Yep. I sold the Kimber and got me a new HK USP Compact in .45 Auto. Varient 1 w/HE finish.
I had owned a HK USP C in .40 a couple of years back and I was not impressed with the weapon. Lack of accuracy and the tendancy for the hammer to follow the slide on occasion caused me to get rid of the weapon. Well..just this week I decided to give HK another try.
My impressions... Shooting at the indoor range I found the weapon to be a joy to shoot. My first 50 rounds were UMC "yellow box" 230gr FMJ's. Nice load and no flash. Nice and accurate. Next were 100 rounds of Blazer 230gr FMJ's. As I expected, extremely bright indoors. Accuracy was very surprising. At 25 feet 2in groups offhand were very easy. Finally I finished with 30 rounds of S&B. My HK REALLY liked that load. No flash and accuracy on par with the Blazer.
The DA trigger left something to be desired. Not gritty or creepy, just hard. The trigger was much better with a straight pull rather than trying to "stage" the trigger for a bit of accuracy. SA pull was good. Definitely not a "glass rod" type trigger. Nor was it a trigger that increased pressure until it broke. The best I could describe the trigger is that of a miniature double action pull. Once the trigger slack was taken up it took a bit of rearward travel before the sear released.
Recoil was mild. In my opinion much more manageable than the .40 Compact. The polymer frame does help absorb some of the recoil, although the relatively sharp checkering on the grip somewhat nullifies that comfort advantage. I shot strong handed and weak handed with zero malfunctions. As for weak handed I got some nice marks on my forehead from brass for my efforts.
The things I really like...
1. I can carry it cocked n locked or DA. If I felt so inclined I could carry it first shot double action with the safety on.
2. Magazine release. I believe it is one of the fastest ever designed. Mag releases were extremely fast using the trigger finger to press the release downwards to eject the magazine. No shifting of grip necessary.
My Dislikes...
1. New lockout safety. When I purchased my first HK they did not have this feature. Now by using a tool inserted into the mag well you can disable the entire weapon. It seemed to be well designed and secure, yet I don't trust a mechanical system that can disable your weapon. I might look into a replacement part from an older USP.
2. That silly little buffer in the recoil assy. I'll see how it stands up to repeated shooting, but it may be a good idea to periodically replace the part. I would hate to have it split and tie up the recoil system.
Overall...I'm very satisfied. Lighter than the Kimber and now I have the option of carryling cocked n locked or DA. I also feel more comfortable in knowing that if my wife has to chamber a round she can safely lower the hammer on a live round without danger if the threat turns out to be a false alarm. It makes her more comfortable knowing that.
It was a good day at the range. I guess the only damper was that no one really wanted to see my HK. They were all interested in and wanted to shoot my 9mm AR.
Good Shooting
RED
I had owned a HK USP C in .40 a couple of years back and I was not impressed with the weapon. Lack of accuracy and the tendancy for the hammer to follow the slide on occasion caused me to get rid of the weapon. Well..just this week I decided to give HK another try.
My impressions... Shooting at the indoor range I found the weapon to be a joy to shoot. My first 50 rounds were UMC "yellow box" 230gr FMJ's. Nice load and no flash. Nice and accurate. Next were 100 rounds of Blazer 230gr FMJ's. As I expected, extremely bright indoors. Accuracy was very surprising. At 25 feet 2in groups offhand were very easy. Finally I finished with 30 rounds of S&B. My HK REALLY liked that load. No flash and accuracy on par with the Blazer.
The DA trigger left something to be desired. Not gritty or creepy, just hard. The trigger was much better with a straight pull rather than trying to "stage" the trigger for a bit of accuracy. SA pull was good. Definitely not a "glass rod" type trigger. Nor was it a trigger that increased pressure until it broke. The best I could describe the trigger is that of a miniature double action pull. Once the trigger slack was taken up it took a bit of rearward travel before the sear released.
Recoil was mild. In my opinion much more manageable than the .40 Compact. The polymer frame does help absorb some of the recoil, although the relatively sharp checkering on the grip somewhat nullifies that comfort advantage. I shot strong handed and weak handed with zero malfunctions. As for weak handed I got some nice marks on my forehead from brass for my efforts.
The things I really like...
1. I can carry it cocked n locked or DA. If I felt so inclined I could carry it first shot double action with the safety on.
2. Magazine release. I believe it is one of the fastest ever designed. Mag releases were extremely fast using the trigger finger to press the release downwards to eject the magazine. No shifting of grip necessary.
My Dislikes...
1. New lockout safety. When I purchased my first HK they did not have this feature. Now by using a tool inserted into the mag well you can disable the entire weapon. It seemed to be well designed and secure, yet I don't trust a mechanical system that can disable your weapon. I might look into a replacement part from an older USP.
2. That silly little buffer in the recoil assy. I'll see how it stands up to repeated shooting, but it may be a good idea to periodically replace the part. I would hate to have it split and tie up the recoil system.
Overall...I'm very satisfied. Lighter than the Kimber and now I have the option of carryling cocked n locked or DA. I also feel more comfortable in knowing that if my wife has to chamber a round she can safely lower the hammer on a live round without danger if the threat turns out to be a false alarm. It makes her more comfortable knowing that.
It was a good day at the range. I guess the only damper was that no one really wanted to see my HK. They were all interested in and wanted to shoot my 9mm AR.
Good Shooting
RED
