloads.
If you ever go to the royal armouries in Leeds they have quite a few screens up with people firing older weapons, think there was a Sean bean video with a canon, flintlock style action rifles and pistols, and more modern weapons too
@@trouble1551s Cool. Thanks for the info. If I ever make it across the Atlantic, the Royal Armoury is on my short list of "must see" places.
@@m0ney4me - I expect you're right insofar as old or rare guns. But many of their modern collection (judging from video) should be fine as parts and repairs are readily available. BUT of course, conservation is the primary concern.
I owned a VP70Z back in the 80s, And while it looked interesting and had a 18 round magazine it was a heavy gun with the worst trigger I've ever had in a pistol. I sold it after a 2 year ownership and bought a Glock.
I almost bought one back in the 80s till I dried fired it. The ergonomics were pretty bad too
Mine was a gift from my brother. He used it as his sidearm for several years, them got the P7 to replace it. I still have the VP70Z, and you're right...you have to work out to be proficient with this thing.
I owned a VP70 when I was stationed in FRG in 1980. We could own a personal carry pistol and store it in the arms room back then. Could also check it out and carry it to the range at the rod and gun club. The holster straps had multiple uses. Chest carry with the old ALICE pack suspenders was the most comfortable to me. I liked it in spite of all the negatives. I was really bummed when I could not take it home with me. Sold it off to another sgt.
You shoulda looked for one when you got home. Hell, it's not too late, these things are still around. Spare magazines are expensive and hard to find, but I figure this is more a curiosity pistol than a carry pistol or sidearm in this day and age.
@@0neDoomedSpaceMarine
Mine was a VP70 with the shoulder stock. Not many of those available in the States, and federal law wouldn't allow the good one in my luggage. The VP70Z was not what I was looking for.
A few of us were using the VP70 or VP70M as PDWs before that acronym came around
@@markroyer3602 Ah, that's really interesting, was there any special paperwork you had to deal with to possess the machine pistol version while deployed in Germany, or did stationed Americans have certain privileges for things like these?
It's a shame the NFA basically killed products like these in the US, even if only selective-fire was restricted, I think that holster stocks would have been a fairly common accessory to see otherwise. I'm imaging stuff like a Glock 17, Glock 20, or Glock 21, with a stock very much like this one which the gun can be stowed in, and with various options for wearing as a holster. Would be great backpacking guns.
@@0neDoomedSpaceMarine what exactly going to use a pistol for while back packing? (Mean any pistol really)
To poorly shoot game?
To waste rounds and leave lead in trees etc?
Just take a shot gun with length of that. Better yet, a carbine for hunting.
If think that’s gonna protect you from a bear, again, or any pistol, ha, ya no.
@@BRBMrSoul Maybe it's backup for a shotgun or rifle.
Dear, Jonathan
I would love nothing more than for you to do a video with former small arms repairman for the United States Army Zach Moreland. You both have such an extensive knowledge of firearms that if would be fascinating if the two of you got together to critique the modeling of guns in videogames. This is something I find great enjoyment in watching you do individually, and I can't imagine how wonderful it would be to see the two of you do together. Your combined knowledge would be fantastic to see, and I sincerely hope you consider this.
Your adoring fan, Maze (like the puzzle)
Love the live-fire demonstration and this format of review. Some soft background music would go a long way in making the room feel a little less sterile, however. As always, it's a pleasure to see Jonathan in his element; his enthusiasm is practically palpable.
Love the new Keeper Shooting Guns segment
Kudos for keeping the ceiling rainproof! the vertical stringing is quite impressive - you did a admirable job in controlling what is an entirely uncontrollable pistol. So glad to have found your channel. It's just what a newly minted COVID patient needs to while away the hours. Cheers from NJ, USA!!
I remember thinking how clever the stock adapting it for three round burst capability was in Resident Evil 2, and only afterward learning HK actually made the gun that way. Also this might be the only instance of a gun in a video game firing more slowly than its real life counterpart. That burst is crazy fast.
Well yes, because a super fast effectively uninterruptible burst in a game where ammo is a strictly limited resource would actually make the gun worse with the stock attached.
Also basically every version of the minigun and other similar guns in games fires much slower than the real thing, usually slow enough that there wouldn't be any reason to have multiple barrels.
@@satannstuff The 3 round burst at that speed would actually be useful though. All the zombies require _at least_ 3 shots to kill and tend to stick with multiples of 3 shots to kill with the pistol. Just make Leon proficient with the gun and trivialize the mid-burst recoil (not that they'd have to, recoil calculated every frame means all 3 are fired before recoil hits anyway)
@@GremlinSciences At least 3 shots, sure. But not exact multiples of 3. You'd still be wasting ammo more often than not.
