USP Compact - ArniesAirsoft

Author

R22Master

Dionysus

Registered: September 2004
Location: Static in the UK, but wishing I was motorbiking around the world - UK > Europe > Russia > Alaska > USA > UK.
Posts: 3,372

Review Date: 15/8/05

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: �50.00 | Rating: 8

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	Reliable, Cheap, Integrated RIS rail, Upgrade parts available
Cons:	Plastic slide can deform and wear slightly with severely extended use

Airsoft Armoury were selling these for �50 each not so long ago, and stocked spare magazines for �15 each. Now, with me being a famous skin-flint, these appealed. So I went down to Airsoft Armoury Midlands (Cannock), test-fired one repeatedly, and then proceeded to buy two of them and a couple of spare magazines.

First Impressions

The box is nice, black and solid, containing the gun and accessories securely packaged. Picking the gun up, it feels pretty sturdy and has a nice weight to it.

On the left hand side of the gun is the slide-latch and safety / de-cocking lever. Now the safety is about as useful as a badger with an engine, but the de-cocking lever is a god-send. Put simply it means that you can cock the gun, press the de-cocking lever and the hammer drops forward without a shot being fired. The gun can now be fired easily by pulling the full stroke of the trigger until the gin shoots. From then on, it will operate with a short trigger pull. This set-up is ideal for safe carrying of the pistol and rapid firing after drawing without having to locate and actuate a safety-catch.

The barrel fits flush to the front of the slide and the trademarks are great (engraved), although there is no serial number stamped on the frame of the KWA versions (only KSC versions).

One of the first things I noticed is that the recoil spring on these guns is very weak. Quite often, dropping the slide will result in it not going totally to the front-stop position. This was a bit annoying, but doesn't hamper its operation at all. Still, a stronger recoil spring really does this gun proud. I have found the standard recoil spring from a TM Hi-Capa to be ideal, although something stronger improves the feel of the gun even more.

The magazines fit VERY snugly in to the base of the grip. So much so that it can be very difficult to release the magazines from the gun with one hand - at least at first. It does wear in and get easier, and when it does, this setup makes for a reliable and accurate marriage between the magazine and the blowback mechanism.

The magazine included with the gun comes with two butt-plates. The first is the one pictured (with a lip for your little finger to rest on top of) and the other one is smaller, fits flush with the gun's grip-base, and has no lip at the front. It is down to personal choice which one you decide to use. Replacement magazines do not come with the un-lipped butt-plate.

Firing

Fill up the magazine with 0.20g BBs and Green Gas, lock back the slide, insert the magazine, drop the slide and you're ready to go.

The recoil is average, but shot power is excellent. I get about 300fps out of each of mine consistantly. The bang from this gun is average, but this makes for much better gas consumption figures.

This gun is accurate enough for skirmishing in most conditions, although I wouldn't say that this pistol was a record-breaker. It certainly does me proud though, and is a great skirmish pistol.

This gun seems to run on Green Gas perfectly well. I have only ever run it on this gas and have put many thousands of shots through it throughout the hot summer weather with absolutely no problems whatsoever.

This model seems to have an astoundingly good rocket-valve system installed. When firing the gun without a BB in, there is no detectable air being pushed down the barrel, but with a BB loaded, close to 1 Joule of muzzle energy is apparent. This makes for much better gas efficiency, and I have found I can get more than 3 magazines worth of BBs out of a magazine with only 1 fill of gas.

Accessories and Upgrades

There are a few upgrades available for this gun, although not many. I would recommend two though.

The Metal Slide & Barrel
The plastic slide that comes with the gun can deform around the slide-latch's interface point with excessive use. I have also noticed cracks around the rear sight after about 6,000 shots on one of mine. The metal slide makes a great 'clacking' noise as it moves and the gun looks and feels a lot better.
Enhanced Recoil Spring
As I mentioned earlier, the recoil spring on this gun is pretty poor, so a stronger recoil spring really helps with the feel and operation of this gun.

Neither of these upgrades are essential, but they do improve the gun noticably.

Conclusion

I wasn't mad-keen on this gun when I bought it, but I must have seen the good because I bought two. I'm glad I did.

This pistol is akin to the KWA Glock 19. It is a great skirmish pistol like the G19, it is cheap as chips like the G19, it is reliable out of the box like the G19, and it has about the same level of accuracy.

However, even though the two models are very similar and stack up well together, I would have to say that the Glock 19 by KWA just has the edge. This KWA USP Compact comes with a plastic slide, and has a noticably weak recoil spring. Also you can't get extended 50 shot magazines for it.

That said, if you simply don't like the Glock 19, then give this USP Compact a try as it is great. It's fun to fire, has single or double action shooting abilities, runs on green gas, has a good adjustable HOP-UP and fits most holsters nicely.

