I have concealed carried a HK USPc since 2000. I have 10s of thousands of rounds through it, it has been 100% reliable, it still looks great, and it is probably the best combat pistol ever made. I also carry a 2005 Beretta PX4 full size, which also has 30,000+ rounds through it, has also been 100% reliable, and is the flattest, easiest shooting pistol I have ever owned. It is a simple task to train to use a DA/SA and l have scapped my striker fired guns in favor of these two guns. I think you will enjoy the HK USP.
@ds5503 Yes, Sir. I actually shoot the PX4 slightly better than the USP at distance. That's probably attributable to the longer sight radius on the Beretta.
The usp is one of the most reliable and robust firearms, I think you’re good. I like the v1 usp for the cocked and locked 1911 style system. The usp 40 was my first handgun and I ended up trading it because I wanted to just focus on 9mm and .45. I still miss the usp, it was awesome one of the coolest handguns and super smooth.
Haha, there's a lot of Call of Duty knowledge in them. Jokes aside, not all young people are like that. There's a small percentage that pay attention to the elders, I´m one of those.
I'm 41, which means I grew up when the USP, Gen2/Gen3 Glock, 92FS, P226, etc were the new hotness and revolvers were still fairly common. I own multiple Glocks, but picked up an HK MK23 earlier this year(one of my bucket list guns). I flat out love that beast, and when I came across a full-sized USP 9mm at a local pawn shop I snapped it up. Now I'm about to pick up a USP Compact 9mm(with a 1996 date, first year of production) and I'm super excited about it. I have a sneaking feeling that the guy you ran into at the range wouldn't be able to shoot that USPc anywhere near as well as you can; it's a combination of working smart AND hard that produces results. I'll freely admit I take a more or less 'old school' approach to shooting, and I tend to stick to what I know. I'm very much the 'old dog who won't learn new tricks.' I don't appendix carry, I don't put red dots on my pistols, I like my ARs with carry handles and my AKs with wood furniture. I still like revolvers and have a few. I haven't felt handicapped by this.
USPc is an excellent carry choice. I had a practically unfired stainless model that I stupidly sold when I was going hard into the high end 1911s. Current carry is a P30, but I have a USPc in 40 that I take with me in my car and occasionally carry. Plan to pick up another 9mm USPc at some point but not sure when it’ll happen. I have found that I prefer hammer fired guns over striker fired. I am an LEM guy though so I don’t have the heavy first pull. Hope the USPc works out for you.
I am an older gun enthusiast as well, but you should look into CZ firearms when you get a chance. The CZ 75 is a true classic, and their subsequent pistols are extremely reliable and function very nicely. The grip of the CZ 75 is one of, if not the best feeling grips in a handgun you can find. Bar none! Just something to look into if you find time. Thanks for your great content!
A lot of people dislike the LEM trigger, me included. It's the worst of both worlds if anything. It's not like a 1911 where you have a manual safety and ONE nice trigger pull. LEM is still a long and weird unintuitive action. And it's not like a DA/SA where you have a deliberate and heavy initial trigger pull acting like a safety, and then subsequent nice crisp trigger pulls. LEM is for those who refuse to learn the DA trigger or refuse to learn to disengage a manual safety. Check out the HK forums and there will be a lot of competition shooters who shoot at a high level who will tell you that they disliked the LEM, and would have preferred to just stick with DA/SA from the get-go.
I would disagree. You can learn to disengage a thumb safety and learn to roll through a double action, you need to learn all the triggers you choose to use. Could be that if someone learned the LEM they might like it. To each their own.
@@aparker2216 I cannot argue with that. If you like the LEM, and you learned it, and you're good enough with it for your purposes, then that's all you need to keep using it.
I always change my carry guns Sometimes I carry a HK45 and other times a Ruger LCP MAX or a 686. Th 686 PC 2.5 barrel fits nicely with shorts and T-shirt.
Awesome gun. Iconic. There are lighter, easier guns to operate for sure. That CZ 10PC that kids were probably shooting is very inexpensive. Probably the best 9mm sticker-fired plastic pistol for the money, no doubt. As Nutnfancy would say, that H&K USPC 9 has a second kind of cool.
I’m a younger shooter(25) but I prefer hammer fired whether it’s semi auto or revolver. I still carry striker gun but they are the first to go should I need to get rid of something in an emergency. Also prefer irons to red dots.
