By Jessie Indracusin <\/p>\n
Initial Impressions
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The first time I found out that Heckler and Koch was going to redesign the USP series of pistol, I was left with more of a "How can you improve perfection?". I have been a long time supporter of![\"](\"http:\/\/www.civiliantacticalweapons.com\/wpctw\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/hk45-right.jpg\")
Heckler and Koch and their firearms. Absolutely everything I have ever purchased or shot that has an H&K name on it (with the exception of cheap clones) has been rock solid. When I first picked this gun up and put it in my hands, it was such a natural feeling. The ergonomics of this gun is just perfect. Some of my minor complaints about the Heckler and Koch USP series were addressed. A universal mouting rail was added versus the proprietary rails that the USP series had (making it impossible to buy anything that H&K themselves didn't offer at a SERIOUS uplift. For example, when I first bought my H&K Expert 45, the H&K branded light I had to get was around $300. The other minor issue that I have with nearly every gun was resolved. My hands are a bit larger and I would always tend to add the Hogue grips on all my guns. This is the first gun I do not feel that there would be any benefit adding such a thing to it. The grip surface feels perfect. It is such a natural feeling and fits so snug (I know I have used natural twice, but if you grip one you will know what I mean). I fired the gun both with and without shooting gloves and it performed perfectly during a low light combat pistol course. <\/p>\n
Slide is very smooth. I was doing these drills during the course from a breaking leather motion. Nothing on the gun caused it to stick to the leather Galco holster I was using. It was very smooth to draw and to put back in the holster (keep in mind, I was using an H&K USP 45 holster and not one made specifically for an HK45). Doing combat reloads was very easy with this gun. Even without a flared out opening at the bottom, it was very easy to insert the magazines quickly and effectively. During the 500 rounds I have put through this gun firing VERY cheap Monarch 230 Grain Total Metal Jacket Rounds and UMC ammo through it, the gun performed flawlessly. This course was designed for creating stress shooting scenarios and the HK45 never failed me once. Even after all the dirty ammo I shot through this gun, I would have had no concerns firing anything you could find through it. With the price of ammo going through the roof, it is very important to get a gun that is not tempermental about what you shoot through it. <\/p>\n
Breakdown
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Breakdown of this firearm is very easy. If you have taken down an H&K USP in the past, there is nothing new you have to learn about this. It is nearly identical in every way. For those who may be unfamiliar with the b![\"](\"http:\/\/www.civiliantacticalweapons.com\/wpctw\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/hk45_breakdown.jpg\")
reakdown of an H&K, you do not need any tools to perform the standard breakdown that is used for cleaning. It is a gun that requires a very minimal amount of gun lubrication for it to operate correctly, very similiar to Glock firearm in that matter. It is pretty much the opposite of what you go through with Beretta weapons like the 92FS. Everything fits very snug with the H&K, some people may have a slight difficulty getting the barrel into the slide, but this just takes a little getting use to. I would recommend using a Hoppers solution to clean down the major components, but you can use whatever you like. <\/p>\n
Design Benefits
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One other thing I like about this firearm is the ambidextrous magazine and slide releases. Not a big concern for a right handed shooter like me, but could be a big benefit for left handed shooters. The ambidextrous slide release is new since the magazine release has always supported bother left and right hand shooters. <\/p>\n
One other thing I want to mention about H&K weapons in general, this one definitely enhancing prior designs. If you are uncomfortable with moving up from a .40 cal to a .45 cal, this should not be an issue with an H&K. Most people could not tell the difference of shooting my .40 cal pistol by Walther to the .45 cal H&K. The HK45 uses a modified Browning locking system with recoil buffer. The way H&K has tamed the 45 is amazing and is hard to believe. <\/p>\n
Complaints\/Concerns
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My complaints about this gun are very minor. Both one of the reasons I like the grip of this gun also make it difficult to sometimes draw from under concealment. The textured surface sometimes tends to stick on certain fabrics, making it a little more difficult to pull out from under concealment. That being said, this gun would most likely not be used for a Conceal Carry, even though I tend to use it that way sometimes. My other complaint is pretty much the same complaint I have with 95% of all pistols. I want adjustable rear sights. I don't want to have to use a special Clamp looking tool to move the rear sight from left to right. Although this was not an issue with this gun at all (it was sighted perfectly from the manufacturer), eventually over time you may need to tweak the rear sight adjustment. My other complaint is the magazine size. I know a lot of this is because of horrible gun legislation that certain States have over magazine capacity (mainly a 10 shot max), but I would like a 12 shot magazine option like other H&K USP 45s have. I am hoping a floor plate replacement for the magazine comes out that will extend the magazine capacity by 2-rounds like I have bought in the past. <\/p>\n