This page was last updated on Monday, March 10, 2003 19:41

Park Cities Tactical

Ultimate HK F.A.Q.

 

Safe gun handling:

HK Markings:

P7 Line

USP Line

USP Tactical

SOCOM/Mk 23

 

 

 

Rules of Safe Gun Handling

First Commandment:

Always Keep the Muzzle Pointed in a Safe Direction.

This is the most important gun safety rule. A "safe direction" is one in which an accidental discharge will not cause injury to you or others. Never point your muzzle at anything you don't intend to shoot.

Be especially careful when you're loading or unloading, and make it a habit to know where your muzzle is pointed at all times. Treat every gun as if it were loaded.

Second Commandment:

Firearms Should Be Unloaded When Not Actually in Use.

Load your firearm only when you're in the field, or on the target range and ready to fire. Never let a loaded gun out of your sight or out of your hands. Unload it as soon as you're finished shooting, before you bring it into your car, truck, camp or home.

Before handling a firearm, or passing it on to someone else, visually check the chamber, receiver and magazine to be certain it does not contain ammunition. Always keep the gun's action open with not in use. Never assume a gun is unloaded.

Use common sense in the storage of your firearms. Never store loaded guns. Keep guns and ammunition in separate and secure places so they can't be touched without your knowledge, particularly by children.

Third Commandment:

Don't Rely on Your Gun's 'Safety.'

Treat every gun as though it can fire at any time -- whether or not there's pressure on the trigger. Remember that a gun's safety is a mechanical device, and, like any mechanical device, it could fail.

In addition, the safety is not a substitute for common sense. It's only a supplement to your proper handling of the firearm. Don't touch the trigger on a firearm until you're ready to shoot. Keep your fingers away from the trigger while loading or unloading. And don't pull the trigger with the safety engaged, or positioned anywhere between "safe" and "fire." The gun could go off at any time.

Fourth Commandment:

Be Sure of Your Target and What's Beyond.

You can't stop a shot in mid-air. So don't fire unless you know exactly where your shot is going and what it will strike. Never fire at a sound, a movement or a patch of color. Never shoot without being absolutely sure of what you're shooting at, and what's behind it. Before you pull the trigger, be absolutely certain that your shot has a backstop -- such as a hillside, or dense material like sand. Remember, bullets can travel great distances with tremendous velocity -- know how far your shot will go if you miss your target or the bullet ricochets.

Fifth Commandment:

Use Correct Ammunition.

Every firearm is designed to use a certain caliber of gauge of ammunition. Using the wrong ammunition, or mixing ammunition, can destroy your firearm and expose you or bystanders to serious personal injury.

Make sure that the ammunition you use exactly matches the gauge and chamber length of your gun. Refer to your owner's manual to find out about the specific requirements of your gun and always read and heed the instructions on ammunition boxes.

Check all ammunition before you load it to be sure that it matches. If a 20-gauge shell is loaded into a 12-gauge shotgun it will probably lodge in the bore. If a 12-gauge shell is fired behind the 10-gauge, the two will slam together and can cause the barrel to explode, possibly resulting in serious personal injury or death.

If you are a reloader, you must make certain that the loads and components of your ammunition meet your gun's factory-tested standards. Firearms are designed, manufactured and proof-tested to standards based on factory-loaded ammunition. Hand-loaded or reloaded ammunition that deviates from load or component recommendations can be very dangerous.

Observe all possible safety precautions and practices related to the proper handling of explosives. The first rule of reloading is to always follow the powder or bullet manufacturer's instructions for the components you're using. Today's modern powders and primers can lead to higher pressures. Don't mix or substitute powders or primers, because the firearm could explode. Don't use unknown or substandard components. Use only suitable components that have been factory-tested by reputable ammunition, powder and bullet manufacturers. If you don't follow the manufacturer's recommended exact recipe when reloading, dangerously high pressure can occur and lead to an explosion that result in serious injury or even death to the shooter and others.

