H&K USP 45 CT (Compact Tactical) - Tactical Tim

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H&K <strong>USP</strong> <strong>45</strong> <strong>CT</strong> (<strong>Compact</strong> <strong>Tactical</strong>)<br />

Pre-Review Comments:<br />

Okay, okay... you’re right. The HK <strong>USP</strong> <strong>45</strong> <strong>CT</strong> is certainly<br />

not the most concealable gun ever made. Heck, it’s not<br />

really a concealed carry gun at all.<br />

But DANG is it cool!<br />

Now don’t get me wrong. If you’re a big person (like<br />

I am), you will NOT have a problem carrying this gun<br />

concealed. It’s a LOT smaller than my Glock 21 and I’ve<br />

carried that gun a whole bunch of times!<br />

I am really pumped about this gun. Although now I’ve got<br />

to figure out a way to get my Gemtech suppressor to fit on<br />

the end of this thing! ;-)<br />

Nitty-Gritty Specs:<br />

Caliber .<strong>45</strong> ACP<br />

Gun Type SA / DA<br />

Capactiy 8+1<br />

Height 5.50 in.<br />

Length 7.72 in.<br />

Thickness 1.117 in.<br />

Weight (Unloaded) 1.834 lbs.<br />

Weight (Loaded) 2.248 lbs.<br />

Concealability Factor 5.109<br />

Barrel Length 4.46 in.<br />

Sight Radius 5.776 in.<br />

Sight Type 3 dot<br />

1st Trigger Pull 12 lbs<br />

2nd Trigger Pull 4.0 lbs<br />

MSRP $ 1200<br />

Street Price (New) $ 1130<br />

Used Price $ 1000<br />

Quality, Fit & Finish:<br />

A long time ago, one of my writers for Concealed Carry<br />

Magazine did a review on an H&K pistol and had said that<br />

the trigger was horrible. Ever since then, H&K has refused<br />

to talk to anyone at my company!<br />

So, as you can imagine, I had to buy this gun for myself<br />

(just like all the guns I review here!) Heck, there was a little<br />

part of me that was hoping to find something that I didn’t<br />

like about this gun! (I know, sour grapes.)<br />

But alas, this gun is a real piece of engineering art. The<br />

Nice frame rail.<br />

Now THIS is what I call a<br />

slide lock catch. Nice, big<br />

and functional!<br />

I really like the base<br />

plate on the mag.<br />

Dang... I just LOVE these sights.<br />

They’re about twice as high as<br />

normal Novak combat 3-dot sights<br />

so that you can see over your<br />

suppressor.<br />

Novak, combat 3-dot<br />

sights.<br />

Awesome Novak Combat<br />

sights - Extra tall so they<br />

work with suppressors.<br />

Threaded barrel for<br />

your suppressor!<br />

Hmmm... this mag<br />

release will take some<br />

getting used to.<br />

I love the ergonomics<br />

of this grip... it is super<br />

comfortable.<br />

This safety and<br />

de-cocker is in the<br />

perfect place.

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fit and finish is beautiful. Everything about this gun says,<br />

“Bad-ass german engineering.”<br />

However, there is one tiny little thing that bugs me about<br />

the HK <strong>USP</strong> <strong>45</strong> <strong>CT</strong>. And that “thing” is the magazine release.<br />

It works fine and all... it’s just a lot different than what I’m<br />

used to. Instead of pushing a button IN on the left side of the<br />

grip, there is an ambidextrous lever that you need to push<br />

DOWN. This lever is found right at the crotch of the trigger<br />

guard and the grip. I think it will just take some getting used<br />

to. But right now, I don’t really like it!<br />

Ergonomics & Shootability:<br />

From an ergonomics perspective, this gun is simply<br />

amazing. The second trigger pull is nice and light and the<br />

trigger reset length is very small. (Almost Glock-like!)<br />

The slide lock catch is huge and works beautifully. The<br />

safety and de-cocker lever are in the perfect place. They are<br />

exactly where your thumb would want them to be.<br />

The only thing that I don’t like is that ambidextrous<br />

mag release. It kind of makes me wonder... the safety and<br />

de-cocker lever aren’t ambidextrous, so why make the<br />

magazine release button ambidextrous?<br />

Reliability & Accuracy:<br />

Holy cow. This gun is a DREAM to shoot. I managed<br />

to keep all 16 rounds on my accuracy target within a 2.8”<br />

circle. (Heck, most of the rounds went through the same<br />

ragged hole the size of a silver dollar!)<br />

Man, I can’t wait to take this gun out to the range again!<br />

Concealability:<br />

The concealability rating is determined by the formula below. The lower<br />

the number the better! Cfactor = (LxWxTx(loaded weight))/(7*π)<br />

This gun gets a concealability rating of 5.109 which is<br />

not very good for a “concealed carry” gun. But, if you’re<br />

a larger person, you’ll be able to hide this gun! Unless of<br />

course you put a suppressor on the end... then you’re going<br />

to have a hard time hiding this thing. (Unless your name is<br />

James Bond 007!)<br />

Conclusion & Summary:<br />

This probably shouldn’t be your only concealed carry<br />

gun. There are just too many other guns that fit the bill<br />

better. However, if you’re looking for a “cool” gun that you<br />

can put your suppressor on, then this is the gun for you.<br />

Things I LIKE:<br />

HK provides a case that<br />

you can continue to use<br />

for storage. It’s a very<br />

nice case!<br />

Things I DONT Like:<br />

¨ I don’t like the magazine release.<br />

TWO extra, 8-round<br />

magazines. Nice job<br />

HK... thanks for the<br />

extra mags.<br />

¨ Design, fit and finish are world class.<br />

¨ Love the size and function of the slide-lock catch lever.<br />

¨ It’s nice that you get 2 extra magazines.<br />

¨ 8+1 rounds of <strong>45</strong> ACP in a compact package!

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Dang... this thing is a tack-driver.<br />

I shot two full magazines (16<br />

rounds) and kept them all within<br />

2.8” from 21 feet.