HK USP 40 or Springfield XD .45 Tactical?

[Smudge]

Jerrod,

I just talked to the Apalachian American. His opinion is that you can't go wrong either way depending on your firearms familiarity, both are composite frames with steel slides and barrels.

The HK has a decocker and is double and single action with an external hammer so you can go from double to single manually. Very similar to the way a Baretta 92F works.

The XD is single action only with an internal hammer and cocked indicator. Once you're cocked and locked, you're ready to rock. The only way to safe the gun is to unload it completely and dry fire it. i.e. No decocker.

I personnaly don't recomend single action only unless you were trained to handle and carry a gun in condition 3 status. I was trained on good 1911 Gov. colts so single only works for me.

Go in to the shop and talk to Billy, he'll get them both out and run over everything with you. He'll be there this afternoon.

As for a home defense round, if you must have a pistol for home defense, go with Glaser home defense rounds. They won't go through two layers of drywall.

If you want real home defense, get a pump 12ga. Just chambering a round will usually send an invader the other direction post haste....

[Its A Keeper]

I concur, The best home defense weapon is a Pump Shot Gun....

Saying this, Shotguns are more difficult to keep out of the way of little kids. Then you may want to consider a pistol. Those small pistol safes are nice with little ones in the house.

Remember...screwing around with a trigger lock in the dark is not gonna be easy.

Think long and hard about your decision. Then Practice Practice Practice. Once you think you got it all figurered out...Practice some more. Because you still dont know shit.

[Double Z]

Glock

[Smudge]

Originally Posted by Double Z

Glock

You're kidding right??

[Double Z]

Originally Posted by Smudge

You're kidding right??

Nope. Sorry Matt. I might know some of the issues you have with the thing but there are soooo many variable. For a fighting gun, they are hard to beat. Really. To qualify me saying Glock over USP, my duty USP has a 4 digit serial number. It's seen well over 20,000 rounds. My 6 year old one is right behind it. For a gun fighter type gun, the Glock is very hard to beat. I've been thinking about changing over to the Glock for a few years and the only reason I have not is the $1k it will cost me to get the two I want and the supporting gear including holsters and spare mags. Do they have the quality of the USP? NO. Will they outlast me and keep shooting? Yes. Many other attributes on their side.

The bottom line is, if I was the type that did not keep up on my perishable skills, went to the range at least enough to know wrong from right, and I got woke up in the middle of the night to someone wanting to do something terrible, hand me the Glock. No, I'm not that person. For me, there are other reasons for switching. The other sad thing is I'm considering switching from .45 to 40.

NOW, for a range/shooter type pistol, I'll take the SA (Springfield Armory) TRP or Operator Springfield Armory. Probably the TRP. I like the old style with the oxide type grips. I shoot the thing every year at a demo day put on by a retailer. Great gun. Almost like cheating. Point the thing and it hits for me. I can point shoot 4" steels at 25+ yards FAST! And, of course it's a .45 like all pistols should be...

[Smudge]

I guess I'm old school and prefer training and familiarity over ease of use. No positive "safety". Partial DA only and hammerless. Not a gun for the in-experienced. I see a lot of people who consider the glock simple and super easy to use but I feel that that breeds over confidence and bad discipline.

Between an XD and a Glock I like the fact that the slide on the XD rides on a little over an inch of machined steel imbedded in the polymer frame where the glock has about 1/2 an inch pressed sheet steel.

In the hands of an expert who fully understands trigger discipline in a gun fighter type situation they're fine, but still not my personal choice. Single action only for me. I know when it's going to shoot and when it's not. Night or day, whether I can see the gun or not. The indicator on the glock is WAY too small IMO.

The USP is a great weapon but the .45 double stack is too fat for my girly hands.

Don't worry though, a lot of people don'y like my gun either!! Kimber .45 Pro Carry...,Haha!!

