Hi....I was hoping someone could give me a reccomendation on which model of H&K's USP to buy. This is my first pistol purchase, and it is for self defense. My choice would be between the USP full size or compact, .40 or .45. I am 6'2", 200 pounds, and have pretty big hands and long fingers. How much more stopping power does the.45 have over the .40? Will a .40 last longer than the .45? Thanks

Id get a compact .45 The full size is a little to big.The compact is the sane width as a 1911 in the grip and the slide is not much wider.If you need smaller get the 40.I just like the 45 better.My 45 compact has 3200 rouns thru it as of today.Without one problem.

If you're after the mighty USP, Congrats. You should love it. My first choice, for a guy with normal to biggish hands would be either the .40 or .45 fullsize. These are two different frames, btw, the .40 shares a frame with the 9mm. The .45 is slightly bigger. I have normal sized hands, and I can still control my USP 9mm completely, but I would reccomend that you go handle them b4 purchasing. Neither should be too big, as you describe your hands.

As to caliber choice, you have options. The HK USP is about the ONLY .40 I would buy, for a very good reason. It was DESIGNED as a .40, and was not "Modified 9" as so many other .40's are. So, the .40 is likely to hold up and not go kaboom. They tested the USP with 30,000 rounds of +P ammo, and I believe 6,000 proof loads, and when they got done, they fired it with a bullet wedged in the bore, and it worked fine. Barrel bulged a bit, but it still had tight groups. Check this site for the stats. [url]www.streetpro.com/usp[/url], and click the torture testing link.

So, your .40 should hold up for a very long time, and your wrist will probably give out before the gun does. It's also the only gun where the hipressure of the round doesn't give me reliablity, safety, or longetivity concerns.

The .40 fullsize still has 13 round hi-caps for sale, though they are a bit salty(around $100 bucks apiece). The .45 is limited to 10 rounds, being released after the crime bill. tke your pick. And, yes, the USP is rated for +P+.

Stopping power? 'Bout the same. Whichever works for you. You can pick your loads with these +P+ guns, so .40 or .45, pick a good, respected HP round, like the HydraShok, or Cor Bon, and go with it.

Pick your gun, basically. I would go with a fullsize if it's going to be your primary weapon, but any of the series will serve you well for years to come. My personal pref. is the 9mm fullsize, because of caliber and mag avalibility, 15+1 rounds and the +P+ took care of any wimpy bullet concerns. But, again, pick what suits your likes and needs, you can't go wrong here.

Juggernaut

You really can't go wrong with an HK USP.  I have a full size .40 and it has been great.  100% reliable and very accurate.  It is great as a home defense gun, but may be somewhat large for discrete concealed carry.  You may wish to look at the Compact versions if you plan on carrying it concealed.

There is a great HK discussion board,  www.hkpro.com, that has a lot of good info.  You may wish to check it out before you buy.

Good luck and enjoy whatever toy you buy!

What Jugg said, it was designed for the 40.
I have th full size 40 and I would buy another in a heart beat. Little bro has the 45 compact and if I wanted a compact thats the one I would pick

The .45 compact is a perfect combination of size and power. 8+1 of .45 auto and fairly concealable. I have the stainless slide version, variant 1. It has been an excellent weapon.  

I have heard a lot of speculation about the H&K USP 12rd mags the response is about 50/50 from what I hear. Some say they are legal unrestricted mags and others say they have to be illegal because they were made after the 1994 ban.
If anyone knows for a fact either way please respond, but with proof or a link to a webpage that is credible with the information. I'm not harping on you Juggernaut I just would like to know all the facts. You may be correct but this is what I do know:
The Mark 23 H&K .45 was made before the 1994 ban and A LOT of 12rd mags were manufactured in the time before the ban. These 12rd mags are "Pre-ban" mags. These mags fit the H&K USP .45, BTW-the H&K USP .45 mags will not fit the Mark 23.
Those 12rd H&K mags that are circling the gun auction sights and gun shows very well may be "pre-ban" mags.
Now, if the justification that the mag is illegal because its not being used in the gun it was designed for than that could be a factor but how many new guns made today are compatible with pre-ban mags? I say quite a few. Is it illegal to use the mags in those guns?
I don't think it is....
What do you guys think? Know for sure?

John

Get whichever one it really won't matter...because after you get your first one they become addicting.  So then you will have to get the other one and so on.  

I would definitely recommend the full size USP 40.  I had one of these a couple of years ago, and it shot like a dream.  Unfortunately for me, it was stolen in a break in of my home (before my gun safe came along).  I have been about ready to cry.  I bought my USP for $479 NIB in the spring of 1999.  I see now that most USP's are upwards of $600.  I am still looking around for another one.  I have never fired a pistol that fit my hands so well, that was that easy to operate, and well it just looks cool to boot.  

Not a slam, and I see that you have a disclaimer "credible", but I am always amazed that people will only believe something if they read a web page or some internet data point. Everything else, including experience is a mute point if there is no data point to 'verify' said info.

I own 3 USPs in 45 caliber. @- full size for on duty and one compact. If you have larger hands go for the larger USP...I would handle both of them before making a final dission though. NOTE: On the full size the SS version is being discontinued, so for coleectability reason I would go with the SS version. There are rumors that the Compact is SS will go out later this year and that will mean the rst will all be blue.....

Here are osme photos of mine:
http://content.communities.msn.com/isapi/fetch.dll?action=get_album&ID_Topic=2&ID_Community=SwatDoc