And don't use reloaded ammunition made by someone else unless you know it comes from a reliable source. Don't use reloads that feel "off" in any way -- for example, too heavy or too light -- of that doesn't look as if they've been carefully made. Defective ammunition is not always detectable by simple visual inspection. If you have any doubts about the quality of reloaded ammunition (yours or someone else's), get rid of it safely. It's better to discard possibly good ammunition than to chamber possibly bad ammunition.

Sixth Commandment:

If Your Gun Fails to Fire When the Trigger is Pulled, Handle with Care!

If for some reason the ammunition doesn't fire when you pull the trigger, stop and remember the First Commandment of Safe Gun Handling: always keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction.

Keep your face away from the breech, open the action, unload the firearm and dispose of the cartridge safely. Remember that any time there is a shell in the chamber, your gun is loaded and ready to use -- even if you've tried to shoot and it didn't fire. It could still discharge.

Seventh Commandment:

Always Wear Eye and Ear Protection When Shooting.

Your sight and hearing risk injury from shooting, and should be protected at all times. Serious damage to your eyes, including loss of sight, can result if the barrel of your gun burst for any reason. Wear shooting glasses to guard against such injury, as well as falling shot, clay target chips, powder residue and twigs in the field.

Continued exposure to shooting noise can damage your hearing. Use the maximum protection of a headset on the range, where shooting volume is the loudest. And learn to use earplugs in the field -- especially in confined locations like duck blinds.

Eighth Commandment:

Be Sure the Barrel is Clear of Obstructions Before Shooting.

Before loading your gun, open the action and make sure there's no ammunition in the chamber or magazine. Check to see that there's no debris of any kind in the barrel. Even a small amount of snow, mud, excess lubricant or grease in the bore can dangerously increase pressure and cause the barrel to bulge or burst on firing.

Use a cleaning rod and patch to wipe away any anti-rust compounds or any other residues in the gun. Never try to remove an object from the barrel by loading another shell and firing. When firing, trust your instincts -- if the noise or recoil on firing seems "off," stop everything and be sure nothing is lodged in the barrel.

Ninth Commandment:

Don't Alter or Modify your Gun and Have Guns Serviced Regularly.

Never alter or modify your firearm in any way. Your firearm has been designed to operate according to certain factory specifications. You will jeopardize your own safety or that of others by attempting to alter its trigger, safety or other mechanism.

Your gun is subject to wear, and must be maintained and periodically serviced to assure optimum safety and performance. Don't allow anyone to service, repair or modify your firearm except a service facility recommended or approved by the gun's manufacturer.

Proper cleaning and lubrication of all parts of your gun are also critical to gun maintenance, and are necessary to assure accuracy, safety and reliability. Clean your gun before and after long-term storage and no less frequently that once a year. And clean your gun whenever it has been exposed to adverse conditions, such as dirt, mud, rain, and snow sleet or in saltwater areas.

Carefully inspect the trigger assembly to be sure it's clean and free of debris and residue build-up. Use recommended lubricants on your gun, and take care not to over-lubricate. Excessive use of a non-recommended lubricant could cause serious functional problems that might result in an accidental firing.

Tenth Commandment:

Learn the Mechanical and Handling Characteristics of the Firearm You Are Using.

Not all guns are alike. They have different mechanical characteristics that dictate how you should carry and handle them. Anyone who plans to use a firearm should first become totally familiar with the type of gun it is and the safe handling requirements for loading, unloading, carrying, shooting and storage.

A Final Thought:

There's one other rule you must follow when handling firearms. In fact, respect for this rule is necessary in order to effectively practice the Ten Commandments of safety.

The rule is:

Shoot Sober.

Alcohol, drugs and guns are a deadly combination. Never consume anything that will even mildly impair your judgment or physical coordination when you're using a firearm.

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Locks

Several gun manufacturers are integrating internal locks on their production models.  Starting in late 1999 HK started to implement the magazine well lock with a two-prong key.  This is in addition to the locking cable all guns are now (supposed to be) provided.  The two-prong magazine lock is a great idea - just not very practical or very fast to manipulate in a time of stress.

