HK USP 9 Pistol Review

The HK USP, let’s check it out. (Available Here)

 

In the early 90s, the U.S. Special Operations Command was looking for an offensive handgun weapon system. And from that, HK decided to design a pistol to enter into the trials.

They came up with the USP, which is the universal self-loading pistol. This actually was to replace the original P7, which is their squeeze cocker, and to bring it up more to modern standards. This is a very capable firearm.

There’s a lot of features that just make this pistol just rugged and durable. Again, it’s been around since 1993, so it’s not one of the just super modern designs. This has been around for a while, but it’s still a very capable, state-of-the-art handgun.

Now, the USP was actually designed for the 40 caliber, but 9mm came very quick. This is also made in .45 ACP and in .357 SIG. And the SOCOM Mark 23 actually went on to serve with U.S. Special Forces.

I’ll tell you guys, when the USP came out, I was in love with this handgun, but it was so much more expensive than the other handguns that were out there, and so I never owned one. Let’s go ahead and check, make sure the gun’s unloaded. We’re going to drop our magazine, check the chamber, and it’s empty.

We do have a 15-round magazine. These are very unusual. They’re kind of a polymer, but they’re more rigid than your Glock mags.

This actually drops free very easily, and they seem to be very reliable. In fact, right here, made in Germany, has your witness holes. I believe it’s 15 plus one.

I bought this actually from a good friend of mine. He had nine extra magazines with it, but I believe it comes with two. Now, you’ll notice that the hammer is in the rear position.

There’s a number of different ways that HK offers the USP as far as their safety trigger actions. This is, again, a double single action, so it does have the hammer fire, and then we have a safety if we want to go cocked and locked, or we can come down and we have a decocker, and it does pop back, so the safety disengages once the decocker pops back. You can switch this to the other side, and there are, again, so many options with this firearm.

They do make the LEM version, which is a law enforcement version. It does not have the decocker or safety. The trigger is actually preset, so it has a very light trigger pull.

That’s what I have on my P30, which we’re going to take a look at a couple of other HK options to go along with this one. Again, this is actually designed in 1993, so it’s been around for a long time. Now, the lower receiver is a polymer, and it does have really aggressive texturing, and it has pyramids on the back and on the front, so you have a really good grip on this handgun.

The bore axis is a little bit high. You’ll notice that it does ride above the web of your hand pretty high, but the one thing about this handgun in particular is it has a recoil reducing system in the guide rod, and we’ll check that out in just a couple of minutes. We do have somewhat of an angled trigger guard, and it does have serrations right here, ample trigger guard for your gloved hands.

Then the magazine release is one of the paddle releases, but you’ll notice it is very minimal. To be honest with you, I like to take my shooting finger and pop that down. It makes it really easy, but of course, you can come around and hit it this way.

As you can see, these magazines drop free very quickly. There’s also these divots right here in the grip, and this allows you, in case you have a malfunction and you need to just strip this magazine, you can pull it out. We do have a slide stop here that’s pretty elongated.

You can actually hit it with your thumb. We have an accessory rail, but this is a proprietary accessory rail for only HK type accessories, lights and lasers. There are some companies that make adapters you can put on here with a small picatinny, but it just brings it out a little bit more.

When it comes to the slide itself, this has what they call, it’s a nitrocarburizing finish. It’s a hostile environment finish, and these are impervious to conditions. In fact, the German Navy uses these, and they have reported that this finish just holds up extremely well.

It is actually a black nitride finish. The serrations are easy to grab. With the older design, it only has the rear cocking serrations, but it does have a step down in the slide.

Here again, the hammer’s in the rear position. Just bring it down with a decocker. Now, you have a dovetail rear sight.

These are steel, and then you have a dovetail front. I believe these are night sights. They’re three dot sights, but you can get other options as well.

There’s a ton of aftermarket sights that can go on these. That’s one of the things about this pistol, is there are a ton of aftermarket parts and accessories. Now, for many years, HK designed the P7, which again, was the squeeze cocker.

Very accurate, just excellent handgun. The value on those has really skyrocketed over the past few years. But one of the things that they’ve offered previously, it’s a double single action, is their P30.

This is a more modern design. As you can see, the grip is very ergonomic. It has side panels here.

It has about three different back straps. You have your Picatinny rail section here. You have front cocking serrations, and it’s just a smaller firearm.

This is also double single action, but really it’s the LEM trigger. So this one is actually only double action. We’ll take a look at that LEM trigger in a second.

