I need a quality pistol that will be my go to gun in 9mm and these are the 2 that seem to fit the bill. I have shot both and love both, this is the problem. The ability to cock the hammer or fire with the hammer down is a must (no DAO), and it would be nice to have a safety but doesnt have to (sigs have no safety). I know the HK is more but right now cash isnt the limiting factor in my decision, a reliable pistol that will outlast me is.

EDIT - this is not a trolling post I promise, I really would like yalls advice on these pistols. Please no Sig or HK bashing as they both make some of the best pistols in the world and I will be happy with which ever one I pick.

I'de go sig, cheaper magazines.

I've owned both, sold the Sig & got more H&K's. All things being equal, the USP should be more accurate than the Sig. That settles it for me, IMO.

My .o2

USP9c's grip is thinner than Sig 226's.  If you have medium/small hand, USPc is going to fit you better.  The only negative thing about USP9c is the short barrel...only 3.58 inces, that's slightly better than Glock 26.

Here's the dilemma for me.  G19 has longer barrel that can squeeze out more velocity and also it can withstand more sweat in the summer...darn choices choices.

Quoted: ....G19 has longer barrel that can squeeze out more velocity and also it can withstand more sweat in the summer...darn choices choices.

Haha dont even start with other choices I am like a kid in a candy shop.

Quoted: Quoted: ....G19 has longer barrel that can squeeze out more velocity and also it can withstand more sweat in the summer...darn choices choices. Haha dont even start with other choices I am like a kid in a candy shop.

Personally I'm a koo-laid drinking glockophile.


Go try a sub compact Glock, you might like it. Mags are cheap as well.

I'll take an HK (Glock too) over Sigs. Sigs are ok. I owned a P239 once. I didn't keep it. I still have my HK USP and a couple of Glocks. They're more dependable (the 239 I had wouldn't fire ammo reliably) and they fit my hands better.

i was in the same boat as you a few weeks ago.  sig p226 vs. HK USPF.  i went with the USP and i love it

Dsking85, have you tried doing CC with full size?  My Compact does real well in CTAC, about as well as my G19.

Edited to add: DA/SA handguns like Sig requires some serious practice to get used to the first DA shot and the following SA shot.  I could not master this delicate trick after 400-500 rounds + a lot of dry firing, and I ended up trading my Sig for a certain 9mm Glock that virtually everyone has.

Of the two, I'd go Sig.

you won't regret the USPc.

The USP .9mm gets picked before any other.  Second is a Glock 17/19.  The Sigs have never done it for me.

I'd go USP9. I have a fullsize and compact. The fullsize is almost as easy to carry as the compact and I would say both carry easier than a 226. Even with the shorter barrel the compact's a damn tack driver.

Both are great guns. The only Sig I have ever shot is my mosquito. Therefore, the nod goes to the USPc. I had a USPc 9mm, GREAT gun, not one problem with it other than it being just a shade on the large side for my girl-like hands. I traded it for a P2000. I would not hesitate to recommend this gun to anybody. You can custom fit to your hand, and the LEM trigger is the cats ass once you get the hang of it.      ETA: GET BOTH!!!

I've owned both. Sold the HK and kept the Sig.

I love my Sig226.  I trust it, I train with it, Its accurate with +P+ Federal.  I do not know anything about HK, but i have never had any problemswith SIG.  Knock on wood for the last 6 years that I have fired my duty SIGS with 1000 plus rounds each year.  HK might be more expensive and more accurate but my SIG226 is all I know.  

why are you considering a 226 (larger frame) and a USPc (smaller frame)???

why not the more direct comparison between a 229 and a USPc?

sizewise,
226 ~= USP ~= G17
229 ~= USPc ~= G19

any of the 229, USPc, or G19 will make a nice CCW.  the 229 and USPc are heavier than the G19.  

ar-jedi

Quoted: why are you considering a 226 (larger frame) and a USPc (smaller frame)???

I dont like how the 229 or the USP full size shot.

Try the 228 and the USPc.  Pick the one you actually shoot better.  I shoot my 228 better, naturally, over and over, than I shot my USP or Glock.  It just fits my hand right.  All three pistols were reliable.  In the end the fit and shooting lots of ammo made the decision for me.

I just got a USP - Is the grip thickness and size the same for the compact USP? I know it is shorter, but essentially it's the same thickness and can use the same mags, right?

Quoted: I just got a USP - Is the grip thickness and size the same for the compact USP? I know it is shorter, but essentially it's the same thickness and can use the same mags, right?

The USP 9 magazines are thicker than the 9C magazines and won't fit in the well. As far as outside grip thickness, I don't know, but I can find out Thursday night.

I have shot both a USP and Sigs.  Sigs are a much better gun IMHO.  Love my 229

You've answered your own question,  "The ability to cock the hammer or fire with the hammer down is a must (no DAO)".

You have little option but to go with the H&K.
The SIG is a double action first shot unless you want to cock the hammer manually.  This can be difficult to do under stress especially with the smallish hammer spur of the SIG.  Additionally, there is no way to put the SIG on "safe" with the hammer back (as you have already pointed out).

I understand your dilemma.  I, too have shot both SIGs and H&Ks and there are things I really like about both pistols and things I do not like about both pistols.
I would give the nod to the SIG as being very slightly the better made of the two pistols, but I REALLY LIKE the controls on the USP.
For me, I do NOT like the grips on the H&K and there's little to be done about it because it's a polymer receiver (another thing I'm not crazy about).
On the pistols I've shot, the trigger was better on the SIG, especially the single action trigger.  But I REALLY HATE double action first shots.

For me, the solution was to just stick with my 1911s.

I have a P229 9mm and H&K USP compact in 357sig.

Both are excellent. I would recommend either.

Comments that might help you:

My Sig is one of the older ones, made in Europe, and so has been incredibly reliable and just worked and worked with never any problems. Magazines are not cheap (but are now much cheaper than they were during the Clinton years).

The new Sigs are made by Sig-US, NOT the "real" Sig company. I don't believe that they use many genuine Sig components any more. The result is that I do not believe that a new US made Sig is anywhere near the quality of the genuine European manufactured Sig. They seem more interested in the bottom line than in manufacturing high quality firearms. Of course, their contract with Sig means that there is no way you can get your hands on a new EU Sig to make a side by side comparison. However, for a US manufactured gun, they are still pretty reasonable.

My USP just works also. My biggest complaint is that even now I can't easily get hold of the full capacity magazines. This is an indication of the problem with H&K -- they have zero interest in the US civilian market. its up to the various importers to pick up what they want, when they want. So something like a less common caliber magazine can be hard to find. I do wonder what the spares situation will be like for older models down the road.

You mention that you want to be able to cock the hammer - well, the Sig is better in that respect because it has a "normal" hammer. The hammer on the USP Compact is "bobbed", the spur removed to prevent snagging on clothes, making it much less easy to cock.

However, the USP Compact also has a safety -- which the Sig does not, which makes carrying the USP "cocked and locked" a possibility -- you get the choice: DA with the harder pull on the first shot, or using it as a SA, carrying C&L. What you probably wouldn't want to do anywhere but on a range is fiddle trying to get a grip on the hammer to cock it for a first shot.

Really you can't go far wrong with either, and you will learn to live with either pretty quickly.

I carry my Sig on a daily basis -- but that choice is really determined by the availability of full-capacity mags for it, and not for the H&K more than anything else.