Posted: 12/1/2010 8:39:50 PM EDT
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Is there any reason to buy one other than to complete a collection?
They are about the size of a cinder block, and are too bulky for anything I do feel sorry for the guys trying to get their money back out of them. |
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Not in my opinion. It is no more accurate than the Tactical, Expert, or Elite, and in fact, I can shoot better groups with the three T,E, &E USPs because they have better triggers, better sights, and they fit me batter. The Mark 23 it is heavier, over sized, and the two I have had have the worst trigger pulls of all my two dozen plus HKs, coming in at over 5.75 pounds SA pull. A lot of people gush over them because as they see it, bigger is better and size matters, and if it cost more it must be better and of course, there is always the range ghee-whizz factor, but in all honestly I see no need for the pistol for myself other than a collection piece. When it came time to sell one of my more expensive HKs to finance another project, there was no remorse in letting one of the Mark 23s go, at least not much anyway. I still have the shooter but the safe queen went to better pastures.
But since HK has announced the Mark 23 is to be no more, if you want one you had better move now while NIB are still available, especially if you want a NIB collection piece. |
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Quoted:
Once I shot the USP Tactical, my Mk23 was history. Same accuracy, trigger, capacity in a much more practical and better balanced package. Nothing against the Mk23, but I was underwhelmed by it's performance. –– I only speak from my own practical experience. That makes two of us. I thought I was the only one on Earth who thought the Mark 23 was much ado about nothing because it seems most Mark 23 owners gush over them like it was some kind of super pistol. I have a personal half-baked theory that most who go ga-ga over the Mark 23 just don't want to admit they made a $1000 (over the price of a Tactical) mistake. Surely having bragging rights about having the most expensive standard production .45 ACP pistol at the range cannot be worth that kind of money can it? If I can take a Tactical and do anything the Mark 23 can do any day of the week and twice on Sunday then anyone can. It's a great pistol for some I guess but for people like me it's just too damned much of a good thing. I do fear the HK gods might smite me for uttering such heresy but I have to call it like I see it. Apparently we were not the only two who grew fatigued of the Mark 23's size and cost or HK would not have permanently dropped them from production. They do make an excellent collection piece though. |
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That makes two of us. I thought I was the only one on Earth who thought the Mark 23 was much ado about nothing...Apparently we were not the only two who grew fatigued of the Mark 23's size and cost or HK would not have permanently dropped them from production. They do make an excellent collection piece though. When the SEALs opted instead for the Tactical over the Mk23 for mission specific operations requiring something other than the P226, HK lost their biggest customer for this pistol and the only reason the Mk23 existed in the first place. It appears it will place in history as a curiosity. The first 'offensive handgun' that the very organization that helped in it's design to be the do-all, decided it was impractical. The original price for one of these is reflective of the development costs and probably also HK deciding not to sell if for the public for less than they were selling it to SOCOM. |
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Quoted: Quoted: Once I shot the USP Tactical, my Mk23 was history. Same accuracy, trigger, capacity in a much more practical and better balanced package. Nothing against the Mk23, but I was underwhelmed by it's performance. –– I only speak from my own practical experience. That makes two of us. I thought I was the only one on Earth who thought the Mark 23 was much ado about nothing because it seems most Mark 23 owners gush over them like it was some kind of super pistol. I have a personal half-baked theory that most who go ga-ga over the Mark 23 just don't want to admit they made a $1000 (over the price of a Tactical) mistake. Surely having bragging rights about having the most expensive standard production .45 ACP pistol at the range cannot be worth that kind of money can it? If I can take a Tactical and do anything the Mark 23 can do any day of the week and twice on Sunday then anyone can. It's a great pistol for some I guess but for people like me it's just too damned much of a good thing. I do fear the HK gods might smite me for uttering such heresy but I have to call it like I see it. Apparently we were not the only two who grew fatigued of the Mark 23's size and cost or HK would not have permanently dropped them from production. They do make an excellent collection piece though. Three. Agree with all reasons. You can always spot the ones who do not want to admit they made a mistake - first is to claim some never achieved in real life ridiculous accuracy, second is to claim quieter than a mouse fart with KAC silencer. George-In-Sunny-Az comes to mind. |
| I had one a couple years ago and it is definately a "Look at Me,Look at Me" weapon.I'm 6'2" with big hands and it was too big for me.My Expert does everything the Mark 23 does at almost 1/2 the price.I really can only see getting one if you already have everything else in the USP family. |
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I really like the Expert and the Tactical. I have both. I've owned the Elite and Mk23. I regret selling the Elite for no other reason than you don't see them around too often. I've shot my Tactical with the YHM against a friend's Mk23 with a KAC and it was impossible for us to tell the difference in sound reduction between the two in the field (I've been so happy with the YHM Cobra that I purchased their Phantom for my SASS and M4).