All in all, I give this gun a solid 8 and a half out of 10. Smile

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New and inspiring signature coming to an R22 post near you SOON...

elitesniper

Part time 'softer

Registered: June 2005
Location: Colchester, Essex
Posts: 2,670

Review Date: 4/9/05

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: �79.99 | Rating: 9

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	nice kick, full trades, very nice 'sturdy' feel to it, close to real steal weight at 725g empty
Cons:	expensive mags �25 each :( , trades a bit lightly engraved on the slide.

i decided that it was time to get my first GBB, the first gun that came to mind, was the kwa glock 17, but this was out of stock, so i decided to get a different pistol and wait for a glock 17 to get into stock. My choice was between the tm m92f and the kwa usp compact, i decided to get the usp compact, because i had heard nothing but good things about it.

Price
i bought it new for �79.99 from Airsoft Armouries with two cans of hfc green gas and 2 bottles of 3000 goldfire bbs, totalling �107.69 posted by courier.

A Small Bit About The Retailer
Airsoft Armouries, i have nothing but good things to say about them, i ordered it on Tuesday 9th of August at 10am, it arrived on wednesday 10th of August at midday, now that is fast shipping.
Airsoft Armouries get a big thumbs up from me
Thumbs Up!

First Impressions
It came in a fairly plain black box with the words KWA KP8 compact, universal self-loading pistol in grey and white among other words.
Upon opening the box, i found (sealed in plastic and in styrofoam) a safety manual, the gun, loading rod, alternative magazine plate, hop-up adjuster and a locking tool (unique to the uspc).
Also, as R22 said, the decocking lever, is very handy, once you've taken down the hammer, you have to do a full trigger pull to fire and this means that you can have the gun cocked, but fairly safe in a holster, ready to fire.

Build quality
the uspc is mainly plastic, with few metal parts, such as the mag and a couple of others, but the amount of plastic is not noticable, it is very realistic (even with all those plastic parts) the slide could quite easily be mistaken for metal from a few metres away, it has full trades on the slide and frame, Markings on the slide are as follows
left side of slide
HK usp compact 9mmx19 starting from near the barrel going back to just under the ejection port and a few more markings below the end of that (AB and some symbols).
right side of slide
there are no markings on the right side of the slide, except on the ejection port, where it says... HK 9mmx19 and a serial no. below it and to the left side of the ejection port there is a small red line (something to do with it being cocked or not in real-steal)
left side of frame
an eagle with a N below it, just above the end of the trigger guard, S in white and F in red on the saftey catch and on the grip it says HK usp
right side of frame
at the top of the grip, just below the slide, it says Heckler & Koch GmbH, on the grip it says pat. pend. and where the safety catch is on the other side, there is a small white line.
other areas
on the bottom of the trigger guard, it says WARNING refer to owner's manual and on the bottom of the end of the frame, it says Heckler & Koch INC and then a serial number on a silver plate (beneath Heckler & Koch INC) and then below that it says Sterling . VA
On the bottom of the left side of the mag, it says id 9x19 c, then beneath that US.Lot.5.568.696 and on the rear of the mag, it has four holes with the numbers in order from top, going down, 4 6 8 10.

Firing It
so far i have put about 3000 rounds through it and the recoil was sharp and fairly hard, i was very impressed with the blowback, at its most powerful, it can kick quite a bit, more than you'd expect. It locked back every time, with no problems and the slide cycling is very fast.
So far i've only fired it at a target from about 15m away and my aimed shots (from standing up, with no rest) have been fairly accurate, mostly getting in the first 3 rings of the bulls-eye target if i remember rightly.
*on this particular gun, i got a poo hop up rubber, which will be repaired by AA soon*

Weight
this is a very heavy replica (for what it is), weighing in at between 720-725 grams, compared to the real-steel version which has a weight of 730 grams, which is very close and a barely noticeable difference

Conclusion
I'd say this was a very good gun, its not too expensive and from what i've seen so far, its powerful and accurate, i would recommend this to a newb or an airsoft vet.

Also, the locking tool, could come in quite handy as when locked the gun is made immobile, you can't cock the gun or pull the trigger, so anyone unfamiliar with the gun, would not be able to use it, although... what i can see happening is, someone finds it locked and then forces the slide or trigger and breaks it... so it could be good, but then it could end up bad...

value for money - - - 7/10, at �79.99 its cheaper than most, the only thing cheaper, that i can think of are the kwa glocks.

efficiency - - - - - - - 9/10, i got 81 shots from a full charge
quality - - - - - - - - - 9/10, its very solid and the plastic (such as the slide) even looks metal, but the trades on the slide aren't very deep (not that this matters to much)

upgradability - - - - - 6/10, there isn't really, that much to do to it, except metal slide and barrel, upgrade the internals and for the real steel there are a few torches and lasers for the uspc only, but i'm unsure if airsoft ones are available.
overall - - - - - -- - -- 9/10, this is a great gun visually and perfomance wise, solid, full trades, powerful blowback and more. Highly recommended to all.

i've been using it with hfc green gas and goldfire .20g bbs, with no problems for over 3000 rounds

