Can a Woman Shoot the USP40C Well?

A

adk

New member
Two more questions about the H&K USP 40 Compact:

1. Does the grip size and trigger reach fit the average woman's hand?

2. Can the average woman learn to shoot the 40C effectively, or should she use the 9mm Compact? (Considering the .40's recoil.)

Thanks!
 
The USP C has a relatively long trigger reach in the DA mode. If a user with smaller hands is content to shoot in SA mode it would probably do better. The good thing about the USP is that they can also be carried cocked n locked ala 1911 style.

If I'm not mistaken the 9 and .40 compacts are identical in size. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

My wife shoots a 9mm Hi Power. She doesn't handle the .40 recoil impulse well. I consider her average on the petite size.

Good Shooting
RED
 
I learned how to shoot w/ a Beretta 92fs. When I first picked it up, I was told it might be a little too big for my hands. Shooting it proved him wrong. To this day, it is one of my favorites.
The USP and USPc are fine firearms. If you like the USP 40, get one and practice, practice, practice, practice...you get the idea ;) I prefer the fullsize USP because of the recoil system. Both seem to be equally accurate, durable & reliable.
Can a woman shoot the USPc well? Sure, why couldn't she? :)
 
Aside from the long DA trigger reach and stiff DA pull, the HK USPc .40 is actually a pussycat to fire. I just shot mine today, and I can tell you that while the gun definitely jumps the recoil isn't sharp at all. Some .40s I have fired had a sharp recoil impulse that might bother some shooters. But to me at least, shooting a .40 USPc is like shooting a hot +P 9mm. In other words, enough recoil to notice but nothing that should intimidate any but the most gun-shy.
 
It all depends on the woman. I'd suggest looking for someone in your area that has one to rent, and have her try it out. I myself have a gf that likes to shoot pistols and rifles that have recoil that I can't always effectively control. As to whether she can reach or not, there's only one way to find out.

UltimaSE
 
Agree with blades67.

In my experiences, first time women pistol shooters will outshoot first time men pistol shooters. After that, its a matter of practice.

Regards, Shoney
 
I'm no woman, but I do have small hands. The DA mode in that pistol (not to mention on almost all DA/SA pistols) has too long a reach for me. But it's great in SA. Just use it in condition 1 and it's fine.

As for the recoil: I don't think that has anything to do with women/men. Some folks are scared by it and some aren't.
 
I hope so, it is the issue weapon of the City of Chesapeake, VA police. Probably about 100 or so women on the force. Qualifications are 2X/yearly.
 
1) My wife doesn't like my USP9c's grip. It's too big for her. Yet I did meet a man who said that he bought the same gun because he has small hands and it fit his hand better. :confused:

2) Recoil is a very subjective thing. I know women who find anything over a .22 to be unpleasant yet I also saw a 15 year-old girl who never shot before become disappointed when the .44 magnum didn't kick as much as she thought.:confused:
 
1. Depends on the hands.

2. Gender has nothing to do with how well you cope with recoil, unless maybe you are talking a .500 Maximum.
 
I've seen 4"10-5"0" women, very petite, handle the recoil of a .45 ACP well. In men and women recoil can be a state of mind.
 
LOL... I had a friend's small wife shoot a 10mm Glock and hit the bullseye with her first shot. Lesser calibers didn't satisfy her, they didn't feel like a "real gun" to her. :D
 
This woman shoots a 39 ounce 1911 .45 acp and a 50 ounce 44mag Redhawk with no complaint. But we don't know much about the .40 in a gun as light as the USP Compact. Some people say the gun "moves around in their hands a lot..." when they shoot it. I've shot the mini-Glock 40 and could not tell it from a +P 9mm - as someone already mentioned. Thanks. adk
 
You gotta follow the "rent one first" advice here... My wife, who's been shooting pistols since 10 or 12 years old, has shot my USP45 and USP40, but both were uncomfortable for her.
She's got very thin wrists, and the gun twists her strong-side wrist inward and upward, causing discomfort. But she shoots all our 9mm's without any problems. Even the tiny little Kahr MK9, which is her favorite gun of all, is not an issue for her.
Given time, I'm sure she could adjust to the larger calibers, but she likes her 9mm's, so I don't see any reason to push her to a bigger caliber and bring discomfort to a range session.

Yuuuk, Spider crawlin around, I'm outa here!
 
My wife loves her fullsize H&K USP.45...mild recoil, comfortable grip and dead-on accurate.

She started out with my G17...didn't take long for her to like the .45...she's a lefty so the Variant 2 was a big plus as well!
 
Objectively speaking, USP40C has one the of the shortest double-action trigger reaches among all the autoloading handguns.

Skorzeny
 
ADK I have small girl-sized paws. I learned to shoot on the USPF and 92FS (range rentals). I find the USPC grip size to be perfect for me.

The Beretta is a fat gun, but the best first-time shooter I have taught is a female, and shot my 92G, with all her hits in the 9 and 10 ring on a Skunkabilly-sized torso target at 21 feet.

Most of all it's a training issue, IMO. She (or you?) may not shoot it as COMFORTABLY but she (you?) can still shoot it well. My dad thought my 1911 was uncomfortable, but he shot BETTER with it than all my others. His favorite was my USP.
 
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