Tell us about your experience with these.

What model, caliber, accuracy, reliability, and ergonomics?

H&K fan for past 20+ years. Built like tanks, especially the older USP series. I had one leg of the hammer spring break during annual qualifying one year (a WELL used department pistol with probably 10,000+ rounds thru it). Gun kept firing, only the trigger feel went "weird". Department armorer fixed it in 5 minutes.

65BR: Nope.
I checked my on-line and hard copy inventories and I currently own pistols and revolvers made by 8 (eight) different makers and the three you specify are not on my lists.

Smith & Wesson
Colt
High Standard
Ruger
Browning
Kimber
Springfield Armory
Glock

I try to buy "American" - do you consider the Glocks to be American?
Good luck in your survey.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

H&K USP9 and looking for a USP45.

US9 is extremely accurate, reliable and a pleasure to shoot.
Next p30sk I come across will be mine.
If I could find a P7 in decent condition for $1200 I'd buy that too.

Just got a fn 509 tactical so I don’t have much experience with it yet

Put 250 through it in 4 days. Haven’t had time yet to proper break it in and put through paces. About half of that suppressed. Not a single malfunction yet with 115,127,147, or 150 grain ammo.

I like the feel of it and the optic system way better than my Glock 19 mos. the controls are very natural to me. My mag changes with it have been surprisingly fast for a gun I just got. From the bench it outshoots my Glock group wise, but that’s not very important in a self defense handgun in my opinion


But the Glock is tried and true. So the fn will need to prove itself over the next few weeks to get to ride outside the house.

So far I’m very happy with it. Time will tell

Varmint Guy, some Glocks are made in the USA to my understanding, as are FN. Interesting, HK has frames stamped Ft. Smith, AR like Walther, though says made in Germany, so I am not sure if they are assembled here for taxes, or AR just a point of distribution?

Cotis and others, good info. Jack Mtn. - if you are looking, check out the LEM trigger.....if you have not. It might be the better option in the P30SK.

Btw, VG - I don't discriminate, good firearms are good no matter the stamp.

I have the HK 45 USP very strong and very accurate can shoot 45 Super without modification. If feeding is a pr ok lem just change the magazine spring

HK USP Compact, .40 S&W, V1 trigger, extremely accurate, never a problem, fits my hand very well and the controls are perfect for my fingers. My only complaint is that it's not so 'compact' these days compared to current compacts/subcompacts (I bought mine in 2011).

I used it for my range qualification for my concealed weapons permit. Target was a B-27, 50 rounds from 3 yards to 15 yards - I shot a perfect score (250) and I'll admit that the HK made me look good, it's a helluva pistol. I let my course instructor shoot it afterwards and he was amazed at it's accuracy, and his pistol was a Wilson Combat 1911.

I just played around with a new FN 503. It had the worst feeling grip either. Think of a first gen Walther PPS with an even longer F-R length and just as skinny from side to side.

Good stuff - seems most users like their HKs, but also the others. JWP, what brass is used in the Super? How is it vs a 10mm in trajectory?

UPh - yes, handled one recently, it was 'Funky' feeling......ashame.

Looked to be promising.......Ergos Matter!

I used to have an FN-made Browning High power. I've also owned a Walther PPQ. I currently own (and for about twenty years) an H&K USP-45. All excellent guns. Never had a problem with anything from any of those companies.

I like the 509, and came close to buying one once. They seem like extremely well made and designed handguns.

I have a FNP 9 mm with at least 5000 rounds fired. Reasonably accurate, and totally reliable. Good ammo, sloppy reloads, everything runs, always. No failures for any reason !!!!

FN FNX 45 is one sweet “fighting” pistol , very pleasing with dot and can

How it’s sitting right now! Burris FF3. Needs a RMR but gotta recoup gun funds

So far I’m pretty happy and impressed. With 150 subs it’s surprisingly sneaky. Add the wipe and it’s even sneakier


Top picture shows can at smallest configuration and 17 round mag

Bottoms is full on 24 rounds and can long

Dead air ghost m

In my experience the 10mm 180 XTP @1300+ FPS will penetrate about to the same as the 230 XTP @1100 FPS+ but the wound Channel is larger with the 45 Super.

+P brass works very well for 45 Super loads or Star Line makes 45 Super head stamped brass

The 45 Super is loaded to about 27,500 to 28,500 PSI
The 10mm with top end loads is about 10,000 PSI higher

I have run a USP 45 since 1996 and still consider it my main pistol. I have tremendous confidence in it, shoot it well, and cant remember a cycling issue ever. Its not pretty but a workhorse I trust .

I bought a HK45 Compact and had it worked over by Robar a few years ago and like it as a compliment to the USP. I cant shoot it quite as accurately as the USP but I trust it too. It is a better carry gun no doubt.

My next .45 will be a USP Tactical with threaded barrel. I am also considering a USP Compact 9mm too, as I just like them.

Nice feedback and pics above.

Handled the 509, an improvement I thought over the prior FNS compact line. Maybe it’s just a grip texture change but could be more.

What do you guys think of the Tall sights on guns made for reflex sights, if you’re not running one? They seem a bit much to me, I’m sure they serve their purpose, if not running straight irons.

JWP thanks for the tech info.

With a suppressor on I can easily shoot without suppressor height sights. They just make it easier, and me a little more precise at speed. If taking my time no difference

With a red dot you could honestly omit iron sights at all after a little experience. If it’s a target only gun. If for self defense they are 100% necessary, and allow cowitness. If sight breaks, batteries die, or forget to turn one on I can still shoot irons and be consistent.

Burris ff3 is not what I would carry for a defensive pistol red dot. If the FN proves it is reliable it will get a trijicon rmr. It stays on all the time and batteries last 3-4 years. Rugged as heck. I would trust my life on the Burris. It doesn’t have a auto on with movement. Turns off after 8 hours I believe.

I don’t mind suppressor height sights at all. Kinda prefer them now honestly.

Good info. Wonder how many prefer red dot's, given the short distance most PD situations happen?

The height of the sights makes me wonder about any issues with holstering...

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.