The USP is a great handgun. Whether you're biased towards another brand or the USP isn't a good handgun for you, I don't think you can honestly say that it's a piece of junk. I doubt the US Special Forces chose HK's SOCOM because they felt that they'd had too many years of having reliable sidearms and felt like a change towards poor quality, unreliability, etc. would make missions "challenging" again.
I've got a USP 40 F and as soon as I bought it and broke it in, I got rid of my custom ($600 woth of custom parts and 'smithing) GLOCK 22, Para Ordnance P14, and my Springfield Service Model.
I've shot, on more than one occasion, over 1800 rds with hardly a break longer than 2-3 min. in a single session, and during none of those times, did I ever experience a single malfunction. This includes +P, reloads, etc. None of my other handguns ever functioned that reliably when shooting only factory ammo.
The USP is the best handgun for ME. I'm not about to knock GLOCK, SIG, Kimber, etc., simply because I don't like them personally, or because they aren't good for me. SIG, for instance is an example of this. SIG's handguns are excellent. But not for me. The grips don't fit my hand well. That doesn't mean that it's a piece of ****.
I've never owned a Colt firearm. I've shot a few, both their rifles and their handguns. They were fun to shoot and I didn't experience any real problems with them, but I do often hear of their poor quality and reliabiltiy as far as their recent models are concerned.
As far as HK's rifles are concerned, from what I gather, they seem to be pretty damn good at what they're designed to do. The MP-5 has become a paradigm in association with a SWAT team. When I explain to someone who isn't familiar to firearms what the MP-5 is, they're confused until I just tell them to think of a SWAT team and the submachine gun that they carry, and they know exactly what I'm talking about. I know the MP-5 isn't a rifle, but the MP-5 is probably the best example as to the company's quality.
The PSG-1 is so good, it's scary. The new G36 is said to be excellent. All in all, I believe it's hard to say that HK produces poor quality firearms.
This deal with Colt scares the **** outta me. I am keeping in mind the fact that it's presently just a matter of a proposal/offer, but just the thought of it -- and after reading that article -- is enough to make me sick to my stomach; I'm not joking either.
We have to act, people. But that's not all there is to it. We have to keep in mind of HOW we should act. If we clamor up to Capitol Hill, so to speak, in an aggressive and/or beligerant(sp?) manner, then we'll only be perceived as the barbaric, ignorant gun owners that the media and anti-gunners have tryed to portray us as. We'll be the cause of our own demise. This is a matter of poilitcs and business; Historic quotes and a chip on the shoulder are neither diplomatic nor professional by any means.
Contact HK; express your opinions and fears. It doesn't matter if you like HK or not; your favorite manufacturer could be the next one up for bid. Limiting your opinions and thoughts to a forum isn't going to turn the table. It's time to put a foot down, loud enough so that we can be heard, but not so hard as to have the media portray us as environmentally unfriendly.
Good Luck and Thanks For Your Time,
John Coleman