Depends on whether or not you want a hammer-fired or a striker-fired pistol. The USPs are hammer fired. I liked mine a lot, but I can't honestly say that it is the best pistol I've ever owned........in no small part because "best" is a subjective standard that varies from user to user. What's best for you (or the military) may not be best for someone else. Pretty much any pistol has its weaknesses. The USP's weakness is a gritty double action trigger with a too-heavy hammer spring from the factory. Replace the 14 lb hammer spring with a 10 lb spring from Wolf, and the double action pull lightens up dramatically, which in turn improves accuracy. But even if you have the SA/DA decocker version like the one I had, the SA trigger, while light enough for combat use, was a bit creepy and gritty......even after changing out the hammer spring. It also has a relatively high bore-axis, which makes muzzle flip that much more pronounced.......particularly in .40 S&W, which was what mine was chambered in. Another negative was the rail. I can't speak to newer versions of that pistol, but mine had a proprietary rail pattern and required either HK branded lights, or lights which came with an HK adapter to fit the HK rail.Beiruty wrote:USP are even better for being Military issued pistols.
My USP Compact was fairly accurate and easy-to-maintain pistol. I really appreciated the polygonal rifling when it came time to clean the barrel. It was relatively compact and narrow for a double-stack polymer-framed pistol, which made it fairly easy to conceal......similar in size to my Glock 19 or XDM-45 Compact 3.8.....and of similar weight.
Like I said previously, if it had been chambered in 9mm or .45, I would probably still have it today. But if I compare it to my XDM, the Springfield is a better carry pistol......for me. It is softer shooting, has a lower bore-axis, has a match-grade barrel for increased accuracy, has greater capacity, and best yet, you don't have to deal with HK's legendarily snobbish and unresponsive customer service. Yes, they make great pistols, but they don't give much of a darn about keeping their customers happy.
All of that said, if you have a USP (compact or full-sized), you have a very good pistol. And if you like it, then there is no reason to get rid of it and it is then indeed a "best" pistol.
Anyway just thought i'd see what the consensus is to those who either own or have shot them. keep in mind this will NOT be a carry gun but a range gun/ open carry gun out at the land.