But one thing you’ll notice is that the USP is a little bit of a larger firearm. In fact, it’s four and a quarter inch barrel, whereas the P30 has a four inch barrel. But definitely a lot of the same cues.

I mean, you can tell these are in the same family, but there are a lot of differences. Now, one thing I will show again is the LEM trigger. We’re going to go ahead and make sure this gun is loaded.

We’re going to drop our magazine, check to make sure the gun is unloaded. It is a metal magazine, and it’s also 15 plus one. But you’ll notice there’s no safety.

There’s no decocker. But what you will notice is that the trigger is really smooth and light. Look at that hammer come back.

That first shot is really easy just to pull that trigger. Now, once the trigger is pulled, you have that LEM again. So there’s never a single action.

It’s always double action, but it is like a single action pull. It’s just a longer pull. And then reset.

You can see it’s pretty far out. Then you bring it back. Now, once the hammer drops, it’s a long, heavy trigger pull, unless the slide racks back and forth.

But that’s just a little bit of a difference. Also, you have an ambidextrous slide stop, and it is elongated to be able to get a hold of it. And the mag release has been extended over the USP.

But then we have the VP9, which is the striker fire version of the P30. And so this one also has the paddle mag release, but it also has a B model, which has a magazine release right here, like your standard pistols, most of your handguns. They do use the metal mags as well.

And really, a lot of the other things are very similar and about the same size. So it’s a little bit smaller than the USP, but they do make a USP compact, which gets it more in line with the P30 and the VP9. Now, one thing too, that’s important beside the slide having this corrosion resistant finish, all the internal parts have a Dow Conning anti-corrosion chemical that’s on there.

So this really makes it slick, and yet it keeps corrosion down. So these are all weather handguns. Now, if you’ll notice at the front of the barrel hood, it actually has just a little bit of a slight incline, and this is made to aid in reliability.

Any kind of dust and debris that gets in here, it makes it a little bit easier for this to function. And that’s one of the design features of the USP. And if you’ll notice on the P30, it is just straight across.

Now, again, the USP was entered in the Special Operations Offensive Handgun Weapon Trials, and they really made this to go through a lot of the tests. It blew through the US trials and also the NATO trials, over 20,000 rounds without any major part breakages. That is with 40 caliber Smith & Wesson, which has a lot more power than your nine millimeter.

Also, they actually introduced a squib in the barrel, and then they shot a round through it, and yet they were able to shoot a four inch group at 25 yards, even after getting the squib out. It did damage the barrel just a little bit, but you were still able to fire the handgun with good accuracy. The barrel is cold hammer forged, which gives it extended life, but also this one has polygonal grooves in it.

Similar to your Glock, but some of the German models use the standard Lansing grooves without the polygonal grooves. Now, one of the other things that’s unique about the German models is that the up is on fire and down is safe, but on the US models, it’s the traditional up is safe and down is fire, which honestly, I like a lot better. Also, it does not have a magazine disconnect, which I really like.

It can be fired without a magazine in the mag well. Guys, I’m telling you, my buddy had a bunch of extra magazines, which I was really glad to get. It seems kind of funny that they are just a polymer, and they’re more of a rigid polymer, and they run about between $37 and $40 a piece, somewhere in that mark, but these have proven to be very reliable.

Of course, with the P30 and the VP9, they’ve gone with a metal magazine, but for military use, I guess they felt like that these were really good magazines and they’re very lightweight. The dimensions is seven and a half inches from the back of the frame to the end of the slide, and then it’s five and a half inches here. Now, it’s about an inch right through here, but when you get into the controls, it puts it about an inch and a quarter.

The weight on the USP9 millimeter, one pound, 11.4 ounces. It is not a light firearm. It is a full-size service pistol.

Now, we’re going to check the trigger pull action. Now, the hammer is down, but it was decocked, and so it makes a little bit of a difference with the double action. As we pull the trigger, there’s some take up right here.

There’s some resistance, quite a bit of resistance, and then we have a break. With the hammer in the rear position, we have single action, take up right here. Nice break.

It’s not super crisp. Go ahead and check the reset, but it’s a definite break. There’s your reset, a little take up, and then back to it.

Definitely not an incredible trigger, but let’s go ahead and check the double action trigger pull. Nine pounds, 3.5 ounces, and let’s check the single action with our Lyman trigger gauge from Brownells. Four pounds, 4.2 ounces.

We really appreciate Fiocchi for sponsoring the ammo, all made right here in the USA. Also, Blue Little Loaders for helping us save our thumbs, as always. Guys, when I bought this pistol, it came with 10 extra magazines, so we can load on Monday and shoot till Sunday.

