I am curious about your experiences with the 226 & USP9 on recoil, durability and accuracy? Thanks for your feedback it is deeply appreciated.

Question:
Which pistol has lower recoil?

Choices:
226 9mm
USP 9mm

Question:
Which pistol is more durable and can hold up longer to harsh conditions and lack of cleaning?

Choices:
226 9mm
USP 9mm

Question:
Which pistol is more accurate?

Choices:
226 9mm
USP 9mm

Question:
Out of the two which pistol would you rather own?

Choices:
226 9mm
USP 9mm

 

In my experience.

Recoil is a wash. They are both large full size pistols shooting an itty bitty round. The USP was designed ground up for the .40 which might give it an edge but in my hands it's a wash.

Durability goes to the USP. Steel on steel contact vs steel on alloy. Also at least in the short term polymer has shown to be exceptionally durable. Am I saying the P226 is delicate snowflake? Hell no. I just feel the USP is the more durable, less susceptible to abuse gun.

Accuracy stock for stock the P226. Not because it's inherently more accurate but more so it has a much better trigger and is easier to shoot accurately.

Which one?? I go with the P226. I love my HKs but never warmed up to the full size USP 9mm. Love it in .45 though.

My two cents.

P226 all day long.

A 226 is my favorite handgun and various versions of it have never disappointed me for many, many years. Most things are a wash between the two but the USP has the decided advantage that you can change the operating system.

quote:

Originally posted by 12131:
P226 all day long.

This for sure. USP9 vs vast majority of full size 9's would win, but the 226 is a special gun. Being of the first SIGs I shot gets bonus points. Besides that it's the perfect balance of size, weight distribution, accuracy, ease of operation, ergonomics, and looks. It's just damn sexy to look at.

I can't add anything about durability since I've never owned USP, but didn't the 226 win the competition with the 92 on durability and in the end it lost due to cost?

Did not vote because it says you can't leave any blank.

Although I have H&K in USPs, compacts and full in .45,40sw and 9mm, and do love them, there is no comparison to the P226 in all catagories! P226 hands down...

I have owned both and couldn't honestly answer any of the questions. Kind of a wash. Shoot both.

That is a tough question. I don't think you can go wrong with either choice. A 9mm round doesn't have that much recoil in a full sized pistol. I have had both pistols and couldn't tell which I liked better. They are both solid choices.

I own both types, but in .45

Even with the numbers from the voting it's still a personal choice. Both are excellent pistols.

That said, had I to choose I would keep the USP.

Im biased towards the 226 as its probably my all time favorite handgun.

Ive had a few USP's and a bunch of 226's. The USP is built like a tank, no doubt. Accuracy wise, my 226ST is the most accurate handgun ive ever owned.

I could be happy with either but chose the 226 in this case, the USP would likely have been my choice if it were up any other full size gun besides the 226

P226 over USP 9mm all day long and twice on Sunday. I like the P30L much better than the USP also. P30L and P226 are two of my top favorite 9mm pistols

I think it's a tie. Shoot both if you can. I have both and like them equally. A 226 with a short reset trigger is going to be better than a stock USP DA/SA, but stock to stock I think is a wash. Haven't tried a USP trigger beyond stock, though. LEM is another consideration to throw in as well. No wrong choice, really. Both are classic 9mm irons.

I have both, same caliber but plastic vs metal. Either one is a winner. Rent and shoot, different strokes for different folks.

I have both. 226 wins for ergonomics and trigger. USP for running dirty/poorly lubed. Accuracy is same for both. I pick the 226 for daily CCW, but if I was going somewhere and had to rely on a gun to work without the ability to clean and lube it regularly, the USP wins hands down. I also like the .45 USP better than the 9; for some strange reason, it fits my hand better.

quote:

Originally posted by Sparky315:
I have both. 226 wins for ergonomics and trigger. USP for running dirty/poorly lubed. Accuracy is same for both. I pick the 226 for daily CCW, but if I was going somewhere and had to rely on a gun to work without the ability to clean and lube it regularly, the USP wins hands down. I also like the .45 USP better than the 9; for some strange reason, it fits my hand better.

