HK USP45 Opinions Wanted

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Hi all. I always seem to have an itch for a new .45. I have recently been looking at the HK USP45 full size. I don't have a CCW, so my pistols are only for home-defense and the range. I have small hands, and that tends to affect my experiences with the double stack .45's. I have experience with the Glock 21 and really like that gun, but though the grip is large my main problem is with the trigger reach. I haven't shot a USP45 yet, but in my dryfiring of one, it seems that in single action, the trigger reach is much shorter than the Glock 21's.

Anyways, I'm just wondering what experiences you all have with the HK USP45 full size, good or bad. Thanks in advance.
 
My experience has been good. Its lotsa fun shooting .45 Super cartridges out of it. It has been 100% reliable.
The grip is rather large, but I have gotten used to it.
 
I love mine......never really noticed the grip thing before though......I'd recommend it.

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frogman6
 
Shot my friends and liked it a bunch though his is a few years old and at Sheriffs training he had to drop mag straight down on cement and had follower hook over top of feed lip notch (three different times with 2 mags) Where it hooked is the small notch in the corner top of mag. I have posted about this but nobody seems to know anything about it. By the way Hk has different base plate on new mag, maybe this was why,I'm sure you could add small about of sticky foam to bottom if it worried you excessivley,for home you probably won't be reloading that mag in middle of fire fight anyway (hopefully). I like gun very much see testing done at streetpro.com I think?

[This message has been edited by oberkommando (edited November 02, 1999).]
 
Excellent gun, built by the same company who brought us the combat tested G3 and MP-5. I have shot the HK USP 45 and let me tell you if I had to make the decision on buying my Glock 21 or the USP 45 again, I might sway towards the USP! The sights were great, I loved the finish. It seemed if the frame was made of steel or aluminum, it did not have a cheap plastic look to it at all! I did have some fuss about the mag release though because it was a little unorthodox. Coming from a 1911 and Glock shooting background, I was thrown off a little but over came this by using my trigger finger to manipulate the release. The grip was smaller than that of my Glock 21. I feel anyone armed with an HK USP 45 with 11 rounds has ample firepower to deal with most any situation. The USP is a little pricey though but it is well worth it!
 
I got a USP about 6 month ago, out about 500 rnds through it never had a problem. I have average hands, and at first the grip took a little to get use to, but after 2 range sessions I could shoot it better than either my Glock, Berretta, or Sig.
 
I had an HK Tactical- put about 200 or so rounds through it- that gun was just awesome- its accuracy was just amazing, no malfunctions in the short time I had it. The sites on the Tactical suck (but they serve a purpose-raised to see over a silencer). I sold it because it was a little big and the threads on the barrel annoyed me (because I can't have a silencer in NY)- I'll most likely get another USP, a compact 40- going to weigh it against the new Steyr M40.
 
I am absolutely satisfied with the money I spent on the USP45. It is my carry gun with CCW and functions as home defense very well. I whole-heartedly endorse the USP45, but be advised that H&K service can leave you wanting...

I use the USP45 mainly for carry and HD, with practice on the weekends in the form of IDPA competition, for which I reload 200gr SWC-L and fire a minimum charge for maximum accuracy. This gun has functioned non-stop through hundreds of rounds (even my reloads) and has shown no signs of any problems or stoppages past the initial break-in of 50-100 rounds. The most attractive thing to me about the USP45 is the capacity of .45 caliber bullets that you carry with just one magazine (12 pre-ban) and that it offers the best of both penetration and capacity - important for the roles in which I employ it.

The statement I made earlier about H&K service has to do with a magazine problem I experienced early on (less than 100 rounds) in which the mags would not lock the slide back when empty - as you can imagine, the H&K investment makes it's owners expect the best in performance. The factory absolutely refused to help me with getting new followers and springs, and instead pointed me toward the nearest H&K stocking dealer - which was also no help. They didn't even know they were an H&K dealer!

