I'm trying to test the waters on other 45s besides my 6 1911s.  I cant shoot a glock 21 for shit so that 2x4 gripped pistola is out.  I do like the M&P 45 and have a 4" that after a bit of work on slimming down the backstrap is coming in a VERY close second to my 1911s and probably my first choice in rough duty guns ( dont have to cry if it gets dinged to hell )   I've shot and not much cared for the USP 45 but the newer HK45 looks interesting.  How does it compare to the M&P?  The grip angle does not look the same and it looks like it might sit as high in the hand as the USP but not having held one I dunno for sure.  

how does the HK45 stack up ?  Is it a reliable pistol and how's the ergos shape up in the long run?

Parts availability is also a huge issue as is the actual street price on these.

Its an Hk.  It is reliable and accurate.  It is built for long term ownership.  

The ergos are up to you.  They can have "weird" triggers, and the mag release is even more weird.   The grip is pretty awesome and fits most hands like it was molded to it.  They certainly feel a lot more modern than the USP.  For defensive shooting it will be every bit as good as a good 1911.  For target shooting, maybe.  Depends on you, and how you shoot.

I'm sorry the Glock didn't work for you.  Have you tried the 21SF with the shorter frame, or the newer Gen 4?

glock 21sf or 21 gen4 may be the way to go


but i like the feel of the fn and m&p too, the taurus too but think they have quality issues

They are awesome, can be carried cocked and locked just like a 1911 or get the LEM trigger, both options are great.

Yes, they are accurate and very reliable

You will pay 1911 money for one

Mags and parts will be more expensive just because they are HK....but they will work.

Personally, I love the HK 45c with or without the LEM trigger but I have too much in Glocks and 1911's right now to switch, if I do switch.....one of the two has to go.

I have enough faith in my 1911's to keep them as my .45 option, you have 6 1911's, I would imagine you would trust your life to one of them, if not all of them.

The HK45 is an amazing gun and it won't let you down though.

They will run bone dry.  Did a shoot with 450 rds.  Ran out of ammo.  HK45 kept chugging along.  1911s will not work as such.  Ask me how I know.

Well worth the coin spent, but only you can decide that.  I have both fullsize and compact models.  Ergos are great.  An updated USP.

Check the EE.  Some folks are selling theirs (black) to get in on the special run of FDE HK45s on HKPro.

Decent ergonomics, so-so trigger and a WTF? magazine release.

Over-hyped & over-priced but that tends to par for the course for HK stuff.

Shot a couple hundred rounds through a friend's and really wasn't overly impessed with it. Went bang and hit the target every time but it just didn't inspire me. I guess I'm immune to the "HK voodoo".  

I much prefer my XD45 Tactical. I'll admit that straight out-of-the-box triggers on XD's kind of suck but there are aftermarket solutions that improve them greatly. I sent mine into Springer Precision for the Combat Carry trigger job and Factory Cleanup. Less take-up, cleaner break and much shorter reset.

YMMV.

I love mine.  It's a tank and a easy / pleasure to shoot.  Mags are expensive.

So, the XD45 is a better all around option than the HK45?

What he said. ^^^



I own 1911's, a Sig 220, HK45, G21.



It's a fantastic gun....and if I were to leave home in a hurry and absolutely had to have a pistol with me that I would bet on above all others, it would be the HK45 without question.



My only complaint, and its a small one, would be the trigger, which isn't all that bad, but after shooting 1911's, nothing compares to those triggers anyway.

It's all about WHAT WORKS FOR YOU. The XD45, with some trigger improvents, works very well for me.

My best advice would be to try several pistols you're interested in and choose what works best for YOU.

I simply stated my opinion of the HK45 based on my experience with one. The magazine release was a deal-breaker for me. And I found that the XD fits my hand much better.

Very well built, utterly reliable, great ergos, and a trigger that belongs on a $400 mass market entry level pistol.

I love the mag release, BTW.

It's just that in it's price class you would expect a great trigger, not a mediocre one.

I think the trigger is my biggest beef as well. The 1911 has spoiled me and like I said above, I already have a lot invested in 1911's as well as trigger time to make a switch so I'm sticking with 1911's for now. The HK 45 is an awesome gun.

The HK45 has a minimum 20,000 round service life on all parts if I recall so I don't know if spare parts will be an issue.

-Stock sights are nothing special, some good replacement sights are available
-Love the paddle mag release and once I got use to it I would take it on every gun
-Grip is very comfortable by any standard
-The trigger guard has a "trench" that can rub your shooting finger but it doesn't effect everyone
-DA pull is what I would call "typical" but it really boils down to this: Can you shoot a DA gun or not?  Many don't want to learn how, do you?.  If you don't want the traditional DA you have the option of C&L or the LEM trigger which is basically a light double action.

Here's a good article on the DA shot from a PRO.

http://www.craigcentral.com/fearnot.htm

-Accuracy and reliability shouldn't be an issue for you
-Expensive indeed but if you shoot it often the cost of .45 ACP ammo will far exceed the cost of the pistol

spare parts are always an issue.  shit happens.  

I would just send it back to HK.  Their pistols are not know to be user friendly in that regard.

Not too familiar with Glocks...

What is different/special about Gen 4 G21s ?

The Gen 3 G21SF and the Gen 4 G21 do two things that the older G21 did not.   The grip is slightly shorter from front to back with less depth at the web of the hand, and a less pronounced "hump".  The trigger is moved back towards the shooter slightly, giving a shorter reach to the trigger.  The Gen 4 also features a few add-on backstraps, but I don't think anyone wants to make the 21 bigger.

On paper, the differences are VERY minor.  However, in the real world the minor dimensional differences open up the large frame Glocks to a whole world of shooters that could never before handle the "2x4" Glock 20/21.   To many, it makes all the difference in the world, making what was a fatiguing block of a gun into a very controllable and comfortable shooter.

Please look at and FNX 45.

I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

15+1, accurate, decent price point.

now if FN  can just sit pat and let the models settle down for a while...

I loved my HK45 the Ergos were great it was reliable and very accurate......I will tell you why I sold it .....first the slide release lever when it broke in became very wobbly, not a big deal but it made noise and it annoyed the shit out of me.....second reason I sold is that finding holsters for the HK45 is damn near impossible.  I sold it and bought anothe sig 220 best thing I could have done.


Also.....sig is coming out with a double stack 220 soon it's called the 227....will hold ten rounds flush and will have 14 round mags but will extend out slightly.  Great thing about it is any old sig 220 slide will fit the new frames and all old 220 holsters will work with the 227

M&P 45 plus an APEX trigger would be another goo choice.  Don't let the lower price points throw you off.