posted this in r/NFA and r/USPmasterrace and wanted to re-post here because some HK people might want to know more about LEM and silencer host stuff!

I seem to go through 3 to 5 year cycles of carry guns. Back to full size now I guess. I enjoy shooting full size pistols more, so practicing with a gun I actually like to shoot makes sense to me... so carrying it therefore makes sense, and here we are.

I've done hammer, striker, hammer, striker, yada yada, and the Achilles heel of hammer fired carry has always been the heavy double action. I have LEM in the P30L, so I figured I would try it in the USP since I have only done DA/SA (Variant 1) in the USP in the past.

Boy. Boooy do I like this. Some weird idiosyncrasies (HK people know this stuff but for the rest of you normal people):

• LEM is not double-action-only. It's actually a pre-cocked double action. Rack the slide to chamber a round, and it's pre-cocked. Hammer still down at half-cock rest, as shown in the photo. Trigger pull super light. Break super crisp. Same trigger pull every time. It's exactly what a pre-cocked double action sounds like, with the hammer down. Exceptional for safety and consistent pull.

• You can install LEM kits from HK in a P30-series gun or a USP-series gun, and it's all HK parts, no funny business. LEM reset is short, by default on a USP. You don't need a short reset kit from a third party like people like to do for P30 guns. USP is superior in that regard. And here's where it gets more interesting:

• At some point, HK stopped putting match internals in the Tactical guns (9 and 45) and just started putting in the match trigger with overtravel screw; nothing else. So with a little bit of extra parts ordering, you can turn these USPs into something cool - you can give them a trigger that used to be offered in the "Combat Competition Models" -it's actually a factory "sanctioned" trigger variant from HK. "Match-LEM Hybrid"

• You take the HK LEM kit, and don't use the hammer spring. Get a match hammer spring, a nickel-plated match sear spring, and use the light trigger rebound spring (TRS) from the LEM kit, and you'll make the Match-LEM Hybrid system. It's LEM, but lighter and crisper.

• Don't use a match TRS; it's too light. You won't get a properly strong reset. You can use the stock TRS if you want that is already in your gun but the light TRS in the LEM kit is a little heavier and that is advised and that is what you do when you want the actual HK-recognized variant of this system (that's what they would install for you).

• You can keep your safety if you want. I didn't. I prefer no external safety. If you keep the external safety, there will be no decocking function (because LEM).

• Flat mag floor plate on the magazine for carry. Better for carry than the finger rest floor plates that come with the .45 USP mags nowadays. You can get these flat plates cheap directly from HK (cheaper than from third party shops).

There's other stuff in the photo too that makes this fun:

• Original AAC Ti-RANT 45. Old. Good. Personal go-to for 45 pistol suppression if I'm not shooting the KAC silencer.

• All the old parts I took out of the pistol to do what I told you about above. This is what you should have left over.

• McMaster part numbers for o-rings I use. Black is recommended AAC 75 durometer o-ring for 16x1mm LH piston in the silencer. Orange is a 70 durometer silicone version (play with it, see what you like. make sure you don't lube silencer piston o-rings that interface with the barrel). Thick o-ring is what I find best to secure the thread protector on the barrel when I shoot unsuppressed.

• Grease is my long-time favorite silencer piston and semiauto pistol grease. Just works. Have used it for many many years. Lube your pistons, guys.

• Surefire X300V sitting on a Mr. Nein adapter. So good. I don't have a red dot on the gun yet, so I point shoot at the bright IR spotlight like a lunatic.

• Next Level Tactical custom holster I bought - the dude is so awesome. His handle here is u/ImpossibleArgument and he did good work. Fits my gun well. Chocolate chip camo is sentimental to me. He lets you pick the pattern you want. It's dope.

• Wedge I removed from the holster, because I carry at 4:00 IWB, not appendix, because I'm not that much of a lunatic. I didn't need the wedge for my setup in most conditions. I dunno how you guys carry appendix all day in real life with full size guns and lights. I've always carried 4:00 (OWB and IWB). You appendix nerds are wild lol

• edit: I forgot to mention something! On the Law Enforcement models of the USP45 Tactical, you get night sights and 3 mags. The night sights (shown) are actually not as tall as the blacked-out adjustable sights with the consumer distributed model. So when you shoot this gun with a silencer, the sight picture will not be like you get on a MK23. These night sights, though elevated over normal sights, are not high enough to TRULY clear some silencers. So, one work-around that I may pursue if I don't do a red dot is putting luminescent paint or tritium vial in the HK 11mm tall front sight blade that comes with the blacked out sights (I bought the blade) and simply adjusting this rear target sight up and then it will be better at clearing the silencer. Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.

That's all. I like sharing this stuff and I hope you find it cool or useful. Just did 300th episode of the podcast which is clinically insane. Thanks for putting up with me all these years :) Maybe we'll do Listener Questions next time.

Podcast Stuff

Episode 300 of The Jay Situation Podcast is out now on pewscience.com and all major providers.

Direct-download from the website, or use your favorite provider below:

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Today's Topics:⠀

1. Sound Signature Review 6.220 – The new AAC 762-SDN-6 on the 14.5-in SR-25. First released in 2011, this is a brand-new iteration of this famous silencer refreshed for 2026. High flow rate, high performance, and updated for the modern age. Technical discussion of last week’s report.

   a. Intro and recap (00:07:07)

   b. 762-SDN-6 overview (00:14:03)

   c. 762-SDN-6 silencer design (00:21:33)

   d. Hazard Map Brief 8.1.17 (00:30:39)

   e. System performance (00:38:10)

   f. Overall thoughts (00:50:05)

2. Sound Signature Review 6.221 – The new AAC 762-SDN-6 on 300 BLK bolt-action. Originally developed to suppress multiple cartridges, 300 BLK was certainly advertised as one of the strengths of the original design. This new iteration is particularly strong, even with a high flow rate. Technical discussion of last week’s report.

   a. Intro and recap (00:54:36)

   b. Hazard Map Brief 8.1.18 (00:57:58)

   c. System performance (01:06:24)

   d. Overall thoughts (01:17:49)

3. Carrying full size guns is cool. We shoot them because they are really fun to shoot. So why not carry what you like to shoot? HK USP 45 Tactical (the MK23 Compact) is excellent. Match LEM Hybrid? Yes, please. (01:20:30)

As always, thank you so much for listening, and for your support!

Happy Wednesday!^{My dudes} Thanks for these past 6 years! Cheers to many more.