The only way to truly and safely lock your handgun is with a cable-type device inside of a safe.  Sort of a "Belt and Suspenders" method by most standards.

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Safe's

There are dozens of safe's and other locking units on the market today.  Safe's range from the single handgun under the bed lock box to a stand-up safe capable of accommodating 10 long guns and 20+ handguns.  Obviously the pricing reflects the size, capacity, fire rating and manufacturer.  Most of the people I have had contact with who own a safe recommend buying one slightly larger than you'll need, this way you'll have additional storage for jewelry, passports, legal documents, etc.   A UL fire rating of at least 15 to 30 minutes would be a good idea as well.

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Frame/Date Codes

HK uses an alphabetic date code on all of their handguns.  To determine what year your HK was manufactured, find the date code and match that up with the following matrix:

A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  K

0  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9

For example - a date code of "KI" = 1998 and "ID" = 1983

The letter "J" is skipped  on all HK firearms but may be present on magazines or other pieces.

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Magazine Codes

There has been much speculation and as many questions about the HK magazine codes.  Suffice it to say that HK has become very tight lipped about them and has never publicly revealed what the code(s) are and what they mean.  I can say that they do NOT follow the same matrix or logic as the frame date codes (above).

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Nitrozellulose/Nitrocellulose ("N" with the Eagle)

This is a universal symbol found on all German firearms that use  nitrocellulose based propellants.

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Stag horn (proof mark)

The symbol to the right of the date code is a stag horn.  It is the symbol of a particular proof house who is located in Ulm, Germany.   German firearms are sent to proof houses prior to  sale and export, for inspection and quality control.  This is much like a 'UL' listing for American  appliances.  There are other proof houses in Germany but HK uses this proof house exclusively.

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Maintenance and Cleaning (from BB)

The P7 line is a bit different from the more traditional USP line.   This is especially evident the first time you go to take apart and clean the P7.   The following is a thread from the Park Cities Tactical Bulletin Board.  The thread was started on February 25, 2000 by PVerdieck and is one of the more prolific threads on P7 maintenance around.  To view the thread on the Bulletin Board, click here.

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Ultimate P7 Pro/Con

Another great thread is one submitted by another Park Cities Tactical Bulletin Board member "P7GURU"   Here is the initial posting which got the proverbial ball rolling.  To view the whole thread, click here.

"P7GURU":

PRO

1. Squeeze cocking. IMHO the safest gun for daily carry. The gun goes from perfectly safe to perfectly deadly in a split second. If you drop it you may have a heart attack because it might get scratched but you can rest assured it won't go off. This gun is incredibly fast.

2. Trigger pull. Thanks to the squeeze cocking system the gun is safely equipped with an excellent single action trigger pull. I've had die-hard partisans of every type of gun praise my P7's trigger.

3. Compact. Although it has full-size controls (no pinky hang), the gun is sized like a compact approaching a subcompact. It is much thinner than almost any handgun.(1.1-1.2 inches).

4. Full-size barrel. Despite this gun's compact size it has a full 4-inch barrel.

5. Fixed-barrel. This gun lacks the tilting barrel assembly of most other full-sized guns. This lends the gun exceptional accuracy. In combination with the aforementioned trigger, this barrel makes the P7 ultra-accurate.

6. Low recoil. This is debatable. I have always felt that this has the least recoil of any 9mm. Some disagree, most don't. This is likely result of the guns low bore/axis and gas system (although some say the gas system should have no effect).

7. Tough! This gun is CNC milled from a solid steel forging. The gun is so solid it could be used as a nasty set of brass knuckles in a pinch. Without picking one up it is hard to imagine how solid this little gun feels. When I had mine hardchromed the smith complained endlessly about how hard the P7 was to machine.

8. Excellent sight radius. Although the gun is short, HK maximized the sight radius by pushing the sights as far apart as practically possible.

