Concerning the USP 9mm, is the P8A1 worth the extra money they seem to sell for ? Pretty sure either can use the glow in the dark magazines. Concerning the P30LS, does this model with the safety still have a decocker ? I like the safety model but have not seen one yet in person. Thinking of getting one of these two soon providing I don't run into a hellish cool Beretta and melt like butter. Thank you.

USP is huge and too big for many people's hands.

P30LS has a rear mounted decocker. I have P30S, P30LS, P30SKS, all same.

The P8A1 is basically like the USP9 but has safe/off safe/decock positions opposite. So, instead of the USP 9 all the way up for safe/in the middle for off safe/push down for decock, the P8A1 has safe and decock switched around.

The non LEM P30 series have a decock botton in the back on the hammer's left. The safety is a separate lever on the left side

P8A1 is more of a collector item. I mean it’s a perfectly good “working gun” every bit as robust as the USP but in HK circles it will appreciate in value IMO. The safety lever also works opposite of what most American shooters prefer. UP is hot DOWN is safe (ala Beretta 92s and the like)

The USP would be better for purely a shooter simply because you won’t really be hurting value and the safety lever is more intuitive / 1911 like.

All the P30’s that are DA/SA (V3) have a decocker safety or not. The LEM models will not

I don't have a issue with the size of the USP and the 9mm has better capacity then the 45. Do you ever use the decocker on your P30LS ? It seems a little switch rich to me. I don't yet know if it's still DA/SA or just SA ? I find the P8 a cool pistol too but just not sure if it's any better than a standard USP.

Wow...you guys got out in front of me here. Trying to take all this in. But yes, a safety more like 1911 is what I would want in the USP.

I don't believe there is a SAO variant of the P30. I THINK all the safety models are DA/SA, the safety just gives you the ability to run them as a SAO if you desire.

AFAIK the P8's are the only HK's with multi function levers (safety levers) that work opposite of the 1911 standard. All the rest USP/HK45/P30 etc. with the levers will be DOWN for hot.

The USP's you will push down on the lever lightly to make the gun hot, and push past the detent to decock.

The P30 is ONLY a safety lever. So UP safe, DOWN hot. To decock a P30 there is small button on the rear of the slide to the left of the hammer. This is the decocker.

quote:

Originally posted by 22940:
The P8A1 is basically like the USP9 but has safe/off safe/decock positions opposite. So, instead of the USP 9 all the way up for safe/in the middle for off safe/push down for decock, the P8A1 has safe and decock switched around.

The non LEM P30 series have a decock botton in the back on the hammer's left. The safety is a separate lever on the left side

And it has conventional rifling not the USP’s polygonal rifling.

quote:

Originally posted by cslinger:
I don't believe there is a SAO variant of the P30. I THINK all the safety models are DA/SA, the safety just gives you the ability to run them as a SAO if you desire.

AFAIK the P8's are the only HK's with multi function levers (safety levers) that work opposite of the 1911 standard. All the rest USP/HK45/P30 etc. with the levers will be DOWN for hot.

The USP's you will push down on the lever lightly to make the gun hot, and push past the detent to decock.

The P30 is ONLY a safety lever. So UP safe, DOWN hot. To decock a P30 there is small button on the rear of the slide to the left of the hammer. This is the decocker.

OK that stuck a little better for me. Now if I happen to trip over a extra grand anytime soon, I will be back in here showing off a big green Mark 23...lol

I picked up a USP earlier in the summer and when comparing it to the P8 it was an easy decision for me as the safety lever and the heavier trigger pull on the P8 were both a no-go, hence I got the USP. If I recall there was about a $100 difference as well with the lesser expensive of the two being the USP.

quote:

Originally posted by LincolnSixEcho:
I picked up a USP earlier in the summer and when comparing it to the P8 it was an easy decision for me as the safety lever and the heavier trigger pull on the P8 were both a no-go, hence I got the USP. If I recall there was about a $100 difference as well with the lesser expensive of the two being the USP.

Yes, I have seen very high asking prices for the P8. That will be a pass for me. My how times have changed for basic, import foreign military pistols. The P8 is not such a rare model.

quote:

Originally posted by David Lee:

quote:

Originally posted by LincolnSixEcho:
I picked up a USP earlier in the summer and when comparing it to the P8 it was an easy decision for me as the safety lever and the heavier trigger pull on the P8 were both a no-go, hence I got the USP. If I recall there was about a $100 difference as well with the lesser expensive of the two being the USP.

Yes, I have seen very high asking prices for the P8. That will be a pass for me. My how times have changed for basic, import foreign military pistols. The P8 is not such a rare model.

My LGS has a few new P8A1’s that they’re asking $1,099 for. That seems to be inline with the asking prices for other, new, USP’s.

That's not a bad price at all. I would get one for that.

As above, all DA/SA P30 models (whether equipped with a manual safety or not) have the rear-facing decocking tab. That tab is actually an integral part of the sear itself.

I bought a P8A1 (I collect USPs) when they first came out, but eventually sold it to finance something else. For any practical purposes, I would not consider the P8A1 superior to a regular USP unless I preferred its Walther/Beretta-style control lever arrangement. The heavier trigger pull (similar to the difference between a P225 and a P6) can be remedied with HK factory parts if needed. Any additional value as a collector’s item remains to be seen. HK USA was banking on HK fans valuing the 1000 P8A1 pistols officially imported by them more than the existing third-party imports. Given that you can still regularly find them on GB or a bigger LGS, it seems this hasn’t really been the case, but maybe purchasing power has just diminished that much.

The main thing I would add that hasn’t been mentioned is that the P30 series is not modular like the USP. You are “stuck” with the configuration of P30 you buy (LEM, DA/SA without safety, DA/SA with safety) until you sell or trade it, whereas a USP can be converted to almost any configuration just by buying the relevant parts.

Thank you. I greatly appreciate your H&K knowledge.