I am curious Sparky315 are you a large person to pick the 226 for CCW? I am only about 135 pounds and now with shrinking from age only 5 feet 6.5 inches. I have a great gun belt and a well-designed custom holster but I still find the 226 very heavy for daily carry. My other full-size 9 mm pistols at around 27 ounces are much easier to carry. I tried and bought a pair of really nice suspenders from Duluth Trading and while they were I now find the weight is been shifted to my shoulders and I just do not like the aesthetics of suspenders.

Very tough poll, two outstanding pistols. I own a 226 extreme, tacops, elite sao and black and white x5, plus a 229 extreme. Love them all. They are fantastic pistols. I have a usp expert, full size, and compact. I have 11 hk's, I am an hk fanboy. For me, if you put a match trigger in the usp full size 9mm it's probably my favorite pistol (also has dawson sights and the jet funnel magwell for 18round mags). I prefer Hk's but for no practical reason. None of my SIG's have ever malfunctioned, are dead nuts accurate, and super soft shooters. I shoot uspsa and my scores are higher with my hk's than my SIG's. But that doesn't mean squat. They are both fantastic pistols. What will you use it for? Out of the box I think the 226 offers so many options you can find exactly what you want with out any need for modification. The HK stock trigger is not so hot. For me, it's HK all day, but I will never sell any of my SIG's and just today bought a 320x5 for my finacee to shoot in uspsa, and will probably buy one for myself I love both companies for different reasons, SIG makes a gun for everyone, HK makes a gun for a specific purpose (IMO). Both are great, but depends what you want to use it for. I think the HK holds up a little longer and recoils a little less, but it's negligible in either case.

quote:

Originally posted by JonFrost:
Very tough poll, two outstanding pistols. I own a 226 extreme, tacops, elite sao and black and white x5, plus a 229 extreme. Love them all. They are fantastic pistols. I have a usp expert, full size, and compact. I have 11 hk's, I am an hk fanboy. For me, if you put a match trigger in the usp full size 9mm it's probably my favorite pistol (also has dawson sights and the jet funnel magwell for 18round mags). I prefer Hk's but for no practical reason. None of my SIG's have ever malfunctioned, are dead nuts accurate, and super soft shooters. I shoot uspsa and my scores are higher with my hk's than my SIG's. But that doesn't mean squat. They are both fantastic pistols. What will you use it for? Out of the box I think the 226 offers so many options you can find exactly what you want with out any need for modification. The HK stock trigger is not so hot. For me, it's HK all day, but I will never sell any of my SIG's and just today bought a 320x5 for my finacee to shoot in uspsa, and will probably buy one for myself I love both companies for different reasons, SIG makes a gun for everyone, HK makes a gun for a specific purpose (IMO). Both are great, but depends what you want to use it for. I think the HK holds up a little longer and recoils a little less, but it's negligible in either case.

Nice post JonFrost and very informative. You have a great HK and SIG collection. Unfortunately, I did not start collecting until much later in my life since I lived in anti-/no gun jurisdictions but I am trying to make up for it now.

To answer your question my next 9 mm will be for both concealed carry and range shooting. I love the way my 226 shoots but it is very heavy on my small frame even with a custom holster and gun belt. My HK P30L is as large as my SIG 226 but the HK carries much easier being 7 ounces lighter. I firmly believe that HK some more durable than SIG's but since I clean my gun every time after I shoot them that it is not that essential right now.

The main issue for me since I have tendinitis and some joint surgery is that I want something light enough to carry and with low recoil. I can carry full-size guns and that is what I normally do since I have for full-size 9 mm pistols.

PS one gun that I just started carrying is my CZ 83, 7.65mm. It weighs 28 ounces but the 15 round magazines with 32 ACP are very light. Since the gun is blowback the recoil feels stronger than my full-size 9 mm but it is nice and compact and comfortable to carry and easy to draw.

Happy shooting

quote:

Originally posted by SSAreGreat:

quote:

Originally posted by Sparky315:
I have both. 226 wins for ergonomics and trigger. USP for running dirty/poorly lubed. Accuracy is same for both. I pick the 226 for daily CCW, but if I was going somewhere and had to rely on a gun to work without the ability to clean and lube it regularly, the USP wins hands down. I also like the .45 USP better than the 9; for some strange reason, it fits my hand better.

