Quoted: The Sigs in my area are just as expensive as the HK's with comperable features. Infact, most of them are more expensive. That...and sigs aren't anywhere as reliable as HK's. My Sig 226 requires LOADS of oil to run properly. Even if HK's cost 200 more than sigs, I'd still buy the HK's.

+1 the cheapest price I found in my area for my Sig P220 was 699.00 with three 7 rnd mags, I kinda wished I looked at a USP, I hope I don't regret my purchase.

Quoted: for you people who complain about expensive, my advice to you: DON'T BUY IT. if you have to complain about the price, you can't afford it. don't bitch about it here, please go buy other gun that you can afford.

+1 there....

Maybe we need a HI-POINT forum for those people??

KyARGuy

Quoted:  I'm here to get info.  I do that before I buy things.  The only things I don't like are carnies.... small hands.

I'm afraid of circus clowns

The price of a HK is due to marketing, engineering, quality, and reputation.
Cost of production influences the final price but it is not the deciding factor.

German engineering is considered top notch and companies like Sig and HK benefit from that, no matter where they are actually assembled.  The founder of Kahr Arms selected the name Kahr because he thought it sounded German.  Guess what, Kahr's are expensive too.

I'm sure the taxes required by companies to pay in Germany have something to do with the price.  You know Germany is in the heart of Socialist Eutopia!

It's mainly the name.  H&K has been making reliable weapons for awhile and they are very trusted.  Think of it this way... HK doesn't even have ads in gun magazines, but you still want what they have to sell.  That should tell you enough about how awesome their products are.  Now their customer service department will leave you wanting more...

The price also increases as reliability reports increase.  Just look at the Springfield XD/Croatian HS2000.  HS2000s were selling for $250 brand new before they were a proven firearm, and now the same pistol is selling for $500 because people have become familiar with the name and comfortable with its reliability.

I don't plan on spending more than $700 for a new USP compact .40 LEM w/ factory night sights.  I'm still waiting for them to make the USPc with a standard accessory rail instead of the USP series one.  I heard it was going to happen but I haven't seen anything else about it.

Quoted: This is part of the reason they are worth the money. You aren't buying 1 pistol, you are buying 10. Have an officer in the Dept. that is left handed, or want to change the duty weapon to LEM? No problem just give the pistols to the armorer and let him change it for you. www.hunt101.com/img/380283.jpg

You actually get even more than the 10 shown there.  The LEM trigger system is a whole other variant.  Sweeeeeeet

I have a USP 45.  It's a great pistol.  I also own 3 Glocks, including the 21.  I find myself reaching for the Glocks more.

I love shooting the HK but it just annoys me sometimes.  I hate the cost of the mags and I hate the weight of the thing.  I doubt I'll ever sell it because damn is it a tack driver.  However, I still carry a Glock every day.  

Having different choices is what makes the gun owning hobby so damn fun.

I used to wonder why HKs were so pricey until I finally got one.
I own a Glock and an HK and I think HK's are vastly superior. I've had people that can't stand plastic guns really be surprised how solid the HK USP is and how well it shoots.

Heckler and Koch roughly translates to english as High Kost.

But they are worth every penny.

SIGs are about the same price in my experience.

And if those mechanisms are so simple and cheap to mass produce, why aren't Jennings and Lorcins recommended?  Same thing, and a lot cheaper than even the mighty Glock. Oh, let's not forget about High Point.  Those have to be the best.  Since the mechanisms are all the same anyway. None of the cheap guns will jam or malfunction more than the super high dollar SIGs or HKs right?

Quoted: Cost of production. How many people do u know with a HK? Persoanlly including my self I know 3. Glock owners hell everyone I know owns at least one glock. look at the cost of Walther p99's low production numbers = higher cost.

hehe
Now you know one person without a Glock.....
I will not buy one .... (I might use one at  the range if it's a gift to me)
Well I am biased to the German guns.... I was born in Germany and lived there 20 some years... so once the Walther collection is full it will be H&K's
that P2000 (including SK) V3 is just amazing..... that decocker on the back of the slide is the best thing H&K ever came up with as far as handguns
See Glocks are so cheap due to the lack of scond strike capability hey(will run and duck now)
just my 2 cents worth

Quoted: Quoted: ETA: I've seen them go up in price as the dollar has weakened. yeah that's the argument I've heard that holds water.  exchange rates are insane since around the invasion of iraq....  seriously affecting imports.  That I buy.  But htat only goes so far.

Just again my 2 cents...... It has nothing to do with the war
The EURO has over the years gotten stronger and stronger...... but I doubt it was impacted by the war.... Though I was not looking at guns when the Euro was first introduced and was like 80 cents to the dollar.... but now that it is roughly 1.40(1.20 today) Euros to the dollar it wouldn't surprise me to see prices have gone up over the years....
The Euro wasn't introduced till 2002.... though it might seam that war impact it... every new curreny starts out low .......

Quoted: Honestly, If I found it for 600$ I'd jump on it.

Compact .45, $550

Full-Size 9mm, stainless slide, $599



I'm getting my 9mm compact end of this month for $550 off a friend of a friend.  

