Originally designed for the American market, the USP (Universal Self-loading Pistol) has found international acceptance as an accurate and ultra-reliable handgun. Features favored by U.S. law enforcement and military users provided much of the design criteria for the USP. The controls are uniquely American, influenced by such famous designs as the Government Model 1911 pistol. All USPs feature a fiber-reinforced polymer frame stiffened by stainless steel inserts at areas subject to stress and friction. The USP control lever, a combination safety and decocking lever, is frame mounted and quickly accessible, unlike the slide-mounted safeties common on many semi-automatic pistols. Variant 7 is a double action without control lever (no manual safety/decocking lever).
