[Airdale]

Hey guys! I just got a letter from the Feds stating I have been approved for the Federal Flight Deck Officer program, authorized to carry in the cockpit while working (after completing training of course). Training is 6 months from now, but I'd like to start practicing for the course.

They issue an HK USP40 LEM in .40 S&W. HK offers this pistol to those accepted in the program for $500, including 2 mags, locking case and a cleaning kit. I realize this is a great price for this handgun, so I just applied for my pistol permit to buy one.

Does anyone own one of these? Is it a decent pistol?

 

[stinky]

I used to carry one w/INS. I was the instructor for our office, and nobody wanted to get rid of theirs when we switched guns. Mine jammed, about 5 times, until I figured out that I had one bad mag, that wasn't pushing the nose of the bullets up right and they would lodge against the front wall of the mag, w/the nose tipped down. If you pulled back on the slide, the nose would jump up, and when you released the slide it would load. Technically, it is a magazine induced failure, not a jam.

When you are doing a qualification, and it jams, you fix it real quick and go on, and after you reload, it is often tough to know what actually happened. For instance, I was running the line today and a guy's slide wasn't locking back on the last shot, and he didn't even know it. So, it took me awhile to figure out that there was an issue, and then see what is happening.

They are accurate, and reliable, and easy to shoot...w/a trigger very similar to one on a Glock.

The 2000, was adopted by DHS and passed their 8500 rd test. The only other gun to do so was the Sig 229. Both guns were adopted. There is a world of difference between 9mm and .40 recoil and a lot of the guns built on a 9mm frame will go to pieces in .40. From what I've heard, the Compact is a better gun, as the slide is heavier and therefore able to handle the recoil better. If I remember right, the lower receiver is the same between the two guns, and the slide is slightly dif (lighter for one)...but it is basically the same gun that passed the test. I wonder if you are shooting an old INS gun. I turned in about 10 of em, and they were all like new. MIne had about 2,500 rds on it, and it was a cream-puff.

In short, it is an excellent gun and it is one which other guns are measured by. And, that is an excellent price.

 

[m141a]

I have a buddy who is an ICE agent, and carries the usp40. He swears by it's accuracy, and it conceals pretty well.
I doubt that with an H&K you'll have any issues, short of a mag issue, like described above.
The only H&K I have had any experience with was the 45 tactical;
A behemoth of a 45, but accurate and eazy to operate. Shot like a dream, ALWAYS went Bang!

 

[Airdale]

Thanks guys! When I was a boarding officer in the coast guard I carried the Berretta M9 and liked that gun a lot so I bought one. It's the only pistol I own, but I've shot my cousins (local pd) Glock 17 and S&W 9mm. I'm looking forward to the HK. I have another good friend who is a detective and he carries the USP40, he too swears by it. It seems to be popular for detectives and air marshalls because of its size.

 

[Scout26]

I carry a USP .40 for duty everyday. It gets bulky to conceal, but if you get the SK (P2000) model it's not too bad; however, the P2000 was swapped out to the USP due to alot of malfunctions in the field. I guess in a plane you won't get much moiture near it, but in the field we get ALOT of rust even in the USP. If we don't wipe them down every other day or so, you'll start to see it, and you won't see it in the small places like the trigger housing. On the range we've been having problems with jams and misfires, mostly due to the rust issues. Other than that it's a good little gun. Summer-time concealment can be tough too.

 

[Big Bore]

Hey guys! I just got a letter from the Feds stating I have been approved for the Federal Flight Deck Officer program, authorized to carry in the cockpit while working (after completing training of course). Training is 6 months from now, but I'd like to start practicing for the course.

They issue an HK USP40 LEM in .40 S&W. HK offers this pistol to those accepted in the program for $500, including 2 mags, locking case and a cleaning kit. I realize this is a great price for this handgun, so I just applied for my pistol permit to buy one.

Does anyone own one of these? Is it a decent pistol?

It is a fantastic pistol, IMO one of the best pistols you can buy at any price. Out of the box it will be one of the most accurate and most reliable pistols one can buy 'off the shelf' and at $500 I'd be jumping on one like a duck on a June bug. All my HKs are real nail drivers, in all calibers and versions. I have only hit one HK pistol that was not a real performer and it was the USP 9SD, but that was a minor glitch in the first batch that came over and was long ago solved and concerns you not in the least. The LEM trigger will take some getting use to but it is by far my favorite trigger that HK offers, at least in the LEM V1 which is the 5 pound pull. The standard will be LEM V2 which is the 8 pound pull and is what your pistol will have. It is not all that heavy, but I prefer the LEM V1 first, followed by the standard V1 which is SA/DA safe/decock and has a 5 pound SA pull and a 10 pound DA pull.
Since you are about to be bitten by the HK bug, be sure to stop in and visit a spell at HKPRO.com.
Great place and a great bunch of people. Browse around the entire site, not just the bulletin boards because there is a world of HK information there. See you on the HK side!

 

[2Bits]

I remember when one of my son's was looking for some advice on getting a pistol for himself and asked me what I thought he should be checking out at the local guns stores. I told him that hand fit must be very good or walk away, don't worry about price because you can afford the amount. The 3 pistols I recommended where the Glock model 23, Sig-Sauer P-239 and the HK's!!! He ended up with an HK, don't remember the model but he stated to me it fit his smaller hand better then the others. He also said it was very accurate at 20 and 40 feet.