To clarify, I have a Legion 229 and an HK P2000SK ( not the USP Compact but close). Both are outstanding pistols, accurate, reliable and dependable pistols. Depending on how you plan on carrying, I carry my Sig OWB and the HK IWB due to the difference in weight.

If you're looking for a year around carry and occasional range gun go HK, if you plan on shooting more and carrying less go Sig. BOTH pistols are good for concealed carry so don't think I'm knocking the Sig, I carry one, but I find my HK better to carry in all situations.

Sig is bigger and heavier then the HK, the Legion trigger is outstanding. All my HK's have had the LEM trigger system which is my preference. HK triggers are good, but I think I'd give the edge to Sig. If I wanted a pistol to shoot all day it be Sig, but HK's aren't bad either. Guess it really boils down to which fits your hand better and meets your specific needs. Neither will let you down.


But the best solution is to get both, best of both worlds. You can't go wrong with either.

 

To clarify, I have a Legion 229 and an HK P2000SK ( not the USP Compact but close). Both are outstanding pistols, accurate, reliable and dependable pistols. Depending on how you plan on carrying, I carry my Sig OWB and the HK IWB due to the difference in weight.

If you're looking for a year around carry and occasional range gun go HK, if you plan on shooting more and carrying less go Sig. BOTH pistols are good for concealed carry so don't think I'm knocking the Sig, I carry one, but I find my HK better to carry in all situations.

Sig is bigger and heavier then the HK, the Legion trigger is outstanding. All my HK's have had the LEM trigger system which is my preference. HK triggers are good, but I think I'd give the edge to Sig. If I wanted a pistol to shoot all day it be Sig, but HK's aren't bad either. Guess it really boils down to which fits your hand better and meets your specific needs. Neither will let you down.


But the best solution is to get both, best of both worlds. You can't go wrong with either.

Than, not then.

 

They are pretty much identical size-wise, other than that they both have their pros & cons.

I carried the USPc for years, but the list of advantages over the P229 is rather short IMO. The HK is available in almost a dozen trigger variants (LEM, DA/SA. left-handed/right-handed safety/decocker, etc...). It is absolutely reliable and isn't sensitive to any particular ammo from my experience. It's available in .45acp. Also, to me, it shoots a little softer. The downsides are expensive & harder to find mags, proprietary rail, & lower capacity.

The P229 has been just as reliable, but I have at least 10x the rounds through my USPc than the P229. I find the trigger significantly better on the P229. Also getting parts & service from Sig is traditionally a much better experience compared to HK.

Try to shoot both before you decide on one. Then start saving for the other :thumbsu:

 

I own a P229 and have shot the USP Compact. For me I like the P229 better. I love HKs and own a few but the USP Compact just does not fit me well and I can shoot my P229 or any pistol I own significantly better. Both are very top tier pistols however. The USP Compact DA/SA has an external safety while the P229 does not.

Try out both if you can and see if one works better for you. You might want to consider the HK P2000 also. It is comes with four back straps and is significantly less expensive these days but sill a rock solid high quality HK and about the same size.

https://www.cdnnsports.com/p2000-9mm-da-sa-v3-2-13.html?___SID=U

 

I haven't tried a USP, but have a p30 in .40. I really like the P30 and they seem well made, the guy who had one got it for real cheap nib, like around $525. My only thing with H&K is I don't like their controls compared to Sigs or their ergonomics. And their triggers. I was also shooting my p239 that day and it seemed way better in DA. p229 mags are everywhere too, new, used, mecgar etc. Used p229s in .40 are dirt cheap too.

If you are a Sig guy like me, I'd say pass on the H&K unless you just want it for the range or to collect.

 

I have both, both in .40, been carrying the USPc most of the time, just got some leather for the 229 from TT gun leather and the 229 is going to get carried more, to me the Sigs in general have a better trigger, specially on the first double action pull, my default EDC is a Sig 239 in .40 though.

 

Thank you for the outstanding input gentlemen.

 

I'm a bit biased, the USP platform is probably my favorite platform sold today. All of mine have the USP match trigger installed and are just as good as the SIG platform except the reset is not quiet as short as the SRT. Two great platforms for sure but I find the USP fits me better and they sure seem to shoot softer than a like sized SIG. Try the both you can't lose.

 

Good suggestions above on some fine pistols. Thought some pics may help, and I'll add a few thoughts as well.

SIG P229 is famious as great shooter that's a little on the heavy side for everyday carry. If I'm going to be on my feet all day, we'll probably have an HK onboard. While HK LEM trigger is good, and their Match trigger available on USPs is great, IMO SIG has a smoother trigger system, and SIG's heft reduces recoil too.

Here're P229 SAS on top, HK P30 (a compact) and HK P30SK (their sub compact).

The P229 & P30 are similar size and in 9mm use 15rd mags. The P30SK is super easy to carry conceal with it's flush 10rd 9mm mag. The HK 'P' gun both come with HK's new very adjustable grip design. These grips come with 3 size backstraps, and 3 size each left & right side panels. I really like their grip setup. My grip feels great with a large backstrap, large rightside panel and small leftside panel. Nicely fills the palm of my right hand...