I'm not trying to dissuade the purchase or ownership of a Mk23. They are a fine and impressive weapon. I do recommend before purchase that the prospective owner try out it's little brother, the Tactical. In the end it, no matter which is purchased, at least it was an informed decision and ultimately a personal preference and not someone else extolling the ultimate Tacticool must-have. |
| I say that if you want it, then go for it while there are still some out on the market. Bought mine about a month and a half ago, and I love it! True, it is a little extravagant and the Tactical can pretty much do everything the Mark 23 can do. But the thing was more of a present to myself to celebrate a career milestone, so I didn't mind the hefty price tag. My $.02... |
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Quoted:
Is there any reason to buy one other than to complete a collection? They are about the size of a cinder block, and are too bulky for anything I do feel sorry for the guys trying to get their money back out of them. I feel happy for the guys like me trying to get a lot of bullets out of them 
They are not practical, but they are cool, durable, accurate, fun to shoot. Wouldn't get one as my only pistol. I agree with the above posts after reading about the tactical: you can get all the practical advantages (ammo capacity, durability, accuracy) in a smaller package. I am happy that I got my Mk23. Might get a tactical down the road, but won't sell my mk23 
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Quoted: I would own one just for the fact that HK will not be making them anymore, which gives it a chance of its value increasing in the future. They may be big and chunky, but damn they're cool. Funny... The Sales Rep at US Autoweapons in Scottsdale told me that they were only discontinuing production temporarily. They normally do it to prevent a flood in the market. That they were going to resume in about 5 years or so. Apparantly that's how HK does business. Of course naturally, I'll concede to those that are more in the know... |
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Just go to the HK-USA web site, on their forums. They state pretty emphatically that the Mark 23 is DCed for good. They have always been a limited run pistol but this is not the normal twice a year end of run DCing that unscrupulous dealers use to use on unsuspecting buyers trying to get them to buy what they had in stock instead of waiting for the next run of Mark 23s; this is it for good this time. Over and done.
This is straight from the HK-USA web site: HK is officially discontinuing the Mark 23 pistol. We currently still have the pistols in stock and they can be ordered thru your local dealer or an HK authorized dealer. A list of HK authorized dealers can be found at http://www.hk-usa.com/locator.asp. MSRP on the pistol is $2310.00 and it will ship with two 12rd magazines 10rd magazines are available in states that require them. |
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Huh! Well whaddya know. Glad I got mine when I did. I for one hope that accessories for it will remain in stock for a little while longer. I'm still trying to get my hands on a thread protector for that thing. I know I could always use the internet. But I think I'd rather buy it locally. |
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Sure the tactical will do the same thing a mk 23 can do, as will an FN tactical.
A Toyota corolla will get you to work just as well as a Porsche too. Ymmv Bit I want to know about support by hk after dc'ING them. Will mags still be manufactured? Barrels etc too? |
| I bought the MK23 when it first become available to the civvie market in mid-1990's. I traded in my USP40 for it because I wanted a 45. I didn't like it. The grip was HUGE! I never could shoot to its full potential due to the grip size. Sure, it was a nice weapon. But I didn't hesitate to trade it for an HK93 when the opportunity arose. |
Well, I have both the MK23 and the .45 Tac. I enojy both of them. Like others have said, yes the Tac has alot of the same features that the MK23 has, but I love shhoting the MK23. I think it's slightly more accurate and has way less of a recoil. Yes, it's a huge pistol, but I don't have a problem with the grip size. It's not much larger than the standard USP or Tactical grip (see the pic of the USP 40 ontop of the MK23. You can see that the slide and trigger guard are the main parts that are larger). Anyways, it's a fun gun to shoot if you can afford one. Not every one can go drop $2K on a pistol. But, if you can, you'll love it!
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Well, I have both the MK23 and the .45 Tac. I enojy both of them. Like others have said, yes the Tac has alot of the same features that the MK23 has, but I love shhoting the MK23. I think it's slightly more accurate and has way less of a recoil. Yes, it's a huge pistol, but I don't have a problem with the grip size. It's not much larger than the standard USP or Tactical grip (see the pic of the USP 40 ontop of the MK23. You can see that the slide and trigger guard are the main parts that are larger). Anyways, it's a fun gun to shoot if you can afford one. Not every one can go drop $2K on a pistol. But, if you can, you'll love it! http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee487/joshr911/IMG_0045.jpg http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee487/joshr911/IMG_0043.jpg http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee487/joshr911/IMG_0038.jpg http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee487/joshr911/IMG_0039.jpg http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee487/joshr911/IMG_0040.jpg http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee487/joshr911/IMG_0041.jpg My sentiments exactly, coming from someone else that owns both guns. It isn't practical for concealed carry, I won't argue that. But I can't see any other way it's size would affect it's usage. The weight isn't even an issue. Despite it's physical dimensions the polymer frame keeps the weight identical to a standard 5" 1911. On the plus side, it is strong enough to handle .45 Super and possibly one of the most durable handguns ever. It also has a chrome lined barrel that is 1" longer than the Tactical. |