Heckler & Koch USP

ASHDUMP

ASHDUMP

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I don't know much about this brand other than whats up on their website. For some reason I'm in love with the design of this gun. At first glance it looks kind of ugly, but when you start looking at the lines and detail I get all worked up! [shocked]

According to the AG's list only the USP and P2000 non of which are .45 cal. I don't own a .45 and this would be my next gun if I can find one lingering around. Full size or compact... preferably a full size though.

Can anyone tell me about this company and gun? Thanks.

http://www.hk-usa.com/civilian_products/pistols.asp
 
I have a HK P2000sk in .40 with the lighter LEM trigger group and love it. The build quality is superb. Accurate as I can be with it.

Study up the variants. This describes the trigger groups and safeties. www.hkpro.com is a great site for info on this.

You can find USPs in .45 in the FS section here pretty frequently. There just was a great deal on a compact last week.

I am saving up for a Hk45c. Since that is most like the P2000 series I have. Which I love the ergos.

Good luck! They are out there.
 
How large are your hands? If your hands are small, you will not like the USP series guns, especially the full size ones. If you have oven mitts for hands you will love them.

I've owned them all, and they are generally decent guns. The full size guns are a lot more controllable than the compacts are due to the 2 stage recoil spring system.

The DA trigger pulls are terrible but this can be worked out with a 12 pound mainspring, and a gentle polishing of the components involved. It still won't be as good as a Beretta or Sig DA with light springs, but it will be "passable".

HKs customer service is garbage. The upshot is you probably won't need it. (Most of their guns are insanely reliable, really only surpassed by Glock, and given a good example, a Sig P series.) If you get a USP I would start looking for a sear spring and get some mag springs from Wolff... those are the only things that really wear out... maybe a trigger bar, too.

One downside is the mags are often stupidly expensive. Sometimes you can find the cripplemags for cheap if you are lucky, other times they are $35 a pop.

I would highly suggest you shoot someone else's first before committing to any buy. USPs and the like are a "love it or leave it" kind of gun.

Don't worry about the compliance crap, (outside of the mag issues, large cap mags on the compacts are going to be postban, and thus illegal) and don't pay severe overprices. You should be able to get a USP full size in any caliber for $750 or less in excellent condition with enough looking. The compacts are going to be stupid amounts of money but you can often find them for the same price if you look hard enough. The USP .40 and 9mm full size guns you should be able to score for under $700 in excellent condition at this point.

If you can get up to Central MA I could probably arrange to have you shoot my USP .45 Tactical if you want to try one out. No, it's not for sale, but it will give you an idea of how the guns work. My tac is box stock outside of the sights, which I switched out to low profile meprolight night sights. (I haven't gotten around to respringing or polishing the trigger on it yet... )

-Mike
 
I just can't bring myself to liking them. I fired a USP 45 and although it was very accurate and well balanced for such a big firearm, the recoil was -wierd-. I don't know how else to explain it. I felt like the pistol recoiled on a different axis than what I'm used to or something. HK pistols can get a premium in MA too. I like Sig better for the money.
 
I fired a USP .40 C last week for the first time. A beautiful, finely made gun but I'm not sure I'd be the one for me. Maybe because the trigger had not been worked on and the mag release lever felt awkward to me. The owner of this service weapon told me that during training with it they put 2,000 rounds through it without cleaning and had zero problems.
 
I have and have owned a lot of HKs. I don't have especially large hands. But I think the full size USP was probably one of the best guns I have ever owned, and still regret selling that one (and the 45 P9S). It just did everything well. I felt the recoil was very manageable. But it is a big gun. IMO they are really bigger than they need to be, but they are what they are.

Another awesome choice, if you come across one is the P9S in 45. Absolutely awesome, but parts and mags are really expensive.
 
HK is top notch, but hold the gun and get a feel for it before purchase (like any gun). the mag drop felt a bit awkward to me at first also. I think it was on the full-sized USP that it felt a bit too far from my thumb, and I think it was the on the P2000 that it's a lever instead of a button. I still want both guns however :)
 
Great input everyone - A buddy of mine works for a local PD who issues HK's... I'm not sure what model he uses but I'll find out and test his. Something just draws me to them more than Glock. I've shot a Glock before and just didn't like it at all. Thanks for the offer to shoot yours drgrant. I'll keep an eye out on the FS part of the forum. I'm hoping to test one out soon or at least hold one before I make a decision.

More comments welcomed.
 
