I was offered a HK compact .45 today.Since I am not familar with any "modern" .45's,I am coming  here for opinions.The price is in line with the others advertised on this board recently.

Does any one here carry or own one?
I didn't pay good attention to all the details after HK compact  and the price since he didn't start out with "Colt" (old school guy).[
His compalint was the sights are too large and prefers the 1911 size sight,not for carry but for aiming.
Doesn't make sense to me,but maybe his eyes are better than mine.

I am thinking of starting to carry again and have been thinking of something lighter with more mag capacity than my Officers ACP or Commander,and that is what made me consider this.

So,pros,cons etc?

Thanks in advance.

I just sold a .40 Compact.  I liked the gun a lot.  being a smaller person, it fit my hands well.  I also own a 1911, and think that the HK is just a bit too wide for IWB carry.  It should be fine if you carry OWB.  I have personally never shot the .45, but I think The_Bald_Monk has one.  They are definitely lighter, and they are very well made.

Yep, The Monk and I both carry the HK compact .45.  Mine is stainless and he is jealous hand
gsu2720, I did pass the IM along to The Monk.  Don't think he is ignoring you - sometimes I have to remind (read nag) him - but I mean it in a good way

Hi Ga.  I carry a HK Compact 40 and I admit that I love the gun.  I do carry it IWB.  It was a little hard to get accustomed to the holster but after about a week  I learned how to move with it and now I don't have a problem.  

As far as the pistol, I will never complain.  My friends always joke that I should have saved some money and purchased a Glock but everytime we go to a range they always shoot my HK?  haha.  I think they are jealous...  I don't know if you're set on a 45 but have you checked out the P2000?  One of my friends carrys this pistol and he loves it.  The grip really feels good.  They have a P2000 subcompact also.  It's too small for my big hands but it could be good for carrying.

JS2071

gsu2720, I did pass the IM along to The Monk.  Don't think he is ignoring you - sometimes I have to remind (read nag) him - but I mean it in a good way .

He said that since he post as you so often that I could just send it to you.

Thanks for the replies and the offer to test drive from the Monks!

I'll probably get a chance to fire off a few out the back door of his place before I buy.
I formally carried a Star PD iwb in the small of my back under my work smock (this was in another work setting,office type place that had air conditioning).
I really liked that little gun,it was so light it wasn't a burden at all other than the low mag capacity.Wish I still had it,but it was the first to go when I had to finance my business.

I may try that style carry with this one too.

I'm a .45 guy,so carrying something that isn't based on a 1911 is a enough of a stretch.
And I may need some instruction to be profesional enough to carry a .40 (sorry,couldn't resist.Think that guy will ever live that one down?).(We need an a_ _clown smiley!)

I have a phone call in to the seller right now for more info.If I can swing the money next week and nothing really bad comes to light about the guns,I'll probably pick it up.I can always resell or trade it if I don't like it.

H&K USP .45 Compact was by far the best gun I ever sold.  I still to this day regret getting rid of it for a Sig .229 (.357sig no less).  Now I got rid of that and just roll with a G19.  The next purchase I make now will most likely be another USP .45 compact.  I think its a great carry gun and I'm not partial to 1911's, they seem to shoot through bathrooms and into neighbors apartments and such.

I'd say if you have a good deal on one, pick it up.  Great blaster.

A-T

Have and carry USPc in 9mm IWB.  Really easy to carry, exactly like a G19 (which I used to have), but with a safety lever.

Here in GA with the sweat issue during summer, I think USPc will be a better choice than a 1911 for summer carry.  I'd hate to see a nice expensive pistol rot and rust from my own sweat

Good luck

I had a USP .45 Compact that I picked up right from a guy at the store. It shot great but I didn.t like the trigger and I'm just not a big drinker of the HK Kool-aid. I sold it in the EE and made a few bucks off it.

gamachinist

Sorry for the delay but the stupid filters at work block ARF.com

I love my USP .45 compact and here is why.

