Opinions on H&K USP Compact and the 357Sig caliber

[Anna's Dad]

I'm considering the H&K USP 357Sig Compact but would appreciate some feedback.

From doing a quick search, it appears taht 357Sig ammo is on the expensive side. I have read that with nothing but a barrel swap, the USP 357Sig can fire .40S&W and that even the 357Sig mags will work correctly.

So why don't I just buy the .40S&W USP, you ask? I'm going to buy a threaded barrel anyway so a barrel swap is going to happen one way or the other and CDNN has a much better deal on the 357Sig than they do on the .40S&W. Plus I'd be able to fire two calibers rather than one if I wanted to and that's always a plus!

I'd appreciate any thoughts on the gun, the caliber and whether or not a barrel swap is really all that is needed to switch to .40S&W.

Thanks...

 

[pogo2]

Good gun, questionable caliber

I've had a USP compact in .40 for about 2 years and it is an excellent gun - reliable, accurate and lightweight for carry. I like it better than my Glock 23, which it closely resembles in size and weight.

I'm not sure why you would want a .357 Sig, however. The ballistics of this caliber can be closely approximated by a lightweight .40 caliber bullet (135 grains) with the right powder load. That is, a muzzle velocity in the 1300 fps + range with muzzle energy over 500 ft-lbs. So if you have a .40 caliber gun it seems a waste of money to buy a .357 Sig barrel for it. The .40 ammo is cheaper and comes in more varieties and loads.

Here is my USP 40c:

 

[Black Majik]

The USP is an excellent platform. It's extremely reliable, durable and can be shot in a multitude of configurations. You can have the standard V1 carried cocked and locked, DA/SA, or even DA/SA locked. The USP is also available in a DAO type trigger called the LEM.

The grip is a little chunky and blocky, but it's easily overlooked. The stock sights sorta sucks, with big white dots staring back at you. The DA trigger is usually heavy, long and gritty, the SA is more acceptable. Doesn't bother me however since I use my USP in condition 1 fashion. Also, it should be mentioned the trigger reset is quite long. Quick shooting, if not careful can result in trigger freeze. Careful if you shoot high thumb riding your thumb on the safety lever. You can decock the gun when firing.

Otherwise it's an excellent platform. The trigger quality is heavier than other platforms but can be fixed. I agree with the above poster, get a .40S&W USP instead. WWB value packs are available for the .40S&W, it'll be considerably cheaper than .357SIG.

Good luck!

 

[Gary G23]

I used to have a HK USP Compact in 357. It was a great gun. The only reason I got rid of it was because I also had a Sig 229 in 357 and decided I wanted to get rid of one of them. The Sig has a lower bore axis so that is the reason I kept it.

I personally like the 357 caliber. When I got my first 357 I had a falling plate rack in my backyard range that I had shot at for years with 40cal and 9mm pistols. When I started shooting at it with the 357 the damn thing didn't last long. The 357 round really tore it up.

Also after owning several 357 pistols and several 40cals I have had better reliability with the 357s. This might be due to the fact that with the 357 you are feeding a 35 cal bullet into a 40 cal hole.

 

[antsi]

I like 357 SIG, but that's just a matter of personal taste.

My sense is that of the all the calibers that are semi-commonly in use by police and military - 9mm, 40 SW, 357 SIG, and 45 ACP, they will all do the job. Maybe some of these calibers have slightly more energy, some slightly larger wound channel, others slightly better penetration. But in the grand scheme of things, I don't think these marginal differences are substantial enough that they're likely to make the difference between saving your life or not saving your life.

In other words, the scenario where you emptied your 9mm into someone attacking you and your dying thought is, "If only I had my 40 SW, I would have survived this," is not a believable scenario to me.

Therefore, the choice comes down to issues other than performance, and these are likely to be personal.

357 SIG is a bit harder to find and often more expensive in your local gun stores. You can get it relativley inexpensively online in bulk, and you can reload it for about the same $ as anything else. If you buy ammo online in bulk or reload, this won't be that big a deal for you. If you are on a budget and buy your ammo in the local retail outlet, price and availability may be an issue for you.

Although I don't think there is any meaningful (ie, likely to make a difference in a self defense situation) difference between these calibers, I do find that they all shoot differently. The recoil feels different. The trajectories are somewhat different.

Personally I like shooting 357 SIG. There is substantial flip with the recoil, but it is quick and sharp and I feel like I get back on target quickly. It is very flat shooting - I get very little rise/drop at reasonable pistol fighting ranges. For me, I shoot it the most accurately of all the police/military calibers. However, I admit this might not be the caliber itself but possibly differences in the guns or the ammo. Maybe my reloads for 357 SIG are that much better than my 9mm reloads.

I do think that your personal enjoyment of a caliber is one of the most important things about it, even if it is your primary defense pistol. If you love shooting that gun, you're going to shoot it more and get good with it. I'm quite sure that will make more difference than 50 grains more bullet weight or 100 fps slower or .07 inch less expansion or whatever.

 

[10-Ring]

I don't know if it holds true w/ the compact USPs, but the conversion did not work w/ the full size USPs -- from what I recall, it was a follower issue...try a search on hkpro.com & find out for sure.
Me, I prefer shooting the 357 sig vs. the 40, but that's just me

 

[Anna's Dad]

Thanks, 10-Ring. I did a search over at hkpro and found that the compact is just a barrel swap where the full-size is problematic.

I think I'm getting the .357Sig and a .40 threaded barrel!

 

[WC145]

My duty weapon is a USPc 357sig and I wouldn't trade it for anything else. The ammo is pricey, though, especially compared to 9mm.

I've thought about buying a .40 barrel but I have a friend with a 9mm USPc that I'm considering buying for practice because I can get a very good deal on it.