I don't have a USP and have never fired one but I do have an HK45 (sort of a USP v2.0) and it's excellent. The trigger could feel better but it's very easy to shoot, very accurate and fits my hand well. You're welcome to try it at HSC sometime.

IMO, HKs are made to a substantially higher standard than Glock. That doesn't translate to greater reliability but they look nicer at least.
 
According to the AG's site it only states for the H&K USP that the .40cal is allowed. I use the term allowed loosely. Anyway, is this the type of gun I can purchase, lets say from gunbroker and have it shipped to my local dealer? Do I need to worry about DA/SA and safetys? It appears this gun chambered in .40 has different features and I'd hate to bid on one then not have it be an "approved" firearm.

Any thoughts?
 
ASHDUMP said:
According to the AG's site it only states for the H&K USP that the .40cal is allowed. I use the term allowed loosely. Anyway, is this the type of gun I can purchase, lets say from gunbroker and have it shipped to my local dealer? Do I need to worry about DA/SA and safetys? It appears this gun chambered in .40 has different features and I'd hate to bid on one then not have it be an "approved" firearm.

Any thoughts?
Click to expand...

None of this matters. You need to ask the FFL that's going to be doing the transfer, not us. They are the final arbiter of what can or cannot be transferred in. Using the EOPS exemption typically this means you will need to find a USP .40 with a date code earlier than 1998. Again, all depends on what the dealer thinks more than anything else, as a practical matter. Some dealers will not do this transfer at all, despite any pre-98 USP .40 being exempt.

-Mike
 
I used to go to a range that rented the HK USP45. I shot it a few times and I was hooked. it was 10 years ago. I still want one. I just keep prioritizing other things. I noticed MFL has some now. I am afraid to ask the price as I may end up owning it!
 
drgrant said:
None of this matters. You need to ask the FFL that's going to be doing the transfer, not us. They are the final arbiter of what can or cannot be transferred in. Using the EOPS exemption typically this means you will need to find a USP .40 with a date code earlier than 1998. Again, all depends on what the dealer thinks more than anything else, as a practical matter. Some dealers will not do this transfer at all, despite any pre-98 USP .40 being exempt.

-Mike
Click to expand...

Thanks Mike, but why do you say pre 1998? I understand most of the mumbo jumbo laws here in Mass thanks to you and other contributors. I also know that the FFL dealer makes all the decisions on whether or not he/she will do the transfer. I did this when I bought my Beretta 85 from a guy in Wisconsin from Gunbroker. The Beretta 85 was brand new. I figure if its on the list, its usually bough/sold/transfured new or old. ....anyway, just looking for conversation, not trying to find a loophole. Thanks again,
 
I've had my HK USP .40 for about 15 years now and love it. I have large hands and it's a fun gun to shoot. I've put around 2000 rounds throught it without a hick-up of any kind. [grin]
 
I traded my XD 45 Tactical for an HK USPc in 45 with a forum member and I have not been happier. Two guns with different purposes, but the HK, well, I am in a furious type of lust/love that my fiance does not understand.
 
bostonasphalt2 said:
I traded my XD 45 Tactical for an HK USPc in 45 with a forum member and I have not been happier. Two guns with different purposes, but the HK, well, I am in a furious type of lust/love that my fiance does not understand.
Click to expand...
Clearly, tastes are different. I've had a USPc 45 for several years. The sights are good, it is reliable, it is accurate, the slide stop is generously sized and in the right place, and the safety works in the correct direction.

However, the SA trigger is, at best, OK, and is not easily improved. The DA trigger is absolutely the worst I have ever used; it is horrific. The bore axis is a bit high. The magazine release is improperly located and overly stiff. And the slide is stupidly oversized.

To each his own.
 
M1911 said:
Clearly, tastes are different. I've had a USPc 45 for several years. The sights are good, it is reliable, it is accurate, the slide stop is generously sized and in the right place, and the safety works in the correct direction.

However, the SA trigger is, at best, OK, and is not easily improved. The DA trigger is absolutely the worst I have ever used; it is horrific. The bore axis is a bit high. The magazine release is improperly located and overly stiff. And the slide is stupidly oversized.

To each his own.
Click to expand...

On the one hand, I really like my HK45 a lot. It's very easy to shoot well, low recoil for what it is has been very reliable for me (though Fooped tried it at an NES shoot and reported it went back to DA on him, which I haven't duplicated). I also really like the manual of arms on it.

On the other hand, the trigger does kind of suck. SIG, much less S&W, have nothing to worry about on the SA and the DA is no prize either. The DA isn't close to the worst I've tried though. The Ma**h***d M&P9 I had owns that distinction.
 

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