Reliability
I have put nearly 1500 rounds through mine without a single failure. IMO, reliability is the most important factor in choosing a carry weapon. There was no need to break in my compact.  Most 1911's require a break in period and many people (not all) will have a number of parts upgraded to
improve the reliability of the weapon. I recommend shooting a couple of hundred rounds of your preferred carry ammunition to ensure error free operation for any weapon.

Fit.
The compact frame fits my small hands and points more naturally than the compact Glocks. Of course you can't beat the geometry of the Mr. Browning's 1911 design for a natural feel in the hand.  It would be money well spent to shoot a weapon before you buy. You are welcome to shoot my USP compact if you would like meet at a local range.  Many ranges will rent Glocks. I have a
full sized USP .45 that is too big.  I wish I had tried the compact before I bought my full size (any one want to buy it?). My stubby fingers did not work well the with the Sig 220.  .

Choice of trigger, safety and decocker configurations
First let me state no DA/SA trigger system will ever "feel" as nice as properly set up 1911 single action trigger. The thing I like least about my USP compact is the DA pull.  I have consider getting a trigger job to improve DA  and SA pulls.

However HK does offer 10 different variations of trigger, safety and decocker combinations.  My .45 is Variant  1 (V1) which means first shot is double action.  DA trigger pull (from the factory) is around 11 pounds.  Follow up shots are single action at around 5 to 6 pounds.  The safety lever allows me to carry cocked and locked like a 1911 and decock the hammer.  Many former 1911 shooters prefer to use a variant that disables the decocker because they ride the safety/decocker lever with their thumb.  They want to avoid decocking the hammer while shooting.  My hands are too small for that.  

You can also retrofit the compact with an LEM (Law Enforcement Modification) trigger. The LEM set up is very similar to a Glock's trigger or SIG's DAK trigger. Meaning there is no external safety or decocker and the trigger pull is always the same.  I have a P2000 (9 MM) with the LEM trigger and I am still trying to try to decide if I like it or not.  You are welcome to shoot that as well.

I really like my USP and would recommend it highly if it fits your hand and your CCW needs.
Let me know if I can help any answer any questions

The Bald Monk

Quoted: H&K USP .45 Compact was by far the best gun I ever sold.  I still to this day regret getting rid of it for a Sig .229 (.357sig no less).  Now I got rid of that and just roll with a G19.  The next purchase I make now will most likely be another USP .45 compact.  I think its a great carry gun and I'm not partial to 1911's, they seem to shoot through bathrooms and into neighbors apartments and such. I'd say if you have a good deal on one, pick it up.  Great blaster. A-T

It's pretty much a closed deal,as long as I can get the money up before he raises the price.I can resell it at a profit if I just hate it, but I will have the chance to test drive it first.

Speaking of the above,I don't recall if you ever posted the results of your "in the home" ballistic test?

Graziani wrote:
Here in GA with the sweat issue during summer, I think USPc will be a better choice than a 1911 for summer carry. I'd hate to see a nice expensive pistol rot and rust from my own sweat

This is a consideration to me too.That is the main reason I bought the Stainless Officers ACP even though I prefer blued guns over shiney ones.

GAcop wrote:
I had a USP .45 Compact that I picked up right from a guy at the store. It shot great but I didn.t like the trigger and I'm just not a big drinker of the HK Kool-aid. I sold it in the EE and made a few bucks off it.

I can resell it at a profit I think if I decide to.So if I let it go,I'll get Bookhound to post it in the htf newsletter!


Thanks for the indepth review and offer to shoot The-Bald-Monk.
I had already made my mind up before I came back here to post again,but your info makes me feel a little more like I'll keep it after I buy it since I know I can tinker with it using more or less drop in parts.

Thanks to all who weighed in!
Regards,Robert.

Yeah, if you don't buy, pass the sellers info to me and I'll buy.  I almost bought gsu2720 .40c but didn't want to buy separate ammo.  I've go the USPf .45 and love it.  Just a little too large to cc. for me.  I guess I bought all my clothes too tight.

Robert,

You are welcome.
Be sure to check out hkpro boards and HK Pro site for more info.

The Bald Monk