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  #1  
Old 05-07-2010, 8:24 PM
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Default HK USP 40 Review.

Picked up a USP 40 off a member here a couple weeks ago.

Took it out last night and put 200 rounds through it. I am a believer. I must say, this is a serious pistol. Gun has excellent fit and fish, is extremely accurate, and seems to be as reliable as can be. I cant believe I waited this long to buy one of these. Only complaint is the trigger could be a little better, but otherwise it is an awesome pistol.. Now I know why Lara Croft had two

For the record, I already own these pistols:

SA MC Operator 1911
Sig P220
Sig P6
Berretta 92FS
Glock 23
Springfield XD-9

I think I have to put the USP right behind the 1911 as my favorite handgun.


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  #2  
Old 05-07-2010, 9:05 PM
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As a fellow owner of a H&K pistol, I, too, am a believer. Great shooting with a great handgun! Congrats!
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  #3  
Old 05-07-2010, 9:08 PM
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Nice accuracy! Shot my buddy's HK USP. Love it as well.
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  #4  
Old 05-07-2010, 9:36 PM
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I have the USPC's 9, 40, 45 and they are some of my favorite pistols. I shoot the 40 much more than the others..
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  #5  
Old 05-07-2010, 10:20 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Treb5 View Post
I have the USPC's 9, 40, 45 and they are some of my favorite pistols. I shoot the 40 much more than the others..
I wasnt a fan of .40 for the longest time because I didnt like the recoil in my Glock 23. The USP eats it up though. Gives me reason to blast all this .40s&w I been stockpiling from Wally World lol
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Old 05-07-2010, 10:57 PM
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I love my USP 9 fullsize. Especially when you find a milk-crate of 9mm reloads in your garage.
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  #7  
Old 05-07-2010, 11:07 PM
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HK USP .40 is one fine weapon.
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  #8  
Old 05-07-2010, 11:13 PM
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I have never experienced a failure with my USP, knock on wood.
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  #9  
Old 05-07-2010, 11:31 PM
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Congrats! The USP .40 was my first pistol, purchased in 1994. I now have ~40,000 rounds through it with no problems, all original parts, and no issues. Even the springs are orig. 8 would go to war with that thing.
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  #10  
Old 05-07-2010, 11:39 PM
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Hopefully the normal USP 40 is better than the compact USP 40. I have the compact USP 40 and its one of the worst pistols I have fired over 20 feet. I was so disappointed that I almost shot it up with one of my ARs....The looks are really nice and the weight is great and overall it is a great product but the accuracy is horrible IMO. My SIG was much more accurate and had 3 times the range but it was a normal size and not a compact. I have kept the 40 but it will no longer see any range time...

I may move on to the HK 45 and see how that does.
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  #11  
Old 05-08-2010, 5:59 AM
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For me it's the perfect fighting handgun. You can get a Match trigger installed to clean up that horrible stock trigger. The Match will reduce the weight to a clean 3.5lb break in single action. It also smoothens the double action pull by a lot.
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  #12  
Old 05-08-2010, 6:56 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Endless View Post
Hopefully the normal USP 40 is better than the compact USP 40.
If by "better" you mean that anybody can pickup a fullsize and be more accurate than with the compact, then sure. But with proper training and practice, you should be able to reach a level of competence with your compact.
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  #13  
Old 05-08-2010, 9:44 AM
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Factoring out the different caliber, how did you find the ergonomics, balance, and controls vs. the P220 you own?
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  #14  
Old 05-08-2010, 10:59 AM
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Originally Posted by Rhatical View Post
Factoring out the different caliber, how did you find the ergonomics, balance, and controls vs. the P220 you own?

The trigger on the P220 is definitely smoother. I do like the grip angle on the USP better. I wish the P220 had a beavertail because it has a tendency to dig into your hand after shooting it awhile. I also like the 3-Dot sights on the USP better than the 2-dot on the Sig. The checkering on the grip on the USP is a little aggressive. After 200 rounds, I had 100 little red spots on my palm It doesnt hurt or anything, and I hear it will wear down after using the gun a bit.