I know this channel isn't about the high-speed or tacticool stuff, but many professional shooters use DA/SAs in competition and win National Titles with them. The Berettas, CZs, Tangfolios, etc are all Double Action/Single Action pistols that constantly win against striker fired guns. The reality is that the initial DA pull (and the following transition to SA shots) takes SOME work to master, but not an insane amount of work. Once you get it down, it's like riding a bicycle, you can do it whenever you want, and you never forget. Ben Stoeger has some good instructional videos on DA/SA pulls. It's always the least experienced on the subject who make the dumbest assertions like that dude at the range telling you to "work smarter". Guess all these pros should be taking notes from random range dudes lol.
It's a good option. So is its little brother the P2000SK. All H&K magazines made after the USP Compact are compatible. Meaning you can use P30/VP9 magazines in the USP Compact. The P2000 shares the same magazine. The P2000SK, P30SK, and the VP9SK can use all the above.
I’m 25 and I’ve carried a few different guns over the years from Glocks, Berettas, 1911s, M&Ps and a Cz P01. With that said Da/Sa guns are a little more challenging than something striker fired which led me back to carrying my rtf2 G19 or my 43x MOS. Nothing wrong with my hammer fired guns im just a touch more comfortable with striker fired pistols since I don’t go to the range as much as I should.
I have tried Soo much with my cz 75, even after so much shooting I still could not go even closer to master the double action trigger pull. Then I had to switch shooting with striker and 1911 in 9mm
25 year old here. I carried a Glock 30 at one point but I ended up trading it in for the usp compact in 9mm and I never looked back. A good gun is a good gun. Doesn’t matter that it’s not striker fired.
You ARE working smarter. DA/SA are superior, everyone knows this, in competition and on the street. [With training]. Ernest Langdon won what? six titles in USPC, and two grandmaster titles I think. Shooting Beretta 92s. The key is what the old six gun guys knew -- with a loooooong double action trigger pull, you can stage the trigger when the gun is present to the target. Allowing a point shooting, flash sight shooting, or deliberate shooting depending on time/distance. Of course, appendix is much, much safer with DA/SA hammer fired. And there you have it. Of course where the USP Compact really shines is 40. Its one of the few guns along with the Beretta PX4 Storm, actually engineered for that round. Note Glock had to up the slide mass in Gen 5 to handle the 40. Awesome gun, awesome video. Love it love it love it.
I shot my j-frame today and my Sig P229. They both are super reliable and accurate, granted with a lot of practice. Striker fired guns just aren't for me.
I can't shoot the big bores anymore. I've got grey in my beard and arthritis in my hands. DA/SA is still relevant. It's easy to shoot if you've put the reps in. I like putting my thumb on the hammer when holstering for safety's sake. That's a nice pistol. You checked out the LEM trigger?
I wonder if the younger gentleman you were talking to was aware that striker-fired firearms are actually *OLDER* than DA/SA autoloaders (my guess--probably not).
Hate that holster. Way to bulky on an already bulky pistol. Holster is too thick, belt loops fluff your cover garments away from body. Kydex iwb with metal clips is much lower profile. Even an outside waistband kydex pancake style holster is lower profile.
If you are already heavily practiced in DA/SA, I would say it’s not working harder. It’s like riding a bike. Pick it up, get acclimatize, and you’re set.
So your faster and more accurate with this than any striker fire? Because self defense is about speed and accuracy. Whoever scores the first hit is most likely to win the fight. Concealed carry is not about cool. Its about speed, accuracy and then situational awareness and avoidance.