9. Oddball manual of arms confuses bad guys and know it all buddies. There are many accounts of cops loosing their P7's to bad guys who were, in turn, unable to figure out the squeeze cocker. On the lighter side, a know it all at a local gunshop had just explained to all of his bad experiences with the P7 when I handed it to him only to watch him fumble around unable to cock it! Hilarious.

10. Chamber fluting allows the gun to function even if the extractor is broken. This feature really makes you think when you are trying to determine which gun you want to bet you life on (no offense, but this a much more serious advantage than being able to freeze the gun in a bucket of ice or whatever).

11. Easily childproofed. The P7's striker can be removed without tools (and without any other disassembly of the gun). The striker can be re-inserted into the gun in roughly 1 second. This could be a major consideration to those of us with small children and stupid friends.

12. Ambidextrous. With the exception of the slide catch and take down buttons, every model of the P7 is completely ambidextrous.

13. Ultra-fast magazine release. This has to be experienced to be understood. Rambo types complained about the PSP’s lack of rapid magazine release. HK, Germans that they are, decided to give them what they wanted—a magazine that ejects so fast and powerfully that they could be used as back-up projectiles in an emergency.

14. Ultra fast slide release. Simply squeeze the handle and the slide will be released.

15. 110 degree grip angle gives the gun natural pointability. 110 degree grip angle makes the gun point just like you finger.

16. Low profile slide. The P7’s low profile slide means that there is very little recoiling mass relative to the frame. This, along with the above mentioned 110-degree grip angle makes reacquiring targets a breeze with the P7.


Con

1. The gun gets uncomfortably hot after 60 (or so) rapid shots. More of a training problem than a "real world" consideration.

2. Finish lacks durability. Blued finish wears quickly and is very little protection against corrosion.

3. Very expensive. At over $1000, this gun is out of the range of many buyers.

4. The gun's design is such that it gets dirty quickly when shot.

5. The gun malfunctions when not maintained properly. While this is true of all guns, the P7 seems to be more sensitive than most modern autos. The solution is to keep the gas cylinder clean.

6. The P7's cocking lever emits a click when released. This is more of an issue with SEAL wannabes than real people. The theory is that the noise will alert the bad guys to your presence. Easily overcome with technique anyway (press in cocking latch at top of cocking lever while releasing your grip). With this technique the gun is almost silent and certainly quieter than any SIG or USP with decocking lever.

7. Low capacity. Except in now unavailable M13 (LEO only) and M10 (discontinued for ugliness), capacity is limited to 9 rounds (with one in chamber).

8. Grip screws come loose too easily. Use lock-tite.

9. Can't use lead bullets (see cleanliness issues above).

10. Slide lock button too small for some.

11. Magazine release on M8/M13 too sensitive to careless holstering (accidental magazine ejection). PSP model doesn't suffer from this (Euro-magazine catch).

12. During an emergency a user might accidentally squeeze the trigger while squeezing the cocking lever. I personally think this isn't a problem. The P7 was designed with a fair amount of take-up in the trigger so the gun is tolerant of some sloppiness. The moral of the story is to keep you finger off the trigger until you are ready to kill something. It should also be noted that your trigger finger is relatively independent of your other fingers. I can't remember the physiological term, but the other three fingers usually act in unison while the index finger is only partially connected. Still, in an emergency anything is possible--practice proper form with all firearms!

13. For some, seriously ham-fisted users, the gun might be accidentally disassembled if the take down button is inadvertently pressed while the slide is being racked. This is extremely unlikely, however, it can be done with practice.

14. Disassembly not for mere mortals. A "detail strip"
can involve a lot of head/heart ache. The gun has a fair number of parts but the real problem is the gun's unorthodox design [Expert reassembly tip, use grease to hold in the mag release spring--otherwise you will go mad trying to hold everything together while attempting to drive in the assembly pin]. An armorer at HK told me that they regularly have to reassemble guns for owners who let curiosity get the better of them. Fortunately, there is really no reason to strip it down beyond a "field strip." Just spray in some gun oil and wipe.

