HK45 - finally got it!

[Tama]

Spent over a year diligently saving up to get this baby, and now it's finally in my grasp!

I was torn between this gun and the USP, and I ultimately chose this one. What sold me on the gun:

-The grip fits PERFECTLY into my hands. Also very nice sandy texture.

-Larger, more flush mag release compared to USP.

-Picatinny rail, as opposed to the "You suck and we hate you" proprietary rail.

-Very sexy design, unlike anything HK has produced before (P30 series notwithstanding, since it is taken from that design). It honestly looks like a shark.

-The 50,000 rounds with only 2 malfunctions report. (Source: http://pistol-training.com/archives/4027 ) It still has some time before it can be judged with its big brother USP, which was reported by a former SWAT member to have 4 malfunctions between 160,000 rounds. (Will add link once I find it again)

-More concealable than the USP, due to it being thinner and lighter.

-Longer sight radius.

My complaints of the pistol so far:

-Slide release isn't as large as the USP.

-The 'round in the chamber' indicator isn't very noticeable.

-The slide isn't as buttery smooth as the P30 right out of the box, though that may change after a couple hundred rounds.

-The trigger on HK45 is ok, but not nearly as smooth as my uncle's match trigger on his USP.

Taking it down to the range today. Will post results in a bit.

 

[Prime Shane Douglas]

Nice gun. I like H&K but they are a tad out of my price range. Loved the way it felt in my hand but never got to shoot one.

Only knock I can give it is for the price I could get a G17/G19, M&P or any other similar polymer framed gun, accessories, ammo etc and be just as happy. I could also go up a few hundred more and get a 1911. Interested in your range report. Very nice looking gun. Happy shooting!!!

BTW, Todd Green posts at another site I used to post on. Very knowledgeable guy. He did a similar test with a S&W M&P at mp-pistol.com.

 

[caseyboi**]

Disappointed. I thought this was a thread about swine flu

 

[Grrrr]

Congrats.

 

[Tankeraye]

Very nice, can't wait to get mine. That feeling of a slight "Hang up" near the end of slide travel is most likely the barrel o-ring, and smooths out a bit over time I'm told. I do have a question about that report though. Did the trigger return spring failure mean the gun was out of battery until the spring was replaced? I know the sear spring failure caused the trigger to stay in the self-cocking condition, but if the return spring caused a trigger disconnect that is a serious failure, not a stoppage. Still impressive as it happened after 30k rounds apparently.

 

[Tankeraye]

Also, I've never shot an HK with a good trigger out of the box, but Gray's Guns can fix that.

 

[Chesten_Hesten]

Does that thing have a ramped barrel like the XD/glocks and all that, or is it more a straight shot?

 

[Ash E Larry]

Nice buy, can i ask how much it set you back?

 

[Scrody]

Should be a great buy

Congrats

I loled at the picture in the background

 

[crowded]

My buddy said he just picked up two of these. I didn't understand why he needed two, but he was jazzed.

 

[Tama]

All right, finally got some pics up. Here's the results at about 15 yards:

I have a bad habit of shooting low and to the left with guns I haven't shot before (nothing a little dry firing won't fix), but my concentrated groupings are in the 1-inch range. As you can see, I shot at least five rounds in the same hole. Later on I went buck wild and did some rapid fire shots, and it felt AMAZING! The recoil was really soft, and the grip made the gun feel like it was melting into my hands. I can shoot this baby all day!

I do have a question about that report though. Did the trigger return spring failure mean the gun was out of battery until the spring was replaced? I know the sear spring failure caused the trigger to stay in the self-cocking condition, but if the return spring caused a trigger disconnect that is a serious failure, not a stoppage. Still impressive as it happened after 30k rounds apparently.

They did count it as a malfunction but not a stoppage, if I'm not mistaken. And I don't think it was out of battery; it continued to load properly and fire in DA only. The link in my OP has all the details.

Does that thing have a ramped barrel like the XD/glocks and all that, or is it more a straight shot?

It's a ramped barrel

Nice buy, can i ask how much it set you back?

$1139 brand new (I tried to get a used one for cheaper, but no luck). So far it seems to be worth every penny.

My buddy said he just picked up two of these. I didn't understand why he needed two, but he was jazzed.

Man, the price of just ONE of these already made me hesitant to buy one. The thought of buying two would give me a heart attack.

 

[Protectandserve]

Always wanted to pick up an HK but haven't been able to justify the price. Most are too bulky for me to carry off duty anyway. One of the best guns I've ever shot was the HK USP Tactical. Thing just had a perfect point of aim and trigger for me.

Only downside I've seen with them was the guys who had them in the police academy had problems with the mags exploding when they were dropped partially loaded on the concrete.

 

[Tama]

Always wanted to pick up an HK but haven't been able to justify the price. Most are too bulky for me to carry off duty anyway. One of the best guns I've ever shot was the HK USP Tactical. Thing just had a perfect point of aim and trigger for me.

Only downside I've seen with them was the guys who had them in the police academy had problems with the mags exploding when they were dropped partially loaded on the concrete.

The HK45 is bulky and is pretty heavy when fully loaded, though not as heavy as a 1911. In spite of that, it conceals pretty well IWB with no obvious printing. As long as I'm not wearing a tight shirt and skinny jeans (what self-respecting CCW carrier does anyway?), I don't think I'll startle anyone.

And that story about the mags exploding just sounds like horrible, planets completely aligned the wrong way kind of bad luck for ANY gun.

 

[Protectandserve]

^It was only the HK's for some reason. It was a fairly common thing for the HK mags actually. The other mags did not seem to have that problem.

I carry a SIG P220 Carry Elite off duty, which is a big gun to CCW and have never had an issue. The bulky USP slides and grip just never concealed well for me, maybe a body type thing.

 

[Cannibal Matt]

Nice gun. I would like to shoot one some day.

^It was only the HK's for some reason. It was a fairly common thing for the HK mags actually. The other mags did not seem to have that problem.

I carry a SIG P220 Carry Elite off duty, which is a big gun to CCW and have never had an issue. The bulky USP slides and grip just never concealed well for me, maybe a body type thing.

My EDC is a HK P2000 and I love it. It's small enough to conceal just about anywhere I would normally conceal a gun and it's a little smaller than my SIG P226.

 

[D Train]

I have a USP and it's definitely my favorite handgun. The trigger was abysmal, but I had it lightened considerably and now it's like butter.
It does have a weird glitch with certain magazines where if you insert a loaded mag while the slide is locked back, the slide will release and load a round. I actually wish it did this everytime, but it's just with one particular mag for some reason. It's too big for me cc though.

 

[TeTe]

Nice fukkin gun.

 

[ironwolf]

sweet gun dude. I have an old USP 45. I never use the rails anyways so that dosent matter. HK makes good guns.

 

[MEGAhorse]

Sick gun dude, love HK

 

[Roaming East]

The HK45 is bulky and is pretty heavy when fully loaded, though not as heavy as a 1911. In spite of that, it conceals pretty well IWB with no obvious printing. As long as I'm not wearing a tight shirt and skinny jeans (what self-respecting CCW carrier does anyway?), I don't think I'll startle anyone.

And that story about the mags exploding just sounds like horrible, planets completely aligned the wrong way kind of bad luck for ANY gun.

yeah im of the same opinion. I never skip a chance to rag on the USP .40 since i was a very dissatisfied user of one for several years but as hard as i worked that pistol in defensive pistol courses and near constant carry, ive never had an issue with its magazines.

All my issues were in relation to its finicky ammo needs and unreliability in sandy maritime environments. Trigger wasnt too shabby either. i had the DA/SA version....variant 1 believe.