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  • U235

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    Jun 23, 2008
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    Pflugerville
    I'd like to thank the forum owners for creating a TX centric site. I found the link over at thefiringlane.

    Anyways, I'm Brian. I moved to TX about 6.5 years ago from California. I never fathomed owning a firearm when I was in California, and it wasn't until about 1.5 years ago that I considered owning one in Texas.

    Although I've only been interested recently, I've become serious about purchasing a handgun within the past month. The motives for this are mainly that I feel it's my right, the house on the end of my street was broken into, my neighbor's car was broken into, I travel a lot and would like my g/f to know how to shoot, and I'm starting to believe it's my responsibility as a civilian (semi-joking). I'd like to also add, that despite my original concern about stuck-up gun owners, everyone I've met has been extremely helpful and if they see us doing something wrong, they're quick to politely correct us and not make us feel stupid. I really appreciate this and it shows a general respect people have for the firearms as well as people in general.

    Anyways, my girlfriend of 6 years' brother has owned firearms his whole life and I've gone shooting with him a couple times and I'm hooked. He also taught my g/f how to shoot and I'm quite proud of her. I never thought she actually would, but she respected it and enjoyed it. She was extremely nervous at first, but she is quite hooked and wants to pursue it further.

    After borrowing and renting several handguns (different brands and calibers), we've decided on an HK USPc 9mm. Despite my preference for the Sig P239, my girlfriend felt most comfortable with the mechanisms (decocker, safety, ease of using those switches) and feel of the USPc and since the USPc was my 2nd favorite (or tied for 2nd with the G19), we'll go with the USPc. Most important is finding a gun she'll be comfortable with since she's a driving factor in making this decision. Additionally, I feel I can always get another after I'm more seasoned with guns and get more experience shooting. We did shoot it in 9x19 and .40 and we both preferred the 9 since we're beginners.

    Anyways, I've shot a couple time at my friend's land (he owns over a sq mile in Liberty Hill) and over a Red's in Pflugerville. The staff at Red's (well at least one of the range attendants) was REALLY helpful and did not make us feel bad about being newbs.

    Anyways, here come the questions. I almost went to the gun show last weekend to try and find the USPc 9, but we ran out of time. Reds had a USPc .40 stainless for $757 which I felt was a good deal, but we really wanted the 9mm which they did not have. I think we'd prefer to buy new, mainly because we're new at this and I don't know exactly what to look for in a used gun.

    Would waiting until next month's show be worthwhile? My g/f's brother said gunshows sometimes have limited handgun selection, however, he's from Houston and has not gone to the Austin shows. I've read reviews online and many people say Reds is overpriced, but I felt their prices seemed fair, but I haven't gone to any other gun shops. I'd prefer not driving around to every shop looking for the gun, especially with gas prices being crazy, and I don't think I want to buy online. We live near Reds and had a positive experience there, but the actual guy selling the guns wasn't extremely friendly so that put me off a little bit.

    Do you have any recommendations on where I should go to find that particular gun? Also, is the gun show worth waiting for?

    Sorry for all the newb questions. I'm new to this and hope to contribute to other users once I learn more.
    ARJ Defense ad
     

    phatcyclist

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    Feb 22, 2008
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    Austin, TX
    Welcome to the forum.

    I can say that an H&K USPc would be a great gun. H&K has a great track record of making awesome firearms, you wouldn't be disappointed.

    As far as the show goes, it all depends really. We've already established that H&K makes good firearms. The show is great if you are buying an older rifle like military surplus, as most local gunshops have a very limited selection. If you can get a better deal on a new gun at the show, I'd say go for it. The only problem with buying from a vendor at the show, is that at the very worst you have almost a month wait if you ever have a problem that needs resolving. I prefer shopping for new guns locally, because if I ever have a problem I can just take it back and usually the gunshop will make it right.

    I know a lot of people who buy guns at shows and never have problems, so I think it can be a good idea. I generally buy old military rifles and accouterments there, so my stuff never had a warranty to begin with.

    Hopefully my post has helped you in some way.
     

    U235

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    Jun 23, 2008
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    Pflugerville
    Thanks phatcyclist? What kind of bike do you ride? I have two mtn bikes and find it to be another great attribute about Austin.

    Anyways, back to the gun show thing. Your points are well taken. What's the probability that I could even find that handgun at the show? Unfortunately, we have company in town during the weekend of July's show. I'd be willing to maybe go there if the gun was at the right price, but it'd be an in and out thing, not a spend all day walking the show.

