Spoke to a very reliable source today who informed me that the plan to bring a civilian-legal US-manufactured H&K 416 to market has been “accelerated.” In fact, there will be samples available at the SHOT Show in Orlando (Jan’09).
The sample guns will actually be manufactured in Germany, but will be built to the US specification.
More as I learn it.
Too bad they’ll be banned by then…:eek: just kidding.
D
id really like to see these come to market
That would be very cool. You say the sample guns will be assembled in Germany, but with import laws the way they are, they will still have to produce the civilian version here in the U.S. Does this mean that Wilcox will in fact be stepping up to do this for Hk?
Sometimes it’s years between the SHOT show premier of an item and its real world availability. The MSRP on this one should be real interesting.
I don’t know man, I’m gonna have to say its probably BS. G3Kurz over at HKpro.com has contacts with employees at HKUSA, and has been thoroughly dismissing the rumors to save us the heart ache.
HK would have to also get domestically produced barrels to avoid the barrel ban, unless they were going to give us an SL8 version of the 416.
There was also a email sent to rohardi at HKpro.com from Wilcox Ind. stating that they haven’t heard of anything regarding producing a civi 416, but are currently producing the HK45 and HK45c on site.
God I hope I’m wrong, I’d max out the CC for a semi 416.
+1 Yeah, HK ain’t known for speed, at least for civ stuff. And if you think that the LWRC and LMT pistons are expensive let’s just wait for the 416 MSRP. Of course, I hope I’m wrong and that HK will have their domestically produced 416 upper shipping by Feb 1st for $999 
I don’t get it, there are already US piston AR manufacturers. What can the HK offer that’s better than the domestic crop of piston AR’s?
The US firearms market is seriously lacking in $500-$1,000 rifles that offer modularity, reliability, economy, and compatibility with standardized accessories.
Not a multiple thousand dollar rifle that is the same as a domestically made version.
I’ll be watching, even though I have my doubts about it happening, and yes cost is a concern because as far as I am concerned none of these piston guns are worth the asking price
I would be in the market for an SBR upper though.
I fired the H/K 416 2 years ago in North Carolina and was impressed with it all the way around. Having said that I would never pay the anticipated H/K asking price. I have also heard that the mag well dimensions are fairly tight and PMAG’s will not always fit. Can anyone verify that?
9 Para,
I don’t know to be honest. But, knowing H/K and how they price things it won’t be cheap. If it was in the 2K range or so I would probably consider it. My guess is that they will probably price it at around 2500-2700.00. I don’t think it will be a reality though since they can’t build them in Germany and then send them here due to current laws. If I am wrong about this someone please correct me.
I’m interested in an upper or two. Maybe even a complete rifle if they modify the magwell to take Pmags.
We will see…
Well, there is more to a piston system besides the piston and related parts. The following is a quote I saved from a few years back when the 416 first came out. Sadly, I don’t recall who wrote it, but he had some interesting points. Are these points still a concern with the current US made piston systems? I don’t know…
Regardless, remember, I too am in the development and design business, so I’m dialed in on what these prices are. Having said this, have you seen an HK416 and seen what really drives this gun??? It isn’t just the piston bro…it’s alot more than that. I can’t go into specifics for NDA reasons on this open forum, but I can elaborate if you want on the phone in a non-attibutable way. The bottom line is, the piston drive system for the M16 FOW has been tried and failed for years (until HKD and a certain special operator from a unit at Bragg got into the design business) because there is alot more going on inside the gun that simply adding a piston won’t cure…there’s dwell time, shock profiles, recoil impusles, bolt rock, bolt bounce, chamber response and flex, chamber pressure tolerances and so…and so on…so I don’t want to sound like I’m berating you because I truly agree with you on several points. Regardless, the points you bring up are not good reasons for condeming the platform. I have many more credible reasons for this that are equally as condmeing to the M4 FOW. In any event, the truth is the military does need a new “death stick”. Maybe it doesn’t need to take the form of the XM8 FOW, and maybe just maybe–if we’re really lucky–it could come in the form of the HK416 FOW, regardless it does have to happen because the platform is old and keeping it because folks already know how to use it correlates to “Coltis”
Ain’t going to happen. Get over it.
I’m tired of hearing this.
You know what I don’t understand, the hype over these piston AR’s.
Look at it this way, the consumer demonstrated a demand for a flexible rifle like the ar15 platform but with more rugged internals.
Out comes the XCR and SIG556. What else do people want?
If this is so why would anyone support this company? If the 416 was being fielded since 2004 then they have had ample opportunity to bring a semi-only version to market but haven’t, unless you are in Europe. Why support H&K when they don’t support us?
ah, maybe because they make one hell of a great piston upper? As far as I have seen over here, it is the only one with time on the ‘two way range’ and has performed very well. I don’t trust the other piston uppers enough yet to carry one on a daily basis, but that may change in time.
Oh it’s possible. Economically, it’s 100% possible, but laws and restrictions keep this dream from becoming reality.
Say bye bye to 922r and the US manufacturers are destroyed overnight.
I’ve got no idea what anyone at “hkpro” knows or thinks or believes. As I cannot reveal my source, I guess we’ll all just have to wait and see. 
But let me repeat what I said in the beginning. The guns which will be at SHOT are being built in Germany. They are going to be samples so dealers and distributors can see what the US-built guns will look like, etc. The German-made guns cannot be sold in the U.S. to the commercial market.
It’s true that there can be long delays between SHOT Show introductions and actual production. As I said, H&K has recently decided to fast-track the civi 416.
By shortly after the SHOT show we won’t be able to buy them in Obamarica anyway.
Well I hope so Todd, I was just under the impression that there wasn’t even talk of this yet. But looking at how FN is going to get out the SCAR, I can see how HK will want their gun out as well. If they can get it circulated around the civi world, it will be more likely to secure gov’t contracts.