end-user experiences with hk416n and hk417 in the norwegian armed forces.
today i heard from two hk416n and one hk417 user of the
norwegian armed forces (home guard who had been rearmed and trained a week ago), and also got to play with their guns (no shooting though).
hk416n: reports seem relatively good, but it is not completely the magical high-speed piece of kit some have believed it to be. even with the gas-piston system it still fouls the action, yet less than the same soldiers have experienced with their ag3’s (hk g3) and definitely less than the comparable m16\m4 and diemaco c7\c8 sfw.
notable points to remember: all hk416n rifles have an s-e-f trigger pack and are issued with sling, aimpoint comp m4, insight m3x light, vertical front grip, adjustable stock, 7 steel hk magazines and a soft carrying case with velcro panel on front for fastening insignia and name strip.
hk417: comes with same stock and sling, semi auto only trigger pack, s&b scope with a scope mount that didn’t fit (!) and they had to order new ones from the us at their own expense, brugger & thomet suppressor made to fasten on the flash suppressor, which they call a signature eliminator (as, apparently, suppressor is politically incorrect) and the polymer 20-round magazines which are apparently crap. they also can’t use 7.62x51 nato ammo, but have to use match .308 ammo (lapua lock base) as the chambers seem to be wrong\reamed to shallow for 7.62 nato. these rifles are to replace the dm\sniper rifle in use, the hk msg90.
both rifles are also fitted with folding front and rear iron sights as backup to the aimpoint or s&b scope.
they have also had bad experience with the
norwegian ‘green’ 5.56 mm ammunition, the nm229 leadless cartridge. the troops got sick with flu-like symptoms after firing, and i read the ffi (armed forces research institute) report on this, and it seems to be excessive levels of copper and nickel (going from memory here so i might be wrong) in the gases produced by firing. the fixes seem to be open-air firing when possible, and better range ventilation and fewer shooters on the line at one time when indoor ranges and overbuilt firing lines are used.
markings: both the hk416n and the aimpoint comp m4 are marked with the
norwegian crown over an n inside a shield to designate it as
norwegian government (or as some like to say, the kings) property. on the hk416n it is placed on the right hand side of the magwell, on the aimpoint it is on the left side of the tube. the hk417 does not have this marking......
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