9 thoughts on “H&K Distances itself from Recoil Magazines”
Last night Sons of Guns came on the TV. It was the episode where they pimped out an H&K M4 variant (that show has gotten extra stupid and is a lost cause IMHO). I was momentarily in disbelief to see the H&K company reps talking it how great their guns are.
Obviously that was taped months earlier, but still made me chuckle.
Perhaps H&K is getting tired of the negative reputation they have earned? For example type “because you suck and we hate you” into Google search and see what pops up. Hilarious.
Accusing HK of being anti-gun is, to steal a line from Todd Green, like accusing McDonald’s of being anti-burger.
While the “You Suck And We Hate You” thing is funny and a great running gag on the internet, a lot of that stuff stems from an ignorance of the legal climate in the firearms industry and market realities.
We are, after all, talking about a company that had nearly its entire US catalog declared illegal with the stroke of a pen by the Bush/Bennett import ban in 1989 (a ban which their US competitors have never uttered a peep against,) so it’s easy to imagine that there’s a certain corporate twitchiness when it comes to the US market.
And in order to get around that ban they’d have to set up manufacturing facilities in the US. After going to that capital expense, what might happen next? Perhaps an “assault weapons” ban in 1994? Bet they’re glad they dodged that bullet (pardon the pun) and remember it.
I praise FNH, but I have to point out they got the M16 contract (quickly and mostly nullified by the sudden need for the M4, but I’m sure they’re used to these sorts of procurement politics) and last time I checked they make all the US military’s machine gun barrels (with 4 hammer forging machines). They had to set up facilities in the US to fulfill these contracts.
They have I believe a better understanding of the US consumer than H&K simply due to selling to them for 8 decades or more, but they still get surprised; for the relevant competing 5.7x28mm ecosystem they sell, the PS90 and Five Seven, they were very surprised by their success.
While do more research for a reply at No Lawyers – Only Guns and Money, I found that FNH got the M16 contract in 1988…. Talk about timing.
Elsewhere I saw allegations that one of the contact conditions was they they couldn’t sell any civilian versions, which would explain why they’re still making them for the Marines but they’ve never been for sale to us even as their popularity has skyrocketed. It’s 100% believable from the G. H. W. Bush Administration after it turned on us.
My National Guard arms locker had M16A2’s from Colt and FN. You wanted an FN.
Does that imply you didn’t have a personally earmarked weapon you’d previously sighted in?
Now that H&K is ramping up their New Hampshire factory, will we see some edgier rifles available to civilians? I would be interested in a civilian G-36, if the price is reasonable.
Unless some of us are exceptions to my personal total ignorance of the relevant German laws that are also in play, I suspect we’ll just have to wait and see.
Last night Sons of Guns came on the TV. It was the episode where they pimped out an H&K M4 variant (that show has gotten extra stupid and is a lost cause IMHO). I was momentarily in disbelief to see the H&K company reps talking it how great their guns are.
Obviously that was taped months earlier, but still made me chuckle.
Perhaps H&K is getting tired of the negative reputation they have earned? For example type “because you suck and we hate you” into Google search and see what pops up. Hilarious.
Accusing HK of being anti-gun is, to steal a line from Todd Green, like accusing McDonald’s of being anti-burger.
While the “You Suck And We Hate You” thing is funny and a great running gag on the internet, a lot of that stuff stems from an ignorance of the legal climate in the firearms industry and market realities.
We are, after all, talking about a company that had nearly its entire US catalog declared illegal with the stroke of a pen by the Bush/Bennett import ban in 1989 (a ban which their US competitors have never uttered a peep against,) so it’s easy to imagine that there’s a certain corporate twitchiness when it comes to the US market.
And in order to get around that ban they’d have to set up manufacturing facilities in the US. After going to that capital expense, what might happen next? Perhaps an “assault weapons” ban in 1994? Bet they’re glad they dodged that bullet (pardon the pun) and remember it.
I praise FNH, but I have to point out they got the M16 contract (quickly and mostly nullified by the sudden need for the M4, but I’m sure they’re used to these sorts of procurement politics) and last time I checked they make all the US military’s machine gun barrels (with 4 hammer forging machines). They had to set up facilities in the US to fulfill these contracts.
They have I believe a better understanding of the US consumer than H&K simply due to selling to them for 8 decades or more, but they still get surprised; for the relevant competing 5.7x28mm ecosystem they sell, the PS90 and Five Seven, they were very surprised by their success.
While do more research for a reply at No Lawyers – Only Guns and Money, I found that FNH got the M16 contract in 1988…. Talk about timing.
Elsewhere I saw allegations that one of the contact conditions was they they couldn’t sell any civilian versions, which would explain why they’re still making them for the Marines but they’ve never been for sale to us even as their popularity has skyrocketed. It’s 100% believable from the G. H. W. Bush Administration after it turned on us.
My National Guard arms locker had M16A2’s from Colt and FN. You wanted an FN.
Does that imply you didn’t have a personally earmarked weapon you’d previously sighted in?
Now that H&K is ramping up their New Hampshire factory, will we see some edgier rifles available to civilians? I would be interested in a civilian G-36, if the price is reasonable.
Unless some of us are exceptions to my personal total ignorance of the relevant German laws that are also in play, I suspect we’ll just have to wait and see.