15. Possible difficulty depressing cocking lever with weak or injured hands. My father has weakness in his right hand related to a stroke he had a few years ago. For a while he was unable to cock my M8. On the other hand, once the lever is squeezed it only takes about a pound and a half to keep it cocked.

GHB

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P7 Accessories

As far as I know - the P7 series were not designed to accommodate any frame mounted accessories.

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Hard Chroming

There have  literally been dozens of threads on the virtues, craftsmanship and costs of hard chroming your P7.  Park Cities Tactical has over 125 threads on Hard chroming alone!  The most popular and, by all accounts best, hard chrome jobs are done by the following individuals.  These are in no particular order:

Tripp Research   Metalife    Ford's Guns / Horace Booth   Showgun - Bob Munck    Metaloy

There are also several threads discussing different chrome finishes and applications.  Here's a good thread with several side-by-side pictures.  You can also do a search in the Cult of the P7 on CHROME, HARD CHROME or of one of the individuals or businesses listed above.

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Descriptions of the P7M8, P7M10, P7M13,  P7PSPand the P7K3

Although they look a great deal alike - the P7 series are different in their own way.  Three variants of the P7 pistol are currently available. The P7M8 and P7PSP are 9mm models that use eight round magazines. Essentially the same as the P7M8, the P7PSP has a smaller trigger guard and European-style magazine release in the bottom of the frame. The P7M13 is similar to the P7M8, but uses a thirteen round magazine. The P7M13 is currently available only to law enforcement and military users. 

For example - the P7M8 holds 8 rounds of 9mm and is a relatively slim handgun perfect for CCW; the slightly larger sibling to the M8 is the M13 which capable of holding 13 rounds of 9mm the M13 is slightly fatter and longer in the grip.

Here's a graph from HK-USA's web site with a side-by-side comparison of the 3 models:

 

Specifications

Model P7M8 P7PSP P7M13*
Magazine Capacity

8

8

13

Sights

3-dot

3-dot

3-dot

Width

1.14 in.

1.14 in.

1.30 in.

Height

5.10 in.

4.92 in.

5.30 in.

Sight Radius

5.83 in.

5.83 in.

5.83 in.

Weight

1.72 lbs

1.75 lbs

1.87 lbs

Barrel Length

4.13 in.

4.13 in.

4.13 in.

*For Military/L.E. Use Only

 

Although not in current production, the P7M10 has reached collectable status among the P7 and .40 S&W crowd.  The M10 was introduced to the US market in 1991 with the new 40 S&W cartridge.  The sales were less than staggering mainly due to the beefed up slide which was deemed by many to be too bulky and unnecessary for the .40 round.  The increased mass in the slide area also created a problem for those P7M8 and M13 owners who now had to invest in yet another holster...

Interestingly enough - the original production models and prototypes did not have the larger frame. A larger more massive frame was thought to be needed to handle the venerable .40S&W round.  The M10 was discontinued in conjunction with the 1994 Crime Bill.

 

The P7K3 is an interesting study in the duality... or "triality" of a pistol.  I'll explain.  The P7K3 is not one, not two, but three handguns in one nice package.   The K3 is available in 9mm "Short" (US .380 caliber), .32 Auto as well as .22 LR.  With the combination of an extra slide and three barrels the owner has quite the  versatile package!  Simply swapping out a barrel or slide will magically transform your K3 into a new caliber.  This is also unique in that the barrels on the M8, M10 and M13 are not removable or interchangable.

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Chantilly, Sterling, Oberndorf import markings

HK has imported their handguns and rifles from Germany through VA for quite some time.   Sterling, VA is their current US headquarters so all firearms now bear the Sterling stamp.  Several years ago HK was located in Chantilly, VA thus the Chantilly stamp.   Get the picture?  To the best of my knowledge - there is no real difference in the markings with respect to overall value or collectability.

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Refurbs

There has been much discussion on the subject of refurbs.  Seems that there have been different police agencies who have traded in their P7's and have opted for another side arm.  HK USA has taken these P7's, milled off the police marking, checked the springs, trigger and barrel for wear and tear and have put these back to good condition to sell to the general public.  Some of the refurbs do NOT have the mill marking however.  The P7 refurbs are priced well below the price of a NIB P7.

