Heckler & Koch - overrated?

[MT2008]

More (post length limits! Ugh)

HK’s flagship pistols, the USP line, are decent polymer handguns. They are extremely reliable, that is the plus side. On the down side, their triggers universally suck, but they don’t have to. HK likes to use a square peg in a round hole, (literally) that makes the trigger pull a lot heavier and grittier than it needs to be. Why? Beats the heck out of me. The USP series should be reliable, they’re enormous.

The most annoying thing about the HK pistols is how they cost almost twice as much as every other polymer handgun on the market. Somehow being made in Germany means the USP series is worth $800-$1000, when all of the polymer guns made within a thousand miles are $400-$600. Only most of those guns tend to have better triggers, are just as reliable, and are usually more accurate.

Then there is the Mk23. Which is huge, accurate, reliable, (which it damn well better be, since it is the size and weight of a Mini-14) costs as much as a used car, huge, and is universally despised by the SF that it is issued to. Talk to anyone that is in an SF unit. The Mk23s they’ve been issued sit unused in arms room. Did I mention that it is HUGE? But that’s okay, because the HK fan boys will explain that it is an OFFENSIVE handgun. (scratches head) whatever the hell that is supposed to mean.

They are reliable, but so is a $125 Makarov. Only the Mak has a better trigger.

I have two guys that I work with that have been to the HK armorer’s school. If you think I’m biased, you should talk to them. They especially love working with the Germans. One fellow was yelled at because he had two magazines clamped together on his MP5, because “NEIN! That is not the H und K way!” Even though he had bought the mag clamp from HK. When you ask why the original MP5 doesn’t have a last shot bolt hold open, they’ll yell at you and say, “NEIN! Why would you want your enemy to know your gun is empty!” Hell, Hans, I just want to know when my gun is empty!

One friend of mine took his personal MP5, and cut an extra notch into the collapsible stock, so it would be shorter for when he was wearing his armor, and also it removed the nasty wobble that all HK collapsible stocks have. It is an easy fix, and a no-brainer that the HK should have been doing for years. Fritz at the armorer’s school damn near had an aneurism when he saw this blasphemy against his ineffectual German gods.

Look, gun owning public, just because you saw it on Future Weapons, or read about it on the internet, doesn’t make it true. For the love of John Moses Browning, before you formulate super strong opinions about a weapon, you should have at least shot the damn thing first.

Do I have anything positive to say about HK? Yes, the sneer of disdain they give you at SHOT is priceless and entertaining.

http://larrycorreia.wordpress.com/20...d-we-hate-you/

[Gunmaster45]

I read this a while ago and I agree, H&K is kind of over rated. They cost too much and us civies can't touch them. What we can touch is the ugly "nuetered" guns like the HK94, and only people with the right liscenses can even attempt to make them look like MP5s.

And it does annoy me how they basically dominate the screen in movies, because we even see street thugs wielding MP5Ks. How do they afford or aquire these? Movie logic. Rainbow Six: Vegas also shows how H&K rapes the gaming genre so all those idiots on Xbox Live playing COD4 for the first time and then play Vegas will think they know it all and H&K is the best.

I've seriously met kids like this. I've schooled more than one kid who thought he was hot shit with nothing to show for it.

So basically, this guy tells it like it is.

[MT2008]

Originally Posted by Gunmaster45

I read this a while ago and I agree, H&K is kind of over rated. They cost too much and us civies can't touch them. What we can touch is the ugly "nuetered" guns like the HK94, and only people with the right liscenses can even attempt to make them look like MP5s.

And it does annoy me how they basically dominate the screen in movies, because we even see street thugs wielding MP5Ks. How do they afford or aquire these? Movie logic. Rainbow Six: Vegas also shows how H&K rapes the gaming genre so all those idiots on Xbox Live playing COD4 for the first time and then play Vegas will think they know it all and H&K is the best.

