![]() ![]() The company decided to begin with a clean slate and gather input from the shooters themselves to influence the design of the new pistol. Further, Heckler & Koch realized that P7 pistols for the most part had become so expensive that they could not effectively compete against companies such as Glock and Smith & Wesson in the US market. Moreover, management realized that as good as their pistols were, several, such as the P7 were unconventional, although most people who purchase handguns are essentially conservative, preferring more conventional designs. In fact, H&K had no pistols other than in 9mm caliber and the company came to realize that if it was to maintain its viability in an increasingly competitive handgun market, it would have to expand and diversify its product line. H&K wanted to compete for the FBI 10mm pistol contract, but had no pistols in 10mm caliber, nor any conventional double action/single action (DA/SA) pistol as required by the FBI specifications. The genesis of the USP can be traced to the “Miami Shoot-out” which caused the Federal Bureau of Investigation to change from 9mm Parabellum to 10mm. HK Mark 23 commercial model.ĭifferences other than slide markings between this and the military version are minor. Moreover, the USP is a traditional pistol in the American idiom, while at the same time taking full advantage of the most modern materials to achieve levels of reliability and longevity that would have been unimaginable just 25 years ago. While not as widespread in police use as Glock pistols, the USP is nonetheless just as reliable, while being much more flexible in its ability to be modified to meet specific user requirements. It combines the best of traditional firearms with the best of state of the art firearms technology. In essence, a good firearm is synergistic – it is greater than the sum of its parts. In order to succeed in this arena, a handgun must not only meet the criteria for which it was designed, but must actually exceed most of them. Heckler and Koch’s Universal Self-Loading Pistol, better known as the USP, is a true firearms success story in what has become a highly competitive worldwide handgun market. Jim Schatz of Heckler & Koch, Inc., without whose assistance this I would like to express my sincere appreciation to Mr. ![]()
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