Posted: 5/20/2009 6:05:51 PM EDT
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Recently purchased a USP compact in .40 and have put 150 rounds through it so far. I consider myself an accomplished shooter, so I was both a little surprised and a little taken aback with it's initial performance. First 50 rounds, it kicked like a mule and had no grouping at 15 yards. Next 50 were a little more manageable, but it wasn't the amazing sidearm I was expecting. The last 50, things seemed more inline with what I was expecting. The group tightened up to about 8" at 25 yards, and the recoil seemed more consistant and a lot lighter. My questions are as follows.....
1) Is this expected/typical in the USPc .40? 2) Should I run it up to 1000 rounds before I start passing judgement or jumping to conclusions? 3) Does anyone have any experience with EFK Fire Dragon ported barrels, and if so, is this a worthwhil;e upgrade? 4) Is this behavior typical with all the H & K models? I love the gun, I guess I was just expecting something a little different. Any and all info will be greatly appreciated. |
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Quoted:
Is this behavior typical with all the H & K models? None of which you described is typical of the USP series. 
No slam intended, but I'm not sure why you describe the .40 as "kicking like a mule". It may be snappier than the 9mm or .45acp, but it in no way "kicks like a mule". I have no clue as to your handgun experience, but this flies in the face of the rest of us USP owners, IMO. Groups from 25 yards should be in the 3-4" range with normal ammo, less with better ammo. Have you had any other shooter use this gun to compare results with? What ammo are you using? 
The Fire Dragon barrels will be a waste of $$ in the USP, IMO. My .o2 |
| A lot of people find the .40 to be a bit more "flippy" than other calibers in the same platform. Also, from your post it seems that as you fired more rounds downrange, your groups and your ability to manage the pistol/recoil improved. This is also to be expected with HKs (or any other reliable pistol) and is referred to as "practice." As to dropping in a ported barrel, IMHO it would be a waste of money. Too many people spend a bunch of money trying to "buy accuracy" with gadgets/accessories when they would be better served buying ammo or training to improve their skills. |
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No offense intended to fellow USP owners (to clarify, this is a compact BTW), but for the amount of $$$ I spent, I expected a little more performance.
I shoot Magtech 180gr. FMJ at the range, and this is my 3rd .40, first two being a S & W mod 410 and a Beretta 96. Generally I shoot at a series of steel targets at mixed distances, from about 10 - 25 yards, maybe a little more. I have used a S & W mod 915, Sig 229, Glock 19, Ed Brown Executive 1911, Colt Combat Elite, Sig 226, and a Kimber Match on this same range set up, and the H & K was by far the least accurate of the bunch. I am glad that the two responses so far have discouraged the purchase of the aftermarket barrell as I am hoping the gun just needs some breaking-in time. I am not looking for questions as to my gun skills or what type of ammo I may or may not be shooting, I am just hoping to hear someone say "yeah, that can be expected when they are new", because I really want to love this gun. |
| I have nothing for you on why the first 50-100 rounds seemed to give so much recoil. Subjective probably. H&K barrels are usually considered to be 'match grade' in most every model they make, so my guess on the accuracy...and the fact that it got better for you...would be that it is simply a new gun for you, and not one you have become used to yet. I say shoot it some more and see if things don't improve for you with it. |
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Quoted:
No offense intended to fellow USP owners (to clarify, this is a compact BTW), but for the amount of $$$ I spent, I expected a little more performance. I am glad that the two responses so far have discouraged the purchase of the aftermarket barrell as I am hoping the gun just needs some breaking-in time. I am not looking for questions as to my gun skills or what type of ammo I may or may not be shooting, I am just hoping to hear someone say "yeah, that can be expected when they are new", because I really want to love this gun. Sorry to burst your bubble, but by & large, USP's do NOT need a break-in period. On the odd chance they do, it normally takes no more than 2-3 mags (not boxes!) thru them for everything to settle in. As for the compact, many USP owners will & do claim that they shoot their compacts more accurately than their full sized brothern. I know that *I* get smaller groups from my .45 Compact than I do from my full size. No rhyme or reason to this, nor logic, I know. 
Forgive me for asking this, but have you dry fired the gun a good bit to watch what the front sight is doing? I also think the gun may not like the particular ammo you're using either. I know you didn't wish to hear either of those options, but in arfcom, our advice is worth what you're paying for it............... 
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Yes, I have considered that the particular ammo choice may be suspect. I picked up a couple boxes of 165 gr. fmj to see how it handles with a lighter round. To answer your question, I haven't dry fired it much at all, much less watched the front site, but that is good advice, and something that I will do for sure.
I have noticed upon further inspection, that the front site seems to be positioned a little left of center, possibly .5 - 1.0 mm. Although if that were the case, the rounds would be hitting towards the right side of the target, and they seem to be evenly dispersed on all sides. My plan is to go to the range and fire from a bench rest at 10 yards and see what type of pattern I'm getting, after I get a site pusher and make an adjustment of course. |
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Quoted:
Although if that were the case, the rounds would be hitting towards the right side of the target, and they seem to be evenly dispersed on all sides. This is why I asked about both dry firing & your ammo. This seems to me to be a huge arrow pointing in those directions, IMO. I too vote to leave the sights strictly alone until you get much better groupings. My .o2 |