HK USP vs Beretta Brig 92

[Detective_Special]

I've been thinking of buying a new Beretta Brigadier 92 9mm or an HK USP 9mm full size. I know they are both good guns and wonder what your thoughts might be. It would be an all around range gun and I would shoot some IPSC in production class, I am also left handed, if that helps. In addition the HK is about $100 more than the Beretta which is not a deciding factor. I had a HK USP 45 which I sold a few years back, not becase I didn't like it, but I found I wasn't shooting 45 as often as 9mm. It was extremely accurate by the way. Thanking you in advance

[BerettaCougar]

HK makes a great gun.
So does Beretta, goto a range that rents them and try them both.

I'd personally go with the 92fs. I personally think the HK should be rated about the same as a glock. And I dont see why they cost so much.

[IM_Lugger]

For IPSC go wit Beretta for sure! Brigadier model has a heavier slide will help with recoil, which means faster more accurate shots. Plus Beretta just looks better :).


What does the HK haev that Beretta doesn't? nothing....

[Whitefalls]

I'll just say that I love my 92... I dont have any experience with HK, but I can tell you that I haven't had a single problem with my beretta and I absolutely love it. Recoil is practically non existant so follow up shots are a breeze.

[Smurfslayer]

I've had the Elite 2, have 3 USP's and 3 92 series...

Each has their strengths...

Poly vs. metal. The Beretta is heavier. good for comp, not so good for carry.

closed top / open top? Unless you're going to an area known for dust storms and sand - this is a wash.

Capacity - trade off. Beretta offers factory 20 rounders, HK has an "Elite" magazine w/ 18 round capacity, and optional jet funnel for the gap. Both also can have either extended(HK) or Mecgar(Beretta) mags at +2. Beretta MecGar 17 rounders are cheaper. Advantage - Beretta. One more note on this - HK mags are plastic, Beretta are metal. The beretta mags tend to drop a little easier...

Parts - Clear advantage - Beretta . HK won't sell parts to citizens. Plus there's an abundance of 92 series parts.

Adaptability - the HK can be adapted to different firing modes. Once you're used to it, the LEM trigger is very fast, and very slick. With factory parts, both guns can have a respectable double action pull, slight advantage to the Beretta for smoothness (excluding the LEM mentioned above). Advantage: HK

Warranty: 3 years Beretta, Lifetime HK.

Leather availability: Slight advantage HK - the Brig slide Berettas are hard to find holsters for. BTW, I have 2 from Bulman if you're interested...(yes, LH)

reliability: I'd trust either with my life. My elite2 beretta busted 3 extractors before 9k rounds. My newer usp 9 broke the firing pin around 10-11k rounds.
malfunctions ... HK - about 1 / 7500 - 8k Beretta about 1 / 6000...(my original 92FS eclipses both at about 1/ 15000 and those 3 were reloads that weren't sized correctly...way incorrectly). I work my guns like borrowed mules and if they can't take it, I don't want them. When you work them hard enough, all of them malfunction at some point and all of them break ( allegedly, the original 92 above is a '90 vintage with all original parts and but for the 3 rounds mentioned has not malfucntioned). Advantage: neither.

Accuracy: Both very good. Up to the individual shooter.
Cost: clear advantage; Beretta.

Ergos: Both exceptional for a left handed shooter. both have very prominent controls. Maybe a slight advantage to HK on the grip but this is subjective...

I hate to make this tougher on you, but I've got both, I've got SEVERAL magazines for both, holsters for both and I'm not selling any of them. I know that doesn't help you, but hopefully some of my observations may...

[Half-Price Assassin]

son, forget those nickle plated, or whatever they have, over priced, sissy pistols, and get yourself a GLOCK!

between the two, i would take the USP 9mm. i just find the USP to be a more robust pistol, and reliable. the Beretta is nice, both guns are great choices, so you really need to test fire both, before spending your hard earned cash on this. but i personally, like the german made gun over the italian made one (yeah go ahead, call me a rasict)! :eek:

[Larry C.]

