Hs2000 Views
The HS2000 traces its roots back to a service pistol known as the PHP (Prvi Hrvatski Pištolj or First Croatian Pistol), which was first produced in Croatia by privately owned industrial parts firm I. M. Metal in 1991.[3] Designed by a team led by Marko Vuković, the PHP was considered to be a solid design, but early versions were plagued by quality issues, due in large part to the difficulties of manufacturing during the Croatian War of Independence.[4] Vuković's team continued to tweak and improve the design over the next decade, releasing the HS95 (Hrvatski Samokres or Croatian Pistol) in 1995, and the HS2000 in 1999.
The HS2000 is short recoil-operated, and striker fired. Most HS2000s have dual captive recoil springs; however, the XDM and Tactical 5l in models have non-captive springs. They use a polymer frame with steel inserts, mounting rail and trigger-mounted safety. An indicator protrudes from the rear of the slide when the striker is cocked and the staggered-column magazines are polished stainless steel with a polymer basepad. A loaded chamber indicator pivots up on top of the slide when a round is in the chamber being both visual and tactile. An ambidextrous magazine release is also standard. Takedown of the pistol is through a lever on the left side of the frame that rotates up, allowing the slide to move forward off the frame. This is exactly the same mechanism of take down as seen in pistols manufactured by Sig Sauer.
The HS2000 has a grip safety that will not allow the pistol to fire without depressing a lever on the rear of the grip. This feature is present on some older pistols such as the M1911, however few modern pistols include a grip safety. The recoil spring guide rod also acts as a standoff device, as the end of the rod protrudes from under the barrel and keeps the slide in battery when pressed against an object such as someones's chest in contact-distance self-defense situations. This prevents the slide from being moved back because the device pushes the surface area of objects away from the slide, thus increasing the chance that the gun will function normally.[8]
In addition to the trigger and grip safeties, there are three other safeties on the HS2000. The drop safety prevents the striker from releasing if the gun is dropped or exposed to a significant impact. An out of battery safety prevents firing unless the slide is completely in battery. Further, as of 2008, 4e in and 5 in XD .45 ACP Service models are available with an optional ambidextrous frame-mounted thumb safety. This option is only available for the .45 ACP XD at this time.[9]
Hs2000 Images
