USP Variants

AR15meister

CGN Regular
Rating - 100%
6   0   1
Ok here goes
HK USP 9mm- what variants are there, what is the most desirable, what should I buy?

I sourced one and I am ready to go with it but I need to have some more information.
 
more than likely your potential pistol purchase will be a V1, or Variant # 1. Which has a lever mounted on the left side of the pistol (for right handed shooters), that does two things; 1-pressing the lever up will place the pistol on safe, 2-pressing it down all the way will decock the pistol safely if it is in SA mode (single action). You can either fire the pistol from DA (double action, a longer trigger press with approx. at 9-12lbs resistance), or you can fire it SA, with a trigger press of approx. 3-4.5lbs)


In my opinion, unless you are holstering or using the firearm from the first shot SA (ie: cocked and locked), you do not need an external safety. The USP has a internal safety already, that blocks the firing pin from coming in contact with the primer unless you physically press the trigger. It is always blocking it until the catch comes up and moves it out of the way as you follow thru with the trigger press.
I use my USP with the $11-$12 part called a V3 detent. It stop you from being able to press the external lever up to engage the safety. I use this now because I use my USP in production division of IPSC in which the majority of shots must be DA. I believe the decocker to be a usefull feature, and allows you to load the gun, (which by cycling the slide, places the pistol in SA), and then decock it to DA-safely.

When I had it in V1 mode, I would sometimes accidentally engage the safety, which I never use. When you change it to a V3, (takes about a minute), you will not be able to accidentally place the firearm on safe.
 
Last edited:
1. DA/SA with "safe" position and control lever (manual safety/decocking lever) on left side of frame
2. DA/SA with "safe" position and control lever on the right side of frame
Variants 1 and 2 allow the user to carry the pistol in a single-action mode (cocked and locked) with the manual safety engaged. This same pistol, without modification, can be carried in double-action mode, with or without the manual safety engaged.
3. DA/SA without "safe" position with control lever (decocking lever) on the left side of frame
4. DA/SA without "safe" position with control lever (decocking lever) on the right side of frame
Variants 3 and 4 provides the user with a frame-mounted decocking lever that does not have the "safe" position. This combination only allows the hammer to be lowered from SA position to DA position. It does not provide the "safe" position to prevent the pistol from firing when the trigger is pulled.
5. DA-Only with "safe" position and control lever (manual safety) on the left side of frame
6. DA-Only with "safe" position and control lever (manual safety) on the right side of frame
7. DA-Only without control lever (no safety/decocking lever)
For the DA-Only user, variants 5, 6, and 7 of the USP operate as double action only pistol with a bobbed hammer always returning to the DA position (forward) after each shot is fired. To fire each shot the trigger must be pulled through the smooth DA trigger pull. Variants 5 and 6 have a manual safety lever.
No control lever is provided on variant 7.
9. DA/SA with "safe" position and control lever (manual safety) on the left side of frame
10. DA/SA with "safe" position and control lever (manual safety) on the right side of frame
Variants 9 and 10 allow the user to carry the pistol in a single-action mode (cocked and locked) with the manual safety engaged. Unlike variants 9 and 10 [sic], the control lever can not be used to decock the hammer. These variants are the ideal choice for users who prefer shooting the pistol in SA mode with the thumb placed on top of the manual safety. This same pistol, without modification, can be carried in double-action mode, with or without the manual safety engaged, and provides second primer strike ability to single-action shooters.
usp-var.jpg
 
Wrong Way said:
So...theres a USP for lefties? I WANT ONE! Anybody with one of these lefty-friendlies for sale?

If you can't find one used, I believe Wolverine has the best prices on H&K, although I haven't seen a price list from TSE.
 
Well you can get a Varaint 1 and change out the control lever its about a $50 dollar part, or install the LEM like I did. I really like the LEM and for a lefty no safetys to worry about. I had a HK Armourer install the LEM, you may not need one for the control lever. Wolverine will do the conversion for ya.
 
mildot said:
Well you can get a Varaint 1 and change out the control lever its about a $50 dollar part, or install the LEM like I did. I really like the LEM and for a lefty no safetys to worry about. I had a HK Armourer install the LEM, you may not need one for the control lever. Wolverine will do the conversion for ya.


Yes, in order to change it to a lefty friendly or an ambi you need the extra part. If you are simply doing a variant change, shouldn't cost more than $12-$13.
 
Back
Top Bottom