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Old January 19, 2005, 04:04 PM   #1
Foxy
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New H&K Mark 23 owner! (56k'ers may want to go make a sandwich)

Hi all, long time lurker here!

I was recently at a gunshow. At the very first table, I noticed a Mark 23 in a "Used, Make Offer" section, marked at $1399. I thought that was a very handsome price, considering that the best I've seen on the web has been around $1500, with prices sometimes going up to $1900.

I offered $1200, and they accepted it! I walked away with the Mark 23 (with tritium night sights, four 10-rd magazines, the case (complete with manual, warranty card, etc), a thread protector, and a baggie full of miscellaneous parts such as o-rings, spare sights, a tool, and so on, all for the price of $1284 after tax.

I immediately took the pistol to the range. I was limited on time, but I managed to shoot 150 rounds. The pistol functioned flawlessly, and seems to be very accurate (certainly more accurate than I am!).

The trigger is quite nice. It's not as good as a tuned 1911's, but it is very light and seems to have a pretty well defined breaking point. The manual says it is tuned to be 4.8 pounds in single action mode.

The pistol recoiled a bit more than I expected given its size and the recoil reduction mechanism, but it was still very manageable. I should bring my 1911 to the range and do a side by side comparison; hopefully I will find the time to do so in the near future.

The size isn't as bad as I had expected, from reading on the web. It is certainly big, and it certainly won't be a CCW type pistol, but it's not as if you need a sling to cart it around.

There are a few things that I don't like about it. The checkering on the grip irritates my hands, but I think I'll toughen up. The decocking lever is quite 'snappy' - when you press it down, it snaps back up and leaves your thumbtip sore. I'm not sure I like the mag release buttons going 'down' rather than 'in,' but I'm not going to sweat over it.

All in all, for the price, I say it's a great pistol. I don't think I would have paid $1700 for it, but certainly $1284. I guess it is possible to find good deals at gunshows!

Cosmetically, the pistol is in very nice shape. There's only two wear points, illustrated here:
On the barrel near the muzzle:


On the barrel by the ejection port:


Also, there's some minor wear on the controls. It's hardly noticable in real life, though - I didn't notice it until I saw the pictures.

Other than that, the finish and plastic is beautiful. There's not a single scratch on the slide that I can find, and the plastic has not been scraped or gouged anywhere.
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Old January 19, 2005, 04:05 PM   #2
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Now for the pictures (I've edited out the serial #):




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Old January 19, 2005, 05:01 PM   #3
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Nice! Makes me want to get my tactical out and go to the range. Darn you, now my productivity is shot!
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Old January 19, 2005, 05:18 PM   #4
WillBrayjr
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The MK23 a great pistol, You got a decent deal. I think H&K firearms are overrated. I think only rich people buy them. You bought what you like and wanted and thats all that matters. Congrats!!!
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Old January 19, 2005, 05:51 PM   #5
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<--- Poor college kid, who was anticipating his purchase (and saving for it) for about a year. Some times you just wait for what you want. No need to put down Foxy or his new weapon.
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Old January 19, 2005, 06:11 PM   #6
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Not putting anyone down. Said the Socom was a great gun and told him congrats on the purchase.
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Old January 19, 2005, 06:52 PM   #7
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Hey, guys. Sometimes you just happen to be at the right place at the right time. I got me an automag about 11 years ago from some old man in washington that let me have it in payments even though I was only 21 or 22 at the time. He didn't think I would back out because I was so young and I now still have that automag and a couple of boxes of ammo. Last time I saw one like it, it was selling for 2200$. I paid 1500. I still won't part with it and if I find me a .357 automag I will buy it if I have the cash. Yeah, that socom is a good gun and I like the threaded barrel especially. Nice touch. How heavy is it?
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Old January 19, 2005, 06:56 PM   #8
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Thank you two for the compliments.

I also think they are kind of a rich person gun, simply by the fact that they cost so much! However, I am far from a rich person. I'm a grad student; I had Hamburger Helper for dinner, and my 1911 is an Auto-Ordinance . The Mark23 is by far the most expensive and nicest firearm I own. But I thought that if I passed up a deal like this, I'd be regretting it.

I kind of look at the pistol like a Porsche. I know it's something expensive and therefore something out of my reach. So, I've never actually wanted it - I never said, "I'm saving up for a Mark 23!" What if you saw a Porsche for the same price as a Subaru? Even if you weren't thinking about a Porsche, you'd hop on that deal as fast as you could! The same thing happened with this pistol.

Just like with a Porsche vs a Subaru, you are paying for something intangible with the Mark 23. A $28k Subaru WRX STi can outrun a $54k Porsche Boxster, and a $1200 custom 1911 can outshoot a $2400 Mark 23, but there's more there than mere numbers can convey.

Sorry, just waxing poetic for a bit. I'll go back to lurking now.

