9mm or .40 for usp?
- Thread starter KShaft
- Start date
H&K only has the USP compact chambered for .357 sig...no full size USP for the .357 sig. I've got both a USP 40 fullsize and compact and love them both. The recoil on the 40 is a little bit snappier then the 9mm but you shouldn't have any problems with it. I taught the girlfriend(who had never shot before) on the 40 fullsize and compact and she has no problems controlling it.
It's a win win situation. All the USP's I've seen and shot are equally accurate. Get the one you want. I like big things, bigger is better mentality. Why stop at the .40 go for the .45 ACP. Stop messing with the baby rounds. Big trucks, big cigars, big beers, big women, big power tools, awg awg awg. 
well....
the reason i wont get a usp 45 is because i find it innacurate....well not really!
im HARD pressed to find a more accurate 45. i shot it way better than i did a sig 220(bad ass weapon though). the only problem is it is too sucking big. as i say often, i am 5'3" and i have small hands. i cant reach the controls on a usp 45. let alone the da trigger. i intend to carry cond. 1, but if i accidentaly push down too hard on the safety, i can still get a da shot. not so with the big 45.
i cant believe im thinking about getting a 9mm. this is ****ed up.
i like these firearms way too much. bam!
k.s.
the reason i wont get a usp 45 is because i find it innacurate....well not really!
im HARD pressed to find a more accurate 45. i shot it way better than i did a sig 220(bad ass weapon though). the only problem is it is too sucking big. as i say often, i am 5'3" and i have small hands. i cant reach the controls on a usp 45. let alone the da trigger. i intend to carry cond. 1, but if i accidentaly push down too hard on the safety, i can still get a da shot. not so with the big 45.
i cant believe im thinking about getting a 9mm. this is ****ed up.
i like these firearms way too much. bam!
k.s.
Well, without rehashing a frequent debate, the 9 may be an advantage if cost of shooting is, or becomes, an issue, particularly if you don't reload which I don't. Ammo prices at a recent gun show were the lowest I've seen in a year at $6/50 of 9mm 115g, and $8/50 of .40 180g (both Win white box FMJ). Since you seem to favor either the .45 or .357 that may not be an issue with you.
I have both a 9 and a .40 (not HK's), but 33% higher cost for the .40 means that it gets shot less than the 9, even though I shoot better with the .40.
The .40, .357, and .45 may indeed be good defense rounds, but from what I've read so are 9mm rounds like the 124g +P. I like to shoot; I may never be in a self-defense situation with a gun, but I'm pretty sure I'll be at the range a couple of times per month for the forseeable future.
I have both a 9 and a .40 (not HK's), but 33% higher cost for the .40 means that it gets shot less than the 9, even though I shoot better with the .40.
The .40, .357, and .45 may indeed be good defense rounds, but from what I've read so are 9mm rounds like the 124g +P. I like to shoot; I may never be in a self-defense situation with a gun, but I'm pretty sure I'll be at the range a couple of times per month for the forseeable future.
Wayward
It's the FULL SIZE .40 mags that have problems feeding .357Sig. Get it for fun? Sure, but I wouldn't trust my life to it. For some reason, the round likes to nosedive onto the ramp when feeding thru .40 mags. But, they work fine in the compacts...go figure.
Get a .40 compact, then buy a factory .357 barrel from SPC and you can have the best of both worlds. In the compacts, the .357 and the .40 mags are exactly the same, except for the markings.
It's the FULL SIZE .40 mags that have problems feeding .357Sig. Get it for fun? Sure, but I wouldn't trust my life to it. For some reason, the round likes to nosedive onto the ramp when feeding thru .40 mags. But, they work fine in the compacts...go figure.
Get a .40 compact, then buy a factory .357 barrel from SPC and you can have the best of both worlds. In the compacts, the .357 and the .40 mags are exactly the same, except for the markings.
