New USP 9c - and some problems...

[mpthole]

I finally went ahead and bought the USP 9c. I went with the 'hostile environment' finish rather than stainless. In any case, I got it and had a chance to shoot it for the first time yesterday.

Now, I have a question for you. I had some malfunctions with it and am wondering if you've had anything similar happen. I was mostly shooting Winchester 115 gr FMJ (At least I think that's what it was, stupid me I threw away the box). I shot about 100 rounds worth of this stuff.

Several times, after the round was fired, the empty casing wouldn't eject fully. This resulted in one of two things happening: 1) the empty case would jam the slide before it could catch a new round to feed. In this case I could easily pull the slide all the way back, empty the spent round by turning the gun upside down and then release the slide to chamber a new round. I was then ready to go. 2) the empty case would jam the slide after a new round was already 'on its way' to being chambered. In this case when I'd pull the slide back, both the empty and the new round would come out of the gun (not really 'ejected'). Only after both were out of the way could I release the slide to chamber a new round.

Another thing I noticed while shooting is that the empty casings were barely ejected. A lot of them seemed to go either straight up or straight up and BACK - right at me. My two other USP's (both in .45) tend to eject at about 3:30-4:00 o'clock from the gun (if the muzzle is pointed at 12 noon), and they FLY away - usually a good 3 to 5 feet.

I also fired about 20 rounds of Federal Premium JHP. I didn't have any malfunctions with this. Of course, I didn't fire as much of it.

I'm wondering if you've experienced anything similar? Does the gun need to be 'broken in' a bit? Could it be a bad ejector/ejector spring? Maybe it just doesn't like that ammo - although I've never heard of a USP NOT liking ammo. Neither of my .45's have had any similar problems.

My plan is to field strip, clean, lightly lube, and try it again with a different brand of ammo.

Any thoughts out there?


EDIT: Sheesh! I may have found the answer already: http://ubb.hkpro.com/ubb/Forum4/HTML/001319.html

 

[Morgan]

USPs, especially the 9mm, and especially the compact, like hot loads. The HKPRO thread has some good advice, too, but lubing shouldn't be a big issue.

Try heavier (124gr) and/or hotter loads, and you shouldn't have a problem. Once you get a few more rounds through it it won't be as finicky about the light weight/light loaded rounds.

 

[Chad Young]

I second the above posts. Have you tried different magazines? The last USP 9c I shot functioned flawlessly, but seemed to operate smoother when I shot 124-147 grain bullets a full power, not low-power handloads. My only complaint is that the sights on the one I shot printed a tad low.

 

[Shake]

I third that motion!

Although I've heard of people having malfuntions with a few USP's when new, it is a rare occurrence. Shoot a couple hundred rounds of +p's through it and you shouldn't have a problem with the lighter stuff. If you still have problems with it with the hotter stuff, its back to H&K and they'll make it right. Despite what some may say about their customer service, I've had nothing but good luck in my limited dealings with them.

Shake

 

[mpthole]

Update:

After a thorough cleaning and lube, I took it out to the range tonight and it funtioned flawlessly! I wasn't able to find any +P or hotter ammo, but I did try a different brand. All empties were ejecting at about 3:30 and flew at least a couple feet before starting to fall.

Thanks for your suggestions!