Anyone own a Heckler & Koch USP?
- Thread starter st1264
- Start date
True. But personally, I would still prefer a USP made in Germany simply for the fact that they do have that extra but of QC at the third party proofing house (hence the horn stamp).
Same here, that antler matters to me YMMV.
The European mentality is different from the American one, there is alot more pride in what they do over there, so attention to details increase.
I can feel this when I pick up my USP. It's feels like the gun is custom/hand fitted. I feel nothing of sort with the M&P40 for example. The first indication of this to me was the fact that the slide, frame and barrel all share the serial and eagle mark.
The European mentality is different from the American one, there is alot more pride in what they do over there, so attention to details increase.
I can feel this when I pick up my USP. It's feels like the gun is custom/hand fitted. I feel nothing of sort with the M&P40 for example. The first indication of this to me was the fact that the slide, frame and barrel all share the serial and eagle mark.
I found this to be very helpful and informative. Hope you all like
http://www.hkpro.com/index.php?opti...n-hk-firearms&catid=4:special-topics&Itemid=5
Thanks. I'm going to be selling a couple of handguns in the near future to fund a P2000...I have been bitten by the H&K bug!
Pre-2004, they were considered equal; personal preference. Now, with all the QC rumors I'm hearing and with the former Mimber CEO and his love for MIM parts in the Sigs, I'd hold off on buying SIG. yes, there are those that have them and love them; no issues. But I have read many more accounts of newer Sigs crapping out. Not for me. And definitely not for $1k+.
HK is the tops. German Hk is tops+
I'd take a US made HK over pretty much any other factory handgun... But I'd still take a German made HK over a US made. Maybe that's splitting hair but still, unless I'd get a signifiant rebate, why not. And I doubt there is a difference, I actually doubt we have a choice: the way I understood it HK don't build the same gun in different plant at the same time.
I just gave a closer look at my USP, can't see the DE anywhere...
So all I can see that clearly says made in Germany is this:
I also just realized the frame was dated AH like the slide.
Two other things nobody mentioned so far:
1- USP have polygonal rifled barrel, not land/groove.
2- USP have proprietary adaptor, not picatiny.
I just gave a closer look at my USP, can't see the DE anywhere...
So all I can see that clearly says made in Germany is this:
I also just realized the frame was dated AH like the slide.
Two other things nobody mentioned so far:
1- USP have polygonal rifled barrel, not land/groove.
2- USP have proprietary adaptor, not picatiny.
1- Yep, since 1992.
2- Also known but you can convert (if you need a light/laser)
blackacres
Regular
- Location
- Mount Hope, Ontario
Just to clarify things, apart from the HK45 (or at least that's what I thought! See below), all HK pistols are manufactured in Germany.
I like most others, understood that the early HK45 were manufactured in Germany for the first few years. Also, most of us were aware that approximately two years ago all of the German made tooling to manufacture the HK45 was sent to the US to manufacture and assemble that one model in the US.
I own a US made HK45, before purchasing it I spent a while looking for an used German made gun, but last year I jumped on one of the few shipments that became available.
I had been told by several people that the quality of the US HK45 vs the German made gun was just as good, when I compare it to my other German made HK's, I would have to agree.
However, I have to share this story with other HK CGN's. Please bear with me, if this little story rambles on a bit, but I thought it was a pretty cool gun related 'happening'!
I was flying home from Atlanta last Friday, as I was sitting down after we boarded I noticed that the fellow behind me was wearing a HK shirt. I asked him if he worked for HK and he said "yes". I didn't want to say too much, so I said "I own some of your products and really like them."
As we were decending into TO, I stood up to get a pen to fill in the customs card
The fellow handed me a HK pen and said I could keep it. I thanked him and then we landed.
As we deplaned, he handed me a tan ball cap with the HK logo on it and said "next time you go to the range, you can wear this"!
I asked him what he did with HK. As we were now off the plane he then began to chat a lot more, I then noticed the strong German accent. He said he was in HK's LEO/Military sales and he was returning from a demo of the MP7, a new grenade launcher and a new SMG, at a base in Little Rock. He told me that he lives in Germany, but travels a lot to the US to demo HK products to the LEO/Military. Get this, he told me he made 70 trips to the US last year!! Man, I thought I travelled a lot!
