Advice? USP .40 or XD .40 or Ruger P .40?

[Hellbore]

I'm in the market for my first auto pistol. I tried a Glock and didn't like it. My Dad has a Ruger P-something in 9mm that he swears by. My buddy has a USP .40 and he also reccommends the XD. I'd appreciate any info you guys could give to help me compare these guns. I also have a few questions.

Which of these guns, if any, have an external hammer?

Is the grip safety on the XD annoying?

Do Ruger P's suck? If not, why are they cheap?

Also keep in mind that I might be using this gun for CCW.

Thanks for any advice and technical info to help me decide!

P.S. - I also like the Sig P239. Does it have an external hammer? Too bad it is too expensive for my budget...

 

[PCRCCW]

Which of these guns, if any, have an external hammer?
The HK and Ruger have external hammers...depending on the model you get...............

Is the grip safety on the XD annoying?
Youll never know its there as long as you grip the gun properly.

Do Ruger P's suck? If not, why are they cheap?
No..they dont suck. They are as reliable as a rock. They are cheap because there are a bazillion of them out there and Ruger never charged alot for them. They remained cheap because Ruger never 'Improved or changed" much from there original design of S/Auto and this also keeps the cost down. Ruger didnt care to keep up with Glock or anyone, thus kept there guns the way they were.....

Also keep in mind that I might be using this gun for CCW.
OK....................

Thanks for any advice and technical info to help me decide!

The Ruger, XD and USP are all great guns....you have MAJOR differences in quality and price. The USP will be more money than the Sig 239 you mention at the bottom...its a top of the line gun. The XD is next in price and is another great gun....proven to be one of the best. The Ruger is as reliable as either of them, if not moreso, but doesnt carry the name of the USP or the bells and whistles the XD has.

P.S. - I also like the Sig P239. Does it have an external hammer?
Yes.it does. Its a Trad. D/A style trigger with a decocker. Much like the Ruger and one version of the HK has.

Too bad it is too expensive for my budget...

Rule out the HK.....................the XD is close to the 239's price also.

Shoot well.........

 

[Shake]

If you are going to get a .40, get a firearm that was designed for the .40 S&W from the ground up.

Shake

 

[OF]

USP. Love my USP40. And it loves me.

- Gabe

 

[George Hill]

Spend some quality time with the XD.

 

[clubsoda22]

Just bought a USP .40. AWESOME. www.cdnninvestments.com is selling police trade ins for only $400. They look nearly brand new!

If you like an external hammer, HK and Ruger are your two choices.

If you're looking to carry, the HK has the benifit of being very light for a full size pistol.

If price is a consideration, look at those CDNN guns and you'll see it's not such a big gap between the ruger and HK.

HK's in my opinion have much nicer out of the box triggers as well as better accuracy.

Go buy yourself an HK, you'll be happy you did.

 

[sturmruger]

RUGER

For the money the Ruger is going to be really hard to beat. I own a Ruger P89T which has been a awesome gun. I have around 2k rounds through it with not a single problem! If I were you I would get the P93 because it is a little bit smaller then the other Rugers. I wish I had bought a P93 because then I might use it has a carry gun. The P89 is a little on the large side for CCW in my opinion.

 

[Preacherman]

I second ClubSoda's recommendation for the CDNN deal on police trade-in USP .40's. At the price, this is a screaming good deal - and CDNN are very good about backing their products. If you buy one that has a problem, they'll replace it or refund your money without a hassle. I highly recommend them. I've bought several guns and who knows how many other bits and pieces from them, and they've always been reliable. Their telephone number is 800-588-9500.

 

[OF]

A USP40 for $400!! Buy two!

You will not be disappointed.

- Gabe

 

[Night20]

Does everyone think the fullsize USP would be...uhmm, well something you'd want to CCW with? Seems very large, the Ruger as well.

 

[Brigrat]

Ruger's

I CCW a Ruger P95 nearly every day, and it is fine. As a matter or fact, I often carry it in my front pocket!!! I am not huge (6'2" about 250), and with loose pants, you can hardly tell it's there. Given I usually use a good holster, and even more often, I use a fanny pack. With the availability of high quality holster from companies like Comp-Tac, and the like, most service pistols are now easily in the CCW category. It's no Beretta Jetfire, but it works great for me.