However, it is a really nice pistol. I don't regret buying it.
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Old January 19, 2005, 07:14 PM   #9
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The cheapest for me was an Auto-Ordnance, which cost $275.00 I don't know why the Socom cost $2000+ new. It's really nothing more than a USP on steroids. If I found a gun that I wanted and could afford it, I would snatch it up too!
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Old January 19, 2005, 07:44 PM   #10
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I think we're all in agreement on that!
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Old January 20, 2005, 08:06 PM   #11
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Yeah what is the diference between a USP Tactical and A Mark 23. Size/"Recoil Managment"?
Nice pistol btw
Do they make it in a bi tone?
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Old January 20, 2005, 08:11 PM   #12
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Tipp, they are all black, all the time..

As far as differences from the USP45, Mark23.com says this:
Quote:
Differences from the HK USP .45 include a separate safety and decocker lever that allows silent decocking of the Mk 23, a threaded barrel, and larger frames and slide dimensions. However, the USP .45 was developed in the shadow of the Mk 23 pistol and share many of the same technologies, such as the recoil buffer spring that reduces recoil forces acting on the slide and frame by as much as 30%, aiding in greatly prolonging the service life of both pistols and reducing felt recoil.
And according to HKPro.com..
Quote:
The only real difference between a USP Tactical and a standard USP45 is the adjustable sights, extended barrel with threads and O-ring, and a match trigger.
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Old January 20, 2005, 09:51 PM   #13
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thanks foxy
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Old January 21, 2005, 11:39 AM   #14
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It looks like the mark 23 has seperate decocker and saftey control levers, my usp compact has one lever that does both.
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Old January 21, 2005, 01:09 PM   #15
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Tip99,

I've seen a Mk23... or was that the Tactical?? at the local run shop that had the desert-color frame with blued slide.
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Old January 21, 2005, 01:13 PM   #16
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I saw a few USP tacticals at the gunstore that had desert colored frames, but I'm not sure if there are any Mark23's with desert frames. Perhaps they are making some now with all the brou-ha-ha over in Iraq?

I am stumped by one aspect of the pistol. It came with a little tool that looks sort of like a golf-cleat tool. Apparently, it's to activate some sort of lock that locks the slide to safe the pistol. I can't find, for the life of me, where it's supposed to go. Anyone know? It's not in the manual, either.
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Old January 21, 2005, 01:57 PM   #17
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The key goes in a lock located inside the mag well at the bottom of the mainspring housing. You will have to insert the key from the front of the mag well to get there.
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Old January 21, 2005, 09:15 PM   #18
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The spot where the key goes is where IZinterrogator described, it just looks like a small black circle with 2 holes in it.
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Old January 21, 2005, 09:29 PM   #19
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i DONT UNDERSTAND INTERNAL GUN LOCKS, especially in a tactical weapon such as the mark 23. T
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Old January 21, 2005, 09:38 PM   #20
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Thank you guys, I figured it out.

I doubt I'll ever really use it, but it was bothering me to have a tool that was supposed to do something, but I didn't know what.

I love taking photos of this pistol. I can't help but take it out and admire it.
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Old January 21, 2005, 10:00 PM   #21
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sorry fat fingers, to me it makes the gun a paper weight when you might need it.
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Old January 22, 2005, 07:12 AM   #22
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I think californa requirs an internal gun lock, or mabey its another state? I dont know, I never use the internal locks on any of my guns.
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Old February 1, 2005, 11:59 PM   #23
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Take pride in your MK23

I bought one in 98. I bought the Knight's Armament suppressor in 99. The picture shows the details at 21 feet of the first time I shot it. You can put a dime over the first four holes, but I tanked the 5th shot. I could not believe all the shots were going through the same hole.

It is a wonderful weapon. It is worth every penny. I paid $1850. I have never regretted it since.

Recently, I went shooting with a buddy after a 2 year idle time. He is jetdriver on this forum and he's spoken of it. He mentions that he "outshot" me with his Taurus. He did at close range, but I was juuuust warming up.

At the end of the evening, we put on an 8 inch shoot-n-see target in the center of mass. We moved the target back to 78 feet. I fired 5 rounds. One was in the 7 ring, one in the 9, and three in the 10 touching each other and the x ring.

I love this gun.
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Old February 2, 2005, 01:12 PM   #24
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I've never shot one, but the Mk23 is certainly one of the meanest, coolest looking handguns available, IMO. If it shoots 1/2 as good as it looks, then it should be awesome.

I never seem to find good deals on guns around here no matter how hard I look - so I have just gotten use to paying retail (or retail+ sometimes) but hey, you can't take it with you!

Congrats.
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Old February 2, 2005, 05:39 PM   #25
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Quote:
I never seem to find good deals on guns around here no matter how hard I look - so I have just gotten use to paying retail (or retail+ sometimes)
Check out Gunbroker. I have found a lot of good deals there. I bought a Sig P239, +shipping, +3% Paypal fee, +transfer fee, for a few dollars less than any dealer's asking price in my area. And the dealer's price was before 8.25% sales tax!
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