H&K USC 45 Carbine... good and the bad?

[smoke5643]

I have ordered a H&K USC. I couldn't find much in the way of a good review for it but all the comments seemed to be positive. Aside from the cost (I manage a gunshop and get things at cost as a perk) and the limited mag capacity (without UMP conversion) what is everyone else's opinion on it that owns or has shot one? I am really excited about this weapon!

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[rfurtkamp]

It'll be accurate and do what you want it to do, assuming you can handle it having the 16" barrel and neutered features. Even with gunshop discount, I'd probably have bought one that was already converted (and someone else ate a good chunk of change on to resell) by one of the major smiths.

Expect lots of 'why'd you buy that' from the resident HK haters.

They're nice but I didn't fall in love with them like the roller-locked guns personally.

 

[smoke5643]

I had thought about it but I just didnt see spending that much all at once for a UMP converted one. The 10 rd mags dont bother me. My dad has a SBR UMP converted USC with about 15 mags. I will just borrow some and load them all up before heading to the range. I like the looks of it as is and have always had good experiences with different H&K pistols I own.

Which roller lock guns are you speaking of? I am a pistol "expert", dont know as much about rifles as I do pistols and shotguns. Thanks for the help and advice.

 

[taliv]

i bought a conversion from HDPS when they first came out and had it short-barreled. It was an amazingly fun gun to shoot. It is whisper quiet with a suppressor. The grease gun mags are way better than UMP mags. It was completely reliable. with an eotech sight, it was trivial to hit aluminum cans at 50 yrds.

There were a few downsides... The weight of the bolt/carrier is a large percent of the total gun, so while reliable, recoil feels like you're moving a sledge hammer four inches back and forth, and is difficult to shoot accurately rapidly. there's no good way to put a sling on it. and it's not particularly lefty-friendly

 

[smoke5643]

Thanks for the advice. I understand the recoil issues and am willing to take a chance there. The sling option doesn't not particularly bother me. Out of all the rifles and shotguns I own I think 1 might have a sling. Also I am right handed so there again the lefty problem is non existent. So far so good then. Can anyone attest to the reliability and accuracy of the gun? I know H&K is in high regard among those who one them as far as reliability. I have ordered a top rail from hdps and will most likely mount my 512 EoTech on it.

 

[rfurtkamp]

Which roller lock guns are you speaking of?

and



for me, personally.

I have a thing for the shorter versions of things that don't need to be bigger.

But you should be happy with the USC if you're familiar with the out of the box shortcomings (mostly for legal/import purposes).

 

[LHRGunslinger]

Sexy H&K collection ya got there! Lemme know if ya need someone to put in your will

 

[Storm]

I find mine to be a fine shooter with very little recoil. It's extremely accurate and is on the rather quiet side. While some have a problem with the ergonomics of the thumbhole stock I do not find it to be an issue. Some folks have major issues with the configuration that was necessary to get the gun into the country. I would greatly discount the opinions of those who have not shot the gun and solely dislike the gun due to the politics involved with its importation configuration.

While I understand why some would want an imitation UMP, I like mine as is with the only major addition being a top rail from HDPS. Ten round mags are fine and can be mag cinched together. Since Promag has made a 20 round mag for the SL8 (and it really works) I have hopes that they will do the same for the USC in the form in something between 15 and 20 rounds. There is an aluminum 20 round single stack mag available, but it's on the pricey side.

 

[smoke5643]

Thanks Storm for the info! I too have no problems with the 10rd mags. That just means I'll buy a couple more. I have already purchased the top rail from HDPS. A must have for my EoTech to be used of course. I might end up buying one of the 20rd alum mags just to have one and I do hope that ProMag comes through on one too.

Keep it coming USC owners!

 

[browningguy]

The good, they are very accurate and reliably feed anything you put in them.

The bad, magazines, when you can find them, are expensive. Mine is just a plinker and I love it.

 

[smoke5643]

Thanks browningguy. I definitely like what Im hearing here. My dad has at least 10-20 mags for every rifle he owns and he had a USC and has since converted it to a UMP copy. SO I know exactly where to get some cheap or most likely free mags for it .

I know im not going to hit coke cans at 200 yards with the peep sight but I would think that a 14x12" steel plate at 100 yards with the 512 zeroed in would be no problem. Thats all I would ever use it for.

 

[nwilliams]

I had one years ago and I regret selling it. It was black, it was very accurate, it was fun to shoot, it looked really cool despite the funky stock and best of all I only paid about $900 for it.

However the fact that it could only accept 10 round mags got old after a while. The thumbhole stock wasn't a big issue but it did feel like it messed up the ergonomics of the gun a little.

If I still owned it I would probably spend the money and go through the process of converting it into a UMP clone.