    I guess I need to find it at a local shop. I do feel more comfortable with that. Unfortunately, most of the gun shops do not have a web site and most certainly do not have any reporting of their stock. I guess I'll start calling around tomorrow.

    Do you have any recommendations in Austin? If not, I may get it from Red's and have them just order it.

    -Brian
     

    sharky47

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    May 4, 2008
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    Hey there, glad you made it out of the PRC!

    I have an HK USP in .40SW, it is a double action with a decocker and no safety - EXACTLY the way I prefer it. It is also my main CHL gun, I load my own ammo for it and for the 5-6 years I have owned it, I have yet to have a malfunction. While I don't care for HK's attitude as a company, they really do make quality stuff!

    And that's awesome that your getting your GF involved, mine has recently indicated she wants to learn more and become proficient - maybe even get her CHL! We are going to hit the range sometime this week so she can practice and we can break-in my brother's new benchrest AR-15 he built.

    Anyway, you ever get out towards Fredericksburg - send me a PM first and we can meet up at the range!
     

    U235

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    Jun 23, 2008
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    Pflugerville
    Hey there, glad you made it out of the PRC!

    I have an HK USP in .40SW, it is a double action with a decocker and no safety - EXACTLY the way I prefer it. It is also my main CHL gun, I load my own ammo for it and for the 5-6 years I have owned it, I have yet to have a malfunction. While I don't care for HK's attitude as a company, they really do make quality stuff!

    And that's awesome that your getting your GF involved, mine has recently indicated she wants to learn more and become proficient - maybe even get her CHL! We are going to hit the range sometime this week so she can practice and we can break-in my brother's new benchrest AR-15 he built.

    Anyway, you ever get out towards Fredericksburg - send me a PM first and we can meet up at the range!

    Thanks for the friendly invite. I shot a USPc this weekend in .40SW. It did have a safety though. I wasn't aware they made safety-less versions. The safety was the same switch as the decocker (I recall it even had an F and S inscribed for Safety and Fire).

    Being new to guns, I'm curious why you'd prefer not having a safety. That was one of the detractors of some of the guns we shot. My g/f was more into having the safety, but I like at least having it there, but like I said, I'm a newb. I'm assuming the reason one wouldn't want a safety is because in the event you truly need to use the firearm, you don't want it to be accidentally safety'd. Is that right?
     

    sharky47

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    My USP is a very early version, not sure if you can get them that way anymore or not - I specifically looked for this configuration. I like it because I keep my USP loaded and decocked when carrying it, it's safe and ready at a moments notice - no fumbling, just operate the double action trigger and it goes boom. The hammer is down, and there is a gate in front of it so that even if you dropped it on the hammer, it would not discharge - you MUST operate the trigger. Basically, you have to try really hard to shoot yourself in the foot!

    Personally, I do not own any single action pistols and I certainly would not carry one - but that is just me......

    But yeah, I have a pretty extensive collection of exotic military stuff, so any time you want to come out and try new stuff out when deciding what to buy, just PM me. I am also a machinist - much of my stuff is "not stock" so to say.......nothing illegal, but not stuff you can buy "off the shelf".
     

    U235

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    Jun 23, 2008
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    Cool, we don't make it out to Fredricksburg often, but maybe this is an excuse to shoot and eat German food.

    I did much prefer the trigger action on the HK to the Sig. It definitely seemed more defined and you definitely wouldn't accidentally pull it.
     

    308nato

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    Mar 9, 2008
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    Welcome aboard,if you get to Houston PM me and you can try out a couple of 9mm's I have.
    Baretta 92FS in stainless that has a great trigger out of the box and just gets better.Have you looked at the CZ line of pistols, they have some great models at good prices also.
    My carry is the CZ Rami in 9mm with 14rd mags.
     

    U235

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    Jun 23, 2008
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    Welcome aboard,if you get to Houston PM me and you can try out a couple of 9mm's I have.
    Baretta 92FS in stainless that has a great trigger out of the box and just gets better.Have you looked at the CZ line of pistols, they have some great models at good prices also.
    My carry is the CZ Rami in 9mm with 14rd mags.

    Thanks again for the offer. We go to Houston monthly since my g/f's family is from there.