I had a USPc in 9mm. I sold it. I've never missed it. No, it's not phenominal. It is at best fair. As a carry gun, it's a complete fail. The good: - it's reliable - The sights are good. - The slide stop is generously sized and properly placed. - The safety works in the right direction, if you are going to use the safety. The bad: - The DA trigger is horrifically bad. It is truly, truly horrid. It is very, very heavy. It stacks terribly. It has a lot of overtravel. No, the DA trigger is not similar, in any way, to a revolver trigger. Good revolver triggers are far, far better. Get a K-frame with a trigger job and you'll see just how terrible the USPc is. Or try a CZ Shadow 2 with a Cajun spring kit, then you'll see what a good DA trigger is. And the reality is that you simply can't improve the USPc trigger much at all -- it is horrid out of the box and will always remain horrid. - The SA trigger is only fair, at best. - The magazine release is a love it or hate it thing. Unless you are going to dedicate yourself to HKs, I strongly recommend against HKs with the paddle mag release, because it requires a different manual of arms. You can't reach the paddle with your thumb unless you break your grip to rotate the gun in your hand. The other alternative, which I really don't like, is to use your trigger finger on the magazine release. I recommend against operating anything with your trigger finger that close to the trigger, because it is an accident waiting to happen. - The slide is stupidly large. It is completely ridiculously oversized. Compare the size of the USPc slide to a Glock 19 slide. There is absolutely no earthly reason that the USPc slide should be that large -- it is a stupid design by lazy HK engineers. But the biggest issue preventing the USPc from being a decent concealed carry gun is the fact that it is stupidly oversized for its capacity. You don't like Glocks, but the reality is that the Glock 19 is a far better concealed carry handgun. A Glock 43x is 10+1 and much, much easier to conceal. The SIG P365 has anywhere from 10+1 to 17+1 capacity and is far smaller than the USPc. If you want a DA/SA handgun, then get a CZ or a P229. The reason that the USPc isn't popular is because it simply isn't a very good gun.
I have concealed carried a HK USPc since 2000. I have 10s of thousands of rounds through it, it has been 100% reliable, it still looks great, and it is probably the best combat pistol ever made. I also carry a 2005 Beretta PX4 full size, which also has 30,000+ rounds through it, has also been 100% reliable, and is the flattest, easiest shooting pistol I have ever owned. It is a simple task to train to use a DA/SA and l have scapped my striker fired guns in favor of these two guns. I think you will enjoy the HK USP.
Both of those are fantastic.
@ds5503 Yes, Sir. I actually shoot the PX4 slightly better than the USP at distance. That's probably attributable to the longer sight radius on the Beretta.
@@brianshuler6951 I like PX4 reset better too, shorter and I can feel it.
I have the USP full size, I converted mine to a light LEM with a Grey guns short reset.love mine.
The usp is one of the most reliable and robust firearms, I think you’re good. I like the v1 usp for the cocked and locked 1911 style system. The usp 40 was my first handgun and I ended up trading it because I wanted to just focus on 9mm and .45. I still miss the usp, it was awesome one of the coolest handguns and super smooth.
God bless those 20 somethings, there's nothing they don't know, not sure how I've made it this far without their sage wisdom!
Haha, there's a lot of Call of Duty knowledge in them. Jokes aside, not all young people are like that. There's a small percentage that pay attention to the elders, I´m one of those.
😆
RUclips makes everyone into experts nowadays. They call it the death of expertise
I'm 41, which means I grew up when the USP, Gen2/Gen3 Glock, 92FS, P226, etc were the new hotness and revolvers were still fairly common. I own multiple Glocks, but picked up an HK MK23 earlier this year(one of my bucket list guns). I flat out love that beast, and when I came across a full-sized USP 9mm at a local pawn shop I snapped it up. Now I'm about to pick up a USP Compact 9mm(with a 1996 date, first year of production) and I'm super excited about it. I have a sneaking feeling that the guy you ran into at the range wouldn't be able to shoot that USPc anywhere near as well as you can; it's a combination of working smart AND hard that produces results.
I'll freely admit I take a more or less 'old school' approach to shooting, and I tend to stick to what I know. I'm very much the 'old dog who won't learn new tricks.' I don't appendix carry, I don't put red dots on my pistols, I like my ARs with carry handles and my AKs with wood furniture. I still like revolvers and have a few. I haven't felt handicapped by this.
USPc is an excellent carry choice. I had a practically unfired stainless model that I stupidly sold when I was going hard into the high end 1911s. Current carry is a P30, but I have a USPc in 40 that I take with me in my car and occasionally carry. Plan to pick up another 9mm USPc at some point but not sure when it’ll happen.
I have found that I prefer hammer fired guns over striker fired. I am an LEM guy though so I don’t have the heavy first pull.
Hope the USPc works out for you.
