Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Anyone using FN, HK, Walther ?

I have a rare Walther P88 Compact 9MM pistol that I came across a long time ago. It's been fired very little and is in mint condition.

<> www.carlwalther.com/images/p88_compact_1.jpg <>


About the same time (give or take a few years) I acquired a Walther P5, also in mint condition and still is.
This pistol is not one of the German Police discontinued exports that were available years past.

<> www.carlwalther.com/images/p5_gross_2451999.jpg <>


Both pistols are of high quality mfg, dependable, accurate and comfortable in hand.

I recently acquired my 3rd Walther - a new Walther PPKS, in. .22 LR. I always wanted a PPK but always
bought something else. This little pistol is solid and fun to shoot. I have to work on accuracy with it -
but it still has become a favorite.

<> https://image.sportsmansguide.com/adimgs/l/6/669449_ts.jpg <>

Very nice. I had a 380 in the PPK/S long ago, a Manurhin model, shot decent, 22 should do better. Had an Astra Constable and Beretta 70s, both similar sized, and they shot around 2 - 2.5" when I was up to it........short sight radius and the trigger is not the best, but not too bad. Took many snakes and other critters....they were great guns to tote when fishing. Nice 9mms, thanks for sharing. Enjoy them.

Of all things, I'm rediscovering my Walther P1/P38. I acquired it 15 years ago. It was my first experiment with 9mm. There were a bunch of them that went on the surplus market in 2006-- been sitting in a warehouse in Germany. I carried in a bag back and forth to the farm for over a decade as sort of a gun of last resort. You never knew when you might run into a pack of feral dogs or some such on arrival.

As I got more interested in 9mm and handguns in general, the P1/P38 kind of took a back seat. I've been carrying a LCR in 357 Mag as an EDC, alternating with various double-stack 9's. The P1/P38 just kind of sat there. It has some limitations. It doesn't like +P. It doesn't like most HP's. It is built for German 9X19 military ball, and its ilk, and that is about it. It has only an 8-shot mag.

Lately, however, I have been rediscovering it. I found myself a mil-spec leather WWII-era chest holster that I had thought about using with a 1911-type pistol. The P1/P38 fits in it with room to spare. I added a German-issue neck lanyard to the pistol and a 2-banger magazine pouch to the rig. The result is something I can wear on the mower or out for a short hike. The aluminum frame makes it light. I've also found that I can get Hornady 125 grain XTP hollow points to cycle reliably. This has become my favorite combination for when I'm down to just a T-Shirt and out doing chores.

It's more than a 380. It's lighter than it looks. It's accurate as all get out.

I'll probably go back to my double-stack 9 in the fall, but I'm enjoying the break.

Nice post, I suppose they are lighter than the P08. They always had a unique look, enjoy that classic.

I have a couple of HK pistols.
USP 40 fun to shoot and accurate.
P7m8 excellent trigger and extremely accurate and very low recoil. Hasbeen

Thanks.

I have a H&K USP compact, acquired not long after they came out, and carried a P2000 for 7 or 8 years on duty; both .40 S&W. Never had a hiccup with either one, and accuracy was good enough to take jackrabbits with the first shot to at least 75 yards. I never kept track of rounds fired. I liked the P2000's interchangeable backstrap a little better.

It was funny. I'd never really thought about it all that much, but I saw the leather holster in the safe and picked it up. It had been over a year since I looked at it-- probably 2 since I shot it. For a brief moment, I thought the gun had disappeared. Then I opened the flap. In my mind, I had anticipated it to be heavier. That's when I got the idea.

I think what had got me thinking sideways on the issue was I spent a decade or more grabbing that holster every week with 2 full magazines (1 in the pistol, 1 in the mag pocket) out of the range bag and it was the weight of the ammo that threw me off.

The other impetus was that I'd gone down to the safe to test the possibility of using the P1/P38 in conjunction with a birthday present Angus gave me-- one of those big magnets that you mount under furniture. Couldn't get it to stick worth spit. Duh! It's aluminum, silly. I ended up using a Ruger SR9 instead. Those magnets aren't so good on poly carbonate either, but it grabbed on to the slide enough to hold it.

Have had an HK-45C for about 11 years. Dead on reliable, only three jams ever. Two where my wife shooting light target rounds (the manual tells you light target round may not be able to cycle the action) and one was because of a large (bigger than a pea) piece of lint in a loaded magazine that prevented a round from fully chambering. It has probably 10,000 or more rounds through it. Accuracy is better than I can shoot.

Had an HK P2000 SK, never had a jam in over 3,000 rounds. It was for my wife, she really liked it, but did not like the weight and size of a double stack. Wish I could have kept it, but did not have the money to get a different gun without selling one at the time. It too was more accurate than I could shoot.

Good feedback folks, thanks for sharing!

HK P30L.
Wanted the safety model but a reg one came along at good price. Its doable. May get some Grayguns parts.

Looking at a VP9 to add

I really like my H&K USP 45's and 9. I've had several HK pistols over the past few years, here are some of them:

H&K USP .45 Expert. My favorite USP 45 for general use, very well balanced and very accurate. USP's are large guns that feel large, but I do not find them cumbersome. Here it is hanging out with a 1985-vintage Beretta 92F. Another large gun that feels large but is not cumbersome.



H&K USP 9mm Expert. That target was 10-shots at 10-yards in 10-seconds using Blazer brass 9mm 115gr FMJ.



H&K USP 45 Elite. 6" barrel and my favorite automatic pistol for 100-200 meter silhouette shooting.



Because of the unique recoil spring assembly of the USP 45, it can digest everything from hot .45 Super to very light target loads without adjustment. That capability alone makes it, to my mind, a better choice than a modified 1911 if you want an out-of-the-box .45 Super.



HK45 LEM. I regret selling this gun and intend to acquire another. It is one of the most comfortable 45's I've shot and was wonderfully accurate; the LEM trigger takes some getting used to but is an excellent choice for the HK45 platform.



5-shots, 10-yards, 5-seconds, 230gr FMJ.



H&K USP Compact .40. This is the most comfortable compact .40 S&W I've fired, which is to say that I could still feel my fingers after 100-rounds.



Family photo showing size differences. From the top: USP Elite 45, USP Expert 9mm, USP .45, USP Compact .40. The full-size USP 45 is an excellent gun but I prefer the balance of the USP Expert .45. Between the HK45 and the USP 45 (non-Expert), I'd take the HK45.

I had a FNX 45
15 shot
De Cocker model
Double action on first shot, then single action

This pistol was incredibly accurate at 50 yards
Would shoot 200g Wad cutters

Never jammed, ever

Made a mistake and sold it

Great pics and info above......looks like another 45 fan

That USP Elite seems to be begging for 10mm option........

I purchased the original walther PPS in 40 sw just as they were being discontinued. It's been trouble free and quite accurate. I would imagine it is a nice cc option, only measures an inch wide.

I purchased the original walther PPS in 40 sw just as they were being discontinued. It's been trouble free and quite accurate. I would imagine it is a nice cc option, only measures an inch wide.

I got to handle a USP 9mm Expert in Janaury, prior to Covid shutting everything down, and that gun was slick. I regret a bit not buying it. The action cycled so smooth like it was riding on glass rails.

A local gun range has a rental HK45 with threaded barrel but not suppressor sights that is arguably the most accurate factory handgun I have ever fired. It has me on the fence between another USP but in Tactical or a HK45.

I have had an FNS-9 for about 5 years and it is my favorite centerfire handgun to shoot. For my hands and the way I shoot it is comfortable and accurate.

Good stuff folks, thanks.