HK greatly expanding their US market

[Graves]

For those of us not in the know, why all the HK hate?

Take a look at their entire catalog of offerings.
How much of it can you actually get your hands on? Some fat ass low cap usp's...oh wait...theres the VP9, P30, P2k, and HK45 in enough variants to make you forget about the PDW's and long guns you could own.

They do offer some half-assed versions of their PDW's/Long guns, if you're interested.

[Justin]

The patents are expired and with modern CNC manufacturing I figure one could make a go of it (although a more realistic target MSRP would be $1200-1500)... the fact that Rohbaugh and Boberg still exist proves that boutique arms manufacturing is possible (and I'd guess that a well made P7 clone would do better than either Rohrbaugh or Boberg). Of course there is the cautionary tale of Microtech Small Arms Research.


The big problems with HK are that they don't understand that in the US market that US gun buyers want you to be a pro-gun political ally too. Also that American gun owners are not the idle rich like they are in Europe so we do shop based on price. The sad truth is that while they're fine guns the USP, P2000, P30 and VP9 are simply not worth significantly more than Glocks and trying to claim they are somehow upscale and deserve MSRPs almost twice that of Glocks is folly. You'll notice that when ATI brought out a value priced MP5 clone in .22lr that they sold a friggin boat load of them (before HK shut them down for copyright violation). Apparently HK didn't learn anything then.

The problem is I have no way to do a cost analysis to figure out what that price point would have to be.

[Hound]

You can get an MP5, just saying. The hoops and money you have to jump through may not be worth it to you, but ya can. The NFA laws are our own doing. That all being said, HK could try to work it like Sig does, which is why they don't get the same hate level. The Sig Brace was them testing the lines.... And it did not hurt their approval rating either.

Take a look at their entire catalog of offerings.
How much of it can you actually get your hands on? Some fat ass low cap usp's...oh wait...theres the VP9, P30, P2k, and HK45 in enough variants to make you forget about the PDW's and long guns you could own.

They do offer some half-assed versions of their PDW's/Long guns, if you're interested.

[HoneyBadger]

You guys are funny. I wasn't expecting all the hate, but it seems warranted. I always thought they were kind of elitist, but I didn't know about their politics and all the other issues. Thanks for enlightening me.

Either way, I hope they introduce some interesting new product lines into the US market because more market choices is always a good thing and the innovation required for them to be successful could bring some cool ideas or technology into the market.

[RMAC757]

I won't buy another HK ever.. I mean why would we civilians need anything like an mp7...

Spot on. They get no love here

[spyder]

Hk threads always amuse me. Hell, they're almost as good as "climate change" threads!

[HoneyBadger]

Spyder, you're just an elitist jerk...

[KestrelBike]

Take a look at their entire catalog of offerings.
How much of it can you actually get your hands on? Some fat ass low cap usp's...oh wait...theres the VP9, P30, P2k, and HK45 in enough variants to make you forget about the PDW's and long guns you could own.

They do offer some half-assed versions of their PDW's/Long guns, if you're interested.

They don't anymore really. Both SLR and USC lines were discontinued, and the HK 293 (civvie G36) is predictably vaporware. I haven't seen a 416 at a LGS for quite some time.

Spyder, you're just an elitist jerk...

Lol I was waiting for him to chime in.

[spyder]

Spyder, you're just an elitist jerk...

Ha! lol

I've met, and talked with peeps at Hk quite a bit... There is a big difference between the thoughts of the German side, and the American side, a big difference... Sadly enough though, who's to say that they can't say "We are going to build what they want to build, and if you don't like it, you don't have to buy it." Ya, people are going to get their panties in a bunch over it, but as a business owner, are you going to give in to what they want, or stick to how you do things? Now rather that is a smart move or not, is another story... Also, the American side IS trying to listen, and have been for years.

I also shoot Hk's and choose to run them because they are the most indestructible over the shelf gun there is hands down. That's not just my "fun filled opinion", but a fact that I, and many other's have been keeping track of that I am in contact with in the same business... I've fixed too damn many Glock's, Beretta's, XD's, M&P's, and the least by FNH to care for them. Yes, I've worked on an Hk, but it was a P7 that was too dirty to move.... I've also seen a Glock slide break in two, and saw pictures of the aftermath from another that did the same thing.

Some would say I'm an elitist.... I just say I will shoot what I think is best with what I know.

Also, the ownership has changed hands with Hk too many times, and a lot of the "attitude" from Germany comes from this. They see the government contracts as a way out of their debt, and have put blinders on about it, and charged forward. The VP9 was the first bit of thinking that didn't come from this train of thought. It was made with the "people" in mind, and that's why it comes in at the $530 price point. Hell, the who thing with the G36 is a shining example of the way the German side thinks... why fix the damn things that they know have slight accuracy issues due to it's trunnion design when heated up when they can just try to sway the German Government into a new contract with the 416, or G38 or whatever in the hell they're going to re-designate it.

I don't agree with Germany. I do however agree with the American side, and no matter how much someone hates something they heard about them through other people, their guns are worth every penny.

[<MADDOG>]

I don't see any comments about the G36 slight problem with heat after 150 rounds of continuous semi auto fire...