I've seriously met kids like this. I've schooled more than one kid who thought he was hot shit with nothing to show for it.

So basically, this guy tells it like it is.

I must admit that I would have been one of those "kids" for the better part of my life. I've never been a particularly passionate H&K fan to begin with, but if you'd asked me a year ago if H&Ks were the best, I probably would have told "yes" without really thinking about why I was saying that. At one point, my user page here on IMFDB listed the USP amongst my favorite guns and said that I wanted to own one (even though I had never shot one at that point).

Once I actually did have the chance to try out the USP, I was...well, underwhelmed. It's an excellent pistol in many ways, though I've discovered I'm not such a fan of the mag release and the trigger pull is quite long and stiff, just as Larry says. I don't quite agree with him that the USP is comparable to a Glock - I've fired plenty of Glocks, and I've never liked the feel of the handle and backstrap because it feels like the mass of the gun is above and in front of rather than in my hand. So I would say I prefer the grip of the USP over Glocks. But still, considering that H&K fans always talk about how the USP is the best handgun ever, and considering it costs $300 more than any Glock, I can definitely say that it didn't live up to the hype for me.

The only other H&K I've fired is a PTR-91 (semi-auto G3 clone). It was handed to me loaded, so I never got to see if the charging handle was as hard to use as Larry says. The main thing I remember about it was how much I hated the "slimline" forearm, which all of the early G3s also used to have. It's basically too narrow to get a comfortable grip - and I say that as someone who doesn't have particularly big hands. Of course, H&K later switched over to the "tropical" (wide) type forearms on all of the roller-locked guns, but fact is, most of the G3s ever manufactured had the slimline forearm. It makes me question H&K's sense of ergonomics that they made the G3 with this style of forearm in the first place.

I've had the chance to handle but not fire a few of H&K's machine guns, including several MP5s and a G36K. The G36 series looks really cool in movies, but I've never understood what's so special about it, besides the fact that it's basically Armalite technology in polymer, combined with a whole bunch of ideas stolen from the SIG SG-550 series (like the folding stock and the translucent magazines that clip together).

[Gunmaster45]

I only put some rounds through a customers USP-45 once and I liked it. The ambidextrous mag release takes a little getting used to but it works after some time. The trigger was fixed by the my dad so it shot great. And plus, you can see in Collateral that Tom Cruise didn't have much trouble with the mag release when he does 2 second reloads.

I've held some MP5s and thought they had a nice feel but the selector was indeed annoying to use. I did a fe "HK-slaps" with the bolt, which I thought was cool. God knows how cool everyone knows it is in movies.


I despise the Mk 23 SOCOM of all the HK guns. It is as big as a Desert Eagle .50, and it fires 12 .45 ACPs. Isn't a USP-45 exactly the same. I'd rather use USP-45 Tactical than a SOCOM. Just add a slide lock for single shot cocking and it is the same damn thing.

And I've shot a Glock 17 1st Gen and a Glock 19 2nd Gen and both fit my hand pretty well. The 19 had a peep sight and a flashing laser in the guide rod. It was cool.

Although irrelavent, I put some rounds through two guns that made my hand a tad sore. First I grabbed a Mossberg 500 with a pistol grip (I just called it a Persuader for simplicity) and put 5 rounds through it, some ONE HANDED. Not as bad as some have told me. I wasn't aiming at any targets though so I just saw the effects of birshot (and one mean ass buckshot) in the snow.

The second was my Ruger Super Redhawk. I got a 3" group at 30yds. It hurt the webbing of my thumb but was pretty accurate. I probably could have shot better if it wasn't for accursed "Magnum flinch". It faded after about 20 rounds or so but my hand was too sore to shoot more.

[Nyles]

USP isn't a bad pistol, it work's well, the trigger is just fine for combat accuracy, and I actually like the push-down style mag release. The only problem is it's a big, bulky gun - light enough, but quite frankly between my frag vest, my tac vest, my respirator carrier and all the random shit I put in my pockets, I want something smaller. My personal favorite modern pistol? Call me crazy, but the Springfield XD. If they'd let me carry one I would.