Used in Dutch military service by the Koninklijke Marechaussee, Brigade Speciale Beveiligingsopdrachten (Kmar BSB). Futuristic looking, horrible to shoot, and notably expensive at around $1,500 back in the day.
I was on the fence for getting one of these a few times.
Ended up not getting it after reading and hearing about the horrible trigger pull.
Loved it in Aliens and RE2!
It's one of those guns you get because it's cool and interesting, not so much because it's gonna be a really good and useful one. There's a lot of guns which aren't very good which I'd just love to have because they're weird.
Great video Jonathan.
I know they're almost entirely impractical due to high ROF and difficulty even with a stock to manage recoil, but machine pistols are just such fun ideas. Smol dakka.
Also was James Bond's pistol in John Gardner's post-Flemming novels, License Renewed, For Special Services, and (unsure) Icebreaker.
I have wanted one of these for ever had two chances before. Huge resident evil fan. Never could justify spending the money on it
If you own a VP70, go buy a new striker spring from Wolff springs. It will give you a much better trigger pull and make the pistol actually useable. I did it to mine and the difference is night and day.
Interesting. Keep the good work Up!
You got my respect when you tell us to check Forgotten Weapons' videos on the VP70.
I'll always remember the VP70 from RE2 me being 4 or 5 playing this on my dad's ps1
Describing the trigger as, "not great," is the most generous description I've ever heard given to a VP70, lol. Regardless of how bad it is, I love my VP70
Don't feel too embarrassed for the groupings, the *heeeaavy* staplegun trigger makes this hard to shoot as a pistol alone, it's probably not easier with the burst. It's an awkward gun.
For the really high rate of fire, I really wonder if this was somehow intended to follow the same principle as the on-going H&K G11 development program, or was otherwise inspired by it? The so called "hyper-burst" which with the G11 was intended to be so fast that you'd get the rounds on target before recoil impulse hit, but which wouldn't really pan out with a 9mm blowback pistol.
I think if they had used a roller-delayed blowback action, as they had already done with their H&K P9 pistol, along with a more sane trigger, this gun would probably have been a much better success, the better trigger and lighter recoil impulse, along with a normal bore providing normal 9mm Luger ballistics. It wouldn't have been as cheap, but it would have been good as a pistol, and maybe even viable as a machine pistol.
Imagine a normal trigger and shooting this with just single shots using the stock.
I didn't realize it was also the Aliens pistol as well. I knew it as Leon's pistol in RE2. Thanks, that made my day.
I recognized it immediately... because as a child, I had the Janes Pocket Book of Pistols and Sub-machine guns.
My favorite gun youtuber meme is talking about a rare gun, then pulling out a (semi)related similarly rare gun from underneath the table.
I believe the lack of a manual safety on the M version is due to the long heavy double action trigger pull providing the safety. Or it was a cost saving measure.
A cost saving measure Maybe the burst stock mechanism screws with it, I mean if the burst system resides to a extent in the stock and interacts with the trigger group they probably either didn't think it was necessary or it would be a handheld G11 disaster (financially or engineering wise) with it
Just as much, no safety means no chance of it being drawn by a fresh recruit, safety on, and them unable to figure out in time why the gun won't time when it's actually needed.
But yes, the safety does not jive with the burst-fire mechanism. Namely, it tries to occupy the same space, and you may inadvertently activate the safety while firing in burst if modified to fit.
I love how this museum use YT and video games/movies for reference to get people interested. :)
It's good you are able to do this here in the UK.
I demand more videos where Jonathan does some shooting
I adore that firing range, no baffles, no concrete all over the place, just an office room and a bullet trap.
I had an early Airsoft version of this pistol back in the late 80's...even then it was unique looking.
To see this makes me humble, and proves the people in the past were not stupid.
Here in the USA I actually owned the VP70Z 22years ago. Only bought it out of curiosity as my example had been severely abused by one of the previous owners. But despite the heavy & wonky trigger pull plus the pitted barrel it was still decently accurate.
Re. the safety, well if the military version was like the civilian one it probably had a trigger as long and heavy as a double action revolver trigger pull.
I love the idea of Jonathan shooting rare guns in some unused office space 😄
There's something extremely funny about the Royal Armouries shooting range being inside what is looks very much like a 1980s office conference room, polystyrene tiles, horrible fluorescent lights and all.
4:00 A 3-round burst at 2000RPM means the burst only lasts for 90ms. To put that in perspective, at 50 frames per second (PAL video standard), a 3-round burst from the VP70 lasts for only 5 frames of video... no wonder it sounds like one shot-For reference, the famous 2-round burst on the AN-94 is at only 1800RPM and lasts ~67ms, but would be 100ms if it were a 3-round burst, so it technically fires more slowly than the VP70
pretty iconic weapon for sure.
