HK Mark23 vs 45 Tactical - Head to Head Comparison
267699
183
I've gone and done it! I've shot a friend's Mark23 before but now I finally got one of my own. I've read countless posts about Mark23 vs. Tactical threads here but there hasn't been any visual clues as to how they're different. I can tell you that Mark23 is not just a larger Tactical. The Tactical is an enhanced USP as it shares the same frame, slide and internals as standard USP, but the Mark23 is an entirely different beast. I didn't appreciate it before but now that I've joined the Mark23 owner's rank, I have to say it's the ultimate combat pistol.
![]()
It is big, that's for sure! I don't have my Desert Eagle here right now to compare against so it's just Mark23 vs. Tactical. The size difference is immediate. Actually, for its size Mark23 is fairly light. It weights just about a steel 1911 and it's fairly balanced in terms of weight distribution and center of gravity. This is further enhanced by a fully loaded magazine.
![]()
I never figured out why Tactical sights appeared taller than Mark23 sights, since both are designed for suppressor cans. Now you can see why. The Mark23 has a step up built into the slide's front/rear sight bases, therefore the actual sights don't have to be as tall. Also its' obvious that the Mark23 is more than length vs. Tactical. It's also beefier in terms of slide and frame. The front of frame has the open ended slotting for HK rail. In USP and Tactical they're closed.
![]()
Another comparison of sizes. The trigger guard and grip are both thicker on the Mark23. That's the main reason that Mark23 feels less ergonomic vs. 45 Tactical. In an earlier post, the Mark23 grip was measured as 6" circumference, while the 45 Tactical has 5.75" circumference. I found that both are perfectly fine in single-action trigger reach, but DA trigger on Mark23 requires abit more extension of my trigger finger. Bottomline is that DA is not bad with a 2 handed grip, but shooting DA one handed wont be my first choice.
![]()
This is a look at line of sight. Mark23 is geared toward combat type shooters, where as Tactical is specialized for bullseye shooting with its adjustable and notched rear sight. Also is another look at the width of the grip. The back serration is more extensive vs. Tactical. Both the slide and frame on Mark23 are also thicker.
![]()
Visual comparison of slide and recoil springs. The key to Mark23's ability to take 30000rd of +P ammo is the combination of slide, frame and recoil spring. The slide appears to be much more massive vs. Tactical. That's why even though Mark23 is shorter than USP 45 Elite, it still outweights it. The same size increase can be said of the recoil spring. Not only is Mark23 recoil system longer, the springs are also wider. The Mark23's outer springs are nearly 30% thicker than USP, and the thicker inner buffer springs are about 50% thicker than USP. The wider spring coils also becomes the culprit in causing scratches barrel bottom's finish.
![]()
Here's a look at the frame differences. Once again the Mark23 is built for ultra durability. There are more and larger steel inserts in the polymer frame to support the bigger slide. The Tactical has the standard USP type steel insert stubs which now appear really small. The Mark23 has bigger steel support areas in contact with slide, usually more than twice as large in terms of surface contact.
The final word is that Mark23 is one seriously designed combat handgun. I wouldn't doubt for a minute that it was the winner in SOCOM competition. The Tactical however is not slouch, and is the more ergonomic of the two. If the current US Army tests do not require SOCOM's 30000 +P rating, the Tactical should more than suffice as the new combat pistol. Is the Mark23 twice the gun that USP45 Tactial is? I dont' know, everyone's value system is different. I can say however that the Mark23 is the ultimate HK pistol!
It is big, that's for sure! I don't have my Desert Eagle here right now to compare against so it's just Mark23 vs. Tactical. The size difference is immediate. Actually, for its size Mark23 is fairly light. It weights just about a steel 1911 and it's fairly balanced in terms of weight distribution and center of gravity. This is further enhanced by a fully loaded magazine.
I never figured out why Tactical sights appeared taller than Mark23 sights, since both are designed for suppressor cans. Now you can see why. The Mark23 has a step up built into the slide's front/rear sight bases, therefore the actual sights don't have to be as tall. Also its' obvious that the Mark23 is more than length vs. Tactical. It's also beefier in terms of slide and frame. The front of frame has the open ended slotting for HK rail. In USP and Tactical they're closed.
Another comparison of sizes. The trigger guard and grip are both thicker on the Mark23. That's the main reason that Mark23 feels less ergonomic vs. 45 Tactical. In an earlier post, the Mark23 grip was measured as 6" circumference, while the 45 Tactical has 5.75" circumference. I found that both are perfectly fine in single-action trigger reach, but DA trigger on Mark23 requires abit more extension of my trigger finger. Bottomline is that DA is not bad with a 2 handed grip, but shooting DA one handed wont be my first choice.
This is a look at line of sight. Mark23 is geared toward combat type shooters, where as Tactical is specialized for bullseye shooting with its adjustable and notched rear sight. Also is another look at the width of the grip. The back serration is more extensive vs. Tactical. Both the slide and frame on Mark23 are also thicker.
Visual comparison of slide and recoil springs. The key to Mark23's ability to take 30000rd of +P ammo is the combination of slide, frame and recoil spring. The slide appears to be much more massive vs. Tactical. That's why even though Mark23 is shorter than USP 45 Elite, it still outweights it. The same size increase can be said of the recoil spring. Not only is Mark23 recoil system longer, the springs are also wider. The Mark23's outer springs are nearly 30% thicker than USP, and the thicker inner buffer springs are about 50% thicker than USP. The wider spring coils also becomes the culprit in causing scratches barrel bottom's finish.