[jagerhunchback]

both the hk usp and springfield are solid designs. if i had to pick between the two i would go with the hk hands down. i've owned an hk usp .40 since 93' and it is a superb weapon that will serve you well for the rest of your life. as previously stated practice practice and practice!!!! attend the nra basic handgun courses, and spend plenty of range time with your new weapon. that being said for home protectin i have a glock 22 and a glock 27 the wife has a glock 23-c. they are redundant in the fact that the mags are interchangeable (from larger to smaller) and i've added tac lights to the 22 and 23. the load i use is the cor-bon 135 grn.

[Fog Ducker]

If you are the kind of person that will want to shoot a lot, modify their gun, shoot in tournaments then the Springfield. If you just want to pick it up and fire then the HK. You will need to practice with the 45 to get proficient, less so with the HK but you will still need to practice at least once a month. The Springfield is much more customizable and I wouldn't touch anything on the HK.

Neither one is the perfect home defense gun unless you have the right frangible ammo. any standard hollow point
or solid round will penetrate multiple walls.

The best all around home defense gun is a shotgun

[FishStalker]

Anyone know what an HK USP 40 and 40 compact are going for these days?

I thought I had big hands but I like the fit of the compact over the full size usp.

[BillyFun]

USP 40 compact would be my first choice. Much more accurate than I can shoot, extreamly well made, safe an simple.

Best choice for a home defense gun is a shotgun if you have the space to deploy it (harder to operate in confined space.

That said, anyone who breaks into my house when I'm at home will have a muzzle flash as their last living memory. It won't matter much if it's from the .40 or the 12 ga.

[Sewer]

I have the HK .40 and love it! Can't talk much about the Springfield, but HK makes a great product.

[UncleSurf]

Slow Down Guy's,

Let's ask some sensible questions 1st. "Home Defense" is a broad area.


Any children under 16 in the house?
How much training and or experience do you have with WEAPONS?
Married? Is your Wife willing/trainable to spend the hours upon hours to get dialed in with the weapon of choice? got to make sure whoever uses it, knows it.
Do you like or dislike your nieghbors?
Do you have an alarm system in the house?
Do you have a secured area to store said weapon?
Are you in a remote area? How long on avg for a police response to your house?
Are you ready to take a life?


Ok,
Now, as much as I love my .45 Auto's and that includes Colt's, Kimber's, Detonics and my Combat .44 S/W 29 2" brrl, due to the training and hands on experience doing Grunt 03 type missions, my first choice for CQC inside a house, defending or assaulting is a solid built 12 3" mag Pump with dual slide rails,extended tube, folding stock, 18" tube. Loaded up with 00Buck and a slug or 2 for good measure. Hide it and leave the CHAMBER EMPTY and weapon on SAFE.

This is an easy weapon to learn for Close Quarter Combat. If you go to the range and put a couple hundred rounds of different size shot, #8,6,4,2 and 00Buck and some slugs, you will come away confident that you can defend yourself with this weapon. Deal with the sore hands and shoulder.

Remember, most gunfights happen between a certain amount distance,(see the fed site).You gonna try and hit somebody in the dark, with the blood running through your viens and eating some adrenelin and maybe a load in yer pants, waving a damn pistola around? You better be a killer.

Let me tell you first hand, PUCKER FACTOR, my 870 speaks in an international langauage understood by 100% of the perps and other nefarious types of cutthroats. Jack a live round into the chamber and you have the best attention getter ever made! Kind of dark? Identify and squeeze, pump, squeeze,pump. I guarandangtee that you will splatter whomever it was all over your wall. Save the slugs for the last 2 shots. Your bad guy will be DEAD, not your nieghbors children.

Be ready to seek counseling if you have never taken a life before.
Killing, even in self defense is an issue that will come back and visit you in your dreams, even when you know inside you were JUSTIFIED in your ACTION.

It's amazing how many people I know, who can't hit the barn from the inside with a pistola, think their gonna wake up in the middle of the night, grab a pistol and save themselves Good Luck!

Grab an 870, spend a little money to modify, take to the range, learn the weapon, store it properly (for your sitiuation) and sleep well at night knowing you got the big boom boom close by.


SeFi
UncleSurf
03 Grunt
2/8
3/8
Rifle/Pistol/Combat Arms Instuctor
Quantico/DamN Neck
so many weapons
and they wont let me go back anymore