Detective Special,

I recently acquired a Beretta 92FS and liked it so much I sold my 1911 (Springfield Armory) to buy a second Beretta 92FS! They've fed and fired every type of factory ammo I've stuffed into the quality Beretta magazines.Not a single FTF or FTE. I'm just a shade over 6'0, so the rather large grip doesn't bother me. They're a bit heavy, but there's a benefit to that: increased control of the already light recoil from the 9mm cartridge. They're selling new for $599.
DA trigger pull is heavy, SA is also a bit heavy. This can be lightened either through the factory (affordable, too) or through a local gunsmith. A trigger job makes mastering the DA/SA transition an easier task. I'm in the process of having the DA pull lightened to around 9 lbs, SA to around 4.5 lbs. Definitely not a "hair trigger", no sir.

As for Heckler & Koch, I've heard so many good things about them, but cost is a factor for me. Interestingly, H&K is rare in my local IDPA matches. FWIW, Beretta is more common than H&K, but COMBINED, the two brands don't approach the volume of Glock or 1911's. Try out both and keep us informed as to your decision. Both are great, IMHO.

Larry C.

[CarbineCaleb]

While I believe they do make good firearms, to me, there are some people among whom the German and Austrian guns have cache' that exceeds their actual quality/performance - some folks are just too impressed by the Germans/Austrians. ;)

I think that you would make a good choice with either one, and give the edge to the Beretta. Beretta was making guns back when the first explorers were beginning to map out the coasts of the Americas. They know firearms. :cool: To me, in a 9mm, there is nothing finer than a Beretta 92. :)

[boogeyman]

if you can handle the ambi mag release, i'd say look for a slightly used hk usp expert, or if you can't shell out the dollars on that to look into a cz. i don't like the beretta system of controls, i hate the open slide design, i really dislike the looks, and most importantly i hate the grip.

[USMCGrunt]

I'm going to say go with the HK. I have a full size .45, and a compact .40 USP as well as a Beretta 92FS (mainly for off-duty practice) and if I had to get rid of the HK or Beretta, it would be the Beretta. Not that I've had any problems with my personal Beretta but we have 2 in the armoury that have cracked slides (one cracked and one missing the front half completely) and our last class found a couple more cracked slides as well. Now granted these are training weapons and have seen a LOT of rounds however seeing that combined with the policy of routinely replacing locking blocks I think I'm going to rely on HK more so than the Beretta.

[IM_Lugger]

USMCGrunt

In the armoury do they have/use HK guns? if not, is it a fair comparison? You don’t know what problems there would’ve been with HK’s...

[Smurfslayer]

USMCG,

Can you snap us some digital pics? I'd love to actually see one ( a 92 cracked slide ). Not that they don't happen, it's just that we always hear about them on the internet, but nobody's ever actually posted a picture of one. ;)

[USMCGrunt]

Yeah, we'll be out there next week so I'll see if I can get some pics of those slides taken. I'll have to check about taking pics on the range and all (OPSEC nazis might get their panties in a bunch) but I really don't see where OPSEC would be an issue or that anyone will have a problem with it.
Now as far as HKs out there on the line, nope, no USPs there so no, it's not a comparison, just a statement of what I see with the M9.

[CarbineCaleb]

I do believe what you are saying, but I am curious about the circumstances - on the Beretta forum, noone has ever reported a cracked slide that I have seen, and the ones that were cracked in the military were supposed to be confined to early production that was outsourced to a plant in France - that production being subsequently terminated.

[dgludwig]

Smurfslayers earlier reply was excellent in capsulating the merits and drawbacks of the pistols in question. I would only add this: I've never been able to locate a source for less than VERY expensive prices for HK mags.

[JohnKSa]

They're not very similar pistols, I can't imagine that you wouldn't have a preference for one over the other.

Get the one you like. They're both good quality, reliable firearms.