HKPRO: The USP Tactical

A considerable amount of time and effort went into the design of the Mark 23 or "SOCOM" pistol as it is more commonly known. The parameters set forth by the U.S. government for what they desired in an "offensive" handgun were many, and sometimes convoluted. The final product was impressive, but soon gave way to many complaints about its size, its main, and singular drawback. As accurate and controllable as it is, the SOCOM pistol is a behemoth.

The USP Tactical was everything that the military wanted in an offensive handgun, but without the cumbersome size. The only real difference between a Tactical and a standard USP45 is the adjustable sights, extended barrel with threads and O-ring, and a match trigger. Capable of considerable accuracy in its own right, the Tactical was soon the preferred choice of the very special operations units that were to be issued the SOCOM.

With the Knight's Armament sound suppressor, the package was complete, though the LAM that was designed for the SOCOM was not compatible with the Tactical mounting rails.

The pistol was later offered in .40 S&W.

The 9mm version of the Tactical is called the USP9 SD. It does not say Tactical on the side of the slide. It does not have the O-Ring barrel or the match trigger of its big brother, but shares the same left handed thread pitch.

Caliber	Cyclic Rate	Mag Capacity	Modes of Fire	Width (in/mm)	Height (in/mm)	Weight (lb/kg)	bbl. length (in/mm)	Overall Length (in/mm)
USP 9 SD
9 x 19	NA	15	Semi	1.26	?	?	?	?
9 x 19	NA	15	Semi	32	?	?	?	?
USP Tactical 45
.45 ACP	NA	10/12	Semi	1.26	6.06	1.80	5.07	8.58
.45 ACP	NA	10/12	Semi	32	154	.82	129	218
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