What to look for when buying used USPc

[Ultra10WU]

I found a guy that is selling a USP compact but am unsure what to look for in regards to major wear and tear, etc... ideas? he wants to sell it to me for cheap thus raising my suspicions. thanks.

[neofite]

look at date codes.AA,AB,and early AC(00,01,'02) had some issues with firing pin breakage.Inspect the extractor for claw deformation,ie.blunt instead of sharp on the claw end.Overall these are easily replaceable and shouldn't be a deal killer.If you are still not sure ask to have a gunsmith examine the weapon for serviceability.Expect to pay for the inspection.I have several USPc's.One has over 22k rounds with only minor problems that come with heavy use.

[Boo Boo]

whats you idea of cheap?

and why not meet at a range and try it out

[hatidua]

If he's trying to sell it cheap, make sure it's HIS!

[Ultra10WU]

actually my friend was going to buy it but he backed out on the deal. So now I am stepping up to the plate. Its not cheap actually (seeing HK is raising their retail prices very year). The guy is selling it for $500 with one brand new factory high cap 13rd mag and two used standard mags. I have it right now in my hands and want to get it to the range but the earliest I can go will be the weekend and I need to give this back to the seller by tomorrow morning.

I told him i'd like to test it at the range and he had no issues. He said he probably put only 2,000 rounds if that through it. Carried it for a year. But swears he bought it January 2003 but can't locate the PPW. I told him not to worry.

As far as I can see it just has some wear at the high points. Inside it looks fine to me, normal wear where the slide moves. Feed ramp looks good, extractor looks good, barrel looks good, looks good! I can't tell with the firing pin though. The meps are aftermarket I think (forgot to ask him).

The only thing is i can hear the buffer going up and down the recoil spring guide rod when i turn the gun up and down but I guess this is normal?

Date Code = AB

[neofite]

".The only thing is i can hear the buffer going up and down the recoil spring guide rod when i turn the gun up and down but I guess this is normal?
yes thats a normal sound.You won't see any defects looking at the firing pin.AB probably has the older pin.The cuts on the pin are square looking,creating stress points where it may eventually fracture.The newer pins are cut with a bit more of a radius,or rounded look.I wouldn't lose sleep over it,unless it becomes your primary carry.In that case I would have an HK armorer drop the pin and inspect it for you.But thats just me

[Ultra10WU]

did kinda my own inspection, the extractor upon closer inspection does look a bit worn. Not sure what a brand new one looks like in a USP. And there is a lot of caked on powder residue that doesn't seem to want to come off around the feed ramp but i guess this isn't that big of a deal.

I'll try to get to the range to see how it functions, thanks for the advice!

[Kirkcdl]

I can't personally recommend a particular product because I don't let powder residue get caked on my guns,so somebody else can post here and tell you what works,but if I were you I'd field strip it and clean all the caked on stuff away from anywhere on the gun it happens to be before you shoot it,caked on stuff has an amazing way of making guns not work properly...And if the gun is in excellent condition,$500 is not the deal of the year,but it is a decent price...Good Luck...

[Ultra10WU]

well the seller let me hold on to the USPc until Sunday. I just got finished cleaning and the caked on stuff took a lot of elbow grease. Used some Hoppe #9 to get the caked on stuff off the feed ramp. But boy this guy did a horrible job at cleaning the gun (if he even did). I did the best I could. The only thing is around the chamber area (on the sides) the stuff is caked on pretty good. Maybe after a shooting session I can get the stuff off better. The extractor i can't tell if it is wearing out or if that's just the way its supposed to look like.

Well i'll find out tomorrow night when i get to the range. thanks again.

[Kirkcdl]

600 grit sandpaper takes the caked on stuff off pretty well,in fact you might want to polish the feedramp with it.Just don't get carried away and you'll be fine...

[Ultra10WU]

worked flawless. shot about 200 rds and 20 rounds of Gold Dot 124gr+p - i'm gonna give it another good cleaning and pay the man for it! done deal, thanks guys!