I probably prefer the Sig mag release since it's a normal button. The USP mag release is kinda small and you have to press down on it which took some getting used to. The other USP controls are nice and fat and easy to maninuplate. I esecially like the safety/decocker because I can grip the gun like a 1911 where the thumb on your shooting hand sits atop the safety. On the Sig, the thumb on my shooting hand always seem to be pressing down on the slide stop, so the slide never locks back on the last round.
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  #15  
Old 05-08-2010, 12:34 PM
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+1 agreed
I have the compact in 40sw and I'm in love with it. I carry concealed with it when I go out of state.
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  #16  
Old 05-08-2010, 12:47 PM
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You now have been bitten by the HK bug. This will lead to wanting more HK...If there is a next one...try a LEM or match trigger...a bit better than the standard..but for reliability..you can't find one better than HK..It will eat everything you feed it.\
Congrat's and welcome to the club
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Old 05-08-2010, 1:41 PM
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My first gun ever was a USP 40. If i could go back I would of gotten the USP9 instead. Overall my favorite gun is my USP45 in desert tan. Something about the kick of the 40S&W that I don't like. Anyone else feel the same way?
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  #18  
Old 05-08-2010, 1:51 PM
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i just ordered an ambi-selector switch for my USP9 from midway (sold out in less than a day). i waited over a year for the switch to come in stock. i'm a little intimidated to put it on without screwing it up. i won't be with my gun for a couple more weeks but that piece was all i needed to make it the ultimate lefty pistol.
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  #19  
Old 05-08-2010, 2:31 PM
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How much did you get it for?
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  #20  
Old 05-08-2010, 3:34 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ding126 View Post
You now have been bitten by the HK bug. This will lead to wanting more HK...If there is a next one...try a LEM or match trigger...a bit better than the standard..but for reliability..you can't find one better than HK..It will eat everything you feed it.\
Congrat's and welcome to the club
Not steel cased ammo. I was at Chabot a while back and was watching this guy shooting his USP 40 S&W. He had some steel cased ammo from Big 5 because that was all they had in stock at the time. The USP jammed after almost every shot, and the gun was pretty new and well taken care of. It jammed shut and he had to ask me for a cleaning rod to clear it. I stay away from steel cased ammo in any gun now because of it.
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  #21  
Old 05-08-2010, 3:53 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Greg-Dawg® View Post
How much did you get it for?
Paid $620.. great deal IMO considering the gun seems almost new. Seller states he only put 200rds or so through it..
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  #22  
Old 05-08-2010, 6:15 PM
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welcome to the club. the usp is the greatest modern handgun available.

don't listen to the glock guys. hk builds guns for military contracts and glock builds them for cheap L.E. contracts.

Like the FBI picking glocks over sig.

It's just economics, NOT a better weapon. Soon they'll buy chinease knock offs to save money

hk's hold their value very well. enjoy!

be sure to check out hkpro.com
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  #23  
Old 05-09-2010, 7:20 AM
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Nice price for a great gun. I have the same thing and wish i had slightly bigger hands for it.
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  #24  
Old 05-09-2010, 7:35 AM
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Nice shooting !
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  #25  
Old 05-09-2010, 7:46 AM
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Borrowed my friends for a while. I love those guns also. Pretty dang accurate. Recoil wasnt bad at all.
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  #26  
Old 05-09-2010, 9:00 AM
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Welcome to the sickness, Crazed. You'll end up getting more HKs. It's pointless to resist. I'm going on 4000 rounds through my HK45 without a single FTF or FTE. Amazing guns.

As for the mag release, if you're not doing so, try using your middle finger of your strong hand to actuate it. If your hands are smaller, you may be able to use the trigger finger. Personally everything but the HK-style release seems odd and unnatural to me now.

