BAER BAER - Jeffersonian

With lines
and overall size
similar to the
Walther P-38,
the PHP MV 17
is in fact a more
modern design.
The Croation PHP
MV 17 is as modern
as any autoloader,
and actually offers
some solid design
features. Here the
safety is off-safe (up),
showing the red dot.
or its time, the Walther P-38
was quite an achievement.
It had a selective singleand
double-action trigger,
a firing-pin-block safety
system and other excellent design
points. The locking arrangement
was also innovative, with a tilting
block and a barrel movement that
was straight to the rear. Much later,
this feature was wisely used by
Beretta, and it’s currently one of our US
military pistols.
Today, those who have always liked
the Walther P-38 have two problems.
The first is original German military
guns have moved into the collector category,
and some of the prices I’ve seen
are tough to swallow. Even the cost of
the post-war P-1 version has started to
escalate. Another issue for those who
want it for practical use is the singlerow
magazine holds only eight rounds.
Well, now, thanks to the guys at
importer/distributor SOG, you can have
the P-38 look and locking system and
a 15-round, double-row magazine. The
price is less than half what you’d pay
for a decent Walther.
The Story
In the early 1990s, things were
a little unsettled in Croatia, and they
needed an issue handgun for their military
people. They quickly developed
the PHP —Prvi Hrvatski Pistol (First
Croatian Pistol) — and made it in two
versions. The MV 17, shown here, has
a 5" barrel and a more P-38 look. The
other one, the MV 9, has a 4" barrel.
Mechanically, they’re the same. SOG
offers both versions at the same price.
After things calmed down in the
The slide release holds the slide open
after the last shot from the magazine.
Balkan area, the Croatian designers
developed the HS-2000, the pistol that
later became the Springfield XD-9. The
two earlier pistols were then withdrawn
from service, which explains why we’re
seeing them now. The original production
was not large, so the limited
number means they will have some collector
value a few years from now.
Solid Steel
In weight and dimensions, the MV
17 is almost exactly the same as a standard
P-38. The weight is 34.6 ounces,
overall length is 8.5" and the height is
5.37". The grip panels are polymer, but
everything else is all good steel. It sits
sound in the hand.
The sights are square-picture and
the rear notch has ample room for easy
pick-up of the front post. Ejection of
fired cases is to the right, unlike the
P-38, which was a little weird in that
respect. A well-located manual latch
holds the slide open after the last shot.
The 15-round magazine has a nickelplated
body, and the nicely curved
trigger has no annoying vertical ridges.
The manual safety, set into the top of
the left grip, is actually more convenient
than the slide-mounted one on the P-38.
Turned down to on-safe covering the
red dot, it locks the hammer and trigger
and, with the hammer in the down
position, also locks the slide. If the
hammer is cocked and the safety
applied, the slide is not locked; this
way, you can load, ease the hammer
down, then move the safety to offsafe
to release the trigger. It’s a very
good system.
The magazine release is a large,
low profile checkered button in
the classic location. On both sides
of the magazine, there are numbered
holes at the 5-, 10- and 15-round levels.
The lower front of the grip frame is
not curved; it’s straight-across flat with
vertical grooving. You’ll be amazed at
what a good “hold” this delivers.
Close-In Testing
I was mostly interested in simplefunction
testing, so kept the shooting distance
at 7 yards, using a standing, 2-hand
hold. It kept five shots in the target center
every time, with the groups averaging
4" or so. Several brands and types of
ammo were tried, with no malfunctions.
The PHP MV 17 had no problems with
hollowpoints, which I was originally
curious about. I’d venture it will shooter
much better with younger eyes than mine
and with a rest! Due to the weight of the
gun and its inherently good “P-38-ish”
balance, it was no surprise the felt recoil
was moderate.
The DA trigger pull of my pistol is
smooth and quick, and the SA pull is perfect.
The surface finish is a nicely done
blue. Suggested retail prices are in the
high five hundreds, but I’m betting you
can bargain with your local
shop for less.
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For more info: www.americanhandgunner.
com/southern-ohio-gun
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