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For sale: Lots of M4/M16 parts and accessories, WOC mags, MP5 Hicaps, batteries, internals etc. - PM me
For sale: A fair amount of brit kit - temperate and dessie! Look here Smile

WANTED: Blackhawk! or Safariland 6004 for G17 (w/ m3 is good too,) any other gucci PMC/SF style gear

billytehbob

Registered: March 2007
Location: Columbia, SC
Posts: 160

Review Date: 24/3/08

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 9

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	High Quality Metal Slide, Strong Blowback For It's Size, Very Weighty
Cons:	Complete Absence Of Trademarks, Lack Of Upgrades

KWA USPc (KP8) Review

Please Go Easy On Me, It's My Second Review =P
Ordering
I Ordered This Gun From HotSpotAirsoft.com And A P-Force Propane Adaptor (Review On The Later) At A Total Of $126 With A Free Shipping Coupon. Hot Spot Airsoft Is By Far The Cheapest Retailer To Buy A KWA USPc At $105 Each. Shipping Was Fast As My Order Came In Just 2 Days, Which Is Excellent Compared To 3 Days From Airsoft Atlanta. The Gun Comes In An Obsidian Black Box Labeled �KWA KP8 Compact Universal Self Loading Pistol� Included In The Box Is A Loading Tool, Hop-Up Adjustment Key, A Second Magazine Floor Plate, Typical Broken Bottle Of Silicon Oil, Manual, Magazine, And More Importantly, The Gun.

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s42/BillyTehBob/Picture067.jpg

Initial Impressions
The Gun Is Much Larger Than One Would Think For A Compact Pistol. The Gun Has A Nice Weight Even Without The Magazine Inserted. The Frame Build Is Very Nice And The Plastic Seems To Be Of High Quality, But Only Time Will Tell. The Slide Looks To Be Made Of High Quality Aluminum (No Pot Metal Here =D) And Is Completely Absent Of Trade Marks, Though That Isn�t Too Much Of A Problem As You Don�t Airsoft While Staring At The Trades The Whole Game. I Have Heard Rumors That The Trigger Is Made Of Pot Metal And Has A Tendency To Break, But Again, Only Time Will Tell. The Front And Rear Site Have White Dots Painted On Them, And Are Sadly Un-Adjustable. At The Very Front Of The Slide, There Is Some Sort Of Orange Paint That Isn�t Removable Without Sanding, But I Will Make It Disappear After My Warranty Expires.

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s42/BillyTehBob/Picture066.jpg

Firing
After Filling The Magazine With About 8 Seconds Worth Of Propane, And 21 BB�s, I Slid The Magazine Into The Grip And Pulled The Slide Back, I Was Greeted With A Quick Return, And I Promptly Pulled The Trigger. I Squealed Like A Young Girl At The Recoil As It Was Very Strong, About Half The Recoil Of A .22. I Emptied The Magazine And Quickly Prepared It Again, And About Halfway Through Shooting The Second Magazine, The Slide Locked Back As If It Was Empty, But No Big Deal. I Pulled The Slide Back And Let It Go And Started Firing Again. After Firing About 10 Magazines, The Problem Is Almost Non-Existent. The Only Other Problem Is The Occasional Double-Feed, But That Has Reduced Significantly as well. Mileage On This Gun Is About 2 Magazines Before A Refill Is Needed. Obviously, The Gun Is Not Very Accurate. I Still Have Yet To Dial In The Hop-Up As Sometimes The Shots Go Far Off Course. Then Again, This Isn�t Made For Super Accurate Long Distance Shots. However, It Does Shoot About As Far As My G36c.

Upgrades
The Gun Does Not Have A Lot Of Upgrades At All. The Only Few That I Am Aware Of Are Upgraded Recoil Springs, Slides With Trade Marks And Threaded Barrels. I Have Heard That G19 And Hi-Capa Recoil Springs Fit In The KWA USPc.

Overall
I Am Very Pleased With The KWA USPc, And I Hope It Will Last Me A LONG Time. Although Upgradability Isn�t Good, Performance And Build Quality Is High Considering This Gun Was Only $105.
Upgradability- 6/10
Performance- 9/10
Build Quality- 6/10
(The Complete Absence Of Trades Keeps It From Getting A Solid 10/10 For Build Quality)
Overall- 7/10

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s42/BillyTehBob/Picture068.jpg

FPS Ratings Will Be Posted After March 29th

UPDATE: 2 Weeks After Ordering While Shooting, I Paused And Found My Spring Guide Rod Hanging Out The Front Of The Slide, As It Snapped From It's Base. After Calling KWA USA, They Promptly Sent Me A New Spring Guide Assembly. I Chrono'ed It At A Wellford Game And It Chrono'ed At A Consistent 267 FPS. 2 Weeks After Receiving The New Spring Guide Assembly, My Trigger Broke, Disabling My Gun. I Have Been Disappointed By These Happenings, But I Will Be Sending My Gun Back To KWA USA For Repairs. Thus, Because Of These, Build Quality Has Been Lowered To A 6/10.

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Germany FTW