I am curious Sparky315 are you a large person to pick the 226 for CCW? I am only about 135 pounds and now with shrinking from age only 5 feet 6.5 inches. I have a great gun belt and a well-designed custom holster but I still find the 226 very heavy for daily carry. My other full-size 9 mm pistols at around 27 ounces are much easier to carry. I tried and bought a pair of really nice suspenders from Duluth Trading and while they were I now find the weight is been shifted to my shoulders and I just do not like the aesthetics of suspenders.

5'10", 225. Use a Wilderness belt and an Alessi CQC-S (old school Lou, not the newer Alessi). The 9mm USP is significantly lighter than the 226, but the weight of the 226 doesn't bother me. I carry the 226 when I can wear a sweatshirt, but in summer I carry a Hi Power in a Sparks SS2. I do sometimes carry a USP, just 'cause I can.

Some may disagree with me, but I've found the Sigs to be MUCH more sensitive to dirt and lack of lube than the HK. We used to run 200 P220s, and boy howdy did we have problems if they weren't lubed properly, especially if they got dirty and/or wet. Keep them lubed and they're great, but not very forgiving of poor maintenance.

When I started shooting, I got a P229 (in .40). My brother was issued a Beretta 96 (.40) and in typical govt wisdom, they gave him 9mm ammo to practice with. So we'd rent a P226 and burn it up. Then he got issued a USP in .40. I was so excited to shoot what I thought was the ultimate in firearms, the HK. I was a bit disappointed. I didn't know a bunch about firearms at the time, but I knew I liked the SIGs better.

Fast forward to today and although I never got around to getting a P226, for SIGs I have a couple P229s, a P228, SP2022, P230, and a P320. I've only picked up 2 HKs, a P7 and the VP9. I'd part with the VP9 before any of the others. And if for my next purchase my only options were a P226 and the USP, I wouldn't even think about it.

That's not to say the HK is inferior, just that my preference is for the SIG. Factory triggers, the SIG wins. With the SRT, it's not even a competition. I'd venture to say the P226, having a metal frame, will reduce the felt recoil just a touch above the USP. I gave the HK the nod in durability, but I can't imagine the average firearm owner would neglect/abuse them enough for it to matter. Accuracy is absolutely a tie, as the shooter is going to be the determining factor. I voted SIG on that just because I'm so familiar with them, I'd shoot them better.

All that said, I'm not you and the only way you'll know is by renting them and shooting them side by side. Well, one after the other, don't go all video game two-handed on us!

Good luck!

ETA: the SIG also has the advantage of a ton of grip options from slim to fancy to thick, plastic, metal, rubber, wood.

quote:

Originally posted by Sparky315:

quote:

Originally posted by SSAreGreat:

quote:

Originally posted by Sparky315:
I have both. 226 wins for ergonomics and trigger. USP for running dirty/poorly lubed. Accuracy is same for both. I pick the 226 for daily CCW, but if I was going somewhere and had to rely on a gun to work without the ability to clean and lube it regularly, the USP wins hands down. I also like the .45 USP better than the 9; for some strange reason, it fits my hand better.

I am curious Sparky315 are you a large person to pick the 226 for CCW? I am only about 135 pounds and now with shrinking from age only 5 feet 6.5 inches. I have a great gun belt and a well-designed custom holster but I still find the 226 very heavy for daily carry. My other full-size 9 mm pistols at around 27 ounces are much easier to carry. I tried and bought a pair of really nice suspenders from Duluth Trading and while they were I now find the weight is been shifted to my shoulders and I just do not like the aesthetics of suspenders.

5'10", 225. Use a Wilderness belt and an Alessi CQC-S (old school Lou, not the newer Alessi). The 9mm USP is significantly lighter than the 226, but the weight of the 226 doesn't bother me. I carry the 226 when I can wear a sweatshirt, but in summer I carry a Hi Power in a Sparks SS2. I do sometimes carry a USP, just 'cause I can.

Some may disagree with me, but I've found the Sigs to be MUCH more sensitive to dirt and lack of lube than the HK. We used to run 200 P220s, and boy howdy did we have problems if they weren't lubed properly, especially if they got dirty and/or wet. Keep them lubed and they're great, but not very forgiving of poor maintenance.

Very informative post Sparky315. I believe I saw this statement mentioned on this Forum sometime ago and maybe 1 or 2 others: "SIG's like it Wet" (keep them well lubed.)