    In all honesty, the Beretta 92FS was on our relatively short list of guns to try shooting. I read only great things about it online, but somehow we got into the compact pistols. My girlfriend is quite small, ~100-110LBS and has a very small hand. Her brother sort of got us down the compact road so I took the 92 off our list. That and I read many things over at thefiringlane that said they're having field problems with them and that we'd be better served by a G series glock, a P series Sig, or an HK.

    As far as the CZ, I've read a lot of great things about the CZ-75, but I don't think our local range has it for rent. Unfortunately, I think my g/f's mind is made up. She really liked the feel of the HK and once her mind is made up she looks at everything in a negative light; the same goes for cars and other big purchases.
     

    mac79912

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    Welcome.You will love the HK.I have the USP Tactical 45acp and it is the best gun I have.
     

    Texas1911

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    May 29, 2017
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    Welcome. I am in S. Austin and I have owned two of the USPc's, one in .45 the latest in .357 Sig and I really like them. Never had an issue with either. The 9mm is considerably softer on the wrist so you can stand and shoot for a few hundred rounds. Something to think about.

    I would suggest ordering the gun from CDNN, do a Google search for CDNN Investments and you'll find their site. I paid $499 for my USPc .357 Sig w/ 3 mags, brand new from them.
     

    U235

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    Jun 23, 2008
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    Welcome. I am in S. Austin and I have owned two of the USPc's, one in .45 the latest in .357 Sig and I really like them. Never had an issue with either. The 9mm is considerably softer on the wrist so you can stand and shoot for a few hundred rounds. Something to think about.

    I would suggest ordering the gun from CDNN, do a Google search for CDNN Investments and you'll find their site. I paid $499 for my USPc .357 Sig w/ 3 mags, brand new from them.

    Wow, not bad at all. I'm downloading their 35MB catalog right now (their web site is pretty bad, LOL). I'm kind of nervous about the transfer thing. Is it pretty straight forward. Do I need to discuss things with the person who will be doing the transfer BEFORE I order something or can I just order it, send it to the transfer place, and then arrange it with them?

    I found that database of transfer places in Austin, it seems like $20 or so is the going rate.
     

    JKTex

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    Mar 11, 2008
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    If you have to order it anyway, give Sporting Arms and try. www.sportingarms.com

    Tom and Becky are the owners and Becky pretty much takes care of the day to day. I know them because they're close to me but I've come across several others around the country that have bought from them and have nothing but praise for them. They're local for me and a Kimber Master dealer which is how I found them. Their prices were a surprise to me. Made it worth paying tax on compared to other co's that do on-line business.
     

    U235

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    Jun 23, 2008
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    If you have to order it anyway, give Sporting Arms and try. www.sportingarms.com

    Tom and Becky are the owners and Becky pretty much takes care of the day to day. I know them because they're close to me but I've come across several others around the country that have bought from them and have nothing but praise for them. They're local for me and a Kimber Master dealer which is how I found them. Their prices were a surprise to me. Made it worth paying tax on compared to other co's that do on-line business.

    It looks like they have them in stock at $705 which is a good deal. I got a couple local shops looking for them today, but this is a good backup. Figure the additional $20-30 for transfer. If I can't get it for less than $740 locally, I'll just go there. I may have a trip to Dallas soon anyhow.

    Thanks!
     

    SIG_Fiend

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    Just fyi, it's been my experience over the past 6 months or so that a majority of the booths at the Austin Saxet show don't tend to have "good deals" usually. Occasionally you can find some good deals, though for the most part a majority seem to be typical retail prices. It would definitely be worth checking out though as there is usually a pretty wide variety, so at the least you and Amy would get a chance to handle a bunch of different guns.
     

    Ranger60

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    I agree the shows are a great place to handle a bunch of firearms, see what you like, and then shop. Also, check out the auction sites like auctionarms or gunbroker to get an idea of prices.

    FYI, two shows in San Antonio this weekend, the SAXET at Freeman Colliseum and the other at Live Oak. I'll be at the SAXET.
     

    U235

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    Jun 23, 2008
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    Thanks for the tips. I have found a couple decent deals on gunbroker.com but nothing yet beats the deal I found in Dallas; just need to get up there. I have a business trip up there on July 10th so I think I can wait.

    Reds found the gun but wants $758 for it, whereas the shop in Dallas has it for $705.

    I found it on gunbroker for $699 but add $30 for shipping and around $30 for transfer and it's the same price as the one in Dallas. So now it's just hassle factor.
     
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