Those are sunk costs, tooling up to produce a new pattern rifle for the fleeting and volatile US civilian market would be expensive and foolish.
HK433 - The new assault rifle from HK
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Wonder if HK will bother to offer it for export/LE sales like IWI is doing with the Carmel. It (Carmel) has no serious prospects of replacing the Tavor 21/X95 or even the M16s and M4s the Israeli Army has in their inventory, but they're offering it for export to other countries (and a company in India is building it and the Arad piston AR-15 under license).
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That is all up to the German Gov't export restrictions and US import restrictions. And no let's NOT get into that argument that has no end, or beginning for that matter.
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Not to start down that rabbit hole with German export laws, but since it's not been adopted by the German Armed Forces, then is the 433 currently a military weapon? Or since it's aimed at armed forces and LE use, is it more or less automatically a "weapon of war" per the Merkel regime (I wouldn't doubt that'd be their excuse for trying to throttle it's export)?
Haenel is the confirmed winner, unfortunately. It seems like the future look bleak for H&K, and the HK 433 may not see the light of day outside of prototypes and the Gray Room. I expect to see it on "Forgotten Weapon" ("forgotten" in a literal sense as well, sadly..) at some point in the future.
It’s got nothing to do with being sold to military or not they are categorized according to the firearms functionality, capability etc.
Export requirements will be same regardless...
pretty much the only chance I see for the 433 to become available on the us civilian would be if they may produce it in their new us factory
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I’ll chime in and say that I would at the least love to see HK produce new MR556 uppers with chrome lined barrels and adjustable gas blocks, much like the 416A5. All one gains with the HK433 is the charging handle. I think they would knock it out of the park with a serious use piston upper compatible with standard mil spec AR lowers and carbine buffer tubes.
I really would love to see the HK433 stateside. I would be first in line if it was sold as is (of course semi-auto). Would be nice if they could import it as a pistol
I really would love to see the HK433 stateside. I would be first in line if it was sold as is (of course semi-auto). Would be nice if they could import it as a pistol
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I wouldn't mind seeing a 433 with IWI Carmel/LMT type AR lower controls (mag release, bolt catch/release, and a Carmel-type shelf on the lower ahead of the magwell for a grip). I think that'd look cool, but could be a pipe dream, in more ways than one possibly. Neat to think about, though.
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That's a good question, and a point to ponder. If I had to guess, gearing up for any production run (even a limited one) for the HK433 wouldn't be worth it without massive adoption by some military or agency. The 416 seems to check most boxes anyways that the 433 offers that would be of interest for such potential interested parties.
I hope HK can find a way through this. I must say I'm a little upset they were not picked, as they have been the primary (if not exclusive) supplier of German military small arms for many, many decades. In fact, haven't they been the exclusive supplier of post WW2 Germany?
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The MG3 was made by Rheinmetall, as was some early G3s. If I had to judge just based on show interest, the 433 turned more than a few heads, and might replace the rifles in some police and armed forces units that are looking for new rifles, especially if they don't want an AR or AK platform. I've mentioned the IWI Carmel a lot, and it was designed to be an competitor/alternative to the FN SCAR and such, and based on a Small Arms Review article, the 433 had a similar genesis prior to being pitched to the German Army. I can see the 433 filling that same niche.
Just like how the Carmel is the answer to the Galil Ace or Tavor not checking everyone's boxes, the 433 can fill that niche for the 416 or even the SCAR maybe.
However, not counting a photo shoot late last year for HK's 70th anniversary/board meeting and the Concamo/UFPro shoot, the 433 hasn't been seen since IWA/Enforce Tac in spring of last year. I'm not sure what to make of that. Only thing that HK has said is that they will market the 433 (and 416) to prospective buyers.
Just like how the Carmel is the answer to the Galil Ace or Tavor not checking everyone's boxes, the 433 can fill that niche for the 416 or even the SCAR maybe.
However, not counting a photo shoot late last year for HK's 70th anniversary/board meeting and the Concamo/UFPro shoot, the 433 hasn't been seen since IWA/Enforce Tac in spring of last year. I'm not sure what to make of that. Only thing that HK has said is that they will market the 433 (and 416) to prospective buyers.
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Could be. What's the price difference between the two?
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More than likely political after H&K made the German MoD look like fools.
To me their choice was fueled purely on spite for H&K alone.
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On break from the 24 Hours of Le Mans coverage, I remembered this quote from the MK556 thread in HK Talk:
"The steel insert on the left side of the receiver is there to control movement of the cam pin (same as the G36 and SCAR), not for the bolt carrier to ride on. There is none (at least there was none on the most recent prototypes) on the right side.
The 433's development started before the Bundeswehr tender. I doubt they will just throw in the towel and scrap it. The only way to recoup development costs is to market and sell it."
The part I bolded is of interest, given that this sort of implies that the 433 has a minimum of steel rails in the upper for the bolt guide. Or else, I'm missing something.
"The steel insert on the left side of the receiver is there to control movement of the cam pin (same as the G36 and SCAR), not for the bolt carrier to ride on. There is none (at least there was none on the most recent prototypes) on the right side.
The 433's development started before the Bundeswehr tender. I doubt they will just throw in the towel and scrap it. The only way to recoup development costs is to market and sell it."
The part I bolded is of interest, given that this sort of implies that the 433 has a minimum of steel rails in the upper for the bolt guide. Or else, I'm missing something.
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Would anyone here buy a 433 for $2100 USD? That's how much HK was charging the German Army for them ($2100 USD=1800 Euros). For comparison, the MK556 cost 1000 Euros, and the 416 2500 Euros.
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If HK was willing to sell a commercial version for $2100, that's not much more than what CZ is asking for a Bren 2 ($2000) or IWI for a Galil Ace ($1800). Not to mention it'd undercut the FN SCAR by several hundred dollars and HK's own MR556 by at least a grand.
Of course, HK will probably jack the price up since profit margins are less for commercial weapons vs LE/Armed Forces (price per a gun is less, but support more than makes up for it plus volume).
Of course, HK will probably jack the price up since profit margins are less for commercial weapons vs LE/Armed Forces (price per a gun is less, but support more than makes up for it plus volume).
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