 

[Gord]

Okay, this is probably going to get me flamed into oblivion, but given the limitations (10-round mag and 16" barrel sans UMP conversion) why wouldn't one just buy a Hi-Point - or five or six - for the price of a USC?

 

[jpwilly]

^^^ maybe because they are really ugly, made of pot metal, and you cannot get any street cred with em!

 

[Gord]

They're a lot less ugly (and creaky) with the ATI-style stock. As far as pot metal claims, I certainly haven't seen anyone complaining of having worn theirs out, and I get the impression that the carbines get shot a lot more than the typical Hi-Point handgun.

 

[Maverick223]

I don't believe that there are any particularly bad attributes but the inability to accept USP-.45 magazines or high capacity UMP magazines, along with the expense to convert one to a UMP, led me to look elsewhere. I recently decided to fill the niche with a new MSAR-MCS in .45ACP (takes Glock mags), but I will have to wait to do so as they are supposed to be unveiled 1st Qtr. next year. At this point I would probably choose the Beretta Storm CX-4 before the USC, but it sounds like your priorities are a bit different from mine, so I don't think you made a bad choice.

 

[Storm]

and I do hope that ProMag comes through on one too.

I think that the possibility of ProMag tackling the USC mag is quite good. While there aren't that many USC out there there also aren't all that many (relatively speaking) SL8 either. ProMag did an amazingly good job with the SL8 mag, and if they can do the same with the USC it will remove another sticking point that folks have with the USC.

BTW, I do not see the barrel length as an issue with the USC. Sure, if I was an operator clearing rooms it would be a hinderance, but for what 99.9% of what these guns will be used for it just isn't an issue. Chopping a beautiful barrel like that would be very hard for me to do. Plus, the gun fires very quietly, and I have to wonder if that is in part a result of the barrel length.

BTW, that HDPS top rail is quite good and can be had for a good deal less than the HK rail. I shoot my USC almost exclusively iron sights, but having the option for optics is quite nice.

 

[smoke5643]

BTW, I do not see the barrel length as an issue with the USC. Sure, if I was an operator clearing rooms it would be a hinderance, but for what 99.9% of what these guns will be used for it just isn't an issue. Chopping a beautiful barrel like that would be very hard for me to do.

I agree with you there storm. I have been tossing around adding it to the ole RLT and SBRing it just for the simple fact that they look really cool . It will be here tomorrow and I cant wait to hit the range with it this weekend!

 

[goldie]

ive had a usc for a few years. its extremely accutate. at 25 yards it can put multiple shots in a tight ragged hole.lots of fun to shoot. very smooth & reliable. the bolt is a massive and finely machined piece of steel.the guy i got it from was shooting smiley faces with it. i saw a place on line that sells single stack 20 round magazines,you can google it ,may come up. mine is the original grey one. i see no need to start monkeying with it, i like it as is....

 

[smoke5643]

Glad to see all the good reviews! There is a guy that works for me at my shop that laughed at me when I told him I order the USC. He said "Why didnt you just buy 5 Hi-Point carbines? I bet mine will out shoot the USC!". I proceeded to tell him that he was crazy. He just isnt in favor of spending ~$500-700 on any gun no matter what it is. So I took that as what it was and challenged him to a little shooting contest on Saturday after we close. So we will see how good it really is then...

 

[Maverick223]

The HP actually isn't too bad (from a reliability or accuracy standpoint) IME...but it is butt ugly, and it ain't likely to rival that HK in any category (well save for price).

 

[taliv]

the reason to shorten the USC/UMP barrel is to put a suppressor on it that takes it back to approximately the same length. the gun is impressively quiet with a can

 

[smoke5643]

I agree that the HP is a good gun. I have shot his 9 and 45 carbine and they both function very well and are accurate. But as much as he shoots it will only be a matter of time before something gives out. Then his response will be well I can buy 4 more for the price of your one. I say why do that when you can get a quality gun once that will last a lifetime.

 

[Maverick223]

Not trying to sound like a HP snob (< is that really possible?), but from all accounts they have excellent CS support and will take care of anything that happens to break. H&K doesn't have quite as sparkling of a CS reputation, but again I haven't any experience with their CS, because my H&K (a USP, not a USC) keeps on ticking...and I am not entirely certain that it is possible to break the beast. Wouldn't be a bit surprised if you have just as much trouble with yours.

 

[smoke5643]

I agree with the HP CS. We have had many interactions with them due to their pistols. They are always timely and courteous. I just cant get past the looks. I mean I'm not the type that just has guns for looks, but at the same time I'm not going to buy one if it is butt ugly. I also have a USP 9mm and have yet to even see any real wear on it after thousands of rounds. I very much hope I get struck with your same troubles on both .