My SIG P229 SAS is in 40S&W, the caliber it was orginally designed for. Here she is in her StealthGear IWB holster

HK P30 LEM in her StealthGear IWB holster

HK P30SK with 15rd extended mag in her StealthGear IWB holster

HK P30SK with 10rd flush mag in her StealthGear AIWB holster

Cheers

 

I can and have carried my P229 IWB all day. My usual carry though is my 9mm P2000 V2 (LEM). For me, the LEM is a great trigger system for defensive carry and I shoot it well. The P2000 is a bit lighter and I think carries a little better than the P229. I also have some SA/DA USP Compacts that I think carry as well as the P229.

It really comes down to preference. HK's LEM is the best overall defensive trigger (in either USP Compact or P2000). If you prefer SA/DA, I thing that the SIG trigger is a little better.

 

I have several 229's and just got a USP and USP Compact, but they are both in 45. I've been fundamental opposed to plastic but I really wanted some HK's. I went and tried them all and the USP felt best to me, the compact especially so. So if you can get by the plastic they are really great guns and shoot really well and are amazingly accurate. I might consider one in 40 but I love these 45's. Both of mine are variant 1 and I have to say I like the decocker safety better than what Sig has, if you don't like the DA fist shot you can carry it cocked and locked. The compact is almost exactly the same size as the 229 and just a bit thinner, it jumped way ahead of my 220 Compact SAS.
Only downside is I shoot allot of cast bullets but I hear that can be a problem in these barrels. On the flip side these barrels are a joy to clean.

 

I've owned both Sig P229 .40 and HK USP Comp .40; In the end, I ended up selling the USP Comp cause I felt the Sig P229 is a far more superior firearm in terms of grip, accuracy, trigger, recoil and over all balance. Never regretted letting go of the HK. Now I have a bunch of Sigs in my collection instead of HK's

 

I prefer the p229 over the hk. I bought a brand new stainless hk usp compact. Sold it after shooting it less than 50 rounds. The thing that got to me was the trigger, maybe it needed some time to break in. But the sig trigger is way better and I seemed to shoot better with the sig as well. Tried HK usp full size as well, If it wasn't such a big brick Id probably keep it but replaced it with another sig as well.

 

Those are both solid pistols. I carried a 9mm 229 before going to a 9mm P2000 DA/SA.

I liked the way the Sig shot and handled, I liked the weight and decocker on the P2000.

I carry a P239 now and don't miss either of those others.

 

Owned both P229 (still have six) and the USPc, sold the USPc, if that tells you anything. Just took off my P7 from a day of carrying and yesterday I carried my P2000. You can't really go wrong with an H&K. RE: USPc, I just didn't like mine (heavy LEM).
Edit: Carry all my P229s as well.

 

I have a USPc 9mm and a sig 239 40cal that I use for conceal carry. No I do not have a sig 229. I have other sig pistols but these are my daily use guns. I carry the USP most of the time because it is lighter, easier to shoot for me than any of my sig pistols. I like the de-cocker. I really don't use the safety because I practice with the DA first pull. Cleaning the thing is a snap also. The USP is my most accurate pistol I own. I do carry the 239 from time to time it has a crimson trace defender laser on it so it is easy to draw and sight in a split second. it is a close second to the H&K. I want to get a new USP 40 cal real soon. My wife also likes and uses our USPc 9mm for range shooting and qualifying.

 

I own many of both. I have been carrying the USPc in 9,40 or 45 for the last 20 years. It's a outstanding platform. I have always called my USPc a light weight P229. The P229/226 is smoother and has a better trigger. I shoot both equally well.

 

I have multiple Sigs and a H&K P30S. I bought it for my wife since it had the interchangeable grip panels and we thought she could get a good fit to her hand. The P30S is also just like a Sig in that it's DA/SA. The controls are horrible. I've had nothing but bad luck shooting it with numerous FTF & FTE even after several hundred rounds. Unlike Sig, H & K customer service is non-existent ,all they would say is "shoot it more". The only ammo that is near reliable is high end defensive ammo and I'm not willing to shoot several hundred rounds at that cost just because they can't make a pistol that will function properly. My wife would not even let me sell it to a co-worker because she said it was not right to sell a pistol that does not function properly.
Sorry for the long rant, but I would not buy another H & K if it was free.

 

Comparing my 2 HK's (45C, VP9) to my Sig320 SC--I would have voted for the HK's. After installing the 250 15 rnd mag with Xgrip now it's Sig all the way. The change in my grip has yielded radically great results. Older hands need all the help they can get!

 

I carried a HK USPc .357sig with a match trigger for years. That got replaced by a P30 which was later replaced by a 19x then 43x. Not sure the last two were available when this thread was written. 🙂

 

An old thread but an interesting question/comparison. I very much like my USPc. I have it in three calibers and it's simply a smooth, solidly built tack-driver. I recently got a P229 but haven't yet had the chance to shoot it (hoping for this coming week) so it will be interesting to compare the two.

 

I'm also a big fan of my USPC 45. I bought a nice used (barely) 229 Legion 9mm about a year ago. It's a very smooth shooter and I like it but, IMO, it feels a bit hefty for 9mm. I might not feel this way if I didn't have a P228 and a P225 which I think feel like perfect 9mm guns. I'd probably be more excited about a Legion in 357 Sig....more of what it was actually made for.

 

I got both; both were duty weapons but I carried and shot the Sig P229 (1995 build) more. except for the size, they are two different guns. I like both

 

USP all day and every day. I like my P229's but the HK is simply more reliable. It's lighter and will eat ammo I throw at unlike my SIG's.