Ruger's are as reliable as any pistol on the market, and with the money you save buying a new Ruger over a new H&K, you can afford lots of practice ammo, and some good training. Both of which are nearly as important as the tool you choose.

 

[OF]

I carried a fullsize USP for a while, the .40 too. I can be done but it ain't pretty. Compared to a 1911...let's just say there's a big difference. The USP is a whole lot thicker, and a lot more difficult to conceal.

But it can be done. And it's a hell of a piece. At $400, I don't think you can beat it.

- Gabe

 

[Hellbore]

Well, I like my dad's Ruger, but I am a little confused on a few things.

Firstly, what are the advantages and disadvantages of an external hammer?

Second, someone said I should buy a gun that was designed for .40 S&W from the ground up. What guns, if any, are?

Also, weight is important to me, though size is not. I will probably open-carry this first gun and use it for plinking/learning, then buy a smaller gun later for CCW.

 

[OF]

In that case, I'd definitely go with the USP.

- Gabe

 

[Preacherman]

Hellbore, if concealed carry is a priority for you, of the guns you list, I'd unquestionably go for the XD. It is smaller and more easily concealed than the other two, and the price isn't outrageous.

However, if you're only going to carry occasionally, but shoot a lot, then my no. 1 recommendation is the CDNN deal on USP .40's. This is a big gun, but it's one of the highest quality weapons made today - and as I said earlier, at that price, it's a screaming good deal! Also, if you dress appropriately, concealing it is not a major problem (although shorts and a T-shirt won't work for it - but then, they probably wouldn't work for the XD either!).

My third choice would be the Ruger - good price, reliable, but as large as the HK, and you won't get your money back if you trade or sell it in the future.

You have to decide on your priorities for use of the gun, and make your decision accordingly.

 

[Hellbore]

Hmm, the size of my Dad's Ruger doesn't bother me. I think I'll go for the USP .40! I just hope they don't run out before I get one of the $400 ones.

Later, perhaps next year or whenever I can afford it, I think I will get a teeny gun exclusively for CCW, probably in 9mm so it isn't too hard to shoot, being small.

Thanks for the input!

 

[10-Ring]

The USP 40 is a fine choice! In the future, maybe a P2000 subcompact in 40 s&w to help round out your collection

PS...as far as I know tho, the sub compacts are still in development so you have time to get acquainted w/ your USP

 

[45R]

Sig 226 in .40
XD40 they are all good choices

 

[4thHorseman]

It all boils down to they are all good guns. Try them all at the range. Pick the one you like best in shooting and feel.
You'll be happy this way.

 

[Hellbore]

You know what, I was going to decide on the USP .40 but I think you guys have the right idea... I'm gonna go to the range, there's a place called Caswells I think around here, I've driven past it, I hear you can rent guns there. I'll try them all THEN decide. Who knows, there might just happen to be something about the USP that I don't like as much so it will be safer this way. This way I'll decide base on which one feels best in MY hand.

 

[clubsoda22]

The only thing people might not like about the CDNN USP .40's is that they are decock only, but with a DA first pull, i don't see where this is an issue. BTW, if you go to the range and shoot a USP you will get addicted.

 

[Gary G23]

I really like my XD-40. It has been 100% reliable and is easy to carry.

 

[Hellbore]

Hey guys, another question, do the Rugers in .40 S&W last well? I know some guns wear quickly from the powerful .40... Also, how about jamming and how well does it tolerate different kinds of ammo? I only see the Ruger P94 in .40 s&w, is this correct? I also heard the Ruger P's have a better trigger feel to them than the HK, is this true?

Also, I read something here:

http://www.hkpro.com/usp.htm

It says that some problems were fixed with the HK USP between its release in 1993 and 1995 when I guess the last problems were ironed out. Does anyone know if the used USP's on cdnn are pre-1995, if they have polygonal rifling, improved trigger, etc. ? If I get one will I have to worry about getting old defective stuff?

Thanks

 

[Preacherman]

The Rugers tend to be very reliable, and they're overbuilt to a fault - they should last as long as you do!

The HK's that CDNN is selling are police trade-ins: that means that departmental armorers will have upgraded them whenever necessary. If in doubt, contact HK with your serial number, and they should be able to tell you if any retrofit is necessary, and they'll do it for you, too.

 

[clubsoda22]

HK customer service? As much as i love their guns, that's an oxymoron. Anyway, the problem with trade ins is no warranty. That will not be a problem with 99.999% of HK's.