USP .45 vs .40c

J

Jeepdog

Inactive
Hi Folks!
I'm new here and could use some sage advice from people more knowledgable than myself. Here is the deal, I am old school revolver guy who knows very little about autos. I have, however, made the decision to get either the USP 45 or USP 40c. This will be my CCW. I am a fairly big guy (6'4" 225) with no gut and big shoulders so I am thinking that I can conceal the 45, but then again I have never carried anything that bulky before. And I know next to nothing about the 40 SW caliber as it compares to the 45 for defensive use (I know, I know - shot placement is everything, right? ). Anyway I am struggling hard with the relative merits of each gun and would greatly appreciate any input from y'all. Thanx.

Jeepdog

"do or do not, there is no try." - Yoda
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IMHO, the USP 45 is the nicest shooter of the bunch. You can do a search and see all the praise that pistol gets. It is one fine shooter. Also, w/ a 10 round magazine, I'd personally rather carry the bigger bullet. Lastly, I am not a 40 S&W fan. I've owned a few and finally sold them all. My collection is primarily 9mm and 45.
Buy the USP 45 ;)
 
There are 2 models of each gun you are talking about. There are the full size and compact models of each caliber. The .45 is slightly bigger physically than the .40sw on both models. So you actually have 4 different sizes to choose from. I picked the .40 compact which is the smallest because I have smaller hands.
 
Hey Jeepdog,

I think you made a good choice in brand for your CC weapon. I carry an H&K USP compact .45.

I honestly think the full sized USPs are too big for concealed carry. If you are the type of guy that carries all day every day, I'd go with a compact. Almost all the people I know who have started out with concealed carry have gone to a smaller weapon after time. If you carry only once in a while, I don't think it would hurt to carry a full size USP (althought they are big).

I honestly wouldn't mind carrying a USP compact in any of the calibers they come in (.45, .40, 9mm, .357 SIG(?)). You will lose two rounds of capacity going to the .45, but I don't have a problem with that.

I'd choose the caliber you feel the most comfortable with.

Shake
 
Fine choises, the UPS compact is a fairly flat gun, although not as flat as the 1911. Unlike the 1911, the USP compact is wider at the slide than the grips. Good choise for functionallity, accuracy, and durability.
As far as the .40 S&W, Marshall and Sanow shows that it is as effective as the .45 ACP.
Realistically, there really isn't much difference in a quality loading of 9mm, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP. This talk of "one shot stops" is over rated. Just remember that a handgun is a serious compromise of portability and power. A determined attacker can soak up multiple rounds of anything a handgun spits out.

That said, I'd pick the .45 ACP over the .40 S&W. I don't like the way the .40 S&W recoils in comparison.
 
If you're buying a gun to carry, buy a carry gun, not a full sized gun. A compact gun on your person is better than a full sized gun in the safe. My USP is a compact 9mm, and I've been very happy with it (though I might choose a Glock or Walther P99 over it).
 
Jeepdog. Have you had a chance to shoot a USP C? I'm about your size and I find the Compact model a bit small for my hands.

We did the same analysis for my wife's gun and she decided on the 45C. The recoil of the 40 is much sharper whereas the 45C's is smoother and more manageable. Her resulting shot placement with the 45 is very good, and I like the peace of mind knowing she can put a 1/2" hole just about anywhere she wants. :)

I won't debate relative ballistics (althought my favorite gun is my USP 40F shooting Georgia Arms' 165gr JPH @1250FPS), I'll just say you can't go wrong with either.
 
I bought a .45c a couple of years ago to use as a CCW. I like it a lot and it seems to have a milder recoil than my roomate's .40c. That being said, I prefer to carry my Kimber because of it's thinness.
 
USPs are good guns with less than admirable concealed carry characteristics do to their slide width and relatively chunky dimesions.

Sticking with them, I'd go with the USPc .45acp and the USPc .40 s&w, in that order.
 
Your two choices are kind of at opposite ends of the size of H&K guns. First, given your size I would guess that the USP40C or the USP45C(if you were to consider it) would need a Hogue grip to accomodate the size of your hands. My son is 6'3, nearly 3" taller than me and his hands are significantly larger than mine. Secondly, the concealability issue is as you might expect; the 40 is easier to conceal and manuever without being made. The length of the fullsize 45 would increase the likelihood of being made. I think you should consider the 45C since it's only a little bigger than the 40C but will likely feel better in your hand.
 
I'm smaller than you and carry a full-size USP45 daily. You won't need a Hogue grip due to your size - I have freakishly large hands, and the heavily checkered grip is one of the reasons I love this gun.

Personally, I think the .45 is a nicer shooting gun than the .40, and I own and have shot both extensively. I'm certainly of the school of thought that believes that a bigger hole is better, but you'll likely be happy with either. Go to your shop, hold them, shoot them if you can, and pick the one that you like best.
 
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