Are You OnPoint?

After a disheartening experience during a two gun competition, I realized that I had been asking too much of my tightly fit 1911 pistol. The tight tolerances of the more accurate specimens do not fare well in a sandy environment. I found myself thumbing my slide forward to get my pistol to return to battery. After the pistol cleared itself of sand, it ran fine. Unfortunately, by that time, my competition scores were already in the gutter. I am still a huge fan of the 1911, but the reality is, the tight fit models don’t do well in muddy/sandy environments. This put me back on the market for a .45ACP that would work in the filthiest of environs.

I have always been a fan of the Heckler and Koch pistols. They were the first firearms manufacturer to use polymer frames. This innovation in polymer was used in both handguns and rifles by this tier 1 manufacturer with great success. My business parnter had owned a USP for several years, and had also acquired some P7 PSP pistols. They all performed flawlessly. At the time, I owned SIGs, Glocks, an HS2000 (now called the Springfield XD) and a 1911. My collection needed a trustworthy .45 caliber piece, and the H&K USP 45 was calling my name! I wanted an extremely reliable pistol capable of cocked and locked carry (like the 1911 it was replacing), but with higher capacity. After waiting a while for them to become available again, I finally secured one with twelve round magazines. Now it was time to hit the range.

My first impressions of the USP while firing were that of utter shock. I was amazed at how little recoil it had, as I was expecting a more harsh recoil due to the polymer frame. This low recoil is due in part to the HK recoil reduction system. Some have complained that this recoil system causes the pistol not to fall back on target as well as other pistols. I did not find this to be the case at all. With little muzzle rise, the USP 45 easily returned on target. I quickly shot a smiley face pattern at 7 yards, and later had no problem drilling single hole groups. My only complaint to date is that the Variant 1 pistols exhibit a long and heavy double action trigger pull. This is not an issue to me, as I will be using this pistol almost exclusively in cocked and locked mode.

I give the HK USP series a “Must Buy” rating for anyone who is serious about combat handguns. There are many quality polymer handguns on the market, but in my opinion, the H&K is THE BEST of the bunch! You would expect that to be the case, as H&K was the true pioneer of polymer firearm technology, contrary to most people’s belief that it was Gaston Glock who deserves the recognition. These USP pistols rarely, if ever, malfunction, a trait we’ve come to expect from anything with the H&K badge. As a longtime SIG lover, I have to admit that at the current time, the H&K USP pistol is a better buy than any SIG P-Series handgun. You get a more durable finish, the availability for a hi-capacity .45 auto, ability to carry cocked and locked, all at a lower sticker price!