Nice pistol! I look at it like this: The polymer striker fired guns are efficient, but the older guns are proven. 👍👍
the usp9c is probably my favorite handgun
I am an older gun enthusiast as well, but you should look into CZ firearms when you get a chance. The CZ 75 is a true classic, and their subsequent pistols are extremely reliable and function very nicely. The grip of the CZ 75 is one of, if not the best feeling grips in a handgun you can find. Bar none! Just something to look into if you find time. Thanks for your great content!
They are pretty nice.
Hammer guns are the best. But if you want the best of everything try out one of HKs LEM triggers.
A lot of people dislike the LEM trigger, me included. It's the worst of both worlds if anything. It's not like a 1911 where you have a manual safety and ONE nice trigger pull. LEM is still a long and weird unintuitive action. And it's not like a DA/SA where you have a deliberate and heavy initial trigger pull acting like a safety, and then subsequent nice crisp trigger pulls. LEM is for those who refuse to learn the DA trigger or refuse to learn to disengage a manual safety. Check out the HK forums and there will be a lot of competition shooters who shoot at a high level who will tell you that they disliked the LEM, and would have preferred to just stick with DA/SA from the get-go.
I would disagree. You can learn to disengage a thumb safety and learn to roll through a double action, you need to learn all the triggers you choose to use. Could be that if someone learned the LEM they might like it. To each their own.
@@aparker2216 I cannot argue with that. If you like the LEM, and you learned it, and you're good enough with it for your purposes, then that's all you need to keep using it.
I always change my carry guns Sometimes I carry a HK45 and other times a Ruger LCP MAX or a 686. Th 686 PC 2.5 barrel fits nicely with shorts and T-shirt.
Awesome gun. Iconic. There are lighter, easier guns to operate for sure. That CZ 10PC that kids were probably shooting is very inexpensive. Probably the best 9mm sticker-fired plastic pistol for the money, no doubt. As Nutnfancy would say, that H&K USPC 9 has a second kind of cool.
I’m a younger shooter(25) but I prefer hammer fired whether it’s semi auto or revolver. I still carry striker gun but they are the first to go should I need to get rid of something in an emergency. Also prefer irons to red dots.
I know this channel isn't about the high-speed or tacticool stuff, but many professional shooters use DA/SAs in competition and win National Titles with them. The Berettas, CZs, Tangfolios, etc are all Double Action/Single Action pistols that constantly win against striker fired guns. The reality is that the initial DA pull (and the following transition to SA shots) takes SOME work to master, but not an insane amount of work. Once you get it down, it's like riding a bicycle, you can do it whenever you want, and you never forget.
Ben Stoeger has some good instructional videos on DA/SA pulls. It's always the least experienced on the subject who make the dumbest assertions like that dude at the range telling you to "work smarter". Guess all these pros should be taking notes from random range dudes lol.
I use my H&K USP Expert for competition. I carry H&K 45 C in .45 it's slightly changed H&K USP C.
It's a good option. So is its little brother the P2000SK. All H&K magazines made after the USP Compact are compatible. Meaning you can use P30/VP9 magazines in the USP Compact. The P2000 shares the same magazine. The P2000SK, P30SK, and the VP9SK can use all the above.
I’m 25 and I’ve carried a few different guns over the years from Glocks, Berettas, 1911s, M&Ps and a Cz P01. With that said Da/Sa guns are a little more challenging than something striker fired which led me back to carrying my rtf2 G19 or my 43x MOS. Nothing wrong with my hammer fired guns im just a touch more comfortable with striker fired pistols since I don’t go to the range as much as I should.
I have tried Soo much with my cz 75, even after so much shooting I still could not go even closer to master the double action trigger pull. Then I had to switch shooting with striker and 1911 in 9mm
25 year old here. I carried a Glock 30 at one point but I ended up trading it in for the usp compact in 9mm and I never looked back. A good gun is a good gun. Doesn’t matter that it’s not striker fired.
Nice Milt Sparks, you don’t see them too often anymore
You ARE working smarter. DA/SA are superior, everyone knows this, in competition and on the street. [With training]. Ernest Langdon won what? six titles in USPC, and two grandmaster titles I think. Shooting Beretta 92s. The key is what the old six gun guys knew -- with a loooooong double action trigger pull, you can stage the trigger when the gun is present to the target. Allowing a point shooting, flash sight shooting, or deliberate shooting depending on time/distance.
