My name is Shelley Hill and I am CEO of The Complete Combatant, I teach non-lethal, less-than-lethal and lethal classes in person and online but guess what, I am not a “gear gal.” I do not have 12 pistols manufactured by eight different companies in my safe. I am a person that wants to have trust in a quality firearm, a repeatable draw, an accurate sighting system and a concealable weapon. Is that too much to ask? Heck no, it is not. I would like to introduce you to Heckler & Koch’s (HK’s) newest 9mm, the VP9CC Micro-Compact hot off the press from Oberndorf, Germany.
This will not be your typical gun review, and I will not spew specs. I wear my EDC in the home and outside the home, so I will provide information that I personally think is rocking about this little pistol and then the whys behind it.
First of all, I love the look – meaning its size, angles, charging supports and edges, picatinny rail, coating, cold-hammer forged canon grade steel barrel, Vortex Defender CCW Enclosed Emitter Optic along with co-witnessed sights with tritium front sight and a blacked-out rear PLUS serrated for anti-glare. All these features (and more) give a gun “its look.”
I currently carry the HK CC9 and I train with a HK VP9 Match. I love my CC9, but I must admit that the VP9CC intrigues me because it has the same design as my full size VP9. That means it has the same “feel” as my big boy and I love that.
That being stated, if I am changing my every-day carry gun, I like to put several months into wearing that new gun with its new holster full time, plus dry practice and of course, put in lots of range time. This will help ensure mechanical reliability, confirm proper placement on my waist, get the particular “new gun mechanics” in my brain and overall, stress test my performance for accuracy and control. Since it was just released in April 2026, I have not had that luxury yet, but it is coming.
This little guy is just over six-inches long and a hair over a pound without a magazine (18.2 ounces). Talk about concealable! It also comes with two magazines: one is a flush 10+1 (with extended floor plate) and the other is an extended 12+1.
The VP9CC will disappear in your waistband with the proper holster. Since I carry “on body,” I will be using PHLster’s Enigma holster system for a deep concealment with no need for a belt.
If you carry “off-body,” this little gem will fit perfectly in a quality holster snuggled in your purse, fanny pack, gym bag and backpack. As with anything, you must research your options, decide on what is best for you at this time, practice, change for better accessibility, practice again … and then, repeat the process. Once you are happy, keep practicing. As my husband, Brian Hill, would say, “Measure. Refine. Perform.”
The VP9CC touts superior safety features such as trigger safety, firing pin/drop safety, out-of-battery safety, loaded chamber indicator (which I love) and a safe take-down feature for safer disassembly. These features play a huge role in choosing a pistol to put my faith into. HK’s pistols are designed around NATO AC/225 standards (NATO Army Armaments Group), ensuring high-level durability, safety and operational reliability under extreme environmental conditions (think mud, sand, water). I personally carry “one-in-the-chamber,” so knowing that this little one meets or exceeds all NATO and HK standards puts my mind at ease.
The grip makes me so happy. The second I picked it up, “it felt like home” to me. It has six interchangeable backstraps, which means I can really get a comfortable “finger reach” to the trigger. It has a smoother side wall and an aggressive texture on the front and rear, where most of your grip pressure is applied. HK has really thought this through.
Frankly, as an instructor, I know a ton of ladies who are shooting the wrong guns. The firearms may be great for other people, but because they cannot grip their guns properly or reach the triggers in a safe and repeatable manner, they are not a good choice for them. The VP9CC may fix all those problems.
I cannot wait to put more time into the VP9CC and see if it fits my lifestyle as much as I think it will. It definitely “passes my standards” test right away, so I need to torture test it while riding horses, doing farm chores, playing with puppies, traveling across country and of course, hugging my family.
VP9CC MSRP: $1049 to $1399, depending on model chosen and accessories.
Shelley Hill wears a "bunch of hats." Her husband, Brian, named her the “Indispensable Organization Wizard” about 25 years ago and that has become her official title. Shelley is the CEO and instructor at The Complete Combatant. She is an HK Brand Ambassador, publishes regular articles in Women’s Outdoor News and Shooting Illustrated, teaches online classes, is an Active Self Protection Certified Instructor, an Instructor Graduate of Modern Samurai Project's Red Dot Instructor program, NRA Certified Instructor, Certified NRA Chief Range Safety Officer, Refuse to be a Victim Instructor and is a Certified OC (Pepper Spray) Instructor through Chuck Haggard's Agile Training & Consulting. She is the designer and mastermind behind Image Based Decisional Drills, Smart Choices , LockedIn Grip, The Complete Combatant's annual The Mingle for professional ladies in the "firearms/self defense" industry and The Quest for red dot shooters. She is also the President of a non-profit organization called Blue Line Ponies. This 501c3 focuses on providing a retirement range for our career service horses. Shelley is also a presenter at several national conferences is a public speaker and she actually loves people. View all posts by Shelley Hill