So, chapperjoe, did you get one, and do you understand now?

i've seen to many sig guys post in here to resist putting my 2 cents in. IMO HK's are not "that" expensive, you get what you pay for. but then sig comes along and proves to be the exception to that rule- they are in my experience higher priced than HK and nowhere near as reliable. if you look at the sig section you will see it littered with posts about the slide not locking back and other mechanical problems requiring gallons of oil to alleviate. i have 2 usp's, my first was a compact that i bought as a factory demo, the second a full size that i bought new and in the years that i've owned them and the thousands of rounds that i've shot through them not once have i had any sort of failure. they were money well spent in my opinion and i don't think that i would ever chance my life on the price of a sig.

Quoted: i've seen to many sig guys post in here to resist putting my 2 cents in. IMO HK's are not "that" expensive, you get what you pay for. but then sig comes along and proves to be the exception to that rule- they are in my experience higher priced than HK and nowhere near as reliable. if you look at the sig section you will see it littered with posts about the slide not locking back and other mechanical problems requiring gallons of oil to alleviate. i have 2 usp's, my first was a compact that i bought as a factory demo, the second a full size that i bought new and in the years that i've owned them and the thousands of rounds that i've shot through them not once have i had any sort of failure. they were money well spent in my opinion and i don't think that i would ever chance my life on the price of a sig.

While I agree with some of what you posted, I'd put money on 90% of the "no lock back" problems being due to the operator putting his thumb on up on the slide release.  SIG put it in a spot that's convenient if you grip it right, and very very inconvenient if you don't.

SIGs are good guns.  H&Ks are better.

My USP 9mm has had one malfunction to date, which was a failure to eject and was cleared with a rack of the slide. That was after I'd owned it for about three years at that point and about 3000 rounds.

But that's just my HK-glorifying story.

IMO, they're just well built pistols, and HK knows people will pay what they ask for them.

Why are HK handguns so expensive?

Answer:

Because your body costs  more  to replace.

I currently own a P2000 v3 .40 which was my first handgun. I personally love it, and feel no remorse 1 year later in its purchase. The only other Firearm in its class that I would want  to replace it is a HK USPc45. Yes, i like glocks for their utilitarian design, they run well, they shoot well, they work for people who have no clue. But remember the next time your glock goes click when the ammo didnt go off? Rack that slide. I just pull the trigger again. I _really like that_.

I _personally_ don't think HKs are any better of a Firearm than glocks. To be perfectly honest I'm a better shot out the box with a glock than mk P2k. I enjoy the ergonomics, slimline design, ambidextrous, well placed controls (yes the mag release works for me) of my Pistol. I personally dont like the high costs associated with parts, accessories, and magazines for my HK, but thats the choice i made and I knew what I was getting into when i bought it.

that marking that says "HK" on the slide

Quoted: A lot more labor goes into making a 1911 than a poly wonder pistol. That plastic frame doesnt cost a whole lot either, considering machine time and materials for a frame on a 1911

If you're complaining about the cost of HKs, don't buy one. I have several and I don't mind paying the price for a superior firearm, however each one I've purchased I have tried to find the best prices on them.

I got my 2000sk .40 out the door for almost $800 w/o night sites. That's including taxes and fees. The gun was $700 before that.

I bought my first HK because it is more lefty friendly than other guns (I don't want a Glock because it doesn't have a good enough safety for me to feel comfortable carrying). I bought another becuase I liked the first so much. They are expensive, but that didn't stop me from buying an AR, why should I let it stop me from buying a gun that I have on my hip everyday

Because they are made right.  Sure, the polymer might be cheap, and the browning mechanism might be cheap, but the engineering and the execution aren't.  

*Marksman14 has a P226 that is a lemon.  I've owned several sigs and shot several more, and NEVER had the problems he has had.  I don't clean them often, I don't lube them heavy at all when I do deign to clean them.  They all run the way they are supposed to.*

And paying full retail is for chumps, thats what the internet is for.  Check CDNN and ordnanceoutsellers.com.

If you ever think you paid too much for a gun, you probably did.  I overpaid for a used P228 when they were 'out of production' a few years ago, and don't regret it a bit.  Why?  Its accurate, easy to shoot, reliable, and good looking.  Same reason I don't balk at spending the money on a USP Tac, I think its actually a bargain at $900.  

Quoted: Quoted: Damn, I was told it was the other way around. Fucking salesmen. I was gonna call BS but I'm still learning about HK's.  I still don't get it.  nothing I've heard here justifies the price yet.  each argument can be countered.  I'm not against spending money, I may end up with one, but why?

Counter this arguement:

USP bbls are match grade stock. Glock have a match grade bbl?

When looking for a .45 I handled almost all of them.  The HK Tac felt best for my hand and the safety and mag release were very common sence and easy for me to use... and the Tac and the 23 were designed for silencers.  I think they are the only ones specifically designed for this.  Sure there are a lot of silencer designers out there and you can hang one on any barrel... but the HK ones work.

Then a friend reloaded 1,000 rounds of .45 for me, one was double charged and kaboom.  The bottom end of the Tac was toast but my hand was only numb... what would you pay after the fact to not have either or both of your hands "nicked" or "nailed".  Bottom end replacement by HK was $165, very reasonable.

I have absolutely no second thoughts about my HK and its cost.  Alegedly it was designed for safe "kabooms" and to function with supressors reliably.  Go to some self defence shoots and watch the performance of other "stocker" pistols and talk to their owners and then deceide.

Of course eveyone in the gun world loves their gun manufacture, their model and their caliber.  Take the time to check everything out, maybe test and shoot some and then you too can be true to your tool.

I traded the Glock and got another USP for my dad. I have two USP 9mms now, and he has one.