Of course, appendix is much, much safer with DA/SA hammer fired. And there you have it. Of course where the USP Compact really shines is 40. Its one of the few guns along with the Beretta PX4 Storm, actually engineered for that round. Note Glock had to up the slide mass in Gen 5 to handle the 40.
Awesome gun, awesome video. Love it love it love it.
Yes my neighbor noticed my cz p07 da/sa and asked why would i carry an old gun . Some think if its da/sa its old
I shot my j-frame today and my Sig P229. They both are super reliable and accurate, granted with a lot of practice. Striker fired guns just aren't for me.
I bounce between a Sig P239, 1911, and P7M8.
HK just released a micro 9mm.
The CC9
The USP series is not just "rated" for +p+... it was a design criteria.!
Nerve damaged ✋️
I just need to find a good holster for mine
I can't shoot the big bores anymore. I've got grey in my beard and arthritis in my hands. DA/SA is still relevant. It's easy to shoot if you've put the reps in. I like putting my thumb on the hammer when holstering for safety's sake. That's a nice pistol. You checked out the LEM trigger?
I wonder if the younger gentleman you were talking to was aware that striker-fired firearms are actually *OLDER* than DA/SA autoloaders (my guess--probably not).
I wonder what that youngster would have said if he would see the P-229 in .357SIG that I have gone back to carrying.
I wonder what is the mechanical accuracy of this handgun at 25 yards and at 50 yards?
LEM is the only way I carry HK hammer fired pistols.
I carry uspc 9 most of the time
You can change to a single w safety, so you’re saying the sig 2266 is old and makes you work harder? DO/SA is not hard
Hate that holster. Way to bulky on an already bulky pistol. Holster is too thick, belt loops fluff your cover garments away from body. Kydex iwb with metal clips is much lower profile. Even an outside waistband kydex pancake style holster is lower profile.
If you are already heavily practiced in DA/SA, I would say it’s not working harder. It’s like riding a bike. Pick it up, get acclimatize, and you’re set.
😀😎😊👍🏼
So your faster and more accurate with this than any striker fire? Because self defense is about speed and accuracy. Whoever scores the first hit is most likely to win the fight. Concealed carry is not about cool. Its about speed, accuracy and then situational awareness and avoidance.
Hmmmmm. That doesn't look like a revolver OR a 1911 to me. 😉
It’s a working horse, Bruh! You ain’t old you are wiser!😂
I had a USPc in 9mm. I sold it. I've never missed it. No, it's not phenominal. It is at best fair. As a carry gun, it's a complete fail.
The good:
- it's reliable
- The sights are good.
- The slide stop is generously sized and properly placed.
- The safety works in the right direction, if you are going to use the safety.
The bad:
- The DA trigger is horrifically bad. It is truly, truly horrid. It is very, very heavy. It stacks terribly. It has a lot of overtravel. No, the DA trigger is not similar, in any way, to a revolver trigger. Good revolver triggers are far, far better. Get a K-frame with a trigger job and you'll see just how terrible the USPc is. Or try a CZ Shadow 2 with a Cajun spring kit, then you'll see what a good DA trigger is. And the reality is that you simply can't improve the USPc trigger much at all -- it is horrid out of the box and will always remain horrid.
- The SA trigger is only fair, at best.
- The magazine release is a love it or hate it thing. Unless you are going to dedicate yourself to HKs, I strongly recommend against HKs with the paddle mag release, because it requires a different manual of arms. You can't reach the paddle with your thumb unless you break your grip to rotate the gun in your hand. The other alternative, which I really don't like, is to use your trigger finger on the magazine release. I recommend against operating anything with your trigger finger that close to the trigger, because it is an accident waiting to happen.
- The slide is stupidly large. It is completely ridiculously oversized. Compare the size of the USPc slide to a Glock 19 slide. There is absolutely no earthly reason that the USPc slide should be that large -- it is a stupid design by lazy HK engineers.
But the biggest issue preventing the USPc from being a decent concealed carry gun is the fact that it is stupidly oversized for its capacity. You don't like Glocks, but the reality is that the Glock 19 is a far better concealed carry handgun. A Glock 43x is 10+1 and much, much easier to conceal. The SIG P365 has anywhere from 10+1 to 17+1 capacity and is far smaller than the USPc. If you want a DA/SA handgun, then get a CZ or a P229.
The reason that the USPc isn't popular is because it simply isn't a very good gun.