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Plum slide

There are several threads going on about people's P7's slides turning a deep plum color as opposed to black.  This has NOT been found to be a structural deficiency nor does it seen to detract from the P7's overall value.  This is happening to both NIB, LNIB as well as quite used P7's.  Try doing a search on the Bulletin Board for "PLUM SLIDE" and you'll get several hits.

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Silent Decocking of a P7  update.gif (1811 bytes)

Here are  a couple of methods describing how to silently decock a P7.   I have personally tried both methods and have found the first method to be the easiest and more effective method.  Try them both and see which works best for you!

Please remember to make sure that your P7 is UNLOADED!

Method #1 from the P7PSP Manual (page 4):

   Silent uncocking

  To uncock the weapon silently, pull back the slide approx. 0.39
  in. (10 mm), release the squeeze cocker and lead the slide forward
  by hand.

 

Method # 2:

This takes two hands but hey, it works! First time you do this unload the P7, just to be extra safe with your gun handling.

1. UNLOAD!!!
2. Squeeze cock the pistol.
3. Finger off trigger, straight

This first time (so you can see what you are doing) role the cocked P7 over in your hand and straighten your middle finger of your grip (strong) hand. This should be the finger right under the trigger guard at the top of the squeeze cocker. Now, if you look into the space under the trigger guard of your COCKED P7, you will see the "Cocking Latch" (this is part #45).

4. Straighten middle finger of strong hand and expose the under side of the trigger guard.

5. With your index finger of your non grip (support) hand push in on the cocking latch. Now slowly release your grip on the squeeze cocker and the P7 quietly decocks.

Practice this in a low ready position with out looking and you can get quite good at it.

WHY THIS WORKS:

We all know the P7 takes about 12-14 lbs of pressure to cock but only needs about 1+ lbs of pressure to remained cocked. This is a result of the cocking latch. The loud sound we hear when we decock in a traditional way (no matter how slowly or quietly we try) is the cocking latch disengage and the result is the "drag lever" (part #39) slamming against the inside if the squeeze cocker."

When you decock the silent way I explained, the drag lever "rides" the squeeze cocker forward and there is no slam.

Try it!!!!

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Magazine difference (PSP v. M8)

They are different... need some help with this one...

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Holster Recommendations

Holsters are very personal pieces of equipment.  The central function of a holster is to safely and securely hold your firearm in a comfortable and convenient position for potential usage.  A holster can be made out of a number of materials ranging from fine tanned leathers to synthetic compounds.   They can be belt mounted, inside of the waist band of your trousers, shoulder mounted, held in a pocket or double as a fanny pack or a purse.  Some of the major holster manufacturers are (again in no particular order):

Galco    SafariLand    Lou Alessi    Milt Sparks    Del Fatti    Sidearmor    Blade-Tech

 

Our very own Moderator and long time Bulletin Board member

SAWBONES wrote a fantastic review on shoulder holsters. 

To read his review  -   click here.

 

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Models & Caliber's

The HK USP (Universal Self-loading Pistol) is the first HK pistol designed especially for American shooters.  The USP's are available in either full or compact sizes. 

The following are available in the FULL SIZE Model: 9mm, 40 S&W and .45 ACP.  The USP Full Size models are only available with the HE (Hostile Environment) finish.    Here's a chart with the specs for the FULL SIZE USP's:

 

Specifications

 

9mm

.40S&W

.45ACP

Magazine Capacity

*15

*13

*12

Sights

3-dot

3-dot

3-dot

Width

1.26 in.

1.26 in.

1.26 in.

Height

5.35 in.

5.35 in.

5.35 in.

Sight Radius

6.22 in.

6.22 in.

6.34 in.

Weight

1.65 lb

1.66 lb

1.74lb

Barrel Length

4.25 in.

4.25 in.

4.41 in.

*US Civilian magazine capacity is 10 rounds.