I managed to work around the problem with the magazines and some minor filing later, the mags were working properly. My experience has been shadowed by others on this board and others who have had the same dealings.

The quality and fit of the weapon are second to none. The finish is stronger than many folks will attest, as summer conditions where I live put the USP in close proximity to high humidity and salt, and the gun will cycle and function well with *anything* that you feed it.

You will not be disappointed with the USP45 if you're in the market for a combat weapon in .45 caliber.
 
I have a couple of USP Experts in .45. My lengthy review of these pistols can be found in TFL archives. The short version? Both are soft shooting, reliable and enable me to shoot one hole groups at 25 yards offhand. That's MY limitations, not the pistol's. I sent one pistol back to the factory for a minor warranty retrofit. It was back in my hands within a week, the requested work was performed to my satisfaction, and Customer Service even threw in a bunch of free pins and patches for my inconvenience. Nice gesture. I politely asked them to swap the extended magazine baseplates for regular "bottoms", and they complied. I'm not crazy about the HE finish, and Glocks are more ergonomic to my hands. I wish the USP's were slimmer, smaller and less expensive. BUT...are they (particulary the cubic dollar Experts) worth the money? Probably not in terms of cost of materials. But these two pistols enable me to consistently achieve the limits of my present ability, almost effortlessly. Furthermore, I am confident that they will be up to the task of stacking bullets on top of each other each and every time I do my part with the sights and trigger. I've spent a lot of money over the years sorting through lots of pistols and found very few that possess this quality. I happen to be one who doesn't care if it says SIG, Glock, Kimber or Papermate on the slide so long as the pistol excels at its intended task. These USP's do. So, yes, they are worth it to me. God bless, Hugh
 
The HK USP 45 is a fine pistol. I currently have 2 USP 45 Fullsize models and a Tactical. All 3 are very accurate and 100% reliable with every type of ammo I've tried. I can't ask for anything more. My house gun is a .45 Fullsize with night sights and a UTL II.

I like the USP series because the manual of arms is quite similar to a 1911 and the controls feel natural to me. I use my trigger finger to release the magazine while hardly adjusting my grip. Mag changes are very fast. I love my USPs in .40 and 9mm too... but the .45s are my favorites.
 
Antonio

Why not use the Tactical model for your house gun? I have one and am wondering if your decision has anything to do with the likely reaction from a civil prosecutor to the appearance of the pistol. BTW, I really like my USP Tactical which has so far been both reliable and accurate.
 
JJCII, the only reason I don't use the Tactical for my house gun is because I don't have night sights on it yet. Right now I'm waiting for an Expert model to arrive. I'm planning on putting night sights on both of them in the future when the budget allows.

Basically, NJ pistol permits put a time limit of 6 months during which I can buy a pistol. After my permits expire I have to take time off of work to apply for another batch of permits with accompanying fees for the State Police background check, county adjuster(?), permits, NICS checks, etc. I'd rather buy the pistols now and add accessories later. No big deal, though. My USP 45F always surprises me with its uncanny accuracy despite my poor eyesight and caffeine habit.
 
Greetings To All;
I have a full size H&K USP .45ACP, and just
love it. Being a Sig man, the H&K would run
a very close second. Very accurate, very
dependable, and extremely durable.

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Ala Dan
 
Don't own a full size USP .45ACP my experience with the weapon is limited to handling only, I think that it is a MONSTER. I have average size hands and the HK USP .45 felt absolutely HUGE in my hands. If you have small hands and want HK USP in .45, the USP .45 compact would be a much better selection. The compact model is single stack 8+1 in .45ACP and is not small; but is also not HUGE like the full size USP.

I am not a USP fan so my experience is limited. I think that they are over priced for a polymer gun.

I would check them all out, but if you want .45ACP and in a package that fits smaller hands I think the USP .45 compact is the only way to go...

I think that coming from a non-USP advocate this is about the most honest advice you could get...

[This message has been edited by James Montes (edited November 11, 1999).]
 
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