The rivalry between my SIG Sauer and Heckler & Koch.

[Miami_JBT]

SIG Sauer and Heckler & Koch; both are know for they aggressive marketing where they constantly referred to elite units around the world using their products and both are known for their catchy 90s tag lines embroidered on their swag.





Now, back then I was all about GLOCK and Beretta (and I still am). But I do happen to some of the goods that both SIG and HK have released and I find the USP Compact and SP2022 to be excellent competitors.



I find the USP to be an excellent pistol and while it has been updated with the P2000 line, the USP Compact is still just as capable today as it was then. Yeah, the accessory rail might be a tad outdated. But other than that, there isn't a single thing wrong with this gun as a modern and capable DA/SA hammer fired polymer framed pistol. Especially with it being chambered in .40 S&W since it was designed from the ground up for it.



The SP2022 is in my opinion, SIG Sauer's final original product. It is the ultimate iteration of the P22x line. It took everything that was successful with the P220, P226, and P229 and adapted it to a polymer frame and from there it was further refined in the Sig Pro line until we got to the SP2022. Again, being chambered from the ground up .40 S&W, this gun has no issues with the cartridge. It is SIG's best DA/SA gun out there.



While both are different designs, they're both made with superb ergonomic and mechanical layouts. The control levers on the USP Compact and the SP2022 are easily useable for most shooters. Both share the same capacity of 12rds when chambered in .40 S&W and both can shoot .357 Sig with nothing more than a barrel swap.

Their mags are well made and since both are marketed as "compact" guns. The frames while slightly shorter are still comfortable since both magazines have a small finger rest on their magazines.



They both shoot well, have little to no recoil, are easy and light to carry, are simple to take apart and work on, and are both in my opinion excellent guns of their era. Prior to the insanity of the 2020 panic, you can get a SP2022 for under $400 new and a USP Compact for around $450 used. That is the only major difference between the two. It was the ungodly price for a new USP Compact, which I would never pay out of pocket for. The massive amounts of police trade in guns chambered in .40 S&W meant that there were great deals out there for a USP Compact. But alas... those deals have since dried up.

Both HK and SIG have dipped their toes into the striker fired market and neither of them are going to abandon said market. The P320 is making huge inroads and the VP9 is also doing well. While HK's legacy guns like the USP Compact are selling well, I eventually see them canceling their production soon enough. SIG has already started to slowly close shop on their DA/SA guns and the SP2022 is being treated like the redheaded stepchild and soon enough, I see them shuttering that line too. Eventually, both will go all in with their striker fired guns and stop producing DA/SA guns.





I'm simply grateful that I was able to snag both of these guns for a great price before the insanity happened.

[David]

Well, now I want an SP2022

Good write up.

Although I normally carry either a Sig P365 or Glock 19 (both striker-fired pistols) my preference has always run towards hammer-fired. And I have the HK USPc in the EDC line up for those times I just feel like carrying it. The USPc is chambered in 40 S&W and as you mentioned, it was designed from the ground up around the 40 S&W. I like that, alot! A lot of other companies simply took an existing 9mm and converted it over. And although I like the Glock 23 and 22 (and have a Gen 4 Glock 22) I do know a local agency that did have issues with them years ago. I'm pretty sure they were Gen 3 models.

And as I've mentioned elsewhere, I was really interested in the Gen 5 G23's when I first heard they were going to produce them. But when I found out that they had increased the slide width and weight it brought it right up to where my USPc is in terms of weight and width. I just lost interest in the G23 at that point. I figured I already had a pistol that size that was designed specifically for the caliber in my preferred hammer-fired DA/SA. So why bother with the Glock? Only downside was the rail and I can get past that.

So with the USPc I turned it into a 3-n-1 pistol with both 9mm and 40 S&W slides and a 357sig barrel from RCM. The complete package.



I'm not really a Sig guy. Not that I don't like them, just don't have a ton of experience with them. I've owned a P250 (which I really liked quite well), P320 and P365. I had a P226 Equinox but never shot it and traded it off for something else. So I'd heard of the SP2022 but never looked into it. I didn't know it was a poly hammer-fired pistol. So that really does pique my interest in it. Maybe when the panic settles...

[David]

I find the USP to be an excellent pistol and while it has been updated with the P2000 line, the USP Compact is still just as capable today as it was then. Yeah, the accessory rail might be a tad outdated. But other than that, there isn't a single thing wrong with this gun as a modern and capable DA/SA hammer fired polymer framed pistol. Especially with it being chambered in .40 S&W since it was designed from the ground up for it.

And that's what attracted me to the USPc. I have to say though, for whatever reason, the P2000 is a pistol I've really been warming up to lately. Something about the grip. It doesn't 'look' like it would be anything special but for some reason it just fits my hand like a glove. A bit lighter than the USPc (1.7 ounces). And as viewed from the rear, the slide tapers more towards the top making it just a bit more streamlined.

I've shot the USPc in a match and did extremely well with it. Gave me a lot of confidence in it. I've shot the P2000 for accuracy but not at a match, though I'm positive it would be just as good, if not better than the USPc.

If I were to CCW a 40S&W it would really be a tough choice as to which one I'd want to carry. The P2000 is a V2 DAO which is fine. I still lean towards preferring the DA/SA of the USPc and like the manual side safety/de-cocker. Just personal preference. A 1.7 ounce difference in weight really isn't enough to be a determining factor.

Hard choice but a nice one to have

[David]

Over the years I've never really owned a lot of Sigs. I owned a P226 Equinox last year but never even shot it. It was an impulse trade and ended up selling it for a profit. I have the P365 of course. I had a P250 in 45acp that I quite liked and wished I still had, and I also had a nice P320. Having said that, I've started to take more of an interest in them by looking at the SP2022 in this thread and the P239 on another board. Mainly the hammer-fired pistols. I think the HK's that I have currently, have rekindled my interest/preference for quality hammer-fired pistols. One of the reasons I wish I still had that P250 which I actually liked better than the P320.

Although I still have, and like my Glocks, striker-fired pistols are getting kinda...meh. They work. They fulfill their role well. I may on occasion carry my 19X for grins or when I really want a higher capacity EDC. But just something about the DA/SA hammer-fired pistols. Or even my DAO P2000.

I'd like to get a little more into some of the Sigs.