 

The COMPACT models are available in the following caliber's: 9mm, 40 S&W, .357 Sig and .45 ACP.  The Compact models are available in both the HE finish as well as a two-tone (Stainless slide - HE lower) configuration.  Here's a chart with the specs for the COMPACT SIZE USP's:

 

Specifications

 

9mm

.357 SIG

.40 S&W

.45 ACP

Magazine Capacity

*13

*12

*12

8

Sights

3-dot

3-dot

3-dot

3-dot

Width 1.14 in. 1.14 in.

1.14 in.

1.14 in.

Height

5.00 in.

5.00 in.

5.00 in.

5.06 in.

Sight Radius

5.35 in.

5.35 in.

5.35 in.

5.63 in.

Weight

1.47 lb

1.53 lb

1.53 lb

1.60 lb

Barrel Length

3.58 in.

3.58 in.

3.58 in.

3.80 in.

*US Civilian magazine capacity is 10 rounds.

 

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Variants

The USP line is unique in that you can reconfigure your handgun with only a few relatively inexpensive parts.  For example, you can go from a Variant 1 to a  Variant 5 with only a few modifications.  Below is a chart from HK-USA with an explanation of the Variants.  The chart shows the options for a COMPACT however they are the same for the full size (except that there is no .357 Sig in FULL SIZE):

 

uspc_table357.gif (42309 bytes)

 

 

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What makes a Tactical?

Basically - The USP Tactical is a beefed up full sized USP 45 yet smaller than the SOCOM/Mk 23.  The major differences are: extended threaded barrel with an "O"-ring (this helps reset the barrel to its original place thus increasing accuracy), adjustable match trigger and adjustable sights.  The Tactical comes with a nice carry case, two spare magazines, a cleaning kit and a small spare parts kit.  The Tactical will also come with a cable-style lock.

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Accessories

There are a few accessories available for the Tactical.  These include a thread protector, flash suppressor and a UTL.  The thread protector and the flash suppressor are available from Larry at CCFA.  A sound suppressor can also be attached to the threaded barrel.  These are available from several places such as CCFA, Knights, AWC and Gem-Tech.  Other accessories include the LAM (Laser Aiming Module) from Wilcox.

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Holsters

The Tactical will fit into just about any holster that will accommodate a full sized USP 45 just so long as the bottom of the holster is open and that the sights can fit in and out without being hung up or snagged.

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What makes a SOCOM/Mk23?

The HK Mark 23 Caliber.45 ACP pistol gives shooters match grade accuracy equal to that of the finest custom made handguns--yet they exceed the most stringent operational requirements ever demanded of a combat handgun.

The Mark 23 provides this accuracy without the need for hand-fitted parts common in custom-built match pistols costing thousands of dollars more. One of the most thoroughly tested handguns in history, the MK23/Mark 23 project originated in 1991 when HK began development for the U.S. Special Operations Command, the unit that directs the activities of America’s most elite military units, including the Navy SEALs and the Army Special Forces.

On May 1, 1996, the first MK 23 pistols were delivered to the U.S. Special Operations Command for operational deployment, making the MK 23 the first caliber .45 ACP pistol to enter U.S. military service since the venerable Government Model 1911A1.

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Accessories

There are a few accessories available for the SOCOM/Mk 23.   These include a thread protector, flash suppressor and a UTL.  The thread protector and the flash suppressor are available from Larry at CCFA.  A sound suppressor can also be attached to the threaded barrel.  These are available from several places such as CCFA, Knights, AWC and Gem-Tech.  Other accessories include the LAM (Laser Aiming Module) from Wilcox.

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Holsters

Due to the size and bulkiness of the Mk23 - there are only a handful of holsters out there that will accommodate the Mk23.  Most of the holsters I have seen for the Mk23 are thigh/Tactical holsters from SafariLand.

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Ammo

The SOCOM/Mk23 will eat just about any ammo you care to feed it.   If you are shooting a suppressed SOCOM/Mk23 - only use BALL ammo- NO hollow-points!

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