Now, we took the USP9 down to the range, and I’ve had a lot of experience with USPs, whether in 45 or nine millimeter, and they just function. I mean, they are HK. These were made to function, even in adverse conditions.

We shot about 300 rounds through this pistol, no malfunctions. I actually purchased this again from a good friend of mine, and I’d already shot this pistol, so I was really glad to get it. But with the recoil system, it definitely lowers the felt recoil.

You do have a pretty large slide coming back in your hand, but really, it feels really good in your hand. I mean, the texturing around the grip, it just gives you a solid purchase. But the recoil system definitely helps with the felt recoil, and just makes it a pleasure to shoot.

Plus, it keeps from the wear and tear on your handgun, which really, that’s what it was designed for. Now, guys, again, this pistol was designed for military use, and with all the US military trials plus NATO trials, this handgun was just exceptional in every category. But now, when it comes to accuracy, I was really impressed.

Now, one of the things about the design of this handgun is that it is insensitive to ammo. That means you can shoot just about any type, nine millimeter quality ammo through these handguns, and it will function, and it’ll be very reliable. And so, that’s one of the things that makes this an excellent rifle to take into combat, because it can handle it.

With the recoil reduction, which really makes it easier on the parts, plus it’s less felt recoil by the shooter. Also, with the little bit of an increase of the barrel hood, where it kind of comes down a little bit, it’s going to aid in reliability. And so, this gun is really designed to go to hell and back.

Now, as far as disassembly goes, drop your magazine. We’re going to check again and make sure the gun is unloaded. Bring the slide back, and once you get the little notch in the slide right here at the first part of your slide stop, come over to the other side and just push out, and then you can just pull your slide stop right out, and then the slide assembly comes right off.

We have our recoil spring and guide rod, and we have our Colthammer forged barrel. Now, this is the recoil reducing system that’s in the HK. This was actually their first design that was more toward the Browning linkless design.

But we do have a small part of the spring that’s inside this little captive area, and then we have the main part of the spring that’s also in the captive. And then we have this really unique piece that locks up to the barrel. And so, this really helps.

According to HK, 30% recoil reduction. Here you can see the slide rails are very minimal, even here at the back. And they are steel and they’re reinforced, even though this one seems to be coated a little bit and set into the polymer.

And then you can see the inside and the internals. One thing about a double single action pistol is it takes more to produce, and so typically these are more expensive than your striker fire pistols. Here we have a firing pin safety right here, but overall it looks like a lot of the striker fire pistols out on the market.

But the fit and finish on these handguns is exceptional, and HK is known for that. And guys, that’s all you need to do to field strip. We’re going to bring in our barrel.

Now, you’ll notice the little hook system right there on the end of the recoil guide rod. We’re just going to put it next to the barrel. It just kind of fits like this.

Then you bring over your slide and we’re going to find our little notch right here, drop in our slide stop, and we’re good to go. Very little has changed with the USP design. Even though this was designed in 1993, there’s not been a lot of upgrades.

It’s pretty much the same way it is today. And these run about a thousand dollars, just a little bit over retail. You can find these sometimes for about $850 to $900 as far as market price.

And of course, used guns sometimes come in less. I believe the .357 SIG is no longer being made, but they still make it in the 9, the 40, and the 45. They do make it in a compact version.

And again, there are a number of different trigger styles. In fact, I believe there are nine different trigger configurations and safety configurations of this handgun. So there’s a lot of choices, a lot of aftermarket support with sights, holsters, things like that.

But again, you are going to be limited to what you put on the front of the pistol, and you can get the adapter to put the Picatinny rail if you want to. The magazines seem to be pretty hardy. They hold up well and they’re known for being very reliable, but it’s 15 in one, fairly large pistol.

The bore axis is not as low as say your Glock or even the VP9 for that matter, but really more toward the SIG P226, maybe a little smaller than that. But again, I purchased this from a good friend of mine with the nine extra magazines, and sometimes you can find good deals out there. So guys, if you’re looking for a full size handgun that is just incredibly reliable, I think that the USP 9mm, 40, 45 ACP, .357 SIG, whatever your choice.

I think it’d be an excellent option for home defense, if you like just taking it out to the range or you want it as your go-to pistol. These are just exceptionally made. I mean, they’re made for the elements.

They’re made to go into dirt. They’re made to just be abused, and yet they’ll come through. And that’s one of the things about HK is they’re just really tough firearms.

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Be strong, be of good courage. God bless America. Long live the Republic.

 

-Don