What is up with my USP trigger?

[Slackmasta J]

I purchased my first handgun 4-5 years ago, a HK USP .40. I stopped shooting it about six months later and it's pretty much been a full-time gunsafe resident ever since. I decided to take the USP out to the range today for the first time in a long time and shot it back to-back with an Ed Brown Kobra Carry.

I always disliked the USP trigger, which is why I stopped shooting it in the first place. But coming back to it after a few years of shooting mostly 1911s really drove home how horrible my USP trigger is. The pull is so damn long that on one round I pulled the trigger and - no bang. I thought I had finally had my my first malfunction and then I noticed the hammer was still cocked. No misfire, I just failed to fully pull through. It ultimately took about 20 rounds just to get to the point where I wasn't embarassing myself at 7 yards.

Do any other 1911 shooters have a simlar problem with the HK? Is this a general problem with USPs, or maybe an isolated incident? The pistol is rock solid in terms of reliability and ergonomics but the trigger makes it virtually un-shootable for me.

[walter]

you just gotta practice.. it's like driving a manual car so often that when you drive an auto you kick the floorboard when you stop with your left leg.. overall it's a newbie problem.

i had it happen to me, went from shooting a sig misquito back to back with a RIA 1911 and when you go back to the sig you expect it to go bang and it doesnt.. its natural for the body to be used to one motion/action. you have to do things with different variety

[Josh]

trigger discipline. if you practice a steady pull with proper sight focus its not an issue.

I shoot both a 1911 and USP along with other guns that have far longer trigger pulls and dont have an issue.

[Oldnoob]

No gun will fit all gunner in the world. You just turned out not a HK shooter. Lucky you that you find a platform(1911) that suit you.

[chuck762]

I have both a USP and 1911. When I first bought the USP I thought the trigger was terrible but I got used to it. It will never be as nice as a 1911 trigger but it isn't as bad as say a 3rd gen smith and wesson semi auto.

[odysseus]

Exactly. I have a USP .45 and I have 1911s, as well as others. Not much comes too close to a 1911 trigger. You adjust to the weapon's system - I shoot very well with the USP.

.

[Black Majik]

The USP trigger is definitely on the opposite end of the spectrum compared to a good 1911 trigger.

That said, good basic trigger discipline as Josh stated is what will get you through. With all triggers, it needs to be prepped, or the slack taken up. DA/SA guns will have noticeably more slack in the trigger than a Glock or 1911. Once it's taken up and you feel the resistence, slowwwwwly pull the trigger. When you mentioned that you pulled the trigger and got no "bang," it sounds like you got trigger freeze. This occurs when the trigger isn't reset and the shooter pulls the trigger again. USPs have very long reset point, so it can happen.

But good fundamentals will go a long way. With some time and practice, the USP is actually one very accurate firearm.

[bigchelis]

Same issues with Berreta.

I shot my buddies Berreta and that trigger is lonnng.

I pulled the trigger several times thinking why it didn't go bang only to realize the hammer was still cooked.

Dam triggers

[rbgaynor]

+1 to what Black Majik said. My USP trigger is not one of my favorites, but with practice it can be shot well. I see a fair number of people who compete in IDPA running a USP - not the most popular but certainly not the least popular platform.

[Rivers]

Something I learned a few months ago that makes a surprisingly big difference: Do not "pull the trigger." Instead, apply steady pressure to the trigger "until it goes bang." There may actually be an element of surprise when it fires in that dropping the hammer is not the goal in this process. Follow this pattern for a few shots and check out your groups! Then do it a bit faster, quickening the muscle memory.

Side note: First time I "pulled the trigger" on my then-new P2000sk (.40 / LEM), I thought the gun was defective. It felt like I pulled it a mile, yet nothing. So I pulled the trigger again, this time even further and it did go "bang." Fast forward to a week ago, at 15+ yards, when I put my first round absolutely dead center on target with the same pistol. The difference: simply apply pressure to the trigger until something really loud happens. It works!

[JDay]

You just have to retrain your trigger fingers muscle memory.

[Slackmasta J]

The fact that I can have a bad expericence and immediately get this kind of feedback and support from a bunch of more seasoned shooters is pretty cool. Thanks for the all responses.

[tpirman]

I had the exact experience the other day with my Glock 29 and 1911. I was shooting better groups with the 1911 at 20 yards than I was with the Glock at 7 yards. That was a big lesson I taught myself. Reading this thread has taught me to go back and try again with better trigger work since I never got the G29 to shoot tight.

[hnoppenberger]

hk is defintly a tactcal handgun. i find the best groups i get are when i rapid fire. but if i try to take my time, the groups wont be quite as tight
as when i blow of 10 rounds in a few seconds.

they are not meant for target shooting, they are meant for killing people.