The issue with the 3 round burst reminds me of a video with Eugene Stoner where he was shooting an M16 (I forget the variant) with a 3 round burst. He commented in a rhetorical question “didn’t we work out that 3 rounds is the point after which you can start to control the recoil?” Or words to that effect.
yes but the problem whit full auto is that it requires a lot more training (especially at distance) if you dont privet Murphy will just pull the trigger and fire off the whole 20+ round mag whit only the first round been where he pointed it and round 20 hitting who ever satalite was in front of him.
in that case the 3 round burst is great. as it allows the less trained/drilled soldier to be about as effective as a disciplined soldier that fires in controlled burst/auto.
whit out wasting all its ammo in the first 10 sec of the battle.
if you got good trained soldier that train/drill ofthen then full/semi auto is great.
for reservist that only train ones a year and fire maybe 50 round a year in training 3 round burst mode is better.
but training you all say yes training is better but depending on nation and size of your army(trained regulars) and vanguard/reserves/conscripts conterpart.
the 1000th of bullet it takes to train and keep them trained/drilled for controled burst might not be feasible.
@@Zack_Wester I don't agree, it really doesn't take all that much training to learn to control full-auto, especially not with rifles like the M16 family, which are very gentle guns to shoot even for a novice, and with training are a breeze. Good accuracy with full-auto may take a bit more time, but that's often a secondary concern when using it, and again is very easy with these rifles.
The burst-cam mechanism in the M16A2 and M16A4 rifles also make the semi-auto trigger much worse, so it has a bad effect on practical marksmanship overall.
Once they're over this NGSW circus, they should look at an M16A5 with a better barrel profile and a normal Safe/Semi/Full trigger.
1977 I was in the Frankfurt Flughof and there were two German Polizei walking around. One had an MP-5 SMG and the other had this VP-70M. The first one I had ever seen.
That fire rate... it just "burps" out 3 casings in a single flash 😳
Hi Jonathan,
I'm not sure if I ever mentioned it to you but I nearly bought one of these in its original format back in the 1980's. Unbelievably, a friend's father had a gunshop in Bakewell, Derbyshire and ... he just happened to have one of these for sale! Back then, UK law didn't define this as a full auto and hence, it was legal. Very big and clunky. The stock mounted burst selector was a clever idea. I didn't get to the point of trying out the holster. The lack of safety was presumably, due to the rather long trigger pull - almost akin to a DA trigger on a revolver. Remind me next time we meet and I'll tell you some more about it.
You Sir have the best job … in the world!
I think that this vid might be my favorite to date. I do enjoy the historical older weapons, but I seem to enjoy the overview of weapons that fire a modern round that is widely available to consumers a bit more than videos featuring oddly chambered guns.
Just my 2 cents, but love your presentationsin any event because I like and own guns. But I like them also for the brilliant mechanical designs that are contained within them. Thanks
Glad to see actual use of the firearms on this channel now. I used to see a lot of yanks dismissing this channel. Calling Jonathan a paper or textbook expert. Where they at?
Also the preferred weapon of Claes in the early 2000s manga/anime "Gunslinger Girl"
Holy hell the cyclic rate of the three round burst is incredible!!!
AES aka A Eickhorn Solingen produced a knife/bayonet with a polymer handle before Glock, which is of slightly different configuration to the currently well known Glock field knife which has a plain blade ( there is also a Glock survival knife with a saw on the opposite edge to the normal cutting edge) Both the AES and the Glock having removable cap/plugs for the hollow handle which was there to fit an adapter for a bayonet. This polymer pistol reminded me of the AES knife and i wondered if the RA has one of the adapters and which rifle or weapons they fitted,, and/or examples of the two knife/bayonets. The AES were green polymer but there was also a green polymer painted black version, both had blued or blackened blades. The Glocks having 4 variants of polymer grips green, black, sand and white. The AES scabbards also differed from the Glock ones, especially the retention methods, but AES scabbards were green and green painted black, whereas the Glock has the 4 coloured sheaths in coloured polymer. Does RA have the full layouts.
Its not Volkspistole, thats only a nickname haha The VP stands for "vollautomatische Pistole", which means "Fully automatic pistol". Kinda weird cause its not even fully automatic. (A. E. Hartink: The Complete Encyclopedia of Pistols and Revolvers. 3. Ausgabe. Rebo, Lisse 2005)
That's weird, I just looked in my copy, (1st edition, I think,) and he doesn't mention what it stands for. Must be a later addition.
@@m.j.mahoney8905 The third mentions it (German 3rd)
Excellent episode, thanks very much Jonathan and team.