KShaft - why not just stick with one of the compacts? You can pick up your 357c (while they are still available) and be done with it. Out of all my USP's that is my favorite to shoot. I don't really find my fullsize 9 to be a lot smaller than the 45 - so the control spacing on those two might not be optimal for you. The compact USP aren't really that small to begin with... they are still a lot of gun.
To answer your original question - is one more accurate than the other in the 40 & 9F? The 9mm is slightly more accurate until you stick an o-ringed/extended barrel in the 40 like the Tactical has. Then the 40 becomes insanely accurate for some reason. Is one more reliable than the other? No.
The only differences that you'd find is that the fullsize 40 is a little snappier and has a twisting recoil feel to it whereas the 9mm is a straight up and down recoil with hardly any bite to it. The USP was designed as a 40 and then chambered in the 9 later on... it's about as beefy of a build as the 9 can get.
I have a USPc 9mm. Why?
I prefer mid-sized guns to full sized guns because they are easier for me to carry and handle (I'm 5-7). I'm also a capacity freak; I just prefer having the extra rounds.
When I decided I "needed" a USP, I looked straight for the compacts, and learned that the only hi-cap clips made for the compact were for the 9mm (I'm told that a limited number were made and imported before the ban, just like the Walther P99). There were no legal .40 compact mags made, and the .45 compact only takes 8 rounds.
So, my decision to go with the USP was based on the fact that I wanted a compact with over 10 rounds. Thus, the USPc and a lot of searching for 3 13 round factory clips.
I prefer mid-sized guns to full sized guns because they are easier for me to carry and handle (I'm 5-7). I'm also a capacity freak; I just prefer having the extra rounds.
When I decided I "needed" a USP, I looked straight for the compacts, and learned that the only hi-cap clips made for the compact were for the 9mm (I'm told that a limited number were made and imported before the ban, just like the Walther P99). There were no legal .40 compact mags made, and the .45 compact only takes 8 rounds.
So, my decision to go with the USP was based on the fact that I wanted a compact with over 10 rounds. Thus, the USPc and a lot of searching for 3 13 round factory clips.
younggenious
New member
I think you should get the .40. If at some point and time there is a situation where you don't have fancy self-defense round, and you need them but only have FMJ's or something similar, the .40 will be a generation ahead of the 9mm; IMHO. More powerful, more stopping power, bigger hole, etc., etc.
VAdoublegunner
New member
I like the .40 USPc and my girlfriend also has one and shoots it extremely well. The Compact grip seems much better suited to small hands than the Full and the recoil is suprisingly mild in .40 (when a woman actually has FUN shooting 200 .40 rounds per range visit, it's either a great gun or a great woman -- both in this case). I also picked up an HK made 357 SIG barrel and use it with standard .40 mags. Zero feed problems in any of 6 mags with about 500 rounds so far through both guns, including handloads, and truly outstanding target accuracy (but we still use .40 for carry). Talk about versatility !! That having been said, I want a 9mm USPc now so I can buy cheap ammo and don't have to reload so much.
jeeze thanks guys!
the reason i dont get a 45 uspc is because i have had experience with one, and it stove piped a lot.
i thought it was too small as well.
i want a comander sized weapon( glock full sized, sig full sized, hk full sized or 1911 comander).
i know i can get a usp and have good accuracy and reliability, and carry c&l. i dont know if i trust a colt commander without a little work...(but man if i do get a little work......).
thanks again for advice. hearing your comments is like hearing what is going on in my head.
k.s.
the reason i dont get a 45 uspc is because i have had experience with one, and it stove piped a lot.
i thought it was too small as well.
i want a comander sized weapon( glock full sized, sig full sized, hk full sized or 1911 comander).
i know i can get a usp and have good accuracy and reliability, and carry c&l. i dont know if i trust a colt commander without a little work...(but man if i do get a little work......).
thanks again for advice. hearing your comments is like hearing what is going on in my head.
k.s.