HKs built in New Hampshire?

[Kahuna]

Saw this the other day and I'm surprised there hasn't been more made of this on the major gun forums (unless maybe I just missed it?):
http://www.seacoastonline.com/apps/p.../NEWS/70823011

If HK is partnering with Wilcox, I suspect that we'll not only see the HK.45 in the near future but it may open the door to US manufactured 416s?

Anyone with any info on this want to chime in? Thanks.

K

[Joe R.]

it may open the door to US manufactured 416s?

K

Not unless Wilcox produces hammer forged barrels.

[TOrrock]

Not unless Wilcox produces hammer forged barrels.

I've got a feeling that HK might be willing to drop the hammer forged barrels for US sales.

[xm15]

hkpro.com
http://www.hkpro.com/forum/showthread.php?t=65748

[Alpha Sierra]

Not unless Wilcox produces hammer forged barrels.

Who says the barrel needs to be made by Wilcox? They can be imported from wherever HK gets them.

Hammer forging barrels ain't exactly rocket science. Remington does them by the truckloads. In any case, most of the hype attributed to hammer forged barrels is BS. The main reason they are used so much is that the machinery is perfect for high volume production, unlike button and cut rifling.

[120mm]

I would be willing to bet that this is merely a political ploy by H&K to blackmail the gov't to buy their guns. Nothing like having "manufacturing jobs at risk" to exercize political power in key districts.

H&K has been conducting a "full-court-press" to get the US military to adopt their weapons for some time now. Thus, all the negative M4 articles we've seen regurgitated, lately, as well as the arm-twisting going on by certain senators and journalists.

[AR15barrels]

Who says the barrel needs to be made by Wilcox? They can be imported from wherever HK gets them.

I thought that you can't import barrels anymore.
That's why the price of surplus "parts kits" (FAL's, AK's etc...) are going up and US made barrels are starting to be produced for some of these.

[Joe R.]

Who says the barrel needs to be made by Wilcox? They can be imported from wherever HK gets them.

Hammer forging barrels ain't exactly rocket science. Remington does them by the truckloads. In any case, most of the hype attributed to hammer forged barrels is BS. The main reason they are used so much is that the machinery is perfect for high volume production, unlike button and cut rifling.

Easy there kids...

Part of the issue with importing the hammer forged barrels is that BATF has determined that the barrel now needs to be made in the states (for the rifle to be allowed for civilian sales).

While it may not be rocket science it DOES produce a stronger barrel. I won't argue accuracy, or even life span, but a hammer forged barrel is stronger. Does it matter? It seems to for HK (right, wrong or indifferent).

After working as a contractor for HK for 8 years I can tell you that they are unyielding in compromising on something they feel strongly about (again, right, wrong or indifferent). I'm not defending them, just stating some observations.

Now if they were just as stubborn about providing GOOD customer service they might actually have something...

[GONIF]

You got the customer service part right ,I can remember when they were worse than they are now (1999) so things are improveing on that front . my last repair on a USP 45C only took a month and I didn't feel they were talking down to me this time on the phone, i guess being humble is hard when you are never wrong .

[120mm]

Both the Germans and the Japanese share that trait. They strive so hard for engineering perfection that when something goes wrong, their first instinct is to deny that their "perfect" product can possibly be at fault.

Try to get customer service on a Toyota product, sometime.