HK USPc 40 to 9mm conversion- what's req'd?

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Originally Posted by LSP972

I think they stopped that when they put the brakes on selling the FFDO pistol (USPc .40 with three mags and trits) to qualified commercial pilots.

Mike at Cross Creek Guns will be one of your better sources for a NIB pistol. Last I checked, he can get the LE version of the V1 (DA/SA), which has three mags and night sights, for well under a grand. Getting a NIB LEM pistol is a matter of stumbling across one, at the right place at the right time. Most all LEM-equipped USP/USP Compact/HK45/HK45 Compact pistols that are sold new in the US first arrived as VI (DA/SA) pistols, and have been converted by HK/USA. And they don't do it unless they are filling an order. And if it is an individual order… well, they kind of mimic the post office motto ("We will move no mail before its time") into- "We will build no LEM before its time".

You can find used LEM pistols for sale, most often on HKPro… but they last maybe a day; so you gotta be quick.

I have always bought HKs NIB as V1s, bought a LEM kit, and put it in myself (except for the P-series guns; those come from Oberndorf either as LEMs or DA/SA; they are frame specific). Installing a LEM into a USP/HK45 frame is not rocket science, but it isn't a Glock simpleton either.

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The USPC 40 LEM was the INS /USBP gun well before the FFDO program was ever thought of (1997-98). USBP/ CBP switched to the P2000 around 2004 but there are plenty of 15 year old USPC's still going strong. ICE pulled the last issued HK's in 2009.

I agree 100% the OP is much more likely to find a reasonably priced DA/SA model - converting to LEM is the way to go whether he does it himself, has a local gunsmith do it or has HK do it.

OP - if you are retired mil you areiky old enough to need reading glasses. While the factory Nepro light sites are fairly visible, you really are with yourself to take a look at the Trijicon HD sights.

Thanks for the info, LSP.
Yes, I had to special-order my personally-owned LE V7 (duplicate of duty gun). Once tax and background check was done, it was almost a grand. And now I have the itch for a 9mm clone. Cheaper ammo, less recoil, etc. Tonight I saw one online for $924 shipped.

Maybe I'll watch HKPro for awhile and see if I get lucky finding a used one for a good price. Eventually I'll probably break down and just get a NIB LE gun.

Again, I appreciate your experience.

Gyro

Don't know if this helps you any or is too late but EFK makes a conversion barrel for .40 to 9mm USP Compacts. No personal experience but something I ran across.
https://www.efkfiredragon.com/hkusp-...-40-sandw.html

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Originally Posted by HCM

OP - if you are retired mil you areiky old enough to need reading glasses. While the factory Nepro light sites are fairly visible, you really are with (owe it to) yourself to take a look at the Trijicon HD sights.

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Oh, yes indeed. They make a TREMENDOUS difference.

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Originally Posted by HCM

The USPC 40 LEM was the INS /USBP gun well before the FFDO program was ever thought of (1997-98).

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Which is all the more reason to wonder why it was selected as the FFDO pistol... seeing as the FAMS director at that time was a staunch former USSS dude who saddled the air marshals with the P229. Whatever; I'm glad they did choose the USPc, as I was acquainted with it via an airline pilot pal who went through one of the first FFDO classes. Lacking his enthusiasm and insisting that I work with him and his new gat, I would still be a Glock bottom-feeder, considering the HK superiority with disdain... because, you know, HKs are over-priced, I suck, and they hate me...;)

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Originally Posted by MD7305

Don't know if this helps you any or is too late but EFK makes a conversion barrel for .40 to 9mm USP Compacts. No personal experience but something I ran across.
https://www.efkfiredragon.com/hkusp-...-40-sandw.html

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Thanks, MD7305 - that's JUST the kind of thing I was looking for!
I'm thinking I'd also need to use a recoil spring for a 9mm - any idea on the difference in weights?

HCM- lucky for me, no reading glasses required yet, but I'll keep the HDs in mind down the road. Right now I'm trying to keep things uniform, and can't make any mods to the duty weapon.

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Originally Posted by LSP972

Which is all the more reason to wonder why it was selected as the FFDO pistol... seeing as the FAMS director at that time was a staunch former USSS dude who saddled the air marshals with the P229. Whatever; I'm glad they did choose the USPc, as I was acquainted with it via an airline pilot pal who went through one of the first FFDO classes. Lacking his enthusiasm and insisting that I work with him and his new gat, I would still be a Glock bottom-feeder, considering the HK superiority with disdain... because, you know, HKs are over-priced, I suck, and they hate me...;)

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It wasn't just the director, the majority of the managers brought in when the FAMS were expanded came from the USSS. The P229 .357 was what the USSS used so it must be the best, right?

Re why the HK's for the FFDO's my bet is two fold: 1) the FFDO's would not get to train anywhere near as often as the FAMS so a single trigger pull design makes sense. 2) At the time the FFDO program was stood up, someone in the Govt(INS) had a bunch of HK USPC LEM 40s and the FFDO program was able to get them free.

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Originally Posted by HCM

2) At the time the FFDO program was stood up, someone in the Govt(INS) had a bunch of HK USPC LEM 40s and the FFDO program was able to get them free.

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Hmmm… dunno if I buy that.

Because I ended up, from CDNN, with a USPc .45 that was born with a LEM. No white paint to denote safety lever position, on either side. That, of course, is a dead giveaway that the pistol came from Oberndorf with the LEM. The CDNN dude said they had gotten these pistols, along with identical examples in .357 Sig and Euro Pellet (and lord, how I wish I had scored one of the former!), when the government dumped all of their other-caliber test guns from the FFDO program after selecting the .40. That sounded a bit melodramatic, so I made a few calls to some folks who might know… and two of them confirmed that story.

All ancient history now, and rather irrelevant… but curious, for sure.

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My theory on the USPc40 LEM being selected as the FFDO weapon goes like this-
1. In the early 2000's, .40 was the accepted standard caliber for LE
2. Given the close quarters in the cockpit, an LEM system that never requires decocking makes a lot of sense, for the same reasons Nyeti likes the LEM
3. FFDO training is done at FLETC, the same place where USBP is trained. Already a cadre of instructors familiar with the weapon, as well as a syllabus, and an already-existing logistical supply system for the guns and ammo.

While I think that a 9mm would have been a better choice to facilitate easier one-handed use, I can absolutely understand why they went with the .40 when the program was initiated in the early 2000's.

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Originally Posted by GyroF-16

Thanks, MD7305 - that's JUST the kind of thing I was looking for!

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Well, after doing some research, it's hard to find many people who are happy with EFK barrels, especially the conversion ones. It seems that the slides have different dimensions between 9 and 40, making a drop-in conversion fairly impractical.
I appreciate the input of all - my expectations were colored by lots of previous Beretta experience, where it was not nearly as complicated.
I guess I'll revert to the plan to watch HKPro, Gunbroker etc, and, if I don't find a good deal, eventually order one NIB from HK.

Thanks again to all...