Along with a healthy variety of other firearm makes and models, my collection of HKs was started almost 30 years ago and has only grown since. And in all that time, I can honestly say I haven't had a single significant mechanical reliability issue with any of their weapons. From striker fired pistols to hammer fired pistols to long guns, they've all performed without fail. But I went to the safe last night, reached for my USP 40, checked clear and then had one of those surreal moments where your brain is unexpectedly forced to try to comprehend why something which has consistently happened for nearly 20 years, suddenly isn't happening at all. It's somewhat akin to what you have to deal with when your wife decides after a couple decades to change the kitchen drawer where the utensils have always lived. Being creatures of habit such as we are, there's that split second of confusion that you get to repeatedly experience for a period of time while your brain struggles to explain why you're holding a cheese grater or phone book in your hand instead of the fork that's always been there.
In this particular instance, that feeling was met when I racked the slide on my mid 90's vintage USP and the hammer failed to stay back. "Wait, something's weird, what just happened?" Rack the slide again, same thing - hammer goes forward with the slide. "What the hell?" At this point your brain starts trying to figure out what obvious thing it is that you're doing wrong. "Whatever, it's late." So I put in an empty mag and rack the slide again. Of course, the slide stays back this time. Duh. Hit the slide release lever, ride the slide forward and, sure enough, the hammer goes with it. Now I'm really starting to think that I'm losing my mind. So I try to cock the hammer manually. It won't stay back. "Is the safety stuck in some weird position?" No, that seems to operating normally. Completely befuddled, I picked up the P99 instead and resolved to try again in the morning.
Well, the morning is here and sadly nothing appears to have changed. The hammer simply will not stay back whether I manipulate the slide or try to cock it manually. Everything else appears to be functioning normally. The pistol seems to work normally in double action mode. The safety disables double action firing as per normal. I've done a quick field strip and no parts came falling out. Interestingly, when the slide assembly is removed, I can get the hammer to stay back in maybe one out of twenty tries if I ride my thumb on the hammer while completing a double action pull and then immediately manually cocking the hammer back again. It would therefor seem that some sear engagement remains possible. Nevertheless, I sit here forced to contemplate the increasingly inescapable conclusion that my pistol is really and truly broken. I guess it was bound to happen sooner or later. And yet even at that, I still almost halfway expect that the first reply to this post will begin with, "Hey dum dum, your gun isn't broken, you just forgot to ..."
It worked flawlessly when it last saw some range time several months ago, and has only sat in the safe since. I will say though, on the off chance it is busted, there's a part of me that's very relieved that this failure manifested itself in the safe rather than at the range. I can only imagine that getting a live magazine anywhere near this weapon in its present condition would be a very bad thing.
Any thoughts and/or recommendations for a good HK armorer in the South L.A. County area?
In this particular instance, that feeling was met when I racked the slide on my mid 90's vintage USP and the hammer failed to stay back. "Wait, something's weird, what just happened?" Rack the slide again, same thing - hammer goes forward with the slide. "What the hell?" At this point your brain starts trying to figure out what obvious thing it is that you're doing wrong. "Whatever, it's late." So I put in an empty mag and rack the slide again. Of course, the slide stays back this time. Duh. Hit the slide release lever, ride the slide forward and, sure enough, the hammer goes with it. Now I'm really starting to think that I'm losing my mind. So I try to cock the hammer manually. It won't stay back. "Is the safety stuck in some weird position?" No, that seems to operating normally. Completely befuddled, I picked up the P99 instead and resolved to try again in the morning.
Well, the morning is here and sadly nothing appears to have changed. The hammer simply will not stay back whether I manipulate the slide or try to cock it manually. Everything else appears to be functioning normally. The pistol seems to work normally in double action mode. The safety disables double action firing as per normal. I've done a quick field strip and no parts came falling out. Interestingly, when the slide assembly is removed, I can get the hammer to stay back in maybe one out of twenty tries if I ride my thumb on the hammer while completing a double action pull and then immediately manually cocking the hammer back again. It would therefor seem that some sear engagement remains possible. Nevertheless, I sit here forced to contemplate the increasingly inescapable conclusion that my pistol is really and truly broken. I guess it was bound to happen sooner or later. And yet even at that, I still almost halfway expect that the first reply to this post will begin with, "Hey dum dum, your gun isn't broken, you just forgot to ..."
It worked flawlessly when it last saw some range time several months ago, and has only sat in the safe since. I will say though, on the off chance it is busted, there's a part of me that's very relieved that this failure manifested itself in the safe rather than at the range. I can only imagine that getting a live magazine anywhere near this weapon in its present condition would be a very bad thing.
Any thoughts and/or recommendations for a good HK armorer in the South L.A. County area?
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