I told him that I owned four HK pistols, I said that the P7M8 was a work of art and a joy to shoot. I told him I had a Mk23 and his eyes opened and he smiled, "yes, two very nice pistols you have there" he said.
I then told him I also have a USP and an HK45, and added that I would have liked to have found a German made one, instead of the US model I have. He smiled and replied "you are mistaken, your gun was completely made in Germany, it was only assembled in the US".
I told him that I had heard that all of the equipment/tooling was sent to the US to make the gun. He said that HK only sent some assembly related tooling to the US. He added that HK have not allowed the US to make a HK gun yet, as they do not want to risk their reputation like some other German gun makers!
However, he said they may make this move later this year or next, as they want to offer a 5.56 rifle to the US military.
He added that they are considering a limited "partnership" with Daniel Defense to build the gun.
Made my day finding out more about one of my HK's and getting some 'swag' to boot!
Oh, to the original poster, I own 7 pistols, four of them are HK's, 2 are older West German made Sigs! Kind of speaks volumes of what I think about HK's and German made guns.
I like most others, understood that the early HK45 were manufactured in Germany for the first few years. Also, most of us were aware that approximately two years ago all of the German made tooling to manufacture the HK45 was sent to the US to manufacture and assemble that one model in the US.
I own a US made HK45, before purchasing it I spent a while looking for an used German made gun, but last year I jumped on one of the few shipments that became available.
I had been told by several people that the quality of the US HK45 vs the German made gun was just as good, when I compare it to my other German made HK's, I would have to agree.
However, I have to share this story with other HK CGN's. Please bear with me, if this little story rambles on a bit, but I thought it was a pretty cool gun related 'happening'!
I was flying home from Atlanta last Friday, as I was sitting down after we boarded I noticed that the fellow behind me was wearing a HK shirt. I asked him if he worked for HK and he said "yes". I didn't want to say too much, so I said "I own some of your products and really like them."
As we were decending into TO, I stood up to get a pen to fill in the customs card
The fellow handed me a HK pen and said I could keep it. I thanked him and then we landed.
As we deplaned, he handed me a tan ball cap with the HK logo on it and said "next time you go to the range, you can wear this"!
I asked him what he did with HK. As we were now off the plane he then began to chat a lot more, I then noticed the strong German accent. He said he was in HK's LEO/Military sales and he was returning from a demo of the MP7, a new grenade launcher and a new SMG, at a base in Little Rock. He told me that he lives in Germany, but travels a lot to the US to demo HK products to the LEO/Military. Get this, he told me he made 70 trips to the US last year!! Man, I thought I travelled a lot!
I told him that I owned four HK pistols, I said that the P7M8 was a work of art and a joy to shoot. I told him I had a Mk23 and his eyes opened and he smiled, "yes, two very nice pistols you have there" he said.
I then told him I also have a USP and an HK45, and added that I would have liked to have found a German made one, instead of the US model I have. He smiled and replied "you are mistaken, your gun was completely made in Germany, it was only assembled in the US".
I told him that I had heard that all of the equipment/tooling was sent to the US to make the gun. He said that HK only sent some assembly related tooling to the US. He added that HK have not allowed the US to make a HK gun yet, as they do not want to risk their reputation like some other German gun makers!
However, he said they may make this move later this year or next, as they want to offer a 5.56 rifle to the US military.
He added that they are considering a limited "partnership" with Daniel Defense to build the gun.
Made my day finding out more about one of my HK's and getting some 'swag' to boot!
Oh, to the original poster, I own 7 pistols, four of them are HK's, 2 are older West German made Sigs! Kind of speaks volumes of what I think about HK's and German made guns.
Clobbersauras
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Waaay out west.
blackacres, thank you very much for posting that story. An HK and Daniel Defense alliance would shake the pillars of the U.S. AR world!
- Location
- The Hammer, ON
TheGamerXxX
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- North of the 49, Manitoba
If you want it... Yes.
Luke
Luke
Not a matter of if you want it. Just buy the damn thing. You will love it.... Unless you're an avid 1911 user, in which case you will hate the trigger of the USP and concoct 1000 reasons why your 1911 is better despie knowing deep down inside that the USP is far superior...
