KWA H&K USP Compact Airsoft Pistol

Review of KWA's Heckler&Koch USP Compact:

a rocket for your pocket

When I first saw that KSC was coming out with a gas blow-back HK Universal Shooting Pistol (USP) compact, my ears really perked up. I have long been a fan of real HK firearms, and do own a real USP full-size in .45 ACP, which despite it's bigger than average size is a wonderful pistol. The only down side I found for the KSC model, it would use HFC134A gas, instead of the more powerful HFC-22, commonly referred to as "green gas." KWA comes out with their version, made with the same parts in Taiwan, but set up to use "green gas." .

I dished out $109.99 and by the end of the week I was called to come pick the USP up from the shop. It arrived in a plain white box, with a foam insert sealed with plastic. Inside was the USP, instruction book, magazine, 200 BB's, optional floor-plate, a loading tool and a small bottle of airless oil. Until I took the USP out of it's packaging, I didn't know that it came with a metal slide, barrel and upgraded recoil spring. Because of the use of "green gas" that is the only way KWA will sell the USP, due to increased durability and reliability.

The Outside

When opening the box for the USP, you will first notice the whole front quarter inch of the metal slide is painted blaze orange to comply with federal laws. Also the metal slide has no trademarks to speak of, nothing. Just a black sticker that reads "Made in Taiwan." Again all of this complies with U.S. laws for importation, trademark infringement and laws about replica guns, but local laws might vary or be more restrictive so check with the proper authorities first, but they should be okay with this one. For those that want the trades on their gun you can buy full trademarked metal slides as an aftermarket add-on now.

Comparing the KWA USP to the real steel, all the external parts that are metal on the real gun are metal on the KWA version. The airsoft pistol comes set-up primarily as a right-handed shooters' gun. However the controls such as the safety/de-cocker and slide release function very smoothly and are easily operable with just the left-hand after some practice. The magazine release is ambidextrous and located at the rear of the trigger guard. On top of the slide is a set of very nice and visible three-dot sights. For those interested in using "glow-paint" for low-light shooting or fast target acquisition these sights will work well and not need to be replaced.

The KWA USP grips feel identical to the real steel, where my KJW P8 USP pistol feels like a plastic toy. I set the two side by side (see picture) and the KJW's side panel grips are really just to try and look like a real HK; and the front and rear strap checkering is grossly exaggerated, bordering on uncomfortable. The KWA gun has a good 20 lines-per-inch on the front and rear straps of the grip giving it a solid feel comparable to the real handgun (all three compared in pictures). While the KWA gun's safety/de-cocker works just like the real steel, making it natural to slip the safety off while drawing the gun into a firing position, the KJW operates opposite of the real USP. This clearly reflects the European HK P8 pistol instead of the American marketed HK USP compact, which KSC/KWA chose to model their gas gun after. When de-cocking the KJW an extra step must be taken to return the lever to a ready-fire position. In the KWA you press down on the de-cocker and it returns on a spring to the fire position, which is more clearly marked. Also the KWA has a 'bobbed' hammer, so it can he harder to cock, but does not snag on clothing or gear. Being an American military trained shooter, I think most American shooters will prefer the KWA over the KJW in both function and realism.

The KWA feel solid and comfortable in the hand, especially for people like me with slightly smaller hands. The KWA comes with two different floor-plates, the plastic bottoms of the magazine. One floor-plate or bumper allows a place for your shooting hand pinky-finger, while the other is flat and ends in line with the rest of the pistol grip.


Shooting the Universal-Self-loading-Pistol (airsoft of course)

First the KWA version of the USP is heavier than the KJW P8 USP by a bit. It feels like you are actually holding on to something real in your hand. By the time this review was completed more than 600 BB's had been fired out of the KWA gun and it was more than three months old. I sprayed silicon lube in the magazine valves and the barrel (rubber parts), while using the airless oil provided on the metal and plastic parts to help with the break in period and keep the seals conditioned.

When testing the action of the KWA USP I noticed that it was pretty smooth considering that some of my airsoft guns with metal slide and barrel kits on them took a lot of customizing and re-working to get them to function reliably or without malfunctions. I loaded the 21-round magazine, compared to the 15-rounds of the KJW, inserted the mag and hit the slide release, hearing a sharp metal click when the slide shot forward in to the firing position. That metal-on-metal sound really lets you know the USP is ready to fire and means business. On the first shot I could tell I was going to fall in love with this airsoft pistol. With every shot of the KWA USP, you get a metallic slap and echo with a sharp recoil kick. It lets you know something with some power is being fired each and every time you pull the trigger. The trigger pull itself is short, firm and quick. In contrast the KJW P8 USP has a longer trigger pull with play in it and none of the metal sound that the USP has. It does have a strong recoil, much like that of the USP, but the feel is much different because of the weight and grips.

When drawing the USP it comes out of a holster right up even with the target , while the P8 takes some adjusting due to more of it's weight being in the grip from the all metal magazines. I think that the weight of the USP is better distributed through-out the whole pistol and follow-up or rapid-fire strings are grouped better because of this. Targeting just seems faster with the USP versus the P8, despite having the same exact 3-dot fixed sights. During firing the P8 did have an advantage over the USP; the P8 is almost one full inch longer than the KWA USP, including the inner barrel. At the 15-foot firing distance this helps out the P8, making consistent 2" groups, but it takes work to keep that consistent, because of sight picture recovery time. The USP gets 3" groups at 15-feet, with an occasional stray out to 4". I'm not sure why the stray round happens but, it's only one or two out of 21-rounds. It is not a large factor and still hits inside of a less than center-mass sized target at distance. All shooting was done inside to limit variables.

(As a side note to those of you thinking why I've compared a metal upgraded gun to an all ABS-plastic gun. I tried putting the metal kit on my KJW P8 USP, but it jammed just about every time I tried to fire it. It was a feed problem that even the tech's I sent it to could not resolve.)

After Action Report

Reliability is the name of the game in a combat pistol. My P8 has a habit of letting off small amounts of gas when using the de-cocker, and sometimes even shoots out the BB at a real low velocity. And the P8 doesn't always feed smoothly, causing some jams. The USP has only jammed once when firing it. Still after hundreds of rounds it works just as well as the day I got it. It holds more BB's and gas in the magazine than the P8 does. The P8 mags are faster to reload, because it only takes 15-rounds and has an external holder for the follower, where as you need a loading tool for the USP. But they hold 21 rounds and you can shoot almost two full mags on one filling of gas.

The KJW P8 USP costs less than the KWA USP and so do the magazines. However in this case I think you really get what you pay for. The USP holds more rounds and gas, retains gas better, feels more realistic in firing and its grip. Both guns fire around the 300FPS mark. The sights are equal and the P8 is more accurate at distances but, it feels more like a toy in your hand and jams more than it should. I've even had to fix the seals on the P8 magazines because they did not hold gas. One disappointing fact about the KWA USP is after owning and firing it for three months the finish on the slide is wearing off in a few spots. But I think the metal kit is worth it and makes it look 'battle worn.'

I would rather carry the KWA USP in the field for it's feel and reliability, despite the lesser accuracy. I think that buyers will be more happy with the KWA because it will last longer and take more of a beating with the metal kit, is of much higher quality and is fairly low cost compared to other guns on the market, including the magazines. The KJW P8 USP is just too ripe for problems in the field and needs more maintenance despite being a lower cost alternative to the KWA gun. Do yourself a favor and get the USP, it should last you quite some time with proper care, and be one heck of a rocket in a game.

Title: KWA H&K USP Compact
Category: Gas Guns
Reviewer: Eric Swenningson
Added: December 11th 2004