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What is one thing that you could talk about forever? You have probably already guessed that ours is firearms, of course! Once, we have talked about Heckler & Koch and their P30 Pistol HERE but today we want to broaden the horizons of HK world of guns for some of you. Today we have HK USP Series on our imaginary “stage”. To be more specific, in this article we are going to concentrate your attention on the full-sized (standard duty-sized pistol), the compact (reduced in barrel length, frame thickness, height as well as magazine capacity), and the tactical version (includes a threaded barrel for use with a suppressor) of the USP pistols. Why these three? Well, they are more likely to attract the attention of those who are looking for a reliable, defensive handgun.
What is HK USP Pistol?
The USP is a polymer frame recoil-operated handgun сhambered in 9mm, 40 S&W, and 45ACP (USP stands for Universal Self-loading Pistol).
What are the different configurations of the USP pistols?
The USP has all sorts of different configurations based on user preferences – right hand, left hand, ambidextrous, no safety, no decocker, LEM (Law Enforcement Modification), double-action-only, etc.
The fire control is offered in 9 available modifications (called “Variants” by HK) and any pistol can be converted to any of the variants offered:
• Variant 1: Single Action / Double Action with manual “safe” position and safety/decocking lever (left side of frame).
• Variant 2: Single Action / Double Action with manual “safe” position and safety/decocking lever (right side of frame).
• Variant 3: Single Action / Double Action without manual “safe” position with decocking lever (left side of frame).
• Variant 4: Single Action / Double Action without manual “safe” position with decocking lever (right side of frame).
• Variant 5: Double Action Only with manual “safe” position with safety lever (left side of frame).
• Variant 6: Double Action Only with manual “safe” position with safety lever (right side of frame).
• Variant 7: Double Action Only without manual “safe” position or safety/decocking lever.
• Variant 9: Double Action / Single Action position and control lever with manual safety and no decocking function (left side of frame). Cocked and locked version.
• Variant 10: Double Action / Single Action position and control lever with manual safety and no decocking function (right side of frame). Cocked and locked version.
In addition to that, all USPs have an ambidextrous magazine release lever and the rail on the bottom to mount lasers and flashlights.
All these features make the USP pistols truly unique.
What about the grips?
There are two main grip textures on these guns. The front and the back grips have a pyramid pattern and provide all the friction you need. The sides are more traditional – low grit sandpaper stippling and very aggressive. That’s why the gun sticks to your palm really well.
The grip angle is quite natural, which helps with instinctual shooting as well.
Summing up
The USP is a highly reliable, durable and high-quality firearm, ideal for concealed carry use, recreational shooting as well as law enforcement and military applications. A lot of engineering efforts have been put into the HK designs. So, they are quite expensive, but when you buy an HK USP, you can feel the quality that’s been built into it.
The USP full-sized pistol is quite large. The USP 45 ACP, for example, is slightly longer and thicker, so users with small hands may have some troubles while manipulating the pistol. The USP Compact is smaller in almost every dimension. But many people still carry full-sized USP pistols as concealed carry weapons (holster selection becomes especially important though).
If none of the USPs fit your hand, look into the P30 Series of guns and read our article about HK P30.
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