Here's a look at the frame differences. Once again the Mark23 is built for ultra durability. There are more and larger steel inserts in the polymer frame to support the bigger slide. The Tactical has the standard USP type steel insert stubs which now appear really small. The Mark23 has bigger steel support areas in contact with slide, usually more than twice as large in terms of surface contact.
The final word is that Mark23 is one seriously designed combat handgun. I wouldn't doubt for a minute that it was the winner in SOCOM competition. The Tactical however is not slouch, and is the more ergonomic of the two. If the current US Army tests do not require SOCOM's 30000 +P rating, the Tactical should more than suffice as the new combat pistol. Is the Mark23 twice the gun that USP45 Tactial is? I dont' know, everyone's value system is different. I can say however that the Mark23 is the ultimate HK pistol!
1 - 20 of 184 Posts
Joined
·
1,013 Posts
Re: HK Mark23 vs 45 Tactical - Head to Head Compar
YES! that was a very good comparison between the two! i've been looking for this for a long time, and you nailed it right on dude! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
(STICKIE to the max, this is very valuable insight, and there are a lot of people looking for this exact topic /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif)
YES! that was a very good comparison between the two! i've been looking for this for a long time, and you nailed it right on dude! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
(STICKIE to the max, this is very valuable insight, and there are a lot of people looking for this exact topic /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif)
G
Guest
·G36 - well done. Excellent side by side comparison. Had always heard that Mark 23 was bigger/beefier/heavier but in this case a couple of pictures really are worth a thousand words.
Joined
·
10 Posts
Re: HK Mark23 vs 45 Tactical - Head to Head Compar
Awesome pictorial. Thanks.
Awesome pictorial. Thanks.
Joined
·
1 Posts
Re: HK Mark23 vs 45 Tactical - Head to Head Compar
Welcome to the "Crew Served Handgun" club!
Welcome to the "Crew Served Handgun" club!
Joined
·
2,739 Posts
Actually there is no need for an accuracy comparison unless you have a Ransom rest or some other similar device that will remove the human factor. Only then is any accuracy test between the Tac and the SOCOM going to be valid. I will flat-ass guarantee you that both will be more accurate than the shooter so shooting them, even from the bench, is only going to test the shooter's ability, not the pistol's inherent accuracy.
Re: HK Mark23 vs 45 Tactical - Head to Head Compar
I haven't had a chance to shoot either for some time. Big Bore's right about the "human" limiting factor. I noticed that Tactical shot better than USP45, but I would attribute it to match trigger. The Mark23 have a match trigger feel too (not as light however) so I would expect Mark23 to shoot well too.
Here's another look at the frame differences. The thing that really caught my eyes was the massive recoil spring system. It really is pretty awe inspiring just seeing them. There are no other handgun that has such big and strong springs. Even the Desert Eagle uses a double coiled dual spring system, but their springs are much smaller. Next time I'll do a cmparison of Mark23 and DE. That'll make the video gamers drool. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
![]()
I haven't had a chance to shoot either for some time. Big Bore's right about the "human" limiting factor. I noticed that Tactical shot better than USP45, but I would attribute it to match trigger. The Mark23 have a match trigger feel too (not as light however) so I would expect Mark23 to shoot well too.
Here's another look at the frame differences. The thing that really caught my eyes was the massive recoil spring system. It really is pretty awe inspiring just seeing them. There are no other handgun that has such big and strong springs. Even the Desert Eagle uses a double coiled dual spring system, but their springs are much smaller. Next time I'll do a cmparison of Mark23 and DE. That'll make the video gamers drool. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
Joined
·
1,013 Posts
Re: HK Mark23 vs 45 Tactical - Head to Head Compar
one thing that always bothered me about the Tac, the ejector pin on the Mark23 is this big beefy solid looking chnunk of steel, the one on the tac however is a piece of thicker bent sheet metal /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
I guess its not a big deal, or else they would beef it up, but its weird since i saw the mk23 field stripped first, before i ever saw a USP or Tac field stripped /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
one thing that always bothered me about the Tac, the ejector pin on the Mark23 is this big beefy solid looking chnunk of steel, the one on the tac however is a piece of thicker bent sheet metal /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
I guess its not a big deal, or else they would beef it up, but its weird since i saw the mk23 field stripped first, before i ever saw a USP or Tac field stripped /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
Joined
·
664 Posts
Re: HK Mark23 vs 45 Tactical - Head to Head Compar
That's a great comparison, very well done with excellent photos. There's alot of "meat" in these photos allowing us to see exact differences. When I clean my Mark23 and Tac, I never look at it that closely as I'm trying to hurry and clean. This let's me take a nice long look at them without having to take mine apart.
The quality of posts has always been good here, but this kind of effort and sharing brings it to a whole new level. Outstanding.
M
That's a great comparison, very well done with excellent photos. There's alot of "meat" in these photos allowing us to see exact differences. When I clean my Mark23 and Tac, I never look at it that closely as I'm trying to hurry and clean. This let's me take a nice long look at them without having to take mine apart.
The quality of posts has always been good here, but this kind of effort and sharing brings it to a whole new level. Outstanding.
M
Joined
·
3 Posts
Re: HK Mark23 vs 45 Tactical - Head to Head Compar
I thought the desert eagle uses a gas system to manage recoil? I'm not very familiar with it however.
Very nice little collection you have there. I have been wanting to get a tactical for some time now, and now I might hold out for a Mark 23.
I thought the desert eagle uses a gas system to manage recoil? I'm not very familiar with it however.
Very nice little collection you have there. I have been wanting to get a tactical for some time now, and now I might hold out for a Mark 23.
1 - 20 of 184 Posts
