When I got the email that Heckler & Koch was bringing the USC back, I was ecstatic. There is something about German space guns that captures my soul. The USC was discontinued in 2013 and was never a big hit, and HK never made a ton of them. They weren’t precisely unobtanium, but you were going to work to get one. The HK USC is based on the HK UMP. The UMP has always held a special place in my heart. It's the middle child of the HK SMG family.
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The MP5 is, of course, the most famous submachine gun in existence. It's been used by Special Forces, SWAT teams, and movie action heroes for decades. HK recently released their MP5 pistol clone, and the USC seems to be following its success. The UMP is the middle child of the family, ignored by many, and never really appreciated. The UMP came out at a time where the focus on SMGs was smaller and lighter. Being chambered in 45 ACP or 10mm meant it didn’t gain much steam. It was followed by the ultra-modern, and svelte MP7. The MP7 is the much wanted and beloved baby of the H&K SMG family.
Not that I’ve waxed poetically about my love of the UMP we can talk about the return of the USC. The USC is a rifle so it will sport a full 16-inch cold hammer forged barrel. It also uses the rather lame, but import required skeletonized stock. The gun will utilize polymer 10 round magazines, but a cursory search shows plenty of higher capacity magazines available on the aftermarket.
The gun will sport traditional UMP controls, and that means ambidextrous safety selector, a side charging handle, and paddle magazine release. What is nice is the addition of Picatinny rails. There are three rails on the forend for lights and accessories, as well as a scope rail. These are all removable so you can rock the classic UMP/USC look.
The USC is space gun grey and uses a blowback operation. Of course, it is chambered in 45 ACP and ships with two magazines. This will be a limited run, and MSRP will be $1,499. Hopefully, Heckler and Koch is dipping its toe into finally giving people what they want when it comes to HK guns. The possibilities are out there for a UMP pistol clone, imagine one with a folding brace. That would be a grail gun if I ever heard of one.
There are plenty of companies out there that do conversions on USC guns. They convert them to SBRs and add side folding stocks. These conversions give you the closest UMP you can get without an FFL and a SOT.
With HK finally making an MP5 pistol variant, and now bringing back the USC, what else will they offer? Maybe the new HK 433? A return of the SL8 for those who want to spend a fortune converting it to a G36 clone would be nice. It’s unlikely, but hey I like to dream.
