Please compare H&K USP / S&W M&P

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Jason,
I have not heard of the slide/frame issues, perhaps you're thinking of Glock?
Out of all the poly handguns I have seen the M&P has the largest bearing area between it's frame "rails" and the slide.
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No, not Glock. Definitely the M&P.

My Dad is a local LEO, and their whole department had to send their pistols back to S&W because the slides were flying off (I think forward when they would return to battery). They took care of it, but it would certainly suck to find out the hard way that your pistol has this issue.

Jason
 
I have well over 45K thru my USPf 45. And, it is balls on accurate as the day I got it. I have a Jarvis bbl to shoot lead thru the USPf now, to help with lowering shooting costs.
 
I think most people that do not like the M&P probably have not owned one. Most owners realize that the M&P is an improvement in poly pistols at a very reasonable cost. I am sure the H&K is a fine pistol and I could afford one, but why waste money? The Smith is just as good if not better in many ways.
 
My Dad is a local LEO, and their whole department had to send their pistols back to S&W because the slides were flying off (I think forward when they would return to battery). They took care of it, but it would certainly suck to find out the hard way that your pistol has this issue.
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What PD, how many guns, and which ones?

My PD has about 2k officers and we have never had a single instance of this happening.

Mike
 
I have an HK USP Compact in .40 and a recently purchased M&P 9mm which I have not fired yet. I am honestly unimpressed with the HK. I may sell it at some point. It has been reliable for the few hundred round I've put through it, but the trigger sucks, the grip feels like a brick and it doesn't point well, IMHO. It also shoots low consistently, so it probably needs a new front sight. The M&P, however, feels great in hand and the trigger feels nice with dry firing. It also points much better for me. I also recently bought an XD-M 9mm, which is another nice looking and handling plastic pistol. I will probably not be buying another HK any time soon as they do not work well for me. Only you can decide if the extra money is worth it to you.
 
Try this, we are not all built the same. Find a way to shoot both and your mind will be made up. In a way it takes out all the bias.
 
"One of the most frustrating things about dealing with gun people on the interweb is that folks tend to pick a brand, and then base some of their self-esteem on that brand."

Sounds like some Democrats I know...
 
Some folks have asked that I post more details about the incident that I alluded to in an earlier post I made:

My Dad is a local LEO, and their whole department had to send their pistols back to S&W because the slides were flying off (I think forward when they would return to battery). They took care of it, but it would certainly suck to find out the hard way that your pistol has this issue.

Jason
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All models that malf'd were 9mm, and to the best of my knowledge were only the fullsize models. This dept adopted the M&P while it was still very new, and the pistols that malf'd did so very early in their round count, so if you have a newer model, or if your M&P has been trouble-free for a substantial number of rounds, it ought to continue to be so. I think with my earlier post I accidentally raised unnecessary alarm with some folks, and I apologize for that.

FWIW, S&W replaced the entire dept's shipment of pistols, even though I believe many (if not most) were still unfired, in the boxes.

Hope that helps clarify things.

Jason
 
When I chose my USPc .40, I did so based simply on the fact it fit best in my hand. I am very happy with the HK. I would buy another. I would also by a M&P if it felt good. Fondle 'em both, which ever one gets the biggest smile out of ya is the one.
 
I liked my USPc .45 enough that I bought a USP Tactical. For me the decision to get an HK was simply all about 2 things:

1 - Single/double action. I like to be able to fire sigle action if needed.

2 - My friend and gun dealer had a USPc available for $400.00. I wasn't going to say no, now I'm hooked.

That said, the M&P is a really good gun from all I've read. It feels nice in the hand though I haven't shot one yet. I have to say try each out if you possibly can.
 
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I owned a M&P9 before I sold it to my father. Don't get me wrong its a damn good gun. Pistol-training.com had like a 62k round torture test on the M&P 9. It performed pretty well. http://pistol-training.com/archives/998. But for me myself I shoot H&Ks a lot better than I did with my M&P. Your just going to need to get out there and shoot both. I heard so many good things about the M&P I figured I would pick it up as my first 9mm pistol. Unfortunately I was not very consistent with my shooting like I am with my HKs. Go out and shoot each gun and make your decision from there. But from my preference I'd go with the H&K.
 
