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HK416d SF designation

9K views 17 replies 9 participants last post by  JNAP94 
#1 ·
I have read more pages on here then I can count in search of info as to why I see some 416D SF lowers with the SF after the D and some without. Anyone know why some have it and some don't as well as when they made the change?

Thanks,
RegularGuy
 
#2 ·
The below links should provide more context. One of them will probably explain the SF vs. non SF marking on the lower in detail.

http://www.hkpro.com/forum/hk-nfa-talk/214811-interesting-conversation-atf-hk416-sf-receivers.html

http://www.hkpro.com/forum/hk416-hk417-hq/204932-all-le-hk416-s-select-fire.html

http://www.hkpro.com/forum/hk416-hk417-hq/216782-hk-416-d-matching-upper-lowers.html

The most relevant thread is probably this one

http://www.hkpro.com/forum/hk416-hk417-hq/193012-did-all-416-d-come-select-fire-rifles-3.html

Check out Post #38 regarding the legality of the lower, which is one reason nobody bid on the first auction that IIRC sold for roughly $3K.

The short answer to your question, if my recollection is accurate, is that HK Germany engraved some of the HK416D lowers to clearly mark them as Semi-only Fire. Or Semi-Fire. Or something to that extent.

In the initial confusion, some folks speculated that the SF stood for "Special Forces", which isn't the case.

Supposedly there are some (4??) HK416D semi-only lowers that do not have the SF marking.


Hope this helps.
 
#9 ·
I re-read this and I think I missed your meaning. You wrote to say there are some 40 416D lowers, not 4. I spoke with a friend and their count was 3 416D with matching uppers that are known. This blew me away. There have been some other SF's appear that were not associated with the approximately 60 from the one dealer, so take that for what it is worth.
 
#3 ·
The model ID was changed during production. The SF stands for "Single Fire". There are a few more than 4 that show "416D" but not very many more. The majority of the semiauto 416's are marked with the SF. But, even the SF are rare as rare can be.
 
#6 ·
It also appears the "SF" designation was applied only to HK416D SF rifles destined for the USA because I've seen a later production SF rifle that was delivered to Canada (AK date code) that lacked the SF markings (Where as earlier AI date code HK416 D SF rifles had the SF markings on them in the USA). At the end of the day, we are lucky to have even one of these rifles, with or without the SF markings because we were never supposed to have them to begin with. The SF markings don't bother me because it is calling the rifle what it is, a single fire rifle. Now if the rifles had full auto pictograms on them still and just lacked the sear hole and were engraved with SF markings, then I would be singing a different tune.
I think these guys nailed it. The official model designation for the US bound semi guns changed from HK416 to HK416DSF and the newer guns were marked accordingly.
 
#5 ·
It also appears the "SF" designation was applied only to HK416D SF rifles destined for the USA because I've seen a later production SF rifle that was delivered to Canada (AK date code) that lacked the SF markings (Where as earlier AI date code HK416 D SF rifles had the SF markings on them in the USA). At the end of the day, we are lucky to have even one of these rifles, with or without the SF markings because we were never supposed to have them to begin with. The SF markings don't bother me because it is calling the rifle what it is, a single fire rifle. Now if the rifles had full auto pictograms on them still and just lacked the sear hole and were engraved with SF markings, then I would be singing a different tune.
 
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