Speaking on the lack of safety on the M model, condition 0 fire is common in live fire environments. Always carried my G17 that way.
I've seen both the military and civilian versions of this weapon at the Small Arms School in Hythe. I've never handled it though.
Excellent, thanks!
I saw one of these at the dealer I got my 417 from. It was quite expensive but a handgun that was very much ahead of its time.
Jonathan is an incredibly likeable dude.
GFL made me absolutely love this pistol. Not to mention her having a sleek profile as my CC gun
Resident evil 2 favourite weapon even sound similar when fired so cool
I'm more interested in the SLR's/L1's in the background.
At least I hope I identified them right.
I love how the range looks like shooting in the upstairs function room of a pub.
"Jonathan, could you please hurry it up? We've got Ray and Sylvia's golden wedding buffet to lay out and you're shooting out all the disco lights."
that gun is my childhood, to this day I refer to it as Leon's Matilda.
Wow, I want one so badly now.
Anybody else wanna see a full video on that volkspistole one near the start? Cuz I've never heard of that but it looks really interesting.
Nodding sagely at recognising is as Leon's pistol in RE2 and getting surprised it was used in aliens 2, a film I've seen dozens of times.
I honestly thought that burst fire thing was just something Capcom made up.
Keep this great content up!
Wide belt over the opposite shoulder and the thinner strap around the body to hold it against your body.
That's an amazing piece of kit.
Not shot one, but handled a VP70Z back in the late 80s. Unlike almost everyone else, I rather liked the trigger pull.
Me: Thats a pretty neat gun.
My brain: G E R M A N H I P O I N T
Love the videos Jonathan, you're a brilliant content creator!
I originally found out about this HK in the 007 RPG from the mid 80s. I was fascinated by it
Fantastic video, bless you Jon
Ahhh, the Matilda, my favorite weapon from Resident Evil 4. Ate up my ammo like tic tacks with it’s 3 shot burst
Seen quite a few of the pistols available at gun shows, but of course they never come with the stock, which is the real treasure.
I know this gun from Cry of Fear, super underrated gun.
Yep, it shows up there, was surprised nobody else noticed until I found your comment!
The military version likely doesn't have a safety because, with the trigger it really doesn't need one.
The civil one probably has a safety for inport and civilian possession laws in lilely markets. For example, under the US 1968 Gun Control Act, a pistol must be "sporting" in order to be imported (to effectively ban cheap Spanish pistols), which ATF interpreted to mean "hunting or target", and thus created a list of features necessary to qualify... one of those "sporting" features is a manual safety. Since the US would be the predominant civilian market for such a pistol, it would make sense for HK to plan the design around US import (while retaining the option on the military version by including the space in the frame mold, in case some government buyer insisted on a manual safety as well).
That firing sequence is amazing, the gun is basically a 20g shotgun shooting three 9mm shot, with abput the same accuracy.
Even though the horrendously heavy, long and inconsistent trigger pull functions nicely as a safety... the cross-bolt safety was implemented to accommodate international (read USA) sales.
I had a VP70Z and tried every trick to reduce the trigger pull weight and travel, to no avail. Unlike every other current 'pre-cocked' striker fired gun (Glock et al), the VP70 trigger cocked the striker for its entire length of travel. Reducing striker spring pressure only served to produce light primer strikes.
The first time I saw one on screen was in an episode of 21 Jump St, Ha Nguyen's character took to packing one after a violent altercation.
Quote of the day from Jonathan must be "It's less accurate than a musket at this range"......
man, 18 rounds in 1970 is really impressive, i've always wondered if a muzzle device of some sort would help with the vertical dispersion
it was sort of in Aliens fireteam elite with a redesign of everything except the grip. So was the m1911 in the sense that again you can tell by the pistol grip with the rest of the gun redesigned as more of a handcannon. Something you didn't mention from the game review you did that I thought I'd add. Maybe they wanted to go full sci-fi or maybe it was a licence thing.
Always kind of liked the VP-70 since resident evil 2.
Now I see where Hi-point took their inspiration from.
The VP 70 Z was interesting because of the mentioned materials it was made from, and for the polygon barrel. No rifling as one might expect, but the very smooth low drag helical oval shape of the bore. The one thing that was a detriment, was the long pull trigger , and the somewhat large overall size of the pistol. They didn't sell well . Still quite a good idea.
Jonathan has my dream job 🙏
Always want one!
I thought the grouping wasn't that bad. With a weight and a thick compensator it might actually be a nice alternative to an MP5 in some instances. Like in a car when you get ambushed or you need to leave the car. VIP protection comes to mind.
My favorite staple gun trigger pull.