USP Compact 9 vs P2000

[GJM]

Title says it all -- which one and why?

[Dos Cylindros]

For me it would depend on the use. For an all around "do everything gun" I would opt for the USPc. For a EDC gun it would be the P2000. I do have a preference for the trigger on the USP as opposed to the P series. I think the USP has a better grip in the traction department as well.

[jondoe297]

I preferred the P2000 over the USPc. I didnt dislike the USPc by any means, I just found the P2000 to be more natural to me.

[LSP972]

I have both. While the P2000's grip most closely resembles my favored HK45C, and thus is partially useful as a sub-caliber trainer, the longer trigger reset of the P-series guns is a bit off-putting to me.

OTOH, the USP Compact's more aggressively-textured, boxy-shaped grip was just made for me; a fact I've recently re-discovered. Plus, the veritable shelf of a slide stop lever means more positive results when one uses that part for a slide-dropper; a practice I've picked up since retiring. Never have had any use or need for the ambi slide stop levers on the P-series and HK45 pistols.

The P2000 definitely conceals a bit better; just a bit. The tapered slide and smoother-countoured grip contribute to this, as overall dimensions between the two pistols are practically, if not exactly, identical. So perhaps its perception only, but sometimes perception trumps reality…;)

I'm referring to the LEM versions here. Either one will work (and has worked) for me, but the older gun gets the nod due to the grip and slide stop lever. If we're talking about the DA/SA examples, then its no contest; definitely the USPc. I find that decocking button placement on the P-series pistols to be rather bizarre.

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[JodyH]

Trijicon HD's are only available for the P2000.

[LSP972]

The front sight (which is the important part :D ) should fit; the front dovetails are the same pretty much across the board on HK pistols.

But if the P2000 HDs are anything like the XS Big Dots for HKs, the front sight is too high for the issue rear sight. I ran across this issue when trying to put Big Dots on a USPc. The XS rear "express" sight supplied in the kit, aside from being an express sight, simply does not fit the USPc rear dovetail. So I thought I'd be smart and just open up the notch ion the factory rear sight; and the gun shot feloniously low.

That was a couple of years ago, things may have changed, YMMV, etc., etc.

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[GJM]

Trijicon HD's are only available for the P2000.

I have USP Compact specific HD sights installed on my USP C 45 and 40:

https://www.trijicon.com/na_en/products/product3.php?pid=HK108O

[imp1295]

I had the USPc, but it was a V1 - first pistol I ever bought back in 1995. But, I lost in during a break in back in 2004.

I guess my question is for those that have both in LEM. Does the shorter LEM reset of the USP series really distinguish the two systems. If so, when? During slow precision shots? During rapid fire strings? etx.

I've heard from some how the USP LEM is sometimes preferred to the P series LEM due to the shorter reset as LSP972 mentions.

If the USP wasn't 200 more it would be really tempting to get one and compare the P30/P2000 and USP side by side.

Thanks

[Mike C]

I dig being able to flip back and forth between variants from LEM to DA/SA on the USP series but at the end of the day completely ambi controls, interchangeable back straps and slightly easier concealment win the day, JodyH hit probably the most notable which is HD's. I can live with pretty much anything else on a gun but definitely prefer to be able to get sights of choice, which have become the HD's if I can't get warrens.

[GJM]

Pure shooting, I far prefer the DA/SA to LEM on a P2000 and USP C.

[HCM]

I ran an issued HK USP compact, V2 LEM 40 cal as my primary duty and off-duty gun for eight years.

If you want DA/SA, then the USP compact hands down. Better trigger overall, more options, and the decocking button on the P 2000 is a bit awkward.

For an LEM carry gun, I would probably lean towards the P 2000. It's a bit sleeker and more comfortable to carry concealed. The big selling point for me, with my XXL hands is the adjustable grip. The one size fits all grip, and people using ghetto fabulous houge slip on's was my one complaint regarding the USP compact. The USP compact trigger is better, with shorter reset in LEM but not enough better to make a difference for a real-world carry gun

The grip on the HK USP compact 45 is just enough bigger that I shoot it noticeably better than the 9/40 versions.

[RAM Engineer]

Thanks guys. I just bought a USPc 9mm today. You guys are costing me money!

[JodyH]

I have USP Compact specific HD sights installed on my USP C 45 and 40:

https://www.trijicon.com/na_en/products/product3.php?pid=HK108O
Cool, that's fairly new.
I'd of kept my USP9c as a spare to my spare spare if I could have found those sights last year.

[RAM Engineer]

Has anyone used the Taylor Freelance P30 mag extensions with either a P2000 or a USPc? If so, please share your experiences. How did the longer spring work out, etc. ?

