H&K Practice Problems

D

Der Grosse

New member
I shoot 50-100 rounds every other week with my H&K P7M8. I was getting pretty good with it. The only problem was the fact that the P7's trigger area gets very hot after about 60 rounds and unbearable after 90. My solution was another pistol (which I wanted anyway to keep in my office).

After much testing and deliberation I settled on the HK USP Compact 9. I found it to be very controllable, rock solid, ergonomically compatible and the perfect size for my medium-sized hands. Then I took it to the range for the first time to shoot with my P7. What a disaster.

I started out shooting 4 mags with the P7 and did pretty well. I was using American Eagle 115gr. ammo. Then I loaded up 3 mags for the USP using the same ammo. Unfortunately, my shots (all single action) were either grouped in the center of the target or off to the lower left hand corner. Equally annoying, some of the spent casings landed on top of my head. Frustrated, I switched back to my P7 and shot another 3 mags. I was not happy with my accuracy until half way through the second mag. Then I switched back to the USP and shot 2 more mags worth of crappy groupings.

Out of bullets, I asked the range clerk for more bullets and he sold me some Mag-Techs. I loaded my USP mag, but for the first time the gun failed to completely eject the shell casings and the slide jammed 4 times in a row. I then loaded the Mag-Techs into the P7 which didn't jam, but didn't seem to like them either. I then returned the remaining Mag-Techs to the store clerk who explained that the Mag-Techs were the cheapest ammo they had, were very dirty, but that they shouldn't have caued my USP to jam. I didn't ask the moron why he sold me his cheapest ammo.

My questions:

1. Should I not keep switching between different guns when I practice?

2. Should I be worried about my USP jamming or could it just be cheap ammo? Is there some test I should do?

3. Should I call H&K before talking the USP back to the range?

4. Shouldn't my USP eject to same place as my P7 (i.e., away from my head)? Is there some way to adjust for this? Should I ask H&K to fix this?

I would appreciate any advice because this experience has really frustrated me. Thanks.
 
"Should I not keep switching between different guns when I practice?"

Probably not unless you just want to have a blast shooting different stuff. Every gun model has different ergonomics (grip, grip angle, sights, weight, recoil, etc). I really think you "pattern" your reactions, grip and muscle control to a particular gun when you are practicing, and you will find that if you change guns midstream, this will cause subtle shifts in how you shoot the second pistol until you get adjusted to it (probably only a mag or two). That's my experience anyway.


"Should I be worried about my USP jamming or could it just be cheap ammo? Is there some test I should do?"

I would be somewhat concerned if the problem persists. It's an expensive pistol in a reliable line (I have a USP .45 that has never jammed even with crummy ammo -- Magtech .45's work fine for me). You paid a lot for that gun, it should shoot reliably. It may be as simple as getting a new mag, a feed ramp polishing, or a new recoil spring.

"Shouldn't my USP eject to same place as my P7 (i.e., away from my head)?"

It shouldn't be ejecting at your head. Mine ejects very consistently -- over the lane partition onto the guy next to me. :D It doesn't hit me, though. It shouldn't. Sounds like you have a legitimate feeding/extraction problem that needs tweaking.

My advice: get some advice from a gunsmith, but I think you might want to get HK to take a look at this.
 
The last time I went to the range I took both my HK P7M8 and HK USP Tactical. Switching from one pistol to the other, the point of impact changed on the target, even though earlier practice with each gun individually produced the same of point of impact. The groups were still very good just not in the same place. However, the change in point of impact does not concern me, the difference was two inches at 30 ft. The change of impact was likely due to my attempt to grip both guns as if they were identical. Taking notice to which gun was in my hand and concentrating on trigger control gave me good performance with both guns. The P7's trigger is light and the cocking mechanism encourages a tight grip, while the Tacticals single-action trigger has a heavier take-up, but can be held in a more relaxed grip.

If you plan to use both pistols for self-defense you should practice and search for a grip technique that works well for both pistols. My P7M8 is very accurate for me as is my Tactical and if I do my part I can switch back and forth between them with no ill effect.

As said before you should talk to H&K regarding the USP ejection problems.

I am no expert and all of this is just my opinion, hope it makes some sense.

JJCII
 
what they said. hehe. seriously, i can shoot all kinds of pistols switching up and the only thing that changes is placement (and this is minimal). as stated before, you need to focus on the gun you are shooting and pay attention to how you're holding it. as far as the jams and ejection problems go, i would definitely contact HK. my USPc.40 has performed flawlessly for nearly 2000 rounds now with all sorts of different ammo. i've been told by many that there isn't a brand of ammo the HK USP won't eat. so far, that has been my experience. you have the warranty, so i'd call them up and find out what the deal is. good luck
 
I had a similar problem my first time out with my USP 9c. It was easily resolved with a cleaning and lube. Check out my previous post: USP 9c
 
Update:

I called H&K customer service last week and they asked me to overnight my gun to them. H&K received it Monday. I will let you know how it all works out.

Thanks for the tips.
 
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