ExSoldier

Okay, here I am in North Florida for Christmas with the in-laws. Temps in the 20's at night and wonderful (compared to Miami). On the way out of town yesterday, I stopped in the next county up from my home to pick up my new gun, the H&K USP 45 standard size. Three 12rd mags came with it. My wife got me (I'm not supposed to know) a "Concealable" model holster from Galco.

Well, first off, it was the wrong model. I specified the LEM and I got the variation ONE. Next thing I noticed was how B-I-G the durn thing is. About the size and heft of the Glock M21. That's unloaded. I put 12 230gr Golden Sabers into the mag and it felt like I was holding the Rock of Gibralter in my hand. I could only imagine the weight PLUS a spare loaded mag, all sitting on my hips. Next, the trigger pull is just a TAD bit longer than my finger can comfortably reach. OTOH, in my hands (both) in a firing grip, I can just sense it's accuracy. It feels really good in a Weaver stance.

My buddy who got it for me, said to carry it over the holidays (it was signed over to me by the transferring FFL) and if I wanted something else, we could just send it right back, and I wouldn't have to pay any shipping or handling fees.

So now I'm thinking about the USP compact, with the LEM trigger and night sights.

Anybody know about this gun in a 45? How does it compare in size to the full size? Can somebody post a pic of them side by side? More importantly, will the compact fit into a holster made for the bigger version? Otherwise, I guess we could exchange the holster for the other size.

I also understand that the compact does not have the recoil reduction system of the bigger version. What's the recoil of the compact in comparison to the larger version or say to a 45 of similar size? I'm not at all recoil sensitive, just wondering.

Does anybody know of the reliability of the compact? A lot of folks I know have said that if there were any gun "ready for WAR" right out of the box, it would be the USP. I was wondering if that also applied to the compact?

Since I'm not at home and sharing this computer, I'll have to just come back and check the thread, because I won't get the e-mail alerts.

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Former Infantry Captain; 20 yrs as an NRA Certified Instructor; Avid practitioner of the martial art: KLIK-PAO.

Euclidean

XD45 Man! I bet it'll be the answer to your prayers!

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Bud White

ill wait till i see the xd45 and get a feel of it before i can tell anyone to buy it .. Certainly not like a Hk and Hk's have good resale value

Euclidean

I dunno, his problem is that it's too big right? Or is it more the weight?

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Betty

Sorry I can't help with a side-by-sde comparison. I've gotten my hands on a full-size .40, and it wielded like a brick. The compact is "large" for a compact, but at least it's smaller than the full-size. I don't have too much trouble concealing my .45 compact.

I've found it to be the "softest" shooting .45 I've ever gotten my hands on, which is why I tote it instead of a 1911 (runs from Bruce). It's also no problem one-handed. So if my teeny little wrists and hands can handle it, I'm sure your man-hands will be just fine.

My USPC has been extremely reliable.

I found a size comparison here.

**added: I changed my link for a better size comparison.

Attached Images

retentiondraw.jpg (95.0 KB, 39 views)

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Bud White

Hks are fairly Big and the compact doesnt seem too much smaller in 45 at least to me they didnt

rocky

The compacts are not much smaller at all. I like the longer site radius of the full size. Also , if the DA trigger pull is too long, what will the LEM trigger pull be like? I have not handled a LEM version. I wore my HK USP .40 full size and a spare mag. all day today, and have for quite a while. If ya get a good holster it is very comfortable. I find my DA pull a bit long, so my first shot may go a bit left(LH Shooter) . As far as compact reliability , never saw a hiccup with my girlfriends Compact.

ExSoldier

Thanks to Betty, I found an answer in this quote from the article link:

The full-size USP and the Compact are not just "chopped and channeled" versions of each other; they are different in proportion, shape and contour. First, the slide is longer, both in the barrel-length direction and in the slide behind the ejection port. The triggerguard is larger. The grip portion of the frame is larger and not as comfortable as the Compact to hold and shoot. The Compact is smaller in circumference, and I find it to be more comfortable to shoot despite its smaller size. Also, the magazines are not interchangeable. The Compact was shipped with steel magazines while the Standard had polymer magazines. Neither would fit in the other.

I was also impressed with Betty's pic of the draw sequence from concealed under a T-shirt to a speed rock position. Of course, hers is a 40 and the 45 will be a tad larger, but then I'm a "tad larger" (lol) than Betty! With a slightly smaller frame size, I should have no problem with the LEM trigger pull and my reach.

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Former Infantry Captain; 20 yrs as an NRA Certified Instructor; Avid practitioner of the martial art: KLIK-PAO.

ExSoldier

Too B-I-G and too heavy. Geeze, it feels like it should be towed on wheels!

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Former Infantry Captain; 20 yrs as an NRA Certified Instructor; Avid practitioner of the martial art: KLIK-PAO.

Bud White

its not tat heavy Ex lighter than a 1911