Let's Rehash - Is USP the Answer For Hammer H&K (Is P-Series An Actual Improvement)

[Leroy]

I really like the grip and trigger on the USP over the P30. The USP has a more standard grip that is easier to conform to because it is similar to most other guns out there. I find the USP to be easier to bounce into and just pick up and shoot. I also shoot the USP very accurately but the shot recovery time can be aggravating. The P30 deffinitely has some features I really like. I think it has one of the better slide designs I have encountered in a duty style DA/SA. Conceals well, the slide serrations and slide shape are very agreeable to me. I also think it is probably one the most flat shooting, light weight, plastic DA/SA guns out there. I do not like the P30 grip, and I think the VP9 feels a little worse. The large dished out beavertail area prevents a good grip unless I run a smaller backstrap which makes it fairly small for a good two hand grip. The trigger guard on the P30 is silly.

I am of the thought that the shooter needs to conform to the pistol as a general rule (some people and some guns will never mix well). I think if I gave the P30 a year of work I would probably end up preferring it to the USP but the HKs tend to not be my primary shooters so I don't know if that will ever happen.

[OlongJohnson]

I believe the reason HK still offers the different pistols is because there is no single, correct simple answer. If the caliber is .45 ACP, there is no P30 in that cartridge, making the choice easy.

As Jon points out, the HK45 exists, which is basically a Spiderman grip and Pic rail wrapped around a USP trigger system.

The P30 decocking lever is located in a much different place than the USP9. I prefer the USP9 location, but I prefer LEM models. If the decocker is needed, the USP9 is the better choice. If one wants to run the safety, the P30S is better because there is no ambi safety for the USP.

False. Both lefty and ambi safety levers exist for USP full size and compact. MGW has part numbers. Call HK Web Shop for availability and likely better pricing.

https://www.midwestgunworks.com/hk-u...ety-lever.html

The P30 is hammer fired, making it safer to holster than the VP9. Then we get to the magazine release, and the P30's release is easier to manipulate.

The HK45c mag catch can be altered very easily to fit properly and work reliably in USP FS and compact models. DON'T use it without modifications (discussed in other threads). It's big and blocky and obnoxious, but it's easy enough to shave the plastic to shape it any way you want.

The USPc is too small in the grip so the safety/decocker actually become uncomfortable quickly, however the USPc .45 would be the exception.

I also find the control lever on the USP compact impacts the inside of my strong hand thumb right on the knuckle and raises a blister if I shoot enough. It's painful enough that it subconsciously effects my grip, which leads to performance issues. I even have the problem to a lesser extent on the .40 FS; the .45 FS is big enough it hasn't been noticeable. I've shaved the corner off a lever to relieve this interference, but don't have rounds downrange with it yet. (Vendor issues have kept me from assembling the pistol I was going to try it in.) It looks promising, though. LEM obviously eliminates the problem completely.

FWIW, I've handled a bunch of 1911s where the back of the safety lever hits me in the same place; I'd have to work on those a bit if I owned them.

I voted for both USP and USPc; it's slabsides and pick the one you want based on concealability, weight, caliber and capacity. The Spiderman grip, and in particular the whole concept of the backstrap shape, makes the P30 a non-starter for me. I'm just starting to work with P30 15-rd mags in the USPc; it's not lost on me that that equalizes capacity versus the USP FS.

[2xAGM114]

P30. Ergonomics, technologically advanced design, V1 LEM as a factory option, holster options more widely available.

[SCCY Marshal]

I really dig my first year match triggered USP in .40 with ambi control lever, aftermarket plain irons, and safety-only plate and use it for bush-league 3 Gun. But I carry my heavy LEM converted 40 caliber USP compact. My posurp 45 caliber USP compact is so similar to the 40 cal. that I often run it dry in drills thinking I have four more rounds as in the other gun. Picking a favorite of the bunch, it's be the fullsize by a hair. Fits my meathooks well and just jives with me in much the same way a Beretta 92 does.

The P30 is nice but not for me and I hate almost everything about the P2000. Not sure any is truly better than another but rather some just click with certain people.

[farscott]

False. Both lefty and ambi safety levers exist for USP full size and compact. MGW has part numbers. Call HK Web Shop for availability and likely better pricing.

https://www.midwestgunworks.com/hk-u...ety-lever.html.

I knew about the option to move the lever to or from the left side, but I did not know there was an ambi lever. I also do not see that the ambi safety is available from OEM pistols from HK. It appears to be left side or right side, but not both? Is that correct?

[Hunter Rose]

I knew about the option to move the lever to or from the left side, but I did not know there was an ambi lever. I also do not see that the ambi safety is available from OEM pistols from HK. It appears to be left side or right side, but not both? Is that correct?

HK has ambi-control levers available for both the USP and USP compacts. Just look to the USP Expert and Elite. The ambi-lever comes standard on those.

For other USP models, it’s easier to just order the part and have it installed.

[Hunter Rose]

For the original question, neither the USP or P30 is perfect IMO. The triggers are slightly better on the USPs, mainly for the shorter takeup and length of travel. Also the availability of Match trigger parts on the USP.

The P30 has better recoil/sight tracking characteristics due to the regular recoil assembly.

My perfect pistol would be a USP9 frame with a P30L slide and metal 17-rd mags for the USP frame.

[the Schwartz]

I chose the full-size USP simply because I do my best and most accurate shooting with it. I have the pistol in both 9mm and .45ACP, like how it fits my hands, and have no immediate plans to depart from the design anytime soon.

I've used the USP45 to take whitetail deer as far as 50 yards out and see it as kind of a "do it all" gun since it is also quite suitable for self-defense against threats of the two-legged kind.

[OlongJohnson]

Expert and Elite FS models come with ambi levers. I'm not sure which compact model, if any, came with them.

[Thy.Will.Be.Done]

The dual recoil spring that makes the FS USP 45 able to digest a wide spectrum of ammo, including Super, does the “pogo” in the USP FS and Expert 9 models.

Have you experimented with using hot and heavy ammo in the USP 9 models? Does it do the pogo regarldless of how warm or soft the ammo shoots?