[JodyH]

Has anyone used the Taylor Freelance P30 mag extensions with either a P2000 or a USPc? If so, please share your experiences. How did the longer spring work out, etc. ?
I have 4 of the TF +5 baseplates on P2000 9mm magazines for 3-gun and they work great loaded to 17, if you stuff 18 into them they work but will not insert if the slide is forward.
You get an easy 20 rounds of 9mm into P30 magazines.
Sometimes they won't drop free when empty because of the baseplate retention plate, but a few swipes with a file at the rear inside of the pistols magwell takes care of that issue if need be.

[SecondsCount]

USPc DA/SA V1 recoil feels harsher to me than a P2K V2 LEM for some reason. DA/SA trigger on the USP series is nicer than P series DA/SA.

[GJM]

What is the consensus on switching to the 45C mag release -- seems like you need to balance making the magazine easier to come out ..... with making the magazine easier to come out?

It is supposedly a no go on the USP 45 with Super ammo, and I have left mine stock.

[YVK]

From my junk carry experience, no magazine or anything close to it came out by chance, inadvertently or prematurely, and you know how much friction I generate in that area.

[imp1295]

45C mag release was the first thing I did to my P2000. Carrying it since January as my primary. No issues in my JMCK AIWB.

[LSP972]

GJM, its a problem with USPf (full size) in general. Although, since the USPf .45 uses metal magazines, that part of the problem may be minimized.

I know that a slight modification to the metal tongue of the release- the part that grabs/holds the magazine- is what's required on the 9mm/.40 USPf, but that pistol's polymer magazines start getting chewed up in short order, IIRC.

OTOH, its a drop-in modification on the USPc and P2000, all calibers. And if you use your trigger finger to activate it, it makes a huge difference- for the better- as far as I'm concerned.

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[Dagga Boy]

For a general purpose small 9mm, the USPC 9mm is a good choice. We had a couple female officers use them as duty guns and they worked fine. My interest is a purely concealment gun, and pretty much a dedicated AIWB platform, in which case the P2000 with a LEM is my favorite of the two and in all honesty could be set for the duration of my days with one if I had to for what my actual life entails.

[GJM]

For a general purpose small 9mm, the USPC 9mm is a good choice. We had a couple female officers use them as duty guns and they worked fine. My interest is a purely concealment gun, and pretty much a dedicated AIWB platform, in which case the P2000 with a LEM is my favorite of the two and in all honesty could be set for the duration of my days with one if I had to for what my actual life entails.

Second time this comment has been mentioned -- what makes the Compact better general purpose and the P2000 better concealment?

[Dagga Boy]

The USP is blocker and a squared profile. It also has more texturing. I carry under a t-shirt against my skin. I like the smooth sides of the P2000/Hk45C for AIWB carry due to this.

[Salamander]

I own both and have carried both, and for me the P2000 has won out. However it's a close call, and if necessary I could work with either.

My primary use is concealment, and as others have said the smooth grip of the P2000 is more pleasant in that role. I also prefer the ergonomics of the P2000 even though I usually use the standard backstrap. I would think if someone had really large or small hands that might tip the balance more decisively. The coarser texture of the USPc is great in the rain or with sweaty hands and if the grip is the right size for your hands, then it generally works pretty well.

The P2000 is easier to conceal because of the sloped and melted edges, but the USPc really isn't any harder to hide than a G19, so this isn't a deal breaker.

I do find the USPc to be a touch slower back on target in anything bigger than 9mm.

When briefly dealing with a shoulder injury a few years ago I learned how big an advantage the fully ambidextrous controls of the P2000 can be.

For carry purposes the difference in the trigger isn't enough to matter (all of mine are LEM). I have revolvers and a 1911 for range days when I want a really nice trigger, none of my newer HK's would be first choice in that role.

[GJM]

Question on sight dimensions -- does anyone know if the OEM front sight on the P2000 .40 is taller than on the P2000 9?

HD sights on my P2000 9 LEM shoot low. Same result with YVK and his P2000SK 9, and he had his front HD front sight shaved to raise POI.

I am hoping that the .40 has a taller front sight, and therefore the HD sights will regulate for me on a P2000 .40.

[Salamander]

Question on sight dimensions -- does anyone know if the OEM front sight on the P2000 .40 is taller than on the P2000 9?

HD sights on my P2000 9 LEM shoot low. Same result with YVK and his P2000SK 9, and he had his front HD front sight shaved to raise POI.

I am hoping that the .40 has a taller front sight, and therefore the HD sights will regulate for me on a P2000 .40.

