Are USP Compacts combat reliable? Accurate? Easy to field strip and maintain? Would you recommend one?

Does poop stink?  My HK USPc in 45ACP has seen 8K of ammo.  Have I had a malfunction?  Yeah, only when the instructor in a defensive handgun class was loading the mags with dummy rounds to induce failure!  I shoot my guns!  The fullsize big brother is at 26K and counting!  There is no finer handgun out there!  Buy one with confidence!  I am just as accurate almost with the compact as the full size!

GO FOR IT

What he said.  I would also highly recommend one.  Accurate, fun, concealable, well made, reliable.  Very easy to disassemble and maintain.  Place in VM2 and enjoy.

Forgot to mention:  Bought a sight tool from TopGlock.com and Mepro tritium night sights.  Installation took about 45 minutes.  Very easy to do.  Much more versatile now.  IMO.

Yes, Yes, Yes and Yes.  For a long time I put off buying an HK.  I have a thing for classic vintage Sigs.  I have always respected HK, and it was only recently that I purchased my first one.  I got a really good deal on a new USP9c that I couldn't pass up.  

To make a long story short, I purchased another HK almost a month after this one.  I picked up and HK USP45c.  Both of them either meet or exceed my expectations in a carry/self defense pistol, combat or whatever else you might be doing with it.  

There are a lot of really nice polymer pistols out there.  You are going to pay top dollar for a new HK, but you are buying the best IMO.  Like Sigs, HK's are the Porsche of the firearm industry.  I am probably a little bias so, don't read to much into this post.  

I would't hesitate to buy another HK.

How easy is it to field strip them? Can they fire when you throw them in dirt, mud, snow, etc just like bigbore's G21 torture test?

bigbore did a torture test on his USP compact and it kept on choking up...

11,000 rounds through my USPC 45 and not that first hitch and that with all ammo from 165-230 match to +p.

They are more accurate than the shooters shooting them in 99.9% of the cases.  Don't blame the pistol if you cannot hit your target.  That only makes people who know HKs laugh.

Very easy to strip and maintain.  Detail stripping is not needed unless you crawl through mud and sand.  A normal field strip is all that is needed followed by normal cleaning and oiling.  These pistols are designed to run and that they do very well.

Recommend one, you're kidding right?  In my top three choices for a carry weapon all are HKs, only caliber or size varies.

Not casting criticism on BigBore because he is one hell of a great guy to buy from and deal with but he is a die-hard Glock fan.  I will wager dollars to doughnuts that if a die-hard HK guy did the same test the results would be totally opposite.  I am NOT saying BigBore slanted the results on purpose, only that when you have a vested interest in the outcome one cannot help but influence the results.  I know for a damned fact that I could not objectively test a HK against any other brand because I am so heavily prejudiced toward them.  That is why in drug testing the tests are done in double-blind studies, so nobody can unintentionally influence the outcome of the tests.  
Only let a die-hard fan of any brand test weapons he has no interest in the outcome.  For me I could test Sigs and Glocks all day long with out prejudice because I like each equally well, but throw in a HK and all bets would be off.  Sorry, I’m only human.  

+1 to all of the other comments. I carry a compact 45 everyday in a VMII.

Bomber

Came back from the pistol range today after feeding another 300 through my USPf40. On a whim i tossed it into a pile sand after firing off the last of a mag and dragged it through slide open and all. Dirt was wet it having been raining and all so after loading another mag i released the slide and fired all 13 off. Other than it spitting crap all over me and the trigger being a bit heavy it worked just fine.
Now i gotta clean the bastard so i wont be doing that again....

very very easy, takes just seconds.

Quoted: How easy is it to field strip them? Can they fire when you throw them in dirt, mud, snow, etc just like bigbore's G21 torture test? bigbore did a torture test on his USP compact and it kept on choking up...

Uhhhhhhhhhh........Yeah.

On my compact .45 USP, which has less than 5K through it, the retaining ring that holds the recoil spring on the guide rod has broken twice. That is the only thing that has broken on any of my pistols, which in general are pretty reliable tools.

I've got less than 1k through my USPC .45, but I don't think I'll own another Glock in my life.  The only malfunction I've ever had was a bunch of FTE's from hand-loads made for a friend's 1911 with a very light recoil spring.  Other than that, this pistol beats out anything I've shot short of full-blown custom 1911's for fit, finish, feel, and reliability.

Buy with confidence.  You won't regret it!

I'd be in the "I put off buying an HK for a really long time" camp.  I've got a ton of great hand guns, my HK is my hands down favorite.  I've since bought a sibling for the USPc40 I originally bought.

The c40 is a great carry gun, light, concealable, and flat out reliable.  Breaks down in seconds, reassembles just as fast.

I guess I've become biased, but it is one helluva pistol.

and a big +1 on adding the Mepro sights.

Quoted: How easy is it to field strip them? Can they fire when you throw them in dirt, mud, snow, etc just like bigbore's G21 torture test? bigbore did a torture test on his USP compact and it kept on choking up...

Can't say that with cetainty, because every situation is different.  

Induce sand in a different manner than what bigbore did, and the Glock may fail to fire and the USPc may fire.  Who knows.

All I know is, they're damn reliable for a compact, and in every other test that ANY USP variant has been in, they've always finished on top, even over Glocks.

A great test to look at that proves results vary is the Larry Vickers USP vs 1911 vs Glock test.  Guess what happened?

The Glock came in last in that test.

Go figure.

Scott

Quoted: Quoted: How easy is it to field strip them? Can they fire when you throw them in dirt, mud, snow, etc just like bigbore's G21 torture test? bigbore did a torture test on his USP compact and it kept on choking up... Can't say that with cetainty, because every situation is different.   Induce sand in a different manner than what bigbore did, and the Glock may fail to fire and the USPc may fire.  Who knows. All I know is, they're damn reliable for a compact, and in every other test that ANY USP variant has been in, they've always finished on top, even over Glocks. A great test to look at that proves results vary is the Larry Vickers USP vs 1911 vs Glock test.  Guess what happened? The Glock came in last in that test. Go figure. Scott

have a link to the Vicker's one?  i'd be interested to see that.  thanks.

I've owned my c357 since '00 and have never had a jam, FTF, FTE, or anything close.  Don't keep track of round counts, but it's up there.  I trust mine with my life.