"An open letter to the gun community from HK’s marketing department: In a world of compromises, some people put the bullets in the magazine backwards…But it doesn’t matter, because our gun is on the cover of the Rainbow Six video games. Look how cool that SEAL coming out of the water looks… If you buy a $2,000 SOCOM, you will be that cool of an operator too. And chicks will dig you.

At HK, we stuck a piston on an AR15, just like a bunch of other companies have done, dating back to about 1969. However ours is better, because we refuse to sell it to civilians. Because you suck, and we hate you.

Our XM8 is the greatest rifle ever developed. It may melt, and it doesn’t fit any accessories known to man, but that is your fault. If you were a real operator, you would love it. Once again, look at Rainbow Six, that G36 sure is cool isn’t it? Yeah, you know you want one.And by the way, check out our new HK45. We decided that humans don’t need to release the magazine with their thumbs. If you were a really manly teutonic operator, you would be able to reach the controls. Plus we’ve fired 100,000,000 rounds through one with zero malfunctions, and that was while it was buried in a lake of molten lava, on the moon. If you don’t believe us, it is because you aren’t a real operator.

By the way, our cheap, mass-produced, stamped sheet metal guns like the G3 and MP5 are the bestest things ever, and totally worth asinine scalpers prices, but note that cheap, mass-produced, stamped sheet metal guns from other countries are commie garbage. Not that it matters, because you’re civilians, so we won’t sell them to you anyway. Because you suck, and we hate you, but we know you’ll be back. We can beat you down like a trailer park wife, but you’ll come back, you always do.
Buy our stuff.
Sincerely
HK Marketing DepartmentHK. Because you suck. And we hate you.
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ROFL
 
i have found HK's to be more consistent from sample to sample -- I have found S&W semi auto pistols to very greatly from gun to gun.
Give me an HK every time ;)
 
I like my HK, but really don't like the operator aura that surrounds the firm.

I fired the S&W too (only in 9mm tho) and i must say, i was quite surprised, it is actually a very good gun and it's very close to my USP. Still, for some reason (personal feel, sentimental value (first gun), ...) i like the usp better
 
I currently own a HK45c and M&P45 full-sized model.

They both are great guns. I love the HK45c for the ability to carry in different ways due to the safety design, and I love the M&P45 for having a safety just like a 1911 does.

To me the big question between the two models (generalizing here) is should the H&K be about $300 more than the S&W? As much as I think the HK45c is a great gun, it's a tough call.
 
Hope that helps clarify things.
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Sorry, it doesn't for me. You said the "slides went flying off". How did that happen? Were the slide release or take-down levers shearing? I retired from a state agency employing several hundred le officers (all equipped with the latest Smith autos) and (though I wasn't privy to everything going on) I never heard of a single such incident happening. Which is why I'm interested in the details of the failures of Smith autos as recounted by you involving your father's le department. Can you provide more details and/or evidence as to what exactly was occurring?
 
Sorry, it doesn't for me. You said the "slides went flying off". How did that happen? Were the slide release or take-down levers shearing? I retired from a state agency employing several hundred le officers (all equipped with the latest Smith autos) and (though I wasn't privy to everything going on) I never heard of a single such incident happening. Which is why I'm interested in the details of the failures of Smith autos as recounted by you involving your father's le department. Can you provide more details and/or evidence as to what exactly was occurring?
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Yeah. I spoke to my dad, and he said that the slides weren't coming off afterall. I don't know if it was me misunderstanding him, or him misunderstanding the other deputies whose pistols malfunctioned (his never did), and since this has been at least a couple of years ago he didn't remember either. The guns were not cycling properly, but no slides were coming off. He said he did not remember what the exact cause of this was, or if S&W even said what the problem was. His and several others never malfunctioned, but S&W took them all back anyway and sent (I would assume) new pistols.

Sorry about the confusion guys.

Jason
 
I love my USP .40, but then again I've heard alot of praise for the M&P and I've been eyeing one myself
 
It's simple for me. There is only one of the two that fits/feels good in my hand(s) as I shoot either hand.
The M&P feels great, the H&K does not. So for me the M&P 45, if I decide to buy one as I would rather have a M&P 10mm. But oh to dream.
 
I am the oddball here. I like the HK trigger better then the M&P.
The M&P's I have fired had a gritty pull and the HK more smoother.
I have noticed in a few other threads that one thing that is mentioned is to have the trigger worked over.
 
The M&P trigger is gritty and "busy" when the gun is new. It gets better through simple use, an can be vastly improved with a trigger job.

Mike
 
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