Just compared P2000s in 9mm and .357 Sig (the latter is one of the LE packages that also came with a .40 barrel from the factory) and the factory night sights on both measure 0.165 in height.

The only USPc I have handy is a .45 with factory sights (not night sights) and it's about the same at the rear but slopes to a little less in the front. I have a set of Heinie's that I haven't gotten around to installing yet for that pistol, and the front sight is 0.225 tall. It would not fit on a P2000, the dovetail on the P2000 is quite a bit larger.

[GJM]

Thank you. I do see that there are a number of different height front sights (non tritium) available for the P2000 on the HKparts.net website.

Common sense says the same pistol, but in .40, would hit higher, but that is just theory.

[LSP972]

The P2000 is easier to conceal because of the sloped and melted edges, but the USPc really isn't any harder to hide than a G19, so this isn't a deal breaker.



Exactly. Some find that the more-aggressively textured grip of the USPc irritates their skin; but I wear a wife-beater under my outer shirt so that isn't an issue for me. Those (the wife-beaters) do need replacing every few months because they get chewed up by the pistol butt; but that occurs with anything I carry IWB, and Wally World has all you need, rather cheaply, so…;)

The sloped slide of the P2000 can make for a holster slightly more narrow at the front edge- if the guy running the kydex press is paying attention- and I can definitely tell the difference. But in truth, this is MAJOR nit-picking at the end of the day.

When you get right down to it, the main quantifiable differences between the two pistols are the trigger reset, and the changeable backstraps/ambi slide stop lever of the P2000. That's in LEM configuration; the decocking "stroke" on the DA/SA guns is another major difference if you prefer that type of trigger.

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[Chuck Whitlock]

Is not the USPc user configurable to all the trigger variants? That and the safety lever might be considerations.

[LSP972]

Is not the USPc user configurable to all the trigger variants?

It is.

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[CCT125US]

Does anyone know the field stripped slide weight for the P2000 9mm vs the USP9c?

[GJM]

Does anyone know the field stripped slide weight for the P2000 9mm vs the USP9c?

BCL figured this out, but I forget the exact difference. Think the P2000 slide is an ounce or two lighter, and hopefully he will confirm the exact weight.

[breakingtime91]

Anyone talk to Dawson about possibly doing a tritium front for the p2000 sights they rolled out? With both of these guns, lack of sights seem to be the biggest issue.

[Kyle Reese]

Following this thread with interest.

[BCL]

BCL figured this out, but I forget the exact difference. Think the P2000 slide is an ounce or two lighter, and hopefully he will confirm the exact weight.

Not sure on the exact slide weight difference, but the 9mm P2000 weighs 2.24 ounces less than a USP9c. That being said, I'd have to imagine that nearly all of that weight difference is in the slide, as the overall dimensions are nearly the same and there is only 0.08 inch difference in barrel length.

[CCT125US]

Anyone talk to Dawson about possibly doing a tritium front for the p2000 sights they rolled out? With both of these guns, lack of sights seem to be the biggest issue.

P30 fronts work on the P2000 and the SK..

[breakingtime91]

P30 fronts work on the P2000 and the SK..

Ya problem has been getting a rear to go with that. My two have HDs but I have found I prefer square rears

[CCT125US]

Understand. I gave up and just use Trijicon 3 dots. I would like a set of Heinie Straights and really don't want to buy a USP9c to put them on. May have to dump a backup spare P30 to fund it. I think P-F needs an HK swap meet, it would actually be a support group for addicts, but swap meet sounds better.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

[breakingtime91]

Understand. I gave up and just use Trijicon 3 dots. I would like a set of Heinie Straights and really don't want to buy a USP9c to put them on. May have to dump a backup spare P30 to fund it. I think P-F needs an HK swap meet, it would actually be a support group for addicts, but swap meet sounds better.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

I'm completely lost. My HKs are my "working" guns while berettas are my passion

[OnionsAndDragons]

I'm completely lost. My HKs are my "working" guns while berettas are my passion

You're just being stubborn and you know it. :)

Or thrifty w the new little one. I'm going with that because it makes you sound smarter!

You'll be carrying a Beretta in a year or two, when the M9A3 Gs descend out of the mists of Mount Vesuvius.

[HCM]

Ya problem has been getting a rear to go with that. My two have HDs but I have found I prefer square rears

I'm not sure if there's enough material on the H K versions but I've seen a set of Glock HD sites where the bottom of the notch was cut square and refinished.

[CCT125US]

For folks using a USP9c with Heinie Straight Eights, what have you found the POI to be with 124, 124 +p, and or 147gr at 7, 10, 25, 50yds? I understand the sight picture required with the Straight Eights configuration, as I have used them on several guns. Just curious about this specific combo.