How's this for irony.

[Kitsune]

I was wondering on the recoil, I heard the full size USP is quite easy to handle.

I would imagine it is a bit better than the compact as far as muzzle rise, etc. My biggest complaint about it is that the double-action (first shot, non-cocked) requires a pretty heavy trigger pull. It's enough that during the squeeze you'll move off target if you aren't careful.

Why did I purchase it, then? It was the only gun with a real safety that was in the affordable range. I'm very pleased with it, regardless, but I'm never as accurate with it as I am the 9mm Ruger. I don't get to practice with it as much, either, because of the cost of the ammunition. HKs are well known for their ruggedness, but they will not eat the cheap stuff as I stated above. I once went through all my ammunition at a range and decided to purchase some from the desk. They handed me a box of "Wolf .45 ACP" (cheapy stuff, out of Russia, manufactured by children, etc), which turned out to be a huge mistake. This stuff was so thoroughly gunked over with waterproofing that it rubbed off and built up inside the chamber. The result was that on the 20th or so round, the gunk caused the casing to jam hard into the chamber. The slide still had a millimeter to travel before being fully closed and it couldn't be pulled back because of the extractor holding onto the round. I suppose this might not be a problem limited to this specific model of firearm, mind you.

I was horrified when I saw the rangemaster attempt to use his "special technique" to fix it, which involved using a rubber mallet to try to drive the slide home. I haven't been back to that range since.

Fixing it required that I carefully transport the pistol home where I was able to rock the extractor out of place, remove the slide, and pop the offending round out with a screwdriver. Placing a call to H&K about it yielded laughter when I told them the manufacturer of the ammo, followed by a firm scolding that went something like, "...you bought a precision firearm and loaded it with WHAT? Sir, are you really certain you are in the correct mind to own a firearm?" Grr.