Shoot her in good health.
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  #27  
Old 05-09-2010, 9:10 AM
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IIRC the USP was specifically designed around the 40 S&W round.
The barrel is also designed to withstand a squib load and not burst
on the second shot.

Used to have one in 40, but the recoil signature was too sharp for me, much prefer the 9mm or 45.

They are very nice pistols, however the P30L very much out classes the USP.
But the USP continues to be a good solid pistol.

Congrats on your purchase.
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Old 05-09-2010, 10:05 AM
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Quote:
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IIRC the USP was specifically designed around the 40 S&W round.
The barrel is also designed to withstand a squib load and not burst
on the second shot.
The USP was designed to shoot 40 s&w +p for thousands of rounds without failure. For this reason the USP9 is over engineered. They practically took the USP40 and put a 9mm barrel in it. They're built like tanks.
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  #29  
Old 05-09-2010, 2:10 PM
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agree - love my USP9. the grip is a bit on the large side, and the rail is not current - my only complaints.
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Old 05-13-2010, 3:59 PM
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Limp-wristing does not seem to affect this pistol.
The slide is much easier to rack than other pistols of standard recoil system design. Perfect for people with limited upper body strength.
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Old 05-13-2010, 4:09 PM
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I've only ever had 1 FTF/FTE through a USP and that was due to bad reloads (it happened to every gun we had using the same ammo). The USP is a great gun. Might have to sell my last one due to unemployment though. Good luck with yours.
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  #32  
Old 05-13-2010, 7:15 PM
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You've inspired me to break out my USP tomorrow night for range time.
It's been languishing and being ignored since the TRP walked through the door.

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  #33  
Old 05-13-2010, 9:51 PM
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Just got a usp40 for a first handgun shoots well I love the fit and finish, but a lot of glock guys get kinda pissy in its presence
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  #34  
Old 05-13-2010, 9:59 PM
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How much does a NIB USPC 40 would cost me?
I am thinking about it if its within budget.
I heard USP pistols are way overpriced .
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Old 05-13-2010, 11:33 PM
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around $850. You heard it was over priced? What did you expect it's a Mercedes. Buy one and then your going want the mclaren and amg's.
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  #36  
Old 05-14-2010, 9:01 AM
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An H&K Fullsize .40 S&W was my first pistol and it spoiled me. The .40 kick was minimal and it was dead on accurate. I had 2 pre-ban mags too. Selling it was my worst firearm sales/purchase mistake ever. I'll be buying another one some day. I love my Sigs, but you never forget that first love.
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  #37  
Old 05-14-2010, 9:13 AM
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For some reason i didn't like my usp 40c. But the full size is one of my favorite guns.
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  #38  
Old 05-14-2010, 9:46 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fsx View Post
I heard USP pistols are way overpriced .
I always though ~$900 was a lot to pay for a polymer pistol when GLOCK sells you one for ~$400 less, hence the reason I held out for a used one around 600 bucks.

I dont know if it's $400 more gun than a Glock, but it is definitely a nicer pistol. I fired the USP with my Glock 23 back to back and you can definitely tell a difference. If I had bought this USP new, I definitely would feel that I had got my money's worth.
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Old 05-14-2010, 2:23 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Crazed_SS View Post
The checkering on the grip on the USP is a little aggressive. After 200 rounds, I had 100 little red spots on my palm It doesnt hurt or anything, and I hear it will wear down after using the gun a bit.
.
I put the Hogue Handall grip on mine and that helped a lot...plus it fits better in my big hands...

You really should look into the LEM modification...if you like it now...you'll love it after...they are hard to come by nowadays...but worth every penny.
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Old 05-14-2010, 5:33 PM
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I think I am better off buying a P226 with 850 bucks then...At least its a SIG.
Honest I really like the way USP feels. But spending 900+ USD on one is not a option for me.
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