As for their other stuff, I also dislike the selector on their long guns, and their collapsing stocks are nothing short of awful. Give me a C8 any day.

[Excalibur]

Oh I am with you Nyles, I've held and fired an XD and it feels supremely better than any Glock I've ever fired. I wanted to get one, but I settled for a Glock 22 for the moment because I couldn't afford an XD.

I've held a mk23 and yeah, it is big and I would pick a USP over that and even the USP is kinda beefy in my opinion. I've fired an MP5A3 before and it's as good as it says it is.

I do play a lot of video games and the one game I've always come across is the Rainbow Six game, the entire Vega series is almost comprised of H&K guns, Vegas 2 was good enough that it included guns from other countries like FNC, L85A1, the REC7, an SR25, and even a chinese SMG - the type 05 for some odd reason.

[Gunmaster45]

I've only rented RS:V 2 but it was fun. Harder than the first one though. I did like the addition of the new guns, but I don't like that you have to earn points to unlock new guns. During a firefight, I want to survive, not worry about head shots and shooting through walls for points. I liked it better when you got it when you found it.

And the Glock 18 needs an extended mag for christ sakes. 10 rounders and no upgrades makes it useless. And no M4? Who wants a damn REC7, gimme a SWAT gun! I'd even settle for a 416, since these games are HK's cash cow anyway.

And they could fix some of the reloads, a few of them aren't right. (and the G3 has a 30 round mag even though it is clearly a 20).

[MT2008]

Originally Posted by Gunmaster45

I despise the Mk 23 SOCOM of all the HK guns. It is as big as a Desert Eagle .50, and it fires 12 .45 ACPs. Isn't a USP-45 exactly the same. I'd rather use USP-45 Tactical than a SOCOM. Just add a slide lock for single shot cocking and it is the same damn thing.

The Mark 23 is, I hear, way more accurate that the USP 45, and much easier to control (which it should be, considering how huge it is). But that's not saying much, because USPs are still way more accurate than most shooters could ever hope to be. That being said, I think Larry was a bit too hard on H&K. The Mark 23 was designed for the SOCOM "Offensive Handgun" competition, so it was a dumb idea by the DoD, not by H&K. The Colt entry that the Mark 23 beat was just as huge and unwieldy.

The main thing I hate about the Mark 23 is the people who buy them - basically, the same kinds of folks who would buy a Desert Eagle or any other ridiculously huge handgun. They're the kinds of people who want to be able to brag "mine's bigger than yours!" I'm sure not all Mark 23 owners are like this, but too many of the ones I've met are.

Originally Posted by Nyles

UThe only problem is it's a big, bulky gun

Very true, but the Compact is a much better size. If I were to buy a USP, I would probably go for the Compact. But then again, I just shoot guns at the range and don't have a carry permit, so size is less of an issue to me.

Originally Posted by Yournamehere

There are plenty of HK fanboys there, especially 416-whores, so I can't wait for a response.

The people who hype the 416 annoy the shit out of me. I can't believe how times I've had to explain to H&K fanboys that, contrary to what HKPRO claims, they did NOT come up with the idea of putting a short-stroke piston in an M16. That I knew long before I ever read Larry Correia's article.

[Excalibur]

I read about articles about other companies that made the short-stroke pistol idea after I was hyped about the 416, so after that, the 416 isn't the special anymore, I'd like to buy a rifle with that system but not pay the price H&K is putting out for it. You know how much the H&K is selling their civilian verison of their 416s and 417s?

[Nyles]

Saw one in Edmonton today for $4500. Also played with an HK 45 - wasn't all that impressed, all the same complaints as the USP.

Problem with the USP Compact is